My son was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism in March 2011 at age 14. For the first 14+ years of his life I tried to "explain" Ryan. In meeting new people (neighbors, teachers, church members) I would try to explain why my son said the things he said or why he reacted to certain situations. All the while not knowing what it was myself. Our family struggled for years....not being accepted in churches, not being invited to birthday parties and especially not having success in schools. He was not accepted in public schools ("He is so smart but..." "He is not going to make it.") He was not accepted in a well-known Christian school ("He just doesn't belong here, people pay a lot of money to separate their children from kids like Ryan") The bullying from both peers and teachers caused our son to lose his will to live. We hit rock bottom...our whole family. I realize this does not sound like a story of hope but you need to know our background to understand that it is all about hope.
You see, today, we are a family that has weathered the storm and with the proper diagnosis came the proper medical treatment and the proper therapy and the proper education. We homeschooled for a short time while seeking new doctors and counselors. Now my son is thriving in a new and wonderful Christian school with teachers who accept him just the way the good Lord wired his intelligent brain. He smiles now, he has interatcion with others and has a will to live like I have never seen before. He has plans and a future to look forward to. Our family is closer because of the gift of Autism. Never give up!! There is help and support out there.
Boiling Springs, SC