Max is having a burst of progress this week. It is so important to acknowledge these periods of progress, because as much as we are waiting for them, praying for them, they do sneak up on us.
On Saturday,
Max got on the swing.
On Sunday, he walked into the kitchen, pulled a cup off the counter and handed it to me. He wanted milk. Pretty clear communicating, eh?
On Monday morning, when I was driving him to daycare, I pulled up to the stoplight where I usually turn left to take Max to
blueballoon. Instead, I turned right, to go to daycare, and he got really upset. All this time I assumed he wasn't paying attention to where we were going, but he clearly knows exactly where we are going, and he doesn't want to go to daycare!
On Monday afternoon, in his speech therapy session he said "nut", "mommy" (which according to his speech therapist, Kim, sounds like "duhduh" but she insists he IS saying mommy though, not daddy even though it sounds like daddy). He also said "pig", "cookie", "chips", and "crispie".
On Tuesday morning, Max pulled his pajama top over his head all by himself when I asked him to take his "shirt off".
On Tuesday afternoon, when Max's Bumpa pointed out that he had "poopy pants", Max patted his bumm, walked to the bathroom, opened the door, and pulled the
toilet visual off the visual schedule. He then laid down on his change pad.
All small steps, but together, it's a mile. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Go Max!!
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There is no cure for Autism. I often hear parents describe their child as "cured" or "recovered" from Autism, and I think to myself "I pray that will be me one day, that I will be able to say Max is cured or fully recovered". But truly, there is no cure, there are only best outcomes. Do I think Max will be a best outcome case? Absolutely. I am only now starting to accept that he will never be cured.
What does this mean? It means that I am coming to terms with what Autism is, what it means to Max and our family. It means that I am reassessing all of the relationships in my life, observing other people's relationships, and trying to determine what a normal relationships is. I'm asking myself questions like "are normal relationships the be all and end all?" and having internal debates about the assumptions I make about what I deem necessary to live a happy, fulfilled life. Just because I think one needs X, Y, and Z to be happy doesn't make it so. I only think that because it is all I know. Who am I to judge what makes a good relationship? Maybe it is okay to have a relationship 100% based on mutual love of a certain topic, or relationships where one person has the understanding that the other is not able to have a fully functioning emotional connection with them, and accepts it for what it is and for what that person is able to give. All along I have been thinking that Max needs to be able to experience life based on my "ideal scenario". It probably isn't going to happen, and that is my problem, not his. 
I really have no idea what the future holds. I certainly have high hopes, and I dream of Max being happy and fulfilled (whatever that looks like). I don't look at video of Autistic adults on youtube as an indicator of where we are going, because I don't think they are an accurate prediction of what Max will be like as an adult. The therapy Max is receiving is ground breaking, and he has received early intervention. I know that the progress will continue in tiny incremental steps, and I need to be patient. There is no magic cure, only hard work and a tonne of perseverance. All that to get to a best outcome.
