learning curve

 

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer..." Romans 12:12

 

Two months have passed since we received Josiah's diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome.  There has been time to read, observe, reflect, and implement.  Much of it has been a time of waiting, and more waiting, to receive therapy.  Most of all, it is a time to pray and ask God to make our hearts open to things He has for our lives.

So what about the ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnosis?  There is so much there I could not see before, but am noticing with opened eyes.  Inconsistent eye contact, impaired play (which we noticed but now understand a little better), desire for sameness, pronounced sensory issues, some social skills difficulty, and some dysgraphia all point to a correct diagnosis.  We still feel his symptoms are mild but there are many challenges we look forward to helping him overcome or at least manage through therapy.  He's on the waiting list for a social skills program and speech services through ISU that should begin this fall, and he will begin occupational therapy to target sensory issues sometime this summer.  Next week he gets to go to a day camp through our county's autism society and Easter Seals that sounds like a ton of fun!!

At my husband's request, I contacted the private school where Micah and Rachel spent their early elementary years.  That was when we saw God had gone before us: they have hired a special education teacher who seems like she will be a great resource in meeting some of Josiah's special academic and social needs.  Josiah spent part of an afternoon visiting the first grade class, loved it, and is going to try first grade there next fall.  The class he will be in is small and looks to be fairly full of little boys!  We are looking forward to the social interactions school will afford him--not from a homeschooling standpoint as much as an ASD standpoint.  While I can see pros and cons to homeschooling versus going to school, this is how we sense God is leading at this time. 

As parents, we want to embrace all God has brought us.  The years since we have added Josiah to our family have been challenging but also full of His grace.  A few months ago we saw glimpses of what life would be like if we didn't have the dietary tools He has placed in our hands: most certainly we would not call Josiah's symptoms mild.  Instead what we saw briefly was a little boy out of control.  To think of where we could be makes me so much more thankful for where we are through many answers to prayer--both others on our behalf as well as our own pleas for help.

The best gift I know to give Josiah is my love.  Whether it is spending a Saturday making homemade gluten free, casein free, additive free (and the list goes on) food, or patiently (I hope!) redirecting him when he gets "stuck" while playing with his friends, or laying aside my desire for time alone to come up with a new way to keep him entertained in play, my prayer is that my own response as his mom would not be one of complaint but gratitude.  I say it is my prayer, because I am much in need of my Potter to shape a clay that is yielded instead of stubbornly set in my own way. There are struggles to parenting any child; what I face are just the unique difficulties in meeting the special needs of this particular one.  Somehow, I trust God can continue to give me a greater heart of compassion for my special little boy, and perhaps words to encourage others who walk through similar challenges.  So each morning I take a deep breath, offer up a heart that has yet to be perfected in love, and walk through the day with a Father willing to teach me more of His compassion.  Josiah is a gift to us, and we know God's ways are good.

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" John 9:3