[baddmammajamma]

The last time I was "home" (original home of U.S.) for Christmas was 2007. My husband & I flew 21 hours from our then-home in Singapore to Charlottte, North Carolina, where my parents now live. While they cared for our 2-month-old son, we flew with our little daughter to Chicago in order to have her assessed for ASD.

She was just 28 months at the time, not showing the most glaring signs of ASD but struggling with certain things nonetheless.

A friend of mine from my Babycenter DIG had moved mountains to help us find someone over the Christmas holidays who could assess our daughter. So that's how we ended up in Chicago on Christmas Eve. We were scared, nervous, and anxious to get some answers...and I remember sobbing when the psychologist confirmed that ASD was part of our new reality.

Five years later (and a move to Sydney shortly after that Chicago trip), and years of great early intervention & the ongoing support of a lot of great people, our toddler who struggled with SO many things is a happy, thriving, still-very-quirky 7-year-old.

We are so grateful to the friend who had the guts to say "You ought to follow up your concerns with a professional." We are so grateful to the psychologist who was willing to squeeze us in yet still offer a gold standard assessment right before the holidays. We are so grateful that we could actually afford to make that journey, as there are a lot of other similarly situated families who are forced to wait too long for help for their kids.

So yeah, if I blather on EB about how important it is to get things properly checked out if you have concerns about your child -- ASD or otherwise -- it's because that trip to Chicago changed our lives for the better.

I am so proud of my daughter and am amazed at how far she has come. Prepare for the awesomeness to continue!

Thanks for letting me brag/share my happy news.

Happy holidays, everyone!

2007 (in U.S.)


Book Parade 2012 -- Rock 'n roll pigeon costume, the star of a character from one of the stories she has written


This post has been edited by baddmammajamma: 24/12/2012, 07:29 AM

[Superman+4sister...]

She is just fabulous! TFS

And, like many others, we are listening to your message, and keeping a careful eye on one dd's 'quirks' - we will most definitely be getting them investigated if there's no positive response to our current plan

This post has been edited by Superman+4sisters: 24/12/2012, 06:49 AM

[OneMore?]

Oh she is beautiful

You do a fantastic job with educating people BMJ, and of course your daughter is lucky to have you as your mother.

I do have a question - what do you do when you come across resistance ? Just leave it and move along although you know you are going to watch the child struggle

[lilybet]

.

This post has been edited by EHB: 18/01/2013, 05:03 AM

[Riotproof]

Beautiful post, thanks BMJ.

[baddmammajamma]

I do have a question - what do you do when you come across resistance ? Just leave it and move along although you know you are going to watch the child struggle

It's tough, and there are kids I know in real life who are really struggling yet their parents just aren't ready (emotionally) to take that next step. I'm not a diagnostician (though most ASD mums/dads will tell you that their "radars" are pretty accurate), and I certainly can't force someone to take action.

It's actually a lot easier to influence people on EB because I and other parents can speak candidly (yet hopefully still with sensitivity) without risking the loss of a friendship or alienating a family member whose child appears to have issues worth investigating.

Thanks, everyone, for your kind words. I really appreciate the support I've had from EB over the years!

[Therese]

Look at your big girl! She's gorgeous.

Thanks for sharing your journey with EB BMJ. We are lucky to have you as part of our community.

[Quill]

Much love.

[raven74]

BMJ, she is beautiful and is going to totally rock her life.

[Canberra chick]

She looks great and your efforts on EB have helped many of us with quirky kids, even if they're not on the spectrum. Thank you.