Friday, February 14, 2014
Autistic Child, But She’s An Adult
My daughter, Tika, is pretty freaking fabulous. She was diagnosed at 19 months old as autistic. I had no clue what that event meant…….sometimes I still don’t quite know what it means. Life with her was extremely difficult and I was NOT a good mom by any means. I was young, single, inexperienced. But the teachers and support staff in her school system, Mercer County Special Services School District, gave us the tools to help her become the talented 24 year old young lady she is today.
She has got to be the strongest person I’ve ever met. When she was between the ages of about 2 until her early teens, she would frequently pull out her own hair, bang her head until she bled, etc. She still does those things now, but she’s aware of it and why she’s doing it. So we’ve set up ways to help her calm those feelings. I distinctly remember the doctor’s wanting me to put her on medicines that would calm her or help her in various ways. The school came to me and asked me one simple favor…..don’t medicate her, just let us do what we need to do and we can all do what’s best for her. Please.
I’ve never regretted a moment. I do wish from time to time that she wasn’t autistic, but then she would not be the daughter I loved all these years. She’s special beyond autism. She’s talented. She’s beautiful. She’s intelligent. She’s silly. And she’s got the craziest giggle. LOL. She’s going to always be home with me and that’s ok too. My only worry when it comes to my daughter is what will become of her when I pass away.
How do you handle life for an autistic adult when you’re dead? It’s called planning ahead. The next few years, a lot of my time will be spent preparing her and our finances to cover her life beyond my own. Who is going to handle her menopause? Who is going to make sure she’s eating and bathing each day? Who is going to get her those flu shots? Haircuts? Dental appointments? Who will make sure she has her own space so it can be just the way she wants it? Who will make sure no one hurts my bab
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