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Autism
never held my daughter back.
By Elizy Smith |
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Breanna
screamed and cried so much as an infant that it was very
difficult to get anyone to babysit her. She didn’t
want to be cuddled. In fact, she screamed more when I
tried to sooth her. The only thing I found that would
calm her down was to take her in the bathroom and run
the shower. Her gross motor skills were exceptional! She
walked at nine months and she could catch a tennis ball
with one hand by the time she was two years old. Even
though she could walk and catch a ball, her language was
delayed. I never heard her say “Momma” or
“Daddy”. She would point to items she desired
but she never was able to name them.
She also had very violent tantrums. It was difficult to
calm her down once she became upset. Half of the time,
I never knew why she was upset because she was unable
to express her wants or needs. She would hit me as hard
as she could in my back whenever she got upset or scream
in a high pitched scream. She would run outside a lot
when I would turn my back. We had so many frantic searches
trying to find her in the neighborhood.
When I took Breanna to her pediatrician about her behavior
and asked him why she wasn’t talking, I got the
standard response. He said, “Well, all kids talk
at their own pace. Just give her some time and she will
talk”. I went home reassured from the doctor’s
advice but her behaviors grew worse. By the time she was
three, her strokes became harder when she hit me. She
also started turning lights off and on repeatedly, and
hurting herself but she wouldn’t cry. Even though
my child was demonstrating unusual behaviors, I didn’t
feel that there was anything wrong with her. My family
members would constantly tell me that something was wrong
but I just didn’t want to believe them.
I got a reality check one day when I took her to the park
and she disappeared. Frantically, I was calling her name,
searching for her when a strange woman brought her to
me and said, "Your daughter was trying to cross the
busy highway to get to the beach". She continued
to tell me that the cars were going 40 to 50 miles per
hour, and my daughter was still trying to cross the street.
She said she jumped out to get her and my daughter couldn't
say her name or tell her anything else about her. She
proceeded to say that my daughter was developmentally
delayed, and suggested I get her some help. I went home
and all I kept hearing in my head was the word ‘developmentally
delayed’. The next morning I made an appointment
with her pediatrician. I told him about the incident,
and he said she may be Autistic. After numerous appointments
and two separate diagnoses, it was confirmed that my daughter
has Autism.
This news was difficult to accept. I was angry with God;
I asked him how he could do this to me. Then God revealed
some things to me. I was driving home one day, and I was
looking out the window and saw a man who could barely
walk struggling to get to the bus stop. It was at this
moment that I remembered my grandmother would always say
that God would never put on you more than you could bear.
I saw my daughter smiling in the back seat and I thought
wow what do I do? I watched the movie, "Rain Man"
to learn more about Autism. I prayed and asked the Lord
to show me how to work with my daughter because she was
difficult to handle, and I did not want her to be institutionalized.
This caused me to want to learn more about Autism and
how best to help my daughter integrate into society.
Over the years, God did show me how to work with her.
She has overcome so many obstacles in her life. She was
the 2007 State of Illinois, Triple Jump Champion her senior
year of high school with a jump of 40 feet 4.25 inches.
She also placed third in the long jump with a mark of
18 feet 2.75 inches. In the same year, she placed second
in triple jump with a mark of 40 feet 4.75 and 5th place
in long jump with a mark of 18 feet 5 inches in the USATF
Junior Olympics in Walnut, California. Breanna received
over 90 college offers to compete in track and field her
senior year.
She is now 20 years old and currently a sophomore at Bevill
State Community College in Hamilton, Alabama. She took
fourth place in triple jump her freshman year of college
at the NJCAA Finals in Hutchinson, Kansas with a mark
of 40 feet 9.75 inches. Her future goals are to compete
in the 2016 Olympic Games. |
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