Communicating

If you read just one book about Autism, take the time to read, "Carly's Voice."  It is written by Arthur Fleischmann.  He wrote the book along with his daughter, Carly, who is nonverbal and has Autism.  I found it to be one of the most moving and inspirational books I have read in a long time. I highly recommend this book to ALL parents. If your child doesn't have Autism, it will give you some insight as to what it's like. If your child does have Autism, you can probably relate (as I did) to some of the family's experiences.

I have written on my blog about how those days before Dominic talked and could not communicate with us as some of  the hardest and most difficult days as a mom.  Imagine if you knew you might never hear your child speak, EVER.  Carly's mom and dad worked endlessly to find a way to communicate with her. They finally found the "key" to her being able to communicate was through a computer. She has had aides and therapists that have worked tirelessly with her to get her to the point that she is at now. Carly is about a year older than Lauren. As much as Dominic talks now, it is sometimes hard for me to remember those first three years when he really didn't talk or communicate.  Reading was always something I hoped Dominic would do and I even wrote a blog post about it back on February 15th. We just got Dominic's  report card this past Friday and the teacher wrote he is reading at a first grade level!!! I was so excited when I saw that :) Dominic has gone from slamming and throwing a book across the room to reading the book, "Boats, Boats, Boats" below.

We don't take Dominic being able to communicate, talk or read for granted.  The road with Dominic has been tough at times and I know there will be challenges ahead.  We take it a day at a time. Isn't that what all parents do with their kids???