Knowledge
When my child was diagnosed with autism; I went thru so much anxiety and trying to look for resources on the web to see what I can do to help her. Called several places and was put on several waiting list for ABA therapy and for speech therapy and occupational therapy; in one of those evaluations my daughter needed physical therapy for a short period of time because of her balance. I can honestly say these waiting list were so long that I literally called every single day to see if there were any cancellations and had a paper list of all of them that she was put on their list.
There was a point in my life that my daughter's diagnosis affected me terribly; I went to being a happy person to being mad at the world because I saw that my child was struggling and I could not do anything to make it go away or make her progress faster. I was a medium to overweight person in that time, but I turned to overeating because of the anxiety I went thru.
I passed thru a lot of emotions and things in my life; I had my child 9 months in my stomach and I was her mother and I was doing this all alone. I thank my parents for helping me as in me living with them; but I was the one making the phone calls to several places, searching the web to find different types of things to help my child, going against the clock because I was told by the developmental pediatrician in Philadelphia that when your child is diagnosed with autism; you have a short window because their brain is like a sponge and once the years pass it is not anymore and the therapies will help but it will just be more difficult or longer.
Knowing of her diagnosis made me thru the years a stronger person and an advocate for my child, because no one else was going to fight for her in the school system or in her IEP meetings or in general in her everyday life. I do not say I am the perfect mom but I always try to do the best for her and make her future better. I do always try to keep communication with her teachers thru email or phone and they know I am always available if there is a problem with my daughter in school that needs a plan change. The school does know that she is gluten free and I always offer to bring gluten free snacks or cupcakes to the classroom if in case there are any parties in school.
My point is that us as parents with children with autism or any type of diagnosis go thru a tremendous amount of anxiety and the need to help their child.
There are people in this world that do not know what we go thru and why we might see a therapist or see a psychiatrist and judge us as being crazy or mentally ill. They should be under our skin and know our past and see what we as parents go thru and then judge.
I became this shy girl in high school in my young age who did not want to speak that much because I stuttered a lot in school; to being a mom who had no choice than to talk even if I stuttered because I had a child who needed a voice and help; which had to be me because I am her parent.
