We got the official word the other day that my older daughter Emily is autistic.
Now we're far from talking "Rain Man" levels. We've been told that she's actually quite gifted in a couple of ways. She's 5 and reads at a grade 2 level...."Hyperlexia" is another thing she sort of has.....and honestly, she actually sounds closer to that than true autism. But the lines between the Autism Specturm Disorders are pretty blurry.
She laughs and engages and plays with others. She will obsess a little over stuff. But not too badly. But she can be easily frustrated.
She takes great care of her little sister. She really patient with Gracie....she will teach her how to do stuff....it's really quite sweet.
But she has trouble communicating. Especially with the concepts of "why"? ....when where who....she's improved a lot with that lately, but that was giving her trouble as well.
She will repeat things out of context, or mix pronouns around. She'll tell you what she wants YOU to say. ie: She'd say to me, "You did a great job Emily"...then I have to repeat it back.
But she can tell me what videos we watched on the flight home from Seattle two years ago. IT's amazing really.
Soooooooooall this to say, it's not going to be easy. But fortunately she's brilliant (not saying that from a father's point of view...this is from the numerous evaluations she's had over the past 6 months or so). We'll just have to cater her education to the way she learns. Because hoo-boy, once she learns, BOY does she learn.
But I hereby decree, that all future ridemonkey fundraising activities shall henceforth go to benefit autism.
So there.
Now we're far from talking "Rain Man" levels. We've been told that she's actually quite gifted in a couple of ways. She's 5 and reads at a grade 2 level...."Hyperlexia" is another thing she sort of has.....and honestly, she actually sounds closer to that than true autism. But the lines between the Autism Specturm Disorders are pretty blurry.
She laughs and engages and plays with others. She will obsess a little over stuff. But not too badly. But she can be easily frustrated.
She takes great care of her little sister. She really patient with Gracie....she will teach her how to do stuff....it's really quite sweet.
But she has trouble communicating. Especially with the concepts of "why"? ....when where who....she's improved a lot with that lately, but that was giving her trouble as well.
She will repeat things out of context, or mix pronouns around. She'll tell you what she wants YOU to say. ie: She'd say to me, "You did a great job Emily"...then I have to repeat it back.
But she can tell me what videos we watched on the flight home from Seattle two years ago. IT's amazing really.
Soooooooooall this to say, it's not going to be easy. But fortunately she's brilliant (not saying that from a father's point of view...this is from the numerous evaluations she's had over the past 6 months or so). We'll just have to cater her education to the way she learns. Because hoo-boy, once she learns, BOY does she learn.
But I hereby decree, that all future ridemonkey fundraising activities shall henceforth go to benefit autism.
So there.
