Sullivan: The agony of autism - Good Autism article

[mc4_a]

Sullivan: The agony of autism
full article: http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/column/index.php?ntid=201129&ntpid=2

Driving through central Wisconsin recently, I battled the melancholy that crawls into my heart each year at this time, around the birth date of my first-born -- my son, whose needs have driven me to near exhaustion and stretched my limits of patience; my son who is clever and sweet and has expanded my level of compassion; my son, who should be taking his driver's license test but is not and may never do so. My son, who has autism.

[LIZARD]

This is a good article. Thanks for posting it. :)

In reading it, I found myself lamenting, though, that like with most conditions and disorders, we only hear the ends of the spectrum: the so-called "recovered" and the seemingly-hopeless severely low-functioning. The fact is that most of our kids are somewhere in the middle, and even those who seem to be destined to live at home or in group homes are improving with leaps and bounds once they reach certain ages, as I was told my son would. He's about to be 13, and although it quickly becomes obvious that "something is up with him," I can now see him making his way out in the world, even if he doesn't start until he's 30! The things we thought he'd never be able to do just a few years ago are now definite possibilities for him. While I don't expect him to drive at 16 yo, I have confidence he can some day. :) The same was thought of me! I in fact didn't drive until I was 22. I was born with a neuro condition that was supposed to kill me in infancy. I am now 40 yo and doing everything everyone else my age does (with some extra effort) and raising an autistic child besides. :) My son is no more "recovered" from autism than I am from hydrocephalus, but like me, I think he can live a rewarding, productive, and amazingly normal life, given the proper help and encouragement. This is what the world needs to know about autism. :)


LIZARD :)