{"id":6281,"date":"2016-04-14T13:56:33","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T18:56:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jaimehough.com\/blog\/?p=6281"},"modified":"2016-04-15T13:53:59","modified_gmt":"2016-04-15T18:53:59","slug":"what-does-autism-spectrum-disorder-asd-look-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/what-does-autism-spectrum-disorder-asd-look-like\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Look Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently came across an organization called\u00a0Spectrum Inspired<\/a>, which began with\u00a0a couple photographers who had\u00a0a\u00a0dream of connecting families living with autism to professional photographers who focus on capturing\u00a0the true essence of a\u00a0child\u00a0… documenting life as it is right here, right now\u00a0… and showing other’s that their story is beautiful, and worth being told.\u00a0Meant to be?\u00a0I thought so.\u00a0After reading more about what they do\/who they are, I felt inspired to share a bit of our story …<\/p>\n

Meet my youngest little,\u00a0The Bug.<\/p>\n

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She has High Functioning Autism (HFA),\u00a0though it’s also been\u00a0referred to High Functioning ASD.\u00a0Most don’t know it, that is … unless\u00a0I say something. Responses have\u00a0typically been, “Noooo, she looks so normal?! I never would’ve guessed!” … “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”\u00a0I’ve gotten eye rolls too … as in, “Sure she she does … and I’ve been on the moon.”\u00a0Sometimes though, I’ll hear … “Wow, you’re so strong.” “She’s lucky to have you in her corner.” Mostly, though, it’s disbelief … how can a girl who looks like THAT have autism?\"2016-04-14_0006.jpg\"<\/p>\n

I HATE (super strong word I don’t use often, but definitely the right one here) the word “normal.” Who is normal? No one I know, that’s for sure. Let’s reserve that word for blood counts and labs, eh?<\/p>\n

When The Bug was a wee babe, I always had this question lurking in the back of my mind … “What if she’s\u00a0autistic?” Call it intuition … I always wondered. She met some developmental milestones a tad bit late … no biggie, truly … she was fussy a lot, with no cause that I could find … she’d only sleep on my chest or swinging or in motion … that was stressful … and when she didn’t talk, I knew something had to be up.<\/p>\n

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I had to fight to even get her evaluated. She’s a late bloomer, they said. She’ll talk when she’s ready, they said. She looks and acts … “NORMAL” … again with that awful word. I knew better. I made the judgement call when she was 1 year old. I asked for help. I fought for it. I got it.<\/p>\n

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We used ASL for her\u00a0first few years, as\u00a0she had only two words … mama, ball. It took a good few months before we were seen … before they listened and took me seriously. I was the ONLY person in her WHOLE world who understood her wants and needs.<\/p>\n

We sat in a room full of people … a nurse, doctor, behavioral\u00a0therapist, speech pathologist, occupational therapist … the list goes on. It was intimidating … I immediately started sweating … and stuttering … I get nervous in big groups. I watched as they played with her and observed her play on her own. They chatted with me about my concerns\u00a0and\u00a0took a family history. They observed us together, and in the end … told me they had no clue what was “wrong”\u00a0… if anything. “I don’t believe you … something is off\u00a0here\u00a0…” I remember thinking to myself.\u00a0They concluded that she\u00a0had an expressive speech delay\/disorder, and the SLP\u00a0recommended\u00a0we begin speech therapy\u00a0immediately\u00a0… she was 1 year 4\u00a0months. She continued speech therapy until the end of 3rd grade (she’s 1 month shy of ten now). 7 speech therapists later, one could never guess she’d ever been in speech\u00a0therapy. <3<\/p>\n

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Speech therapy\u00a0involved more than just a speech therapist there … she went twice a week to a center where they’d work on communication and social interaction in a group setting, as well as one-on-one, group, and family\u00a0speech therapy sessions. Signing was encouraged a well.\u00a0Her speech\u00a0therapist was baffled, mostly because she responded so well to everything she was teaching her\u00a0and doing with her.\u00a0She was always just above the cut on every test she did with her. Apraxia of Speech? She told us it was a mild case of one … maybe … she really couldn’t give a definitive answer, but treated it as such.<\/p>\n

