hello to everyone,
i am very new to all of this. i haven't even been to a support group meeting yet. even though i think that may be what i need. ever since my son was diagnosed i have felt alone. like i'm standing in the middle of a crowded room screaming, but no one can hear me. i guess that is how my sone ben feels. but mostly he just screams. i sometimes get tears in my eyes when i see him lapping or stimming in some way. why does he do that? i always wonder. you know why he does it he has autism you fool. but that never seems to be a good enough answer. people always ask "how is ben?" and i lie and say things are great. but what am i supposed to say. my son no longer look at me and is running and yelling at the top of his lungs constantly. i have never been a type of person to hold back the truth but now i am doing it so i don't get those looks of dispair. please someone tell me this gets better. because i feel everyday has been getting a little worse. and i can't even get started with life with my husband since the diagnosis....
It gets better. When Jenny
It gets better. When Jenny McCarthy's son got better, she was able to ask him why he had done all of those repetetive things. He said because it made him feel happy. We all do those things to some extent, like twirling our hair or tapping or toe. Those behaviors are somehow stimulating Ben's nervous system and brain. If he didn't have that, then I think he would feel very blank inside, so actually right now those behaviors are not a bad thing in my opinion.
Right now is exactly the time for you to research the best ways to help Ben. For me, this was overwhelming. So, I chose to focus on getting services and education for myself and my son.
I could not focus on special diets and alternative medicine at the same time. It was too much and I felt so much stress when people asked me if we were on The Diet. My husband was not supportive of any diet/medical approach at the time either, I think because he saw that it was causing us both stress and we worried that half of the things were quackery rip-off schemes. (We still worry about that).
But many parents take on everything all at once. I can only applaud them. Preparing special meals for your child may help you feel more in control of the situation and it may also help your child. Going to see a specialized DAN doctor right away may be the best decision that you ever made. But all of this information is out there for you to discover and then make your own choices. As always, I recommend www.tacanow.org for lots of good info.