Beneath my feet , my eight-year-old son darts back and forth . His ears are beet red and his cheeks are flushed , but still he runs . I try to get him to slow down but he won ’ t — he can ’ t . His church clothes are still lying on the bed where I placed them a half hour ago when I asked him to change . As I try to tackle him to get his clothes on , he fights me tooth and nail . As he gasps for breath , I try to calm him by using the breathing techniques his behavioral therapist showed me . I can hear his heart pounding and I can feel his little body shaking . It ’ s a terrifying feeling as I hold him close , praying that he calms down .
PERSONAL NARRATIVE
Finding Wonderful New Ways to Connect with Autism
By Destiny Eve PIFER
Beneath my feet , my eight-year-old son darts back and forth . His ears are beet red and his cheeks are flushed , but still he runs . I try to get him to slow down but he won ’ t — he can ’ t . His church clothes are still lying on the bed where I placed them a half hour ago when I asked him to change . As I try to tackle him to get his clothes on , he fights me tooth and nail . As he gasps for breath , I try to calm him by using the breathing techniques his behavioral therapist showed me . I can hear his heart pounding and I can feel his little body shaking . It ’ s a terrifying feeling as I hold him close , praying that he calms down .
Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ), mood disorder , and high-functioning autism , my son has been getting behavioral therapy for the past four and a half years . He was recently finally released as the mobile therapist who helped him felt that he was on the right track . She felt that I had everything under control , and in many ways , I do . I am firm and consistent with punishment , but it doesn ’ t always work .
During the past four years , I have watched my son struggle . I have faced his meltdowns , faced physical abuse , and spent the summer locking myself in the bathroom where I proceeded to have my own meltdowns . But , in the course of those years , I have watched him greatly improve . I have watched him go from being a child who didn ’ t know how to socialize or interact to becoming a social butterfly . Though he has struggled with empathy , he now understands it . Sure , there are still issues here and there . There are still the angry meltdowns at times , and punishment doesn ’ t always work , but we work through it the best we can . There is still the invasion of personal space , and as much as we have worked on it , he still has trouble understanding facial expressions at times . Though we have come a long way with behavioral therapy , there is still the issue with medication .
Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 65 | 47