Some Days Can Be Overwhelming...

... but we are resilient. We press through them.

Autism is not an easy diagnosis. The symptoms are sometimes not easy to manage. But we still press on.

The past two days have been stressful. My younger spectrum child was in a state of agitation the first day, and that agitation evolved into full blown crisis on the second day when he met his assigned pediatrician for the first time.



Thankfully, the doctor was friendly and accepting of our family's unconventional lifestyle, but with that being said, he got to see the spectrum in all its colorful glory. Yo see, my son is a very loving and affectionate person. If he approaches you, I can guarantee that it's going to be a friendly encounter. However, never EVER approach him first. I had suspicions about his reaction to being approached based on some interactions he's had, but even I got to see it up close and personal yesterday.

Of course he was just fine when we walked in the door. He introduced himself to several of the children in the waiting room and even shared his toys with them. Soon, he started to get antsy so his Baba took him outside to run the sidewalk until he was called into the consultation room.

I'd written on the intake forms that he was on the Spectrum, but I suppose the kind nurse who led us to the room hadn't read the forms. She touched him and that was all. Now, you may recall that at the nutritionist last week, someone tried to touch him and he pulled away. THAT lady understood exactly what was happening and respected the spectrum by allowing me to do any tasks that required touching. Not this nurse, though. She was determined to take his vitals, and he was determined to resist!

Once she got all the vitals that she was able to get, she left us alone again and my son set to his favorite anxiety reducing pastime - shredding paper. He was calm when the doctor walked through the door, nervous and agitated when the doctor spoke to him directly, and fine again when the doctor left.

By some miracle of nature, as we were leaving, a kind Black nurse who believed that she had magical powers to calm the boy asked us if we would allow her to try the vitals one more time. She said that she thought her touch would calm him. Well, he still moved too much to draw his vitals, but his movements were happy movements instead of the movements of panic and crisis. She did have a magic touch after all!

It took us a lot of processing to deal with the office visit. He rarely gets to go out with his son, so this was Baba's first time seeing him melt down and bounce back after close contact with strangers. Baba said it was a bit enervating, but strengthens his resolve to be as involved in the boy's care as possible. He said he would move mountains to be present and engaged with his special little son. I liked that. I like how the crisis  brought us together, the way a crisis usually does.

Yes some days can be overwhelming, but overwhelm builds strength. We can push through this because we are strong!