Mama Lu’s Three P’s of Autism:
As a mom of a young adult with Autism, non verbal Autism, I do my very best to be positive. I pray diligently that our journey is one of inspiration and hope. As many hard things we have overcome, we have watched him overcome so much more.
PATIENCE– When your child has special needs, patience is a must. It takes longer to perform simple tasks. No matter how long it takes, you must give your child time to learn tasks. Having a good sense of humor will help on this journey. Be patient and view any setbacks as part of the learning and growing process. Encourage your child in the things they do well, find their niche’, no matter how many things you must try first. This helps build self-esteem. It can be very hard to stay calm and not lose patience when dealing with demanding behaviors, always try to focus on the good, a child reacts well to positivity. There will be times when your child will have setbacks, as they can regress when in unfamiliar situations. Unconditional love and patience will replace frustration. It takes a lot of hard work and patience to connect to their world, but it can be done.
PERSEVERANCE– Believing in your child and working to build self confidence, you will help to bring out the best in them. If we give up, we will never know how far our children could have gone. We need perseverance. Keep going, and do not throw in the towel. The hours I have spent advocating, preparing and teaching Jake over the last 19 years is staggering. And this number will continue to rise, because Jake is depending on me to help him succeed, to help him to accomplish as much independence as possible for him. It won’t happen over night. If you just give up, you won’t see the progress that could happen. It can be overwhelming, wanting-waiting-wishing for the progress to be quicker. This journey is not a sprint, it’s a marathon, the end is indefinite. Because of this, time to time we feel defeat and overwhelmed with setbacks.
Three years ago, when I pulled Jake from public school to homeschool, I was scared to death. I had no idea if “I could do it,” but, I had FAITH. Do you think I ever imagined that Jake would graduate with me as the teacher? I dove in head first, researched, reached out to other veteran special-needs, homeschool moms, and we did it. There were many days I doubted myself. Over the next few years he flourished, and surpassed goal after goal, and then, it clicked. This past May, my Jake graduated from high school with a diploma and used his device to lead us in prayer. IF I had not persevered, I would have missed that.
He is worth it!
-The key is to be dedicated to your child, for the long haul. Perseverance is the key.
PERSISTENCE- Taking pride in your child, beyond just loving them enough. You will celebrate the milestones. But with a special-needs child, they may come much later. Again, don’t give up. With faith, prayer, and repetition, and just waiting patiently and carefully, you will be able to see the achievements of YOUR child. Be sure not to compare your special-needs child to other children. Each child is born with potential, and as parents, all we have to worry about is helping our child to reach those milestones. No matter how long, how many times.
Prior to July, Jake had never played tennis before. I saw the posting on social media, and was the first one to sign up. I had FAITH. Jake participated in a program for individuals with Autism called Acing Autism. He loved it. Jake had never picked up a tennis racket before. By the time the 6 weeks was over, he had far exceeded my goals in the program for him. What we learned is that he enjoyed it, he was good at it. We enrolled him in weekly private lessons. We also take him on our own 3-4 days per week, to practice. This journey is into tennis has been nothing short of amazing. Is he a tennis star? Not in the true sense of the word, but in HIS eyes and mine.
HE IS A STAR.
I believe in him and we will keep going. We will continue for the long haul. It’s that important. He likes it, it makes him gleam with pride.
Special-needs parents need a unending amount of Patience, Perseverance, Persistence. Through Prayer and repeating those 3 P’s. Just keep heading for the finish line. Because all we want to do is finish well. So, let’s make that….
4 P’s to Mama Lu’s Autism; Patience, Perseverance, Persistence, Prayer.
At the end of my race I want to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”.
