I had been blessed with this beautiful little girl. A child I wished for since I was little... & being the only girl among 3 brothers. I finally had my PRINCESS. She was going to be everything I dreamed of.... however at 2 & 1/2, I was told she had AUTISM. A crushing blow.... a word I had only knewn to be associated with heart-breaking sadness. I remember hearing the doctors tell me.... "She'll be fine. She may never be a social butterfly, but she could possibly lead a "normal" life". I knew that was meant to comfort me... but it angered me. No one was going to tell me that my daughter WILL NOT be this or that. I was determined to show them... my daughter will be AMAZING.
She was non-verbal with limited eye-contact ... even less communication skills until around 4 years of age. I worked constantly with her. Every moment was a learning opportunity. It became our families mission to help her reach her goals. Words began to come, eye contact became regular, expressing her emotions were such wonderful moments .... there was daily improvement. The good days have always out weighted the difficult ones. I never forget to count my blessings.
Ashlen is now 7 years old & in the 2nd grade. She reads on a 7th grade level. She does competitive cheer, competitive dance, pageants, baseball, Girl Scouts, & has so many friends .. I can't keep count. We still work daily on making sure she always reaches her potential. Her stimming has just become a part of her life that makes her so unique.
So ....maybe they are right... she may never be that "social butterfly".... but she certainly has become an AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL one !!!
Vienna, WV