When I was pregnant with you, it was the happiest time of my life. You were planned and wanted. I LOVED being pregnant. I felt so healthy and I took very good care of myself for you. Not one cup of coffee, kept active, got lots of sleep and didn't give into unhealthy craving choices. I couldn't wait to meet you!
No parent plans on having a child with Autism. I didn't. I pictured our days filled with spontaneity....play dates and exploring beaches and picnic lunches. I pictured frequent visits down to your Auntie's house playing and getting to know your cousins. It never dawned on me that by 19 months you would be having interventions. I felt a sense of sadness that I still can't describe to this day when I realized our days would not be spent as I had thought. Instead of spontaneous beach adventures, you had a 20 hour/week intensive intervention schedule to maintain if you were ever going to have a chance at a future that didn't need to be funded by a government.
But sadness subsided quickly for me when I saw the developmental hurtles you jumped over in your first week!! You LOVED your workers and it was so obvious that they LOVED their job and judging by the progress I saw you make so quickly, they were obviously very well trained, which brought a desperately needed sense of security and hope to my saddened heart.
When I look at you now, and the amazing boy you have become, it's hard for me to even really remember the challenges that lay before you. This early intervention program gave you the ability to start kindergarten on time and on par with your peers. You went from a completely non-verbal, non-social child to this amazingly articulate and thoughtful little boy who loves to be a part of everything! I am so proud of you Crofton, for all the obstacles you have overcome and how freely and openly you express the love in your heart.
The EIBI program changed your life. This program gave me the chance to be your mother, not just your care-taker. I am mortified that it is being shut down. 20 hours a week is scientifically proven to be the minimum amount of intensive intervention hours required (before the age of 6) to make any substantial difference in the quality of life for a child with Autism. When the government announced the shut down of these programs on the standpoint that it isn't fair to the other children who aren't in the program, I was enraged. By privatizing these intervention services, children will be LUCKY if they get 6-7 hours a week. It's just not enough. How is that fair?You were blessed to get into the program. I was so excited when your spot at QA came up and you were taken off the wait list. When I think about all the children who will never get the chance to enter into this life-giving program, my heart aches. It aches for the child who will never experience their full potential and it breaks for the parents who's children weren't given the same chance at life as you were.
I want you to know how proud I am of you, my sweet boy.
With all the love in my heart,
Mum