One day, not too long after we started therapy, this Disney-eyed creature looked up at me and pulled a chunk of hair from her head … and laughed hysterically. Then I thought about her biting issue with The Byrd. And then there was that time she fell off a step stool and hit her head … she never cried. Certain sounds and smells overwhelmed\u00a0her. She would only eat a short list of foods. I asked about it at the center …. more tests. She has all the signs of a Sensory Processing Disorder, they said. She needs more of\u00a0certain\u00a0physical sensory input (and less of others) to function like we do, and the\u00a0sounds\/smells things you’ll learn over time … record them… read these books, try these things … we’ll work with her here too. So I did, we did. We got a chewy and that stopped the biting. We started gymnastics and dance, and\u00a0spent even more time that usual at the park, often swinging … ooooh, how she loved to swing. We even bought a swing to put up in the doorway at home, and she learned to go to it when she needed to. We tried\u00a0a massage every night before bed. We stepped back on forcing new foods … because … textures and smells. We are still working on that one. We got a weighted blanket to help her sleep better. We learned more and more coping mechanisms … we’re still learning coping mechanisms, as it’s a never ending thing … her sensory diet is always changing, even at age 9.5.<\/p>\n

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Between ages\u00a05\u00a0and 6, she started showing signs of serious anxiety. She began clinging\u00a0to me, more and more often. She wouldn’t sleep alone. Unfamiliar places and people … the wrong cheese on her grilled cheese … a “broken” sandwich … a sudden change in plans\u00a0… I couldn’t predict how she would respond. We were getting ready to move cross country too, which didn’t help matters.<\/p>\n

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When we got settled in\u00a0Iowa, that little voice in my head told me that something still seemed off. Social issues and her anxiety were\u00a0worsening … it was hard for her to navigate friendship making.\u00a0Due to her\u00a0speech delay, learning to read had become a challenge, and with homeschooling … we’d hit a brick wall. I couldn’t figure out how to help her. We were stressing each other out. She was finding it difficult to express her feelings and thoughts properly … a change in plans sent her through the roof … it was hard for her to find the right words, and often times chose the wrong words and would get upset with herself for it.\u00a0She would bottle things up until the bottle lost it’s top.\u00a0We were alone too … we were struggling … and I began to realize that this went much deeper. What if??<\/p>\n

I got a referral\u00a0from our 1st pediatrician here, to see a counselor, and after several meetings … we got a laundry list … General Anxiety Disorder. Pervasive Development Disorder. Speech Delay. Sensory Integration\u00a0Disorder. Opposition Defiant Disorder. Then the counselor\u00a0looked at me, and said … “You know, if you look at each of these alone, they can stand alone. BUT, if you take a step back and look at them as a whole, you daughter is on the Spectrum. She has High Functioning Autism, one of many diagnoses on the wide range that is known as Autism Spectrum Disorder.”<\/p>\n

THAT. Right there. Has made all the difference in our world. It brought me peace … of mind. For the longest time I thought I was losing my mind. It had been\u00a0mentioned that I babied\u00a0her … made excuses for her behavior … that it was all in my head … and these are just behaviors she’ll outgrow, because … look at her … she looks “NORMAL.” I let out a huge “Praise Jesus!” right there in the counselor’s office. I smiled, and even laughed a little … right there I looped\u00a0back through the last 6\u00a0years of our lives and guess what? It. All. Made. Sense. Now. At that point, after all those years of\u00a0wondering … I had an answer. It didn’t phase me one bit … just knowing gave me peace, and that was that. NEXT!<\/p>\n

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My daughter has High Functioning Autism\u00a0(which is merely one part of a very wide\u00a0Spectrum), but it isn’t\u00a0WHO she is. It’s NOT\u00a0a label.\u00a0There is NO one-size-fits-all. It looks like nothing. It looks like everything. It is NOT condition. It’s merely a way of seeing and feeling the world\u00a0… and I\u00a0think it is part of what makes her so freaking AWESOME. She\u00a0has shown me a different way to look at … see … and feel the world, and it’s incredible.<\/p>\n

She works harder than most kids I’ve ever met, and plays just as hard. She is sharp as a tack, quick to love, and is capable of more empathy than any child I’ve ever known. She’s creative and clever, thoughtful and kind, effortlessly comical, and full of love for humankind, nature, and animals alike.<\/p>\n

