April is Austism Awareness Month, and this year, it means something special to my family and me.
Since moving to League City, we have been lucky enough to have some of the best next door neighbors anyone could ask for. One of the families who live next door, the Galvez's, have been extra special to us. Their sweet natures and helpful spirits have helped us establish our friendship with them, and their son, Juan, has taught us more than words can express.
Juan is playful. Sweet. Smart. He loves to laugh as my middle daughter, Danielle, chases him around the Galvez's home with a toy blow dryer yelling "C'Mere, BOY!". In many ways, he's a "typical" 5-year-old with boundless energy. He also loves to look at books and play with cars.
But in many ways, Juan is different from other "typical" 5-year-olds. Juan has Autism.
For those of you who do not know much about Autism, you are not alone. Honestly, I'm in that boat, too. The amount of information about Autism on the internet, in books, and on television can be extremely overwhelming. But, once you know someone who has Autism, I can promise you that you WILL want to learn more about it. Autism is a mystery in many ways, as no one knows exactly what causes it or what can be done to cure it, but anyone who knows someone who is affected by it knows how much it changes lives. Many lives, in fact...current statistics estimate that as many as 1 in 110 children are affected by it. Autism affects every individual differently, and can have different degrees of severity. Some Autistic individuals can still be functioning members of society, and some will never be able to live without assistance.
According to Tammy, Juan's mother: "I have heard our exact story from many other families. In our sons case he had developed typically and hit all of his milestones early including talking. We noticed a change in him between 15-18 months.
He started to slowly stop interacting with us. He stopped responding to his name, he stopped making eye contact, talking, pointing and just started to loose all social skills. It was like someone turned a switch off in him. He continued to play with toys but in a different way. He would play with his train but only spin the wheels. He would run things past his eyes back and forth and do repetitive behaviors that were odd."
In May of 2008, Juan was officially diagnosed with Autism. He was just barely two years old.
Since then, "Our son has been working at a full time job since he was 20 months... literally. He has averaged 40 hours a week therapy since he was diagnosed. He is now 5 and still works so hard for every skill he has. He has a severe articulation disorder that makes his words unclear. He knows his alphabet, counts to 20 and is doing amazing academically. His struggles with social interactions are very noticeable. He just doesn’t use his language to interact socially. He uses it to get his wants and needs met."
"What can I say he has changed our lives and we are so lucky to have such a special child in our family. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments. Everyday brings a new word or skill. He is funny and full of love. He has a long journey ahead of him but we are not scared anymore for him. We are ready for the journey and look forward to everyday."
Juan's smile can light up anyone's day, and I am thankful that Tammy let me share a bit of their story in honor of Autism Awareness Month. While there is too much information on Autism to share in a short Blog post, I encourage all of you to learn more about it through checking out the following sites:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html
www.autismspeaks.org
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
