We are currently in the process of diagnosing him with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Often, people ask me how I knew something might be a little off and I thought I could shed some light on the topic.
It really started when Rex was about 14 months. I knew he really seemed to enjoy the TV show Thomas the Train and it really held his attention even at a young age. Prior to this age, Rex was an amazing baby. He slept through the night. He never fussed about much and seemed generally happy about most things. I noticed he enjoyed movement and watching things go fast but it was not something I was concerned about.
Anyway, we went on a vacation with my inlaws and family and we took Rex out of his own environment for the 1st time and the trouble began so speak with his attention span in the car. He was fussy and insisted on watching the same show over and over and would scream if I wasn't showing him books or pictures related to Thomas the Train. Then as the weekend progressed, he was just very agitated about everything and was not interested in doing much of anything except for train related activities.
Then, Rex began to exhibit other unusual behaviors with toys (trains, and cars mostly as that was the only thing he showed interest in) He would line them up over and over again for what seemed like hours. Not always hours but for a much longer time than would be fun for any other child. Also, he was very non verbal. Some people thought maybe he was shy (he isn't) or maybe that we was just really big train fan but I began to think differently. I began to notice that he showed little interest in interacting with other children socially (except when kids were say running at the playground).
Also, one other clue was he did an unusual hand movement/face movement when he got really excited. At first we thought he was just really excited, since then, it is known as a stem. Stemming is a repetitive movement. Some kids may do excited fingers (almost like spirit fingers) or sort of flap their hand back and forth near their face. Rex's is not very noticeable but when he is very excited, he will do some unusual finger movements by his side.
Through these wonderful therapists and through working with medical and neuropsychologists to help rule out any medical causes, we are closer than ever to helping our sweet boy navigate this world. Will some things be harder for him in life? Yes. Will people not always "get" him? Yes.
Will that ever change how I feel about my son or his potential in life? No.
Heavenly Father sent him to me because I need him in my life to learn that I can be stronger than I ever thought. I love all of my children but Rex has helped my find the validation as a mother that I have always wanted my whole life. There is nothing that I won't do to see him be the very best he can be. Our family is beyond blessed to have him in our family.
So Happy Birthday to my sweet son on Saturday!!! Thank you for being the best little boy in the world!!!!!