She has a gift for\u00a0the arts … something I’ve begun to nurture more and more in the\u00a0last two years. I’m sure we’ve used up\u00a0a a few\u00a0trees in the name of art, but her smile when showing me her latest drawing or painting makes it worth it (and we plant more trees, of course). Her emotions are expressed through dance and drawings, more often than words. She’s a sunset chaser, like her mum, and reminds me daily to stop what I’m doing to go watch with her … it brings her peace. Sometimes she paints\/draws it, other times we take a photo … and in the summer, we chase the light so she can dance in that last bit of light whilst I document the moments shared. She is strong … brave … and beautiful, inside and out … and I grow prouder of her with each passing day.<\/p>\n

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Moving forward …<\/p>\n

So, the\u00a0other day when a friend asked for photographers who advocate for autism to message her, I did. She told me about\u00a0Spectrum Inspired’<\/a>s\u00a0mission …\u00a0to connect\u00a0families living with autism to\u00a0photographers who have a passion for documenting life\u00a0and capturing a child’s true spirit through photography. I applied, of course\u00a0… and\u00a0I am STOKED to announce that I will be working with them to provide sessions to families living with autism here in the Des Moines \/ Ankeny Iowa area!<\/p>\n

My own little Bug has inspired me to create photographs in a way I’d never dreamed of. She’s the reason I bought my first SLR\u00a0… my muse … my inspiration to dig deeper and focus on capturing authenticity and beauty in our everyday lives and the world around us. Everyone has a story to tell … and it’s\u00a0worth telling. <3<\/p>\n

Things at Spectrum Inspired<\/a> are still in the getting-going phase, but if you’d like to learn more about\u00a0Spectrum Inspired, feel free to check them out on their\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and\/or follow them on\u00a0Facebook <\/a>or\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If your family is located in central Iowa and you’re interested in a Spectrum Inspired session,\u00a0please contact me<\/a>\u00a0right away! I truly would love nothing more than to do that for YOUR family\u00a0 … to tell YOUR\u00a0story … to show YOU\u00a0that you’re BEAUTIFUL. STRONG. WONDERFUL. AMAZING.<\/p>\n

If you’d like to donate to the scholarship fund that Spectrum Inspired has set up to help fund sessions for children with autism, you may do so here:\u00a0https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/7yx9c5tw<\/a><\/p>\n

UPDATE:<\/strong> The ever-so-incredibly-amazing Sarah Cornish of My Four Hens Photography<\/a> has graciously donated her ENTIRE ACTION PACK (A $500 value) to help bring awareness to this incredible cause and money to fund\u00a0sessions for children with autism — you can find all the details here\u00a0on\u00a0Spectrum Inspired’s Facebook page<\/a>. The giveaway winner will be announced on Sunday night — soooo, don’t wait! Get over there now and enter for your chance to win! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Cheers!<\/p>\n

Jaime<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My daughter has Autism Spectrum Disorder, but it isn’t WHO she is. It’s NOT a label. There is NO one-size-fits-all. It looks like nothing. It looks like everything. It is NOT condition. It’s merely a different way of seeing and feeling the world. I think it’s part of what makes her so freaking AWESOME. This girl has shown me a different way to look at … see … and feel the world, and it’s incredible.<\/p>\n

I recently applied to become a Spectrum Inspired photographer … a new organization with the goal of connecting families living with Autism to photographers who have a passion for documenting life and capturing a child’s true spirit through photography. I am sooooo STOKED to announce that I will be working with them to provide sessions to families living with Autism here in Central Iowa!! <\/p>\n

My own little Bug has inspired me to create photographs in a way I’d never dreamed of. She’s the reason I picked up a camera. … my muse … my inspiration to dig deeper and focus on capturing authenticity and beauty in our lives … and the lives of my clients. I would love nothing more than to do that for others … to tell your story … to show you that you’re GREAT. BEAUTIFUL. STRONG. WONDERFUL. Everyone has a story to tell … and it’s worth telling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[214,213,1,3,219],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-children","category-family","category-my-life","category-photography","category-spectrum-inspired"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/2016-04-14_0006.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6281"}],"version-history":[{"count":44,"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6346,"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6281\/revisions\/6346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaimehough.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}