Each day, roughly 10 North Carolina families have a child diagnosed with a form of autism. Each family affected by autism has different challenges and times of joy.
A little back story for us personally, and also what motivates us to raise awareness and funds for the Autism Society. Our grandson was diagnosed with severe Autism at 18 months though it was suspected, actually hearing it was devastating. We cried, we denied it, we struggled to accept it, and we moured what we thought things would look like. However today we think about all of our victories, all of our wins, and we now know that Autism isn't a death sentence it is just a learning curve. It means listening with more than your ears, it is adjusting, accommodating, and adapting. This boy has over come so much. He's gone from completely nonverbal to limited verbal plus utilizing signs, PECs, and an AAC device. He can follow directions and is eager to learn, he knows colors, shapes, planets, some letters and numbers, all of his body parts, he is assisting in dressing and undressing, he is trying to read, he is making choices, and learning that some actions have consequences be it good or bad. He has mastered riding a bike, drifting in his go kart, and doing donuts on his ATV. He helps with laundry, cleaning up the house, feeding the dogs, tending to the chickens and collecting the eggs. We have also started pretend play and love playing doctor we our babies. We have made so much progress and have learned so much on this road, we have become fierce advocates and will continue to learn and grown with our boy. Autism CANNOT stop us and will NOT limit us. The Autism Society has helped with some of these accomplishments through funding for certain therapies, events, and education. Please consider donating or even joining our team and walking/running with us.
Proceeds from the Coastal NC Run Walk for Autism will fund local programs of the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC), which serves the over 95,000 families affected by autism in our state.
Thank you for your support!