your baby is not showing the normal time to development and you have that nagging
feeling that something just
is it right then the doctor confirms that worth your child has autism
well that happen to local man she's now helping other parents
they're going to that thing people discovery Monica Donnelly is 2014 coach
Arab the Western New England Walk Now for Autism Speaks
and she's joining me here today to talk about this thank you so much Monica so
we were just talking off-camera that there is that reason say they came out
that 16 year old
kids now have autism so this is starting to affect a lot more families yes much
more now
talk about before E your son was diagnosed with autism out there was
something that you just knew
wasn't right from a very early age probably about three months so on
I definitely knew something was off with my child
he just didn't about those typically as my daughter developed and other children
I had
been in contact with so I was kinda nagging the doctors from the beginning
to help me figure it out
I am I didn't really have many I'm supporters in
in the medical field because he was so young and now I am
you know they would come he was just a boy they are he was just a little bit
slower
so I just kept pushing do a lot of parents say that same thing to that they
just feel some things off in their
current curious about it or try to raise alarms and kinda doctors are like I'll
it's finally finding I ever met both have to parenting my journey to my mom
had absolutely no clue
they're kinda blindsided and others had a little bit of a clue usually for the
second child or
they had kinda worked with children before they would have some survey gas
the problem is that pediatricians are always is aware that as well
because it takes a special pediatrician taxi give the diagnosis
and so they don't always know the answer either how talk about the incident where
their health professional healthcare professional notice that something
wasn't right and kinda confirmed your feelings
I'm we have brought teeth into the pediatrician around nine min so I'll
for not setting up rolling over eating very well and she said this to you and
outpatient therapy to help with that
it was that women who noticed his interaction with his sister and that it
was a little bit
of in so she started asking some really important questions
on toward us you know in order to help us
get the best diagnosis we could get is very early
so enacts something that you're very fortunate
it was caught much earlier than usual do you feel that that kind is making a
difference
in his therapy now in helping to kinda cope with different techniques to help
unkind get over this are helpful
learn how to deal with this yes chasing was diagnosed at fourteen months which
is a very early age her getting a diagnosis
in heavy 3 June 7-10 he tests out in the typical range when it comes to cognitive
abilities n
the preschool testing so it's been a tremendous help
other therapies he's getting because now he's almost cut up to his peers
in some other skills he needs that's great that you must be so happy that so
incredible it's very rewarding
it's gotta be now talk about Autism Speaks you obviously
didn't weren't familiar with them beforehand because why would you be
there is no me to
but obviously they've come into your life talk about the impact that they've
made in your life
I've had friends and coworkers who have children such as a min
I really great my check in make my donation to them in wish them good luck
in
after Jason was diagnosed I felt like I needed to power my energy somewhere
because I couldn't fix him
and so I immediately logged on to find a walk
am and I and it brought me to the Autism Speaks website
and then that walk here and when that happens in Westfield so
talk about what does Autism Speaks do for parents what do they do for you what
is their purpose they serve many purposes I'm
I think the biggest one is just a community of support and
you know I've met so many other incredible mothers and fathers and
families and connected with them but more importantly if you log onto their
website they have just such a wealth of information for
anything you can think about other at helping with an IP Medine
finding a place to get your child's haircut I'm getting resources for
okay mattel has autism now what they have a hundred-day
on resource packet that's free to anybody who get a diagnosis
you can download it or they'll mail it to: and it is really
kinda lays out what do I need to do spells out that have a fair P that are
available
and things like that now April is Autism Awareness but but obviously that's not
the only month
at the year that you guys are bringing attention to as they may even have the
walk
in September talk about that we have a big back in September it's gonna be on
September 28th this year at Stanley Park
and its as much a good that it's a walk in a fundraising event
it's really a community day for families a lot of families with kids with autism
can't really go places or take them any safe places this is a day where they can
take them feel safe we have lots of activities for that I am
and just a day to celebrate enjoy families I have heard that from other
parents
have autistic children that's a it's hard because I'll be out in public
and my child start acting up in kinda people give you the dirty look like
okkk can tell your kids so how do parents
deal with that i mean water some I have no idea
if you find the magic %um so let me now I'm before my son
my have a six-year-old who pretty much has perfect behavior and she knows
what's expected of her in
we always felt very successful reading her and even out public maybe look at
those other families like
0 you know we've got this under control and since my son Jason
who's completely opposite we are the family on public that sometimes get
stared at it like dat
and I don't know if I ever get comfortable with that do you ever try to
Prix challenge to that person saying you know this is wired you can just leave it
alone in hand how do you handle a situation like that country talk
I will be completely honest and that in those situations they don't handle it
very well
I can talk about autism Jason had in his experiences and I'm a very open book
but in the moment we're having a tough time as a family it's something that is
hard for me
my daughter and the other hand when we are out to a restaurant and he has a
meltdown
sometimes say things like that's my brother he has autism
and kinda may get you now for the whole family can elapse in
feels a little bit more comfortable out it seems as if there needs to be a
up better understanding society prompting the better understanding
I'll where autistic children are coming from which it can actually make think
that in general
moms need to be better understanding about their moms I'm something that I
don't think I even
was very good about before having Jason and you kinda feel
me successful or you feel arm
judgmental towards another family has your child is doing so well
and bottom line is you can't control how your child behaving and we're all just
trying to do the best that we can do
it's a great reminder never to be doesn't call somebody else you'll never
know if they're going
whenever geez another meltdown I it's like kind reminder like
remember it now yeah
mom share his completely change your life for the better style
absolutely that's great Monica thank you so much for your time we appreciate it
thank you so much