>>>
>>> APRIL
>>> APRIL IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH.
MONTH.
MONTH. THE CDC ESTIMATED ONE AND 59
CHILDREN IS DIAGNOSED WITH AN
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER.
JOINING ME IS NATALIE WHO WAS
THE NUMBER OF -- MOTHER OF
THREE-YEAR-OLD TWIN GIRLS
DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM.
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.
THREE-YEAR-OLD TWINS.
THREE-YEAR-OLD TWINS. >> I AM NEVER BORED.
>> TOLD ME ABOUT YOUR FAMILY
HISTORY AND HOW YOU CAME TO THE
DIAGNOSIS.
DIAGNOSIS. >> THEY ARE MY FIRST.
IT WAS A BIG SHOT FOR ME TO
HAVE TWINS.
HAVE TWINS. THERE THEY ARE.
>> THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL.
AT THEY ARE A BIG BLESSING.
>> THEY WERE TOTALLY TYPICAL
EVERYTHING WAS DEVELOPING
CORRECTLY UP UNTIL THEY WERE
ABOUT 11 MONTHS OLD I STARTED
TO NOTICE A LOT OF AGGRESSION.
>> ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS THEY WERE
BEING VERY BADLY AND TALKING.
AROUND 10 MONTHS HE WOULD SAY
MAMA AND NOEL AND THEY WERE
VERY INTERACTIVE.
VERY INTERACTIVE. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.
SOMETIMES THOSE MEMORIES ARE
HARD TO THINK BACK ON.
WHEN THEY WERE 11 MONTHS THEY
STARTED TIP TOE WALKING AND
LESS EYE CONTACT. THEY WERE NOT
EATING THEIR FOOD. SO THE END
OF THE YEAR MARKED A LOT OF
MELTDOWNS AND SELF INJURIOUS
BEHAVIOR.
BEHAVIOR.
BEHAVIOR. >> YOU MUST HAVE BEEN VERY
CONCERNED.
CONCERNED. >> WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO
DIAGNOSIS?
DIAGNOSIS? >> THEY TOLD ME IT WAS POSSIBLY
MENTAL DELAYS FROM PREMATURITY
BUT IT WAS VERY EVIDENT THAT IT
WAS WAY MORE SERIOUS SO I ENDED
UP HITTING A REFERRAL TO THE
SEATTLE CHILDREN'S AUTISM
CENTER AND THAT'S WHERE THE
JOURNEY BEGAN.
JOURNEY BEGAN. >> CAN YOU DESCRIBE.
>> WE NEED TO MAKE A PLAN FOR
THE PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES OF
MY KIDS.
MY KIDS.
MY KIDS. >> TO BE HONEST I TOOK IT IS, I
DID NOT TAKE A LOT OF TIME FOR
MYSELF WHEN IT CAME TO THE
DIAGNOSIS AS FAR AS WHAT MY
THOUGHTS WERE.
THOUGHTS WERE. I TOOK IT VERY SERIOUS AS FAR
AS I THOUGHT I COULD CARE AUTISM
. I THOUGHT WHATEVER IT WAS I
COULD CURATE.
COULD CURATE. >> WHAT DID YOU DISCOVER?
>> THAT AUTISM IS NOT SOMETHING
THAT GOES AWAY.
IT IS A LIFE THAT YOU END UP
HAVING.
HAVING.
HAVING. YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE EVEN
DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES CAN GET
VERY COMPLICATED.
VERY COMPLICATED. I LEARNED A LOT FROM THE AUTISM
CENTER AND I LEARNED THAT IT'S
OKAY TO NOT RUSH EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING HAS ITS TIME. THEY
ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST THE WAY THAT
THEY ARE AND WITH CORRECT
HEALTH AND RESOURCES THEY WILL
BE OKAY.
BE OKAY.
BE OKAY. >> EARLY INTERVENTION IS SO
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. TOBY A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. >>
THAT. >> IT'S AN IMPORTANT TIME
>> TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT
READINESS.
READINESS. THEY ARE EAGER TO LEARN YOU
COULD DO MY PLAY-BASED
ACTIVITIES AND THINGS THAT ARE
MORE CHALLENGING WHEN THEY GET
OLDER.
OLDER.
OLDER. >>
OLDER. >> WHAT IS INTERVENTION LOOK
LIKE FOR A THREE-YEAR-OLD.
>> WE WERE VERY NATURALISTIC.
WE DO A LOT OF PLAY-BASED
ACTIVITIES WITH GOALS AND
PROGRAMS AND INTERVENTIONS THAT
WE DESIGNED. THEY ARE ENGAGING
IN ACTIVITIES WITH ONE ANOTHER
AND LEARNING ABOUT SOCIAL
INTERACTION AND IS VERY
NATURALISTIC.
NATURALISTIC. >> WE ACTUALLY ENDED UP GETTING
TWO ROUNDS OF THE EARLY
INTERVENTION PROGRAM.
INTERVENTION PROGRAM. BECAUSE OF THEIR VERY SEVERE
SELF INJURY WE ENDED UP HAVING
TO GET THAT EXTRA TIME.
>> THE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IS
STILL SCARY.
STILL SCARY. STILL LOOKING FOR SERVICES
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. THEY ARE STILL NONVERBAL THEY
DID NOT TALK OR POINTS.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF
FRUSTRATION.
FRUSTRATION. IT WAS JUST THE BASIC LIFE
NECESSITY OF COMMUNICATION
FINDING A WAY TO COMMUNICATE
WITH HER MOM.
THAT WAS LIFE-CHANGING FOR MY
FAMILY AND THE GIRLS AND SEEING
MORE HELP AND HEARING THEIR
VOICE.
VOICE.
VOICE. >>
VOICE. >> WHAT IS IT THAT THE REST OF
US SHOULD KNOW ABOUT KIDS THAT
ARE ON THE SPECTRUM. WHAT
PARENTS ARE GOING THROUGH AND
WHAT FAMILIES ARE GOING THROUGH
AND HOW WE CAN BE ADVOCATES.
>>
>>
>> >>
>> >> THEY HAVE PEOPLE JUDGING
THEIR PARENTING AND THAT IS THE
BIGGEST MESSAGING TO TAKE HOME.
LET'S ALL EMBRACE AUTISM AND
LEARNED ABOUT IT AND BECOME
KNOWLEDGEABLE AND SUPPORTIVE OF
THE COMMUNITY.
THE COMMUNITY. >> YOU CAN BE HELPFUL AT THAT
POINT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE
JUDGMENTAL.
JUDGMENTAL. I KNOW THAT ABOUT TWO MONTHS
AGO I DECIDED NOT TO SPLIT THE
EARLY INTERVENTION FEELING SO
SCARED THAT FIRST TIME AND I
LEFT THE BUILDING FEELING I
DON'T HOW TO DESCRIBE IT.
THIS GOT FEELING. AM SO
GRATEFUL TO CONTINUE TO HAVE
SUPPORT.
SUPPORT.
SUPPORT. THEY ARE LIKE A LIFELINE.
I WANTED A WAY TO THANK THEM.
WE HAVE CHALLENGES FOR PEOPLE
THAT DONATED.
THAT DONATED. I'M A BIT AT BIG ADVOCATE FOR
AUTISM.
AUTISM.
AUTISM. SOME OF THESE ARE HARD TO SHARE
BUT THIS IS HAPPENING FOR A
REASON.
REASON.
REASON. I
REASON. I WANT MY FAMILIES TO HAVE
RESOURCES.
RESOURCES. I WANT MORE ACCESS TO RESOURCES
AND TO HOPEFULLY.
>> THAT IS THE LEAST WE CAN DO.
>> YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE