The Puzzle

I still remember the day he was born like it was yesterday.  I was a first time father and over the moon with joy! I had so many plans, so many things I wanted to do, so many experiences to share with him just like my father did with me.

When he turned one, we thought something was “off”.  He wouldn’t sleep.  At the time we just chalked it up to the natural process of a growth spurt.

When he turned two, we knew something was wrong but just couldn’t pinpoint the issue. He still wouldn’t sleep at night.  He fought the sleep daily only succumbing to it when his body finally gave out. What we didn’t know is that his brain was running a high speed marathon and he didn’t know how to shut it off. Neither did we.

We started showing Disney movies on VHS tapes to pass the time in the evenings. My wife slept on the couch night after night, changing the movies every two hours until the sleep would finally creep in.

When he turned four and could talk, we realized that we needed professional help as parents. We needed to know “What this is” in order to best support our child. We knew he was special though. One day he was talking to my wife, and we realized that he had memorized every Prince, princess, evil villain and every comedic sidekick in EVERY Disney movie he had ever watched. He knew everything about every character, even their back stories, sometimes after only watching a movie once. At four years old he was retaining over 90% of everything he read or watched.

We eventually received a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, a form of High Functioning Autism. With the knowledge of our child’s condition, we now had the task as parents of learning as much as we could about Autism so that we could ensure that our son would be in the best place to succeed in life. We did just that.

With the knowledge we obtained, we were able to augment our parenting style to cater to our son’s strengths and weaknesses. We were able to provide him with the tools to survive, grow and eventually prosper in society as be became an adult. The plans I made as a new father were just not to be. I had to make new plans. Different plans. This time though, they were OUR plans and not mine. We have had some really hard times, but we have also had some incredible experiences.

My family's story is not unique. There are millions of families with experiences just like ours. We are not alone.  Chances are you know someone, or a family with someone who lives with a form of Autism.

For years Doctors, psychologists, dietitians, and researchers have been working to try and solve the puzzle that is Autism. One out of every 36 children have some form of Autism, and one out of every six children have some sort of learning disability. There is no cure.  There is only information. The good news is, there is a LOT of information.  

To learn about Autism, please visit www.autismspeaks.org. Here you can find a treasure trove of information about all forms of autism, and if you feel so inclined you can make a financial donation to help the research continue. You can also support those people living with Autism directly, right in your local community.  Please patronize businesses that employ people with autism, because only 21% of people living with Autism in America are gainfully employed. When you check out, make sure you thank the establishment and tell them you shop there because of their hiring practices. Please let them know.

April 2^nd is World Autism Awareness Day. We don't "celebrate" this day because having Autism is nothing to celebrate. We DO however celebrate the achievements of those who have Autism. I am so proud of my son. He has accomplished so much in his short time on this earth despite the challenges he faces every day.

·       My son graduated from public school through the 8^th grade, despite being the smallest child in every class he attended because he was a "Late bloomer".

·       My Son earned the rank of  Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America by the age of 14 after only three years in the program. The only accommodation given was for the “Public Speaking” merit badge as his Aspergers would not cooperate with large crowds or loud noises.

·       My son graduated from home schooling High School as a Valedictorian in his GED testing class having posted the 2^nd highest test score of the year. And yes, he walked across the stage and received his diploma in front of hundreds of strangers.

·       My son completed four years of seminary training at our local church.  Despite the fact that religion was “Not really his thing” he completed all four years anyway because he made a commitment to his parents that he would, and he did.

·       My son is in his third year of Community college and is close to earning his associate degree in general studies. He hopes to have his degree by the end of 2024 and will be the first person in my immediate family to have accomplished this. He also plans to continue on and earn his Bachelors Degree. 

·       My son is a licensed driver. He obtained his drivers license when he was 20 years old after practicing as a permit driver for four years. He drives himself to college two days a week and Is self sufficient in many of his life needs.

·       My son has had a job. Our local Price Chopper Grocery store hired him to bag groceries in between his classes. They pay him a living wage, and work with his class schedule.

Thank you for taking the the time to read this. Please join with me in acknowledging all those who live with Autism. If you would like to help me raise awareness about Autism, please share this article on the social media platform of your choice. 

John Mac and his son John III

To learn more about John and the work he does for DIRECTV please click HERE. 

The views expressed in this blog post reflect the experiences and opinions of the author only and are not meant to be any official correspondence from DIRECTV, its Dealers, affiliates or any related entities. Copyright John Mac's Travels 2024