in the moment our child was diagnosed my head began to spin. or maybe it was the world around me. i grew dizzy under the weight of the word autism and a wave of nausea rolled slowly over me. "Will he continue to regress?" I asked the child psychologist of our voiceless 3 year old. "He will progress but not at the same rate as his peers. The gap will widen over time."
seven years later
the gap is widening.
he cannot run fast or even walk without dragging is feet. he can't ride a bike or dribble a basketball or throw a football any distance of worth. he has difficulty finishing an art project in the amount of time he's given and cannot memorize his multiplication tables. he can't pronounce his r's or his th's or a myriad of other necessary sounds.
most of the time it's easy to concentrate on the good
but in rare moments i let myself wonder
if someday, over time, this gap
will turn into a crevasse.
either way, we'll be by his side
to help him maneuver it.
2 comments:
I will always remember the day Danny was diagnosed with autism. I only cried a little in front of his doctor. Then I got into my car and I kind of started hyperventilating. I think I am pretty optimistic about my trials but every once in a while I have to let myself just scream and cry by myself for an hour. Then I'm good for another six months :)
as will we all be, too...by his side, and yours.
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