CauseAidan…. (Autism and acceptance)

I recently realized that in all of my blogging I was unintentionally leaving out an enormous chunk of my life, my family. The subject of my family is rich with so many moments of joy, fascination, revelation, exasperation..the list goes on… all of these experiences are often the motivation for the things that I write.

I was meant to be a daddy. From an early age, I wanted children of my own, to hold and hug and put to bed at night… there is nothing in the world like looking into the eyes of your children and seeing the unwavering trust and love of a heart that is fully devoted to you. It is the blessing of being a father.

Aidan my 6 year old is Autistic, he is the most perfect child you can ask for… he is perfectly loving… perfectly adorable… and perfectly frustrating! Autism spans a wide range of symptoms that are too numerous to name and vary from child to child. From about the age of 7 months Aidan began to show signs of delayed development… and has consistently fallen further and further behind the development curve over the past 5 years. He has struggled with communication and sensory issues and has yet to gain more than a few pounds per year… topping out at 32 pounds this year, the size of a healthy three year old.

We coined a phrase not long back that effectively captures the spirit of things in our household… “CauseAidan…” It seems odd at first look… I admit… but try it on just a little. “Honey where is the stack of CD’s that I set here a minute ago?” the answer… ” I have no idea! I am sure they are destroyed somewhere CauseAidan….” I think you get the idea… Lots of things happen Cause’Aidan!

Well recently Aidan received the official diagnosis of ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) which hopefully opens up several opportunities to connect with foundations that can give us tools to learn more about Autism and be prepared for the dangers ahead… and beleive me there are dangers! In just reading through a few Autism websites they are full of stories about Autistic children wandering off and getting lost… leaving the house at night while everyone is asleep.. Crazy stuff… we have to give information to the police now so that “when” Aidan wanders off they can more efficiently find him quickly…I am getting stressed out just thinking about it now!

There are so many things to do… we currently rent so we must soon buy a house that we can modify so that he has a room that is a “safe place” for him and to properly protect him from wandering off… we also want to purchase a service dog that will stay with him and will assist him in making good choices, and prevent him from wandering off.. he needs special toys that help him learn… and we need special classes just to keep up with him and deal with discipline and emotional issues… the amount of things to do and information to absorb is absoulutely staggering! to complicate things the costs of these things are far in excess of what my salary can provide… so we must depend on the provision of God… through hard work and determination and faith we know that Aidan will have what he needs. Our lives are rich with unique experiences and challenges… CauseAidan!