A Different Christmas
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Posted By A Son-Rise Message Board Participant on December 27, 1999 at 00:40:28:
Hello,
I want to tell a little about our Christmas this year and last because I am so happy. Last year, Christmas for my autistic son Josh, was not unlike the Christmas just before he turned two (he is four now). He was not interested in unwrapping the gifts I had thought so hard about. He was quick to cry or be easily startled. Once he did get interested in a gift, we could not move on to the next one. We would unwrap a corner and try to get him to look at what was underneath the paper. When he didn't respond, we would unwrap a little more, and eventually we would do the whole thing and hand him the toy. Of course I love Josh whatever way he is, but I was dissapointed that he did not seem to enjoy Christmas the way I did. It was something I very much wanted to share with him. This past year, I worked on letting go of needing him to be like me, and instead sincerly concentrated on learning from him. Well, this year Christmas was a little different. Josh was tearing into packages and making exclaimations like, "I got a snowman!" and "It's a Megahouse!" He was even unwrapping our presents. When he got a shirt, he enthusiastically stripped himself of the one he was wearing in order to put the new one on. He pretended to pull an imaginary string from the back of his Woody (Toy Story) doll and said "reach for the skyyyyyy!!!" (That's a line from Toy Story.) He loved everything. He helped me decorate the tree this year. There are two main reasons why this year was different. The first is our Son-Rise program. I really worked on being comfortable with Josh being autistic. Next, I worked at understanding his areas of motivation, responding enthusiastically, and marrying what I wanted Josh to learn with what he was already interested in. Showing him how loved he is was also key. The next reason is secretin. I realize this may not work with every child, but it really helped Joshua. I have the video tapes to prove it. Last Christmas, we video taped Josh curled over his new toy drum, his face schrunching up in what seemed to be a facial tick of some sort. It was a face he made daily, all the time. Like squinting and schrunching up his nose as if he was looking straight into a bright light, only he wasn't. My sister tried to be comical on the video tape and commented, "Look at those faces. He has obviously seen one too many rock videos." After the first secretin infusion, that facial grimace dissapeared and has never returned. Josh has not had an infusion in over six months. Anyway, I am joyous over the progress Joshua and I made this year. I video taped this years gift opening directly after last years on the same tape. Thank all of you for sharing your children and yourselves with me on this message board. It has been great to hear your stories and receive your suggestions. Thank you Kelly, Hilda, Doug, Chris, Ola, Gaylen, Bram, John, Yvette, Joanna, Autistic and Proud, and all the others. I don't feel like the only one anymore. Thank you Kate and both Johnathans, Efrat, Samariah, Suzanne, Raun, and William. You have all helped me be stronger. Kate, whenever I start to fall, I listen to you on one of the Intensive tapes. You said, "No matter what the results are, how do you want to be with him?" That was such a good question. I love you.
Jen
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