Thought it would be a good time for a little AUTISM UPDATE from the Prince family.
Yep. Keller still has autism.
Autism is so interesting because it’s not like a bad flu or a hospital stint for a bad infection. It doesn’t just get better or go away. While so many people have had trials come and go over the past year and a half, Keller STILL has autism. We’re still here on the autism train.
Here is the good thing about raising a child with autism. You eventually rise to the occasion. You eventually get stronger. You eventually get use to the therapies and terms and restrictions and charts and patterns and labels. You grow into it and it becomes your new normal. Autism world is our normal world now. That is a good place to be because Keller HAS AUTISM and so we need to live confidently in this world as we navigate. Every single case of autism is completely unique and so we always have to be very ‘dialed in’ to Keller to make sure we are treating and loving him the best for HIS autism journey. It can be exhausting but we feel strong in the journey because we are always seeing so much progress and because we are seeing Keller truly come to LIFE. It’s the product of a LOT of therapy and a LOT LOT of prayer, but Keller is truly coming into himself and he is pure joy. He is hilarious, hyper, fun, and very active. He loves life, his friends, his family, DINOSAURS, running and playing outside, school and just LAUGHING.
It’s pretty awesome.
It’s awesome but it’s also still SUPER HARD. Just because we are making such great progress with Keller and hitting so many goals doesn’t mean that we are there yet. For every goal we reach there is another one quickly put in its place. As Keller grows up we often see the ways that he is growing and the ways he is not growing. I constantly find myself questioning if he is quirky or stubborn or autistic or ALL THREE (likely all three). It’s a world where we are constantly strategizing and planning and where, if I let myself, I can quickly feel guilty for not doing ENOUGH. I push these negative feelings away pretty quickly but they surface at times. Autism is not just a journey but a BATTLE some days for sure.
In the days when I realize it’s a battle I remind myself that I don’t battle alone. I don’t know how anyone could EVER do the journey of parenting a special needs child apart from Jesus Christ. He is my power, my life, my peace, my freedom and my hope. Without him I would be completely undone by autism. With Christ I am filled with hope and promise in the face of this challenge and EVERY challenge I face.
Yep, Keller still has autism. But we still have Jesus and the future looks BRIGHT.