David and Autism

I love this picture. I think I could write several blogs about this picture, but I won't. LOL This is my son, David. Man, he is a sugar. David has autism and MR. He is a two-year-old in a sixteen-year-old's body. He has a really angelic presence about him. Truly, to know him is to fall in love with him. Now, you know I can say that with confidence, me being his Mama and all, but I have had a lot of people tell me the same thing, so I don't mind repeating it. People with autism have an innocence about them that is just precious. (Quick shout-out here, I have always admired the way Dustin Hoffman played autism in the movie "Rainman". He somehow captured that innocence, which could not have been easy. As usual, I digress.)

Lately, David has made some serious advances in talking. He is now starting to answer questions with words other than 'yes' or 'no'. That's a big thing. I asked him what his new stuffed dog's name was, he said 'Chihuahua'. That was the first time. By the way, it was not a little chihuahua toy, it was like a Pound Puppy or something. I ask him what he's reading, he says 'Ten Apples Up On Top'. That type of question/answer thing. This is all very new, in the last month, even just the last few weeks. It's exciting.

But boy, I wish David could talk more. Lately, he cries a lot. In bed, at night, or just when he chills on his bed like he likes to do. He'll just start with that big old crying, and he can't tell me what's wrong with him. I take a guess, maybe he's hurting, and give him Tylenol, and that usually works. So I think maybe there's something hurting him. The trouble is, this has been happening mostly every day. I mean, occasionally there will be a day when it doesn't happen, but not often. So I worry, is he having headaches, or toothaches, or what? I want to take him to the doctor, and I will, of course I will. But this has happened before, and I take him to the doctor, and it's so hard, because he can't tell us what's wrong. He can't say where the pain is, poor thing. We have to guess. And so, there's just not much we can do. Maybe this time I'll insist they do some bloodwork, do a work-up. If nothing else, a CBC, because I don't like those bags under his eyes, and it will at least tell us if he's anemic or something.... I'm gonna do some serious searching in Austin, see if I can find me some kind of a specialist, who understands what this mother of a child with autism is going through, and can do more searching.... I don't know. But I worry about my baby. I know good and well, it's hard for him, more so even than for me. Hmmmmm......

Well, I don't want to end the blog in this downer way, so look at that smile! He had insisted I buy Star Crunch that day, and after everyone had one and they were hidden (right!) in my room, he kept sneaking in there and getting one. When I caught him with the camera, he thought it was hilarious. This picture is priceless. That's why I love it.