Child Spotlight: Easton
1. What is the name of your child’s diagnosis?
Autism Spectrum Disorder
2. Tell us a bit about how this affects your child
Easton was born January 13th 2012. It was the happiest and scariest day of our lives. When Easton was born the cord was wrapped around his neck and he was believed to have meningitis. After 10 days in the NICU he was finally able to come home. He was hitting all of his milestones and was a very happy and healthy baby. At about a year and a half old we started to notice that he was forgetting the words that he learned and and he would rock lots, hit his head and would scream for hours. Easton was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4. At the time he was non verbal and extremely frustrated since he struggled to communicate his needs. Easton has worked very hard at speech, occupational and behavioural therapy over the years and he has come so far. Over the years Easton has had many obstacles that he has overcame and he always does things in his own time.
3. What have you learned from your child and being his/her parent?
I think Easton has taught me more about life than I have taught him. He has taught me patience, kindness and to celebrate our differences. Raising a child with autism was never a road I planned to travel on but here we are and the view is beautiful! Easton has taught me how to live in the moment, step out of my comfort zone and how to love deeper than I ever thought possible.
4. If you could give any advice or guidance to a fellow mom receiving a new or similar diagnosis, what would it be?
On the day Easton was diagnosed, we knew in our hearts what the outcome was going to be but it still felt like a kick in the gut to hear it from a professional. On our way home that day I looked at his sweet little face and reminded myself that he is still the same funny, sweet, goofy little boy that he was before. The only thing that had changed was that we now had the tools to help him. Some days are overwhelming and the highs and lows can be exhausting but it’s so worth it!
