Bristol was born a healthy baby boy on June 18, 2005. He grew and developed normally through his first two years of life. His mother, Deisha, began to see a change in his developmental stages around the age of two. He did not look you in the eyes, anymore, when speaking to him, would not respond to you when calling his name, he did not speak words, and he did not play with other kids. Sensing something was wrong, Deisha took Bristol to see a doctor, but the doctor’s response was, “He’s fine, boys are slower to develop than girls, so give him time”. Believing the doctor, Deisha waited another two months before seeking the advice of the Department of Health Early Intervention Division where Bristol then saw a psychologist. On October 7, 2007 Bristol was diagnosed with having Autism Spectrum Disorder. Confirming his diagnosis was bitter sweet for Deisha; she finally knew what was wrong with Bristol, but didn’t realize the long road that lay ahead before her and the family.
Some of the negative traits of autism that Bristol portrayed were: the banging of his head on the floor, hitting objects, throwing tantrums, biting, pinching, hand flapping, repetitive movements, twirling in circles, banging items loudly, and uncontrollable yelling outbursts (in a high pitch voice) While further researching Autism, Deisha recently discovered other symptoms (which Bristol depicts) that may be contributed to Autism: rectal digging and fecal smearing.
Today, Bristol constantly needs adult assistance and supervision in everything that he does. Because of his mental delays, Bristol (at the age of six) cannot comprehend the basics of life; such as getting burn from a hot stove, a sharp knife can cut you or a car can hit you if you go on the road. Bristol wonders a lot and doesn’t realize that he can get lost; therefore, requiring a lot of time from Deisha to care for him every day.
Some of the more positive aspects of Bristol is that he truly enjoys being outdoors, he loves swimming (with close supervision that it) and is elated when he gets to play on the playground. Like his older brother, he loves listening to music, reading books, and playing with his toys. Astonishingly, he’s a very affectionate boy who enjoys giving kisses and is always smiling; these are some behaviors that autistic children cannot do.
Some of the coping strategies include break times or “self-time” which gives Bristol the time to recuperate from the stresses, challenges, and frustrations of every day.
Deisha was only a teen mother when she gave birth to Bristol. She has an older son named Marley, who is two years older than Bristol. As a young mother, parenting a child with Autism, she sacrificed a lot: socially, financially, and physically. She stated,
“Autism affects my everyday life. It takes up most of my time and money. Going to doctor’s appointments, meetings, therapies, making phone calls and talking to different specialists…Overall, it’s draining and frustrating. Sometimes you feel depressed because you feel you’re the only one in this world that wants [the best] for your son. But, I won’t give up on my son, my son did not ask for this sickness.”
Deisha’s ability to raise Bristol and her passion to help him get better is very much evident. She’s given up much of her teenage years and experiences we all take for granted; such as going out with friends and attending college. She spends most of her time raising Bristol and working to support his bills.
Autism, she says, has affected her in a positive way: “I appreciate the little things in life. I wonder why he would get up so early in the morning and it’s because he doesn’t want to miss out on all the adventures life has to offer.” The simple things in life are what make Deisha, Marley and Bristol happy!
Autism does not define my son as a person, it is only a small part of his character. He is sooo much more than just autisitc. He is my special son that makes my day, everyday. He LOVES music and dance, enjoys the simple things in life, going swimming, carnivals, eating lol etc.
When we go out i sometimes have problems with other people staring and giving rude facial expressions, I want people to understand that yes he does have tantrums in public and no he is not a "spoiled" child that throws tantrums cuz he doesn't get what he wants. He is trying to make sense of the situation and trying to understand whats going on. Perfect example is when we went to a pool but it was closed for a half an hour for a pool lesson class, so we had to wait. Bristol cried and tantrumed the whole half an hour because he didnt understand why we couldnt go in (seeing that other people was in there but for a class.) I tried to explain to him over and over again but he just cried the whole time until we were able to go in. When people stare and give us dirty looks, i get so mad sometimes I want to yell at them but I have to remind myself that they dont know our story and our daily struggles that we go through. So my advice to others would be don't judge , theres a reason behind every story and action of an autistic child. It is our duties as adults to help these special kids.
(Bristol displays some autistic traits such as hand flapping, yelling, repeptitive stuff, stomping, etc. Sometimes he can't control these outburst or needs help to control them. But sometimes other people think hes being so loud, rude, and obnoxious)
The blessings of having a child with autism has made me become a different person with a better and more positive outlook on life. It made me grow and gain qualities such as alot of pateince of course lol, determination, persistence, appreciation etc. Perfect example: I have been trying to get a service for Bristol (not throught the DOE but elsewhere) and I have been going at it for about 9 months now. Dealing with eligibility, tests, assessments, meetings, tons of phone calls, loads of paperwork, etc. Its hard work and time consuming but I know it will benefit Bristol...I am almost there but I have learned to stick with it and never give up! If they think I'm going to give up, they're wrong.
Her determination for Bristol is amazing. April is Autism Awareness month. Let's help mothers like Deisha to raise the awareness of Autism and help children like Bristol to get the services that they need!
Deisha (Bristol's mother) continues-
ReplyDeleteAutism does not define my son as a person, it is only a small part of his character. He is sooo much more than just autisitc. He is my special son that makes my day, everyday. He LOVES music and dance, enjoys the simple things in life, going swimming, carnivals, eating lol etc.
When we go out i sometimes have problems with other people staring and giving rude facial expressions, I want people to understand that yes he does have tantrums in public and no he is not a "spoiled" child that throws tantrums cuz he doesn't get what he wants. He is trying to make sense of the situation and trying to understand whats going on. Perfect example is when we went to a pool but it was closed for a half an hour for a pool lesson class, so we had to wait. Bristol cried and tantrumed the whole half an hour because he didnt understand why we couldnt go in (seeing that other people was in there but for a class.) I tried to explain to him over and over again but he just cried the whole time until we were able to go in. When people stare and give us dirty looks, i get so mad sometimes I want to yell at them but I have to remind myself that they dont know our story and our daily struggles that we go through. So my advice to others would be don't judge , theres a reason behind every story and action of an autistic child. It is our duties as adults to help these special kids.
(Bristol displays some autistic traits such as hand flapping, yelling, repeptitive stuff, stomping, etc. Sometimes he can't control these outburst or needs help to control them. But sometimes other people think hes being so loud, rude, and obnoxious)
The blessings of having a child with autism has made me become a different person with a better and more positive outlook on life. It made me grow and gain qualities such as alot of pateince of course lol, determination, persistence, appreciation etc. Perfect example: I have been trying to get a service for Bristol (not throught the DOE but elsewhere) and I have been going at it for about 9 months now. Dealing with eligibility, tests, assessments, meetings, tons of phone calls, loads of paperwork, etc. Its hard work and time consuming but I know it will benefit Bristol...I am almost there but I have learned to stick with it and never give up! If they think I'm going to give up, they're wrong.
Her determination for Bristol is amazing. April is Autism Awareness month. Let's help mothers like Deisha to raise the awareness of Autism and help children like Bristol to get the services that they need!