It has been just over a year since my husband and I sat in a tiny room and were told that our son has autism. I went through the stages of grief, finally landed at acceptance, and then rolled up my sleeves. Here is what stands out the most when I think about the journey I have been on with autism over the last year.
Learning a New Language
Once I reached the acceptance phase, I dove head first into all the reading material I could get my hands on. Because of all the unfamiliar terminology it was like learning a new language: sensory integration dysfunction, hyperlexia, applied behavior analysis, pivotal response treatment, etc . . .
I started to get overwhelmed.
This is my latest post published on the Oklahoma City Moms Blog site. Read the rest by clicking here.
BigAndPinkyToes 
my biggest recommendation is to talk to your son’s teacher about things that cause him the most anxiety and ways to calm him down. any tricks and tips you use can be used in the classroom. will he wear noise cancelling headphones in the cafe or during fire drills? does he need a specific type of stimulation (water, noise, books, movement whatever) that he uses to calm himself. is there a best place for him to sit? all these things your sons teacher will try to figure out, but if you know already it helps skip those steps.
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Thank you, yes open communication with teach has helped so much. She has been open to letting us send his headphones, which has made a huge difference. There was one teacher he had when we tried regular prek that was very hard to communicate with didn’t seem very receptive. So I think I’m gun shy. I think we’ve also ironed out some bumps during the first week of school. Hoping this week goes well!
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He’s come such a long way and so have you Lacey– think of all you’ve learned and come to understand about Lincoln and about yourself this year. You are an amazing mom– and are doing such a great job being just what he needs. xox
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Oh thanks Rhonda. I’m too pregnant and emotional for such nice comments.
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Love you Lacey! xo
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“Because of the class size and number of daily transitions will he be able to handle kindergarten? Will he be able to open his lunch container? Will the cafeteria be too loud? What if he tries to run off at recess?”-these are my exact concerns. I’ve struggled with these thoughts for some time now. We have one year until Kindergarten and I am concerned. I’m certainly looking forward to your blog posts. 😍
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Oh mama the question loop really wears me down. I will say we started school. The first week was BUMPY. The teacher was open and receptive with us though. The second week has been much smoother (although I know better than to get my hopes up to soon). I’ll keep you posted!
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Thank you for posting this! I am where you were a year ago. (I posted something about the diagnosis two days ago!). I am starting to investigate and figure out what’s next… it is overwhelming.
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It is overwhelming. I wish there was a map or steps to how to navigate it all. Start slow and joining a Facebook moms group helped me. Prayers for you!
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