Dear Michael Savage, This is my youngest son. I refer to him on my site as The Little One. He was born two days after 9/11/2001, the youngest of 7. His name is Jonathan Luke, but we call him Jon-Luke.
Jon-Luke is diagnosed with PDD-Nos on the autism spectrum. I want to tell you, he wasn't always this way. He was a very energetic little boy that was developing normally. Due to the frequent germs picked at day care, he was sick for his wellness visits. He was behind on his shots. The doctor assured me that he could receive four shots in one visit without a problem. Instead, he had a horrible reaction. The next day, he woke up with swollen knees the size of tennis balls. He also had one swollen eye. He was lethargic. I was worried. That was the beginning of many days I missed from work. He never recovered. The following months became a revolving door of specialists in and out of my home. I also had to travel to many specialists hours from my home. He retreated into his own world and didn't even respond to his name. He stopped talking. I lost my job.
He has received early intervention since he was a little over 2. I believe this is why he has progressed so much. As a mom to 6 other "heatlhy and normal children", my heart aches for Jon-Luke. As much as he progresses, he will probably never do all those things that other parents treasure. He will never win a championship (like his brother), he will never be elected to a prominent position in a club (like sister). We will not celebrate when he gets his driver's license...like we did with my oldest. He will probably not attend college. We will never watch him dance with his wife at his wedding.
It's painful enough that every time we reach milestones that help form my other children into responsible adults in society, I am reminded that Jon-Luke probably never will do the same things. Being autistic, he has his own milestones, very different from my neuro typical children. We celebrate when he achieves the smallest goal. When I hear people like you minimize his triumphs and his struggles, it's like applying salt on a wound.
You need to know, most autistic parents are the most involved parents I know. We go through obstacles you couldn't imagine.
There are parents that visit all the homes in the community to give them special candy to hand to their autistic kids...because they are on special diets.
There are parents that take their kids to special activities with other "special needs" kids.
There are parents that move to school districts that provide the therapy their child needs.
There are kids in my son's school that travel over an hour from different counties, just to get the appropriate treatment. Don't you think the parent's hearts break? You think parents like to put their 5, 6 or 7 yr old kids on a bus at 6:45am , when school starts at 9am? This year, my son's bus was in an accident. Imagine the guilt the parents had to deal with?
Our lives have drastically changed since his diagnosis and so has the life of my son. I wish he was JUST A BRAT. No, he's not behaving like an IDIOT ..like you. He's autistic. What's your excuse?
Perhaps, I should just pity you. It's unfortunate that you're father belittled you. Obviously, you are the product of your father's verbal abuse and rage. I have good news. You have the ability to change for the better. See a therapist, it can help.
Let me end by saying, it's not okay for you to refer to our autistic kids the way you have. Children are innocent. It's not their fault that they developed autism.
Sincerely,
SuperMom in NY
Who is Michael Savage?
Tomorrow I will post another entry with some important info...
Want to read more about The Little One and our life with autism? Click on PDD-Nos Memoirs.
