Sunday, October 15, 2006

Autism and Parents


Sunday, July 16, 2006
Autism and Parents
Current mood: mellow

Those of you who don't have a family member with autism, this may be a bit shocking. In the last few months, there have been a couple of parents who have killed their children.

The stress and hopelessness of raising a child with autism is too much for some people to handle. Every child is different, but one of the problems is that many people with autism don't understand danger, especially small children. Many times children with autism have escaped their homes- drowned in a neighbor's pool or even froze to death. Most parents I know have a story about their child running away and almost getting hit by a car. My son has done it too, thank god only once. But, it's a constant fear.

Some children with autism easily burn themselves because they don't feel pain. Other children bang their heads. Others cut their skin with razor blades or knives. Some children punch themselves in the face. Why you ask? they are looking for sensory input. To them, it feels good. Remember that everything is done for a reason- they are looking for a certain reaction. It's not all random.

So, yesterday there was a story online about a Dad in DC who shot his son and then himself. We are still waiting for more details. But, it's never good. Many times you hear about parents asking for help and it's never enough.

Thankfully, my son, who is almost 7 and has autism, is a joy to be around- except for the occasional melt-down or escape. I can't believe that I actually feel blessed. But, I look around and see the 1 in 166 children with autism and feel the pain of their families. I hope to god these people get the help they need. Some parents and I started an Autism Conference here in NY- which I think is a positive step in the right direction. But, we need our gov't officials to take this problem seriously. It's not going to happen overnight, one step at a time. One child at a time.

Next week, hopefully, we are going to see a new doctor and start a new treatment called chelation. It's a process that takes the heavy metals out of my son and will hopefully cure his autism. cure? yes, cure. The term we use officially is "recover" or "lose the dx". I wish for my son to no longer need services and be able to live on his own. He's already happy- so we'll continue with that too.

I'm going to use this blog to document my son's progress. He's responded well to diet and suppliments, so i'm hopeful about chelation. Wish us luck!

To anyone out there who has a family member with autism- THERE IS HELP. THERE IS HOPE. THERE ARE TREATMENTS. try, try, try. Never give up! for more info visit; http://www.generationrescue.org and http://www.autismfair.com

thanks,
Christine

ps- the photo below is me with President Bill Clinton in Sept. 2006

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hello! I found ur blog through your videos and I would love to email you! My son is 2.5 and acts just like Michael in ur videos. I would really like to ask u a few questions. Thanks, I really appreciate it! Bmharney@gmail.com.