I Wish (The Autism Mom’s Lament)
A Poem by Maia Chung
When a child is born with Autism
the chances of he or she contributing to the economy is slim,
sciences say that early intervention in the Autistic brain,
increases positive chances; that due to the disorder are dim.
I wished I lived somewhere where my boy could get this help
At a decent cost,
And that others like him could also find the help; that would not make them lost.
I dream sometimes that I’ve moved faraway from here and all my sons
and me start a new day,
In a place configured for his needs and where we have the means to pay.
Ours is not the toughest lot to bear
But man’s duty is not to judge his cross; against his fellow man’s cares
These words don’t make it better
But provide a vent
To keep me chugging,
And not relent.
I wish a million things each day
And one of these million wishes is: I wish that Autism was not hell to pay.
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FU! Why SHOULD a parent be satisfied with less than the recommended treatments for their child? When you know your child is capable of growing and learning more, why would you be content to let them make less progress just because services are unaffordable? In my mind, that’d be poor parenting.
And where have you been living that the focus is only on the struggles of autism?!? All I see in the news during Autism Awareness month is the upbeat stories of early intervention and recovery. With the increase in autism, people need to hear of the reality of autism. Where are the stories of 15-year-olds smearing poop all over the walls of their room, children who pull out all their hair, children who die after eloping, adult children who need round-the-clock care, etc…?
Also, I’d like you to explain to me the “positives” of autism. Are there any blogs out there that concentrate on the positives of cancer, diabetes, cerebral palsy?
@graemesautism Welcome to Autisable, where all aspects of autism are shared, even the poop smearing ones.
Sounds to me that you have your journey as well. Feel free to submit a post, sharing what you just described in your comment. This is what Autisable is all about!
We each have our own journey, so let’s learn from each other.
Awww. *hugs* Best wishes for you and your’s!!
If you had to fight constantly and still not get many things that would help your child, you would be a little negative too.
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@drunkdevotchkababy@xanga – I find what you have said to be completely untrue. There would be enough to satisfy us… you know what that is? Providing the services proven to help treat autism, without the conflict of interest in regard to state and federal budgets, which more often than not limit access to these services. If you had to fight constantly and still not get many things that would help your child, you would be a little negative too. Do you think people with children that have cancer feel this way? Would you even dare to say something like that about someone who had a child with cancer getting denied treatment? They aren’t constantly denied services and invalidated by government controlled agencies. I’m sure health insurance is still an issue for them, but even then there aren’t people like you out there chastising the parents saying “nothing is ever good enough for those cancer parents.” I’m guessing by the ignorance of your statement that you do not have a child with autism. I love my daughter for everything she is and I do not find autism to be completely negative. There are a lot of positives and she is doing really well actually, but that is because I have fought tirelessly for her to get treatment that has greatly benefited her. Still, I am not completely satisfied because I have had to pay out of pocket, fight tooth and nail and still I am sacrificing some treatments I think could help her because there just isn’t enough funding personally or federally.
Heartbreaking and the truth of a parents struggle so truthful.
But for once, I wish someone would write a blog about the positives of autism. The positives of what can happen when a child is diagnosed with autism. Instead of always the heartbreaking, mostly truthful struggles. There is so much more than that.
One day, if I get my way, things will change for children and parents that have autism in their lives.
But I have a feeling that no matter what health professionals, community living professionals, or school professionals do it will never be enough in the eyes of people who have children with autism.