Leland has Autism
The Beginning
At about 18 months of age, his parents noticed a drastic change in Leland’s behavior. He went from being an interactive, verbal child to a whiny, crying toddler who would throw temper tantrums for no apparent reason. Most troubling of all was that he stopped communicating, became non-responsive, and reclusive. Due to this dramatic deterioration in his development, his parents sought expert help. After numerous diagnostics and testing, the experts at various medical institutions confirmed Leland to be autistic. Hence, Leland’s life long battle with Autism began.
Development
When Leland was diagnosed, all the experts (doctors, physicians, and specialists) gave a prognosis stating that he will never walk, speak, or function in the community. They stated he would need special care for the rest of his life, even just to take care of routine living. Leland’s parents had faith that he would get better so they put him in early intervention. This consists of therapy for forty hours a week starting from age 2 or 3, it went on until he was age 17. The hard work and dedication paid off. Leland could walk, talk, swim, play the guitar, ski, play video games, pretty much have hobbies that any normal kid would have. Over the years, his parents focused on his language and living skills. They did not, however, focus on his art at first. His kindergarten teacher discovered his talent in school, from there his art took off. His art allowed him to go to all sorts of events and experience the world. Those experiences shaped him into who he is today.
Message to Our Readers
We hope that you realize that raising Leland is no easy task at all. There is definitely a large amount of hardship involved, many instances that are not mentioned here. Yet despite it being very difficult, it is not hopeless. Through sweat blood and tears, Leland is able to do many things that normal people do, and in addition to that, awaken his artistic talent. Some may believe that people with autism are bums, only a drain on resources, or useless to society. However, when someone has autism or any other disability, they tend to have some amazing talents. So we implore other parents of children with autism to put forth the dedication in order to allow them to learn to function society a bit better, and for them too, to discover their potential abilities. As for those of you who aren’t parents of a child with autism, please do not see these people as a freak who will never do anything useful, but rather someone who can do something great if only someone would help them reveal their extraordinary capabilities.