EARLY SIGNS OF AUTISM AND MY DENIAL

We were involved in a program called Birth To Three when Dane was 2 and a half.  The county got us on this program because we let our family doctor know we were having troubles getting Dane to talk.  The most he could do to communicate at the time was whine and cry while pointing.  The trouble was: What is he pointing at?  What does he want?  The doctor made the call and referred us.  If she had not I don't know where we would have started.

Christmas 2007 Dane received a toy dump truck for a present.  The first and only thing he did was flip it over and spin the wheels.  The same went for a toy wagon we had.  You could put blocks in this wheel in the center and music would play.  He would spin that wheel so fast sometimes he would get his fingers pinched.  Anything that could spin, Dane would spin it.  He would sit and examine what kinds of spins were resulting in.  This came to saucers and spoons as well.  Nothing else mattered.

I taught him how the light switch worked when he was little.  It wasn't long until he had to always flip switches.  Cries of anger and tantrums broke out unless he could turn the light on and off before leaving the room.  We would visit friends and family and he would search the house for switches and flip every one.  That was his main concern.  Everyone in the room did not exist to him.

Many of these routines were going on.  He started lining up blocks and matchbox cars.  If you moved one out of line, you broke his routine.  He threw a fit.  Still, I did not know what was going on.  "This is all part of being a kid.  He will outgrow these weird routines."  So I thought.

My denial seeing certain signs of autism and still not wanting to think anything was wrong.  Birth to Three would use the term; (Red Flags).  The doctor said it's a possibility of autism.

I was seeing billboards that had a young girl on it that said. "Autism Speaks.  1 out of 100 children are diagnosed with autism every day!"  I would look at that billboard everyday for a year before turning on the road to go to my house.  Still, I would shake my head and say, "No, that's not my son.  He's fine."  Funny how life was telling me but I just looked away.  After he was tested, that sign turned into an Army sign.  Just that fast.  Strange?

If I could turn back the clock 1 year sooner to have him tested I would.  It is a very long wait and have your child in line for testing.  We had it set up the first time.  They said it was a long wait.  Over a year. One week later they called and said they had an opening.  I couldn't believe this.  "Yeah, long wait.  We can get him in next week?  This is some ploy to scare us into getting him tested.  The hospital just wants our money!"  We let it go.  We were seeing improvements with Dane.

Time went by and he regressed.  This is after my daughter Allyson was born.  "He wants to be the baby."  I thought.  Still denying anything wrong.

When Dane started school, the teachers recommend we have him tested.  That was the final moment for me to make my mind known that there are symptoms of autism.  "We have to get him tested."  We made the call.

Again the hospital said.  "It's a long list."  History repeated itself and we were luckily able to get him tested.  This still boggles my mind.  If there is such a long list of those to be tested, how were we lucky enough to get in within a couple weeks!  Is that the scare tactic to get your child tested?  Or, was it fate that helped us?

I just hope that if you have concerns over your child to not wait and see.  This took a year off of early intervention and therapy that could have helped my son.  Do not make the same mistake I did.  Get your child tested ASAP!