And The Mission Continues....

Or, perhaps I should say, its objectives are expanding and my motivation has been reignited.

It is a new year and while many people have resolved to lose weight and are charting out their latest weight loss plan - and yes, as with every year, I'm doing that too - I am researching different treatments to recover my child from autism. As I draw closer to the end of reading A Child's Journey Out Of Autism by Leeann Whiffen, I can feel the inspiration building inside of me to act on my child's behalf. I am totally certain Leeann hoped to have this exact effect on parents when they read her book.

Around this time last year, Reiss had only been diagnosed a few weeks beforehand and reality had set in like a meteor pounding me into the ground. At the time, my family's mission seemed so simple: Pull Reiss out of this fog of autism. I was motivated. I was reading everything I could get my hands on. We - my husband and I - were going to change the world. Okay, not the world. But we were going to beat this awful child-stealing disability that robbed Reiss of a typical childhood and has rocked our family's world in ways no one can possibly fathom unless they have walked in these shoes.

The mission's objective is simple. Actually accomplishing it is the hardest thing we have ever set out to do.

We are doing "the autism diet" that so many of us parents use in treating our autistic children (yet, I'm surprised by the number of parents I meet who never even give it a try). Reiss and Milla both take several supplements every day, some of them two times per day. Reiss is in developmental preschool and Milla is in speech therapy but there are always those nagging questions of whether or not we are doing what is right or if we are doing enough. With much consideration, I am without a doubt that we are doing the right thing but I don't think we are doing enough.

Reiss goes to developmental preschool provided by our local school system four days per week. I have mentioned on many occasions how much I adore his teacher and her aides. They are gentle and caring and have a knack for reaching out to Reiss in ways that result in productivity on his part and only a minimal number of tantrums. He receives group occupational therapy, structured playtime and social interaction - all necessary elements for a child of preschool age and in his situation. However, here is where I feel we are neglecting one of Reiss's crucial needs: social development.

Reiss is incredibly smart. He has excellent verbal and communications skills. There are some days when he totally surprises the heck out of me in how he can pick up on certain things I would have thought were beyond his thought capacity. When he's not trying his best to annoy Milla, he plays very well with her - so well, that if an unaware stranger was to pop in on us and observe the two of them playing together, he or she may have difficulty believing Reiss even has autism (but he or she isn't here to see all the other moments of our day either). Yet, he still lacks social skills. He wants to be a friend to people. He reaches out to others somewhat. For example, he will walk up to total strangers and ask them their names. What I want to give attention to though, is the social awkwardness.

Social interaction with other children is incredibly important for a child but for a child with autism, a child whose social skills are lacking at best, it is nothing if there is not some sort of individualized social development program in place. I love that Reiss is around other children while he is at school but many of them are taking a ride on the same boat as he is - meaning they, too, have autism - and his one teacher and two aides have so many children under their supervision - sixteen, when I last asked.

Some of the children in his class do not have autism but they all have at least some type of special learning.....disability. I hate that word. My point is this, his teachers must feel overwhelmed. Even if they do not feel that way, I do. I feel Reiss needs something more - not something to replace preschool but something in addition to it - where he can acquire social skills that allow him to have actual relationships with other children and, dare I say it, friends.

With all that said, my next step is to exhaust myself with researching and finding an RDI - Relationship Development Intervention - program to implement into our growing list of treatments and therapies.

There never seem to be the resources in our area that I seek so off I go to search for a needle in a haystack.

By the way, Viv, if you're reading...I didn't go back to bed after all after facebook-ing you. I hope you did though, and were able to get some blissful, delicious sleep!