As many of you are aware, April is Autism Awareness month. When my son who is almost 21, was diagnosed with Autism, the numbers indicated 12 out of 10,000 children were diagnosed with this disorder. The CDC’s newest stats claim that 1 in every 68 children are now diagnosed with Autism and 1 in every 42 boys have the disorder. When these new figures were released, I couldn’t help but think to myself that we really don’t need an Autism Awareness month any longer…with these kind of numbers it’s apparent that far too many people have become aware of Autism from personal experience.
I have seen many things change since my son was first diagnosed over 18 years ago. There are many new therapies and treatments and there are more ideas floating around as to the causes of Autism… but sadly, all the newly suspected causes and research, have not yet yielded any information to diminish the number of children who are being affected by the disorder.
My son has made so much progress through the years and he has exceeded the expectations the “experts” gave us when he was first diagnosed. We have worked very hard for every accomplishment he has made and to be where he is today. My son has been diagnosed with more disorders and more health issues the older he has gotten, but he continues to fight every day to cope with the changes that are thrust upon him… and that leads me to the things that have not changed since we received his first diagnosis…
God is still on the throne.
God still loves my son even more than I do.
God still has a plan for my son and it’s a good plan.
God still gives us strength when we are weary and helps us to do the things we could never do on our own.
God still answers prayer.
God still gives us comfort and His peace in exchange for our burdens, worries and cares.
God still provides for us and does miracles to show that we are not alone and He is with us always.
One day my son will have a totally renewed, restored and healed body and mind that will never have to deal with worry, fear, depression or anxiety. He won’t have trouble dealing with noise or crowds, the textures of clothes or foods, or have trouble understanding social cues, or have insomnia, or frustrations, or lack of friends or any of the other hard things he’s had to deal with in this life. Better things are still waiting and the best is still yet to come.
My son is still the joy of my life and I am grateful for every day I have with him…
This remains one of the scriptures that comforts us… 2 Cor. 4:16-18 For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.
Blessings to you,
Debbie Kay
Hope For The Broken Hearted
Latest posts by Debbie Kay (see all)
- Autism Awareness - April 7, 2014
- God’s Strength For The Day - March 3, 2014
- The Source of Our Joy - February 3, 2014