January 30, 2024

Autism: A New Diagnosis in a Poem





Autism,

But I don’t

Comprehend what this new

Diagnosis means for my son — for our family.

Emotional meltdowns

Figure into our daily life, or

Get in the way of our daily life.

He needs help — more than

I can

Juggle at this time.

Love and laugh with him —

Maybe I can do that. I know

No one can do this alone.

Others have (and will) help

Prepare us. They will answer

Questions we have.

Son, I wish you could

Tell me what you need.

Use your words please.

Voice your thoughts. Finally,

What can I do for

You to thrive in this

Zigzag world?


I have friends and relatives who are on the spectrum, so I’ve been nominally familiar with it all. I worked with some tweens at the school with autism too. Many friends have family have talked about their experiences, so we are learning.


Because my son personally looked us in the eye, my husband and I didn’t think he had autism. Though many have suspected my son had autism. It is hard to tell when his frequent ear infections interfered with his early speech development. He currently speaks several years below his level, so it’s been hard to gauge what my be autism or just a delay. Even the psychologist wasn’t sure the ratio. Still, he has received school services for several years. Now we will work on the other therapies that insurance should help cover now!


Good luck to you other families too!