The Informal Matriarchs

Posted by Leah.

I just finished a book called A Child’s Journey Out of Autism by Leeann Whiffen.  It was a great book, depressing in the beginning…and slightly depressing in the end because he started off worse than Silas..way worse…then ended up better than where Silas is at this age…but oh well.  We’ll get there.  They started intervention at two years old.

Anyway, she has this great way of explaining things and I wanted to share a few things with you.  I wish I had thought to highlight everything great I saw…but I didn’t.

oooo just wait…Silas said something funny just now.

he he he he he.

ANYWAY

here’s a quote I love.

“We see glimpses of progress-some big, some small.  Sometimes we never see it again.  Other times it becomes part of his progression.  It is like a piece of gold in the water.  When the sun is positioned just right, it catches the metallic color and glistens so that we can see it.  Otherwise, it looks like just another rock on the bottom of the riverbed.”

That’s the perfect way of explaining the progress of autism.  I remember feeling that, a year ago, when life was hell for us.  He had hardly any language and then out of the blue it’s like the sun would catch the glimmer and he’d do something profound only to go back into the world of autism moments later.  

As I was finishing the book I came across this quote which made me slap my hand over my mouth, giggle, then cry my eyes out.

“‘Clay you’re my star.” I emphasize every word.  I feel my throat close off.  He continues looking at me in the eyes.  ”mom you are my triangle’”

Silas and I had that EXACT same moment about a year or so ago.  I said to him “Silas I love you with all of my heart” and then he said “I love you with all of my circle”.  He had no clue what we were talking about, he thought we were talking shapes, but you know what?  I’ll take it.  I laughed my face off and I still do every time he says that.  He can love me with all of his whatever-the-heck-he-wants.  

I haven’t wanted to talk about autism much on here and I don’t know why.  I guess I feel like no one wants to hear about it…but I’ve decided I don’t care…this is where I journal my life and so this is where I need to write about it.  

Perhaps I’ll be like Leeann Whiffen and write my own autism book one day.