Since I have come to college, everything has changed. New classes, new professors, new friends, new home, new food – you name it. I don’t have my mom to make me food when I’ve been studying so long that I forget to eat. I don’t have my dad downstairs yelling at the television on football Sundays. I can’t wake up on weekends and stumble down the stairs, plop down on the couch, and watch a television show while eating my toasted blueberry bagel.
Oddly enough, the idea for my post this week started while I was watching one of my guilty television pleasures, The Real Housewives of New Jersey. One of the women, Jacqueline, has a son who has recently been diagnosed with autism.
In the season finale, Jacqueline becomes extremely emotional as she describes to the group of women how her son has regressed since his diagnosis: he is no longer capable of certain motor capacities, and he can no longer put together simple sentences such as, “I love you.”
This type of regression is fairly typical in children with autism – many children will have good days and bad days, but unfortunately, sometimes the bad days continue to double in numbers while the good days slowly diminish. One of the children I taught for nearly two years seemed to oscillate between good and bad days constantly; one week he would show progress with his strokes and with focusing, while the next he could barely stay on his stomach in the water and could not focus at all. Not only is this sad for the child, but it is also extremely frustrating when trying to teach the child; the second you think you make progress, that progress could vanish. Not enough research has been done to determine whether or not the child senses these regressive changes in their development; however, it surely affects their families and their loved ones who support them.
When I think of all the change I have encountered and adjusted to since I’ve been at Penn State, it’s literally nothing in comparison to those that support systems of those diagnosed with disabilities will encounter. I would never say that those changes families face are negative, as they essentially facilitate a positive future for the child, but the challenges I face will never be able to compare to those that the child and his or her family will face. As we all look ahead to the stresses of our week, I think it’s important to keep in mind how lucky we are to simply live through our week at full mental capacity.
Picture source: http://images.buddytv.com/articles/jacqueline-laurita-son.jpg
My sister worked for several years at the Barber National Institute up in Erie, and I can tell you the stories she came home with were absolutely priceless. She would be frustrated one day and glowing with one of her boys’ language development the next. Her stories made me respect my ability to function without handicap, and I can only hope the same for others.
As an aside, I highly enjoyed how you transitioned smoothly from talking about yourself to your post topic. Well done!
I’ll admit, shows like “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” kind of erks me in a way, but sometimes I respect them for the challenges they go though and how they handle them. It’s the real problems that show the true might of a person, not “OMG Stacy is wearing the same dress as me, how embarrassing.” But when it comes to having children with disabilities, it certainly is a real challenge to help your child and get through the day. Many things in life we consider problematic turn out to be miniscule when something much larger happens.
That’s a sobering reminder Abby! Certainly, I know I’m stressed and sometimes I think I’m so tired I’m functioning at 50% capacity, but we are truly blessed to have all of our mental capactity. It’s hard to even imagine what it must be like to have a child with autism. I’m sure it’s a daily struggle. I read a Jodi Picoult book about a boy who has autism and it was really eye opeing to read about all the obstacles and difficulties attached to that. Thanks for sharing that insight and reminding us to be grateful for what we have.