2016
Jonah was 2 years old.
Our early-intervention behavioral specialist suspected he might be autistic and she recommended we have him evaluated.
I was skeptical, but I put Jonah on multiple waiting lists. They were years long.
While we waited, I began recording everyday “typical Jonah” behavior.
I wanted to give the diagnostician a complete profile of everyday life for Jonah.
This is that video.
(I may have cherry picked the highlights).
I genuinely believed Jonah was a quirky, typically-developing 2-year-old who was just speech-delayed with possibly some other minor developmental delays.
Just after Jonah’s 3rd birthday, we received a call. We could get Jonah evaluated after only 9 months of waiting, thanks to a cancellation.
Jonah went in for 3 different evaluation sessions, a couple hours a piece. He wouldn’t sit still for any of their tests.
I told them about some of the challenges we were having with his development. He still wasn’t toilet trained. He didn’t really have any speech. He wouldn’t sit still for more than a few seconds. His sleep schedule was a wreck. He started having inconsolable meltdowns.
Honestly, I didn’t think a lot of it.
Perhaps it was just part of the “terrible twos” phase. He’d get through it. He’d be fine. It would just take a little time.
But in any case, the only things I knew about autism came from the media.
And what we experienced at home wasn’t what we saw on the TV.
So imagine my shock when the diagnostic evaluator informed me that not only was Jonah autistic, his “flavor” of autism was considered “level 3,” which meant out of a “three-level” severity rating, Jonah’s autism was considered “severe.”
I’m not sure exactly what it was I was hoping for. Was I hoping for “only” a “level 1” or a “level 2?” Or that they would say that it wasn’t autism at all?
I honestly couldn’t answer that question. I mean, Jonah was the same kid REGARDLESS of the label they gave him.
I wasn’t raising “severe autism.” I was raising my child.
It only went to show that I knew absolutely NOTHING about “autism” in general.
Jonah is nothing like the actors portraying “stereotypical autism” on Netflix.
He’s not like other autistic children I’ve seen or read about.
“Autism” doesn’t have a “look.”
Every single case is unique.
Every single person is unique.
Jonah is unique.
And that’s what make him special.
#AusomeApril