My name is Leda and my son, Nathan has high-functioning ASD. Nathan has some difficulties on maintaining conversation, has poor eye contact and is rigid when it comes to some things. Despite all this, Nathan is still very blessed with very good memory though I wish he would learn to use it in Math as well, building stuff with Lego bricks and loves reading and watching about general info topics like How it’s made, WWII, sports cars, sharks, space and more, loves swimming and eating his favorite food.
We discovered his condition when he was 3.5 years old while attending nursery at CIS. The first month of school was very difficult for him — he kept crying in class, was very rigid, and did not respond to his name nor play with his classmates. He also had limited language, most of which is echolalia. After a month in nursery, his teacher suggested to us to consult a developmental pediatrician.
After consulting with the developmental pediatrician, we were devastated. I cried every night and prayed for strength after we learned about his autism diagnosis. However, we chose to move forward and focus on what we can do to help him. We immediately looked for a speech therapist and an occupational therapist, as this suggested by the developmental pediatrician. We also transferred him to an early intervention school.
Fast forward to 2017. Nathan is turning 11 in May. He is in Grade 5 in a boutique IS that has both mainstream and support-stream curriculums. He’s a different Nathan now, a much better version. He’s gained so much language, can make short conversations, longer if his in a good mood, started to learn how to play the piano, can make presentations at school, loves dancing a lot and a very protective Kuya to his younger brother.
Moving forward, we’ll continue with his education and at the same time teach him with life skills he needs to become independent. Having a child with special needs was very difficult and it still is but we have been blessed a lot in this journey. Believe in your child, treat him like a typical one and shower him with unconditional love and trust and you’ll be surprised of what he/she can do!
Lastly, God’s leading in our lives may seem quite mystifying; we may feel we are travelling in circles. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (Prov.3:5-6). God is faithful to all who put their trust in Him. Keep the FAITH. BELIEVE.