Seeing as April 2nd is the world annual autism awareness day, I thought i`d do my part to help shed some light on parenting "the autism way". Basically, it can be summed up by worrying, waiting, worrying and waiting some more... but I'll let the numbers speak for themselves:
Months of doubt: 23
Appointments with a pediatrician before getting a referral with a speech therapist: 3
Number of waiting lists: 4
Months before a clinic called us back: 8 (the other three never phoned back)
Months waiting for occupational therapy and physiotherapy: 3 (we were lucky)
Months wait to see a foot specialist: none... no one wanted to see my son because he was under the age of 5.
Months wait for the official diagnosis at Ste-Justine`s: 6
Time before we get access to CLSC services: 2 years.
Wait for the CRDI: 1 year
And this does not include our application for a Mira dog (almost a year now), leg braces (the hospital gave us an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon after seeing his legs first hand), appointments twice a month for four months at Sainte-Justine`s and I`m almost certain to be forgetting a few. This may seem like a lot, but any parent who has gone through the same process will say that we have been lucky. We noticed the first signs very early and started asking questions right away. For the past two years now, I have seen more and more children getting diagnosed, but I have also seen many clinics refusing new patients for lack of specialists. As a parent, we want to understand what is going on with our children so we can provide the help they need. To feel powerless knowing that you have to wait a least a year before getting a specialist`s advice is unbearable. And if that wasn't enough, let`s add all the sleepless nights, the fear that your child is being judged in "normal" social settings (school, playground, public places...), the fees for private clinics, etc...
So is awareness really important? I say it is more than important, it is crucial. People need to know that autism is an invisible handicap. One that people don`t fully understand at this present time. People need to lend a hand to the parents who are over-stressed, exhausted and overwhelmed. We need to help organisations like Autism Speak so that research can continue to further understand autism and try to identify the signs as early as possible. I wish that all children with autism get a proper diagnosis before the age of 5 so the parents can plan kindergarten accordingly. I wish that parents get all the information about services and financial aid available to them and their child without having to ask. But most of all, I wish that one day I`ll hear my son`s friends say "it`s OK mom, Liam is just like you and me, he has autism that`s all. "
