So fast forward another 6 to 8 months and I’m looking for any other reason why my son is speaking anymore. I took him to and ENT because I suspected that he was tongue tied. Good news was that he was and need a minor procedure where they clip under the tongue to allow it to move more freely. The bad news was of course that wasn’t what was causing my sons problems.
I then got in touch with the local school to discuss their early intervention options that Garien may qualify. The school did a complete comprehensive evaluation and of course that A word was brought up again. They also recommended he see a specialist. But in the mean time he qualified for the early intervention program, he was given a developmentally delayed label and started school a year early.
Putting Garien in school was perfect for Garien. He flourished in the environment. It was stable and structured and he was extremely smart. Slowly Garien’s loving affectionate came back, at least for the people who had it prior. But his eye contact struggled.
After Garien’s first year in school it became apparent that I was doing my son an injustice. He was struggling with things that came so naturally to other children his own age. He couldn’t develop relationships with them, hell he didn’t even know how to play with them. He would just stand back and watch them play, you could see that it made him happy. But you have to then ask yourself, wouldn’t be he happier if he actually played with him.
I had to take a step back and ask myself probably one of the hardest questions I’ve ever had to answer.
“Is this any better?”
I was afraid of the stigma Garien would go through if others heard he was “autistic” but watching the other parents stare at my son and how the other children would avoid him. It hurt me so much. Garien didn’t notice, he only sees the good in people. So he didn’t realize that when other moms would shoo him away from their babies that they were uncomfortable they thought there was something wrong with him. He didn’t know that when those children laughed they were laughing AT him and with him.
I finally called the doctor. Garien was nearly 5. I failed my son because I knew when he was 2 and didn’t do anything. So I waited another 3 years because I was worried. I can’t imagine the progress he would have made in those 3 years. And it makes me sick.
But whats sad is this story gets worse at least from my personal opinion.
Garien's Momma 