Becoming an AUSome Mom!
- Jasmine Thompson
- Jul 2, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 9, 2024
So, imagine this... you are about a year postpartum and you are taking your child to their 1-year check-up. They hand you the 12-month questionnaire and panic sets in because your child isn't meeting their developmental milestones.
(If you have not seen the 12 month questionnaire please click the link below)
About a year and a half ago, I found myself in a situation that would turn out to be a pivotal moment in my life. I remember calling my husband, in tears despite the pediatrician's attempts to reassure me.
Even before seeing the doctor, I had a gut feeling that something was wrong. The questionnaire only validated my concerns. A mother's intuition is powerful! To cut a long story short, our pediatrician recommended early intervention. Following a year of undergoing 5 therapy sessions per week, we eventually received an autism diagnosis.
I had a feeling of both relief and despair, I felt relieved that the uncertainty had ended and we had clarity about her diagnosis. However, I also felt a sense of hopelessness, as I was unsure how to cope with the news I had just gotten. This was not part of the original plan. The doctors had assured me that I had given birth to a healthy baby girl. I felt completely unprepared.
Afterwards, a sense of sadness takes over. All the aspirations and ambitions you held for your child become uncertain. You mourn the conventional life you had envisioned. You find yourself in a perpetual state of uncertainty, unsure of what kind of life your child will lead. Will they be able to sit in a typical classroom? Will they attend their first dance? Will they find love and marry? Will they have their own children?
Why does this hurt so bad? You knew something was wrong all along! You suspected autism. Why did this news hit you like a ton of bricks? What's crazy is you think you'll stay in that frame of mind forever. Then it clicks. NOTHING HAS CHANGED. The only thing that changed was that we now had a label, we had a diagnosis.
Our child remains the same as she was yesterday and will always be the person she is.
She is a lively and cheerful toddler, healthy and full of energy. She is loved and adored.
I went from feeling hopeless to feeling hopeful. I began researching about autism and learning about resources and activities that would benefit my daughter. I now have a renewed sense of purpose: to fill my daughter's life with love and joy. To make sure she always feels a sense of normalcy and security.
She is the light of my family's life and I wouldn't trade her for the world. I am confident in the abundance of love that she will receive from her family and her village.
All I desire is for the world to treat her with kindness.
-Signed an AUSome Mom
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