My Aspie and our Autism Speaks Online Auction

Hi y'all! Today, I'm not sharing a tutorial or recipe.  Today, I am sharing my sweet Aspieboy's story. 

From the moment he was born, we knew he was different.  He was so incredibly gorgeous!  However, he cried a lot.  It was very hard.  We didn't know exactly what was going on with him, but we knew that something was different. While he easily had one of the most incredible gazes ever, he often seemed "distant". 

He didn't seem to respond well to changes, or spur of the moment plans.  Unfortunately, "spur of the moment" is my middle name.  As time went on, the meltdowns got more complicated and far worse.  You know that stage where they say that meltdowns begin to occur?  Well, right around 9-18 months babies discover tantrums.  Most children can cry for about half an hour to maybe an hour.  My Aspieboy would cry for 3 hours EASILY.  I remember being so frustrated I would walk over him then hide in the bathroom and cry while he cried outside the door.  That said, he shocked me at age 3 and half when he picked up a book and began reading it aloud.  He also loved memorizing random facts and sharing them with anyone who would listen. School age came around and we realized just how intelligent he was.

He had a knack for Math and loved reading books at least 3 grades ahead of his.  He also had a keen fascination with dinosaurs.  He learned every period and dinosaur that lived in each, as well as what they ate and their habitat.  While he excelled academically, he had a hard time with certain social aspects of school.  He had some deficits in regards to his fine motor skills.  I remember wondering why he had such a difficulty walking without running into things!  I also remember the moment when I realized that there was something there that should be looked at by a professional.

He was playing in his ball pit and had removed all the green balls, lining them up outside the tent.  I had a laundry basket in my arms and did not see them.  As they scattered, he immediately let out a wail and went into a tantrum.  I distinctly remember thinking to myself "why is he so upset over this?!".  He also would do things with no warning, such as running to his older brother and punching him for no apparent reason.  He didn't seem to have control of his hands, or  any self control when it came to respecting other people's private space.  As I relayed all of this information at his next well visit to his pediatrician, I knew in my heart he was displaying spectrum disorder symptoms, especially the impulsive/compulsive components.

He was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when he was in First grade.  By this point, he would self harm and bolt when he was upset.  Anyone who has witnessed their child hurt himself can agree that it is quite devastating and you feel useless and helpless since it's not something that is easily controlled.  The bolting nearly pushed me over the edge.  He once ran all the way down our little mountain and it took me quite some time to find him.  You know that feeling you get at the supermarket or department store when your little stinker decides to hide behind the apples or in the center of a clothing rack?  Now, magnify it by a hundred and picture your sweet child running directly into traffic or missing for 2 hours.  Yeah.  It sucked.  Enter Duke, his therapy/search and rescue pup!  They are truly best friends.  He hasn't ran away since we got Duke.  It has been a long road with many set backs, but I know my sweet Aspieboy is learning to cope, and learning to overcome his deficits.  Having a sweet pup as your best friend sure helps!

So now, I am going to ask you a favor!  If you own an Etsy shop, or make/sell gifts or maybe work for a company and have some of their products around that you can donate to my Autism Speaks Online auction, just let me know via email or FB message and I will be eternally grateful!  The auction will go live April 1st, so I will need a picture of your donated item by this weekend or early next week.  Also, if you can't donate an item and want to give a monetary donation, feel free to do so via the page below! All proceeds will go DIRECTLY to Autism Speaks and will make a world of difference in diagnosing, treating and researching all Spectrum disorders.  My sweet Aspieboy and I are eternally grateful!

Here is the link for the FB event:
Autism Speaks Online Auction

**UPDATE**
I've written about my Aspieboy before. Here are the links:

-Autism Awareness Month
-My Precious Aspieboy

I truly hope that if any of you out there are going through this or something similar that you will find hope in knowing you aren't alone.

xoxo

Evey Owner/Creator, Evey's Creations Tel: 201-281-6696  http://sweetsongbird.eveyscreations.com FB: www.facebook.com/EveysCreations G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/105370121686355288267/posts Twitter: @EveysCreations Instagram: @EveysCreations Hometalk: http://www.hometalk.com/eveya