Autism and Acceptance

             My son C showed significant delay in his development as early as 10 months of age. At that age, he manifested loss of previously learned skills like glancing when his name is called, waving bye-bye and a few other baby skills. Until he turned two years old with unintelligible speech and extremely hyperactive. Not long after, we brought him to a developmental pediatrician who after an hour or so of evaluation, confirmed that he has autism spectrum disorder (for autism tell tale signs, go to Autism Tell Tale ). That sad day occurred eight years ago. My son is now ten years old. But whenever I recall that day in our life, my eyes still become teary. I still can feel that lump in my throat.  That doesn't mean I still have not learned to accept the fact that my son is on the spectrum. I have long accepted that. I guess parents would never stop feeling hurt when their child is affected with life long disorder or any condition that will have tremendous effects on the quality of life.

           

Conquering the Odds of Handwriting

        Most children with autism attend special education class with an individualized curriculum. They may eventually be transitioned to attend regular school depending on their cognitive abilities and developmental progress in terms of behavior. One huge determinant if a child is ready to be mainstreamed to a regular class is his handwriting. Would he be capable of  copying what is written on the board; or answer written examinations? This is one common problem faced by a special learner in the traditional school setting in the Philippines.
        Handwriting is a complex fine motor skill that requires eye and hand coordination.