Bridger...

So here’s a few thoughts and answers to some peoples questions about Bridger. We are supposed to journal about our good times and our hard times right? A few months ago my mother mentioned to me that Bridger was "different". Hmmmmm, Different. Nobody wants to hear that about their child, because every mommy's child is perfect. Besides the fact that my child didn't talk, didn't socialize, wouldn't let me talk directly to him, eye contact isn't regular with him, he didn't play with toys they were supposed to be played with, etc...... he was perfect, right? But a light bulb came on when she said that and we took him to a specialist up at the University and he somewhat diagnosed Bridger with a child with signs and characteristics of PDD (Pervasive Development Disorder) which is on the Autism Spectrum, but with a LESSER severity.. When he was one year old, he could say "Uh-Oh", and "Hi" and point and say "No". He would also point to my nose when I asked him where it was. He doesn't do that anymore. He is over 2 years old and doesn’t say any words, meaning he has degressed in the communication world. Anyways, to make a long story short, I'm grateful that my Mom dared say something to me to get this taken care of now, because I know that must have been very difficult for her to do. The earlier you catch it, the easier it us to pull them out of their “world”. He went through a series of evaluations with the 0-3 program and was easily accepted as he is obviously very behind on communication and behavior skills. We’ve started the classes and let me tell you, IT’S HARD. We are basically trying to re-train the way he wants to think and act and we (Bridger and I) are both going through a lot of tears and stress to get through it. Don’t take for granted how easy it is to play with your child because doing it this way takes a lot of time, effort and tantrums. The program says they see a lot of great results with their program so I am crossing my fingers. And I've said this before to people, but out of all the signs and characteristics of children with "autism", one is their inability to show love. And I am sooooooooooooooooooooo grateful that my sweet Bridger doesn't have that problem, he loves his mommy and daddy more than anyone on this earth. He cuddles and kisses us all the time. He is sooooo easy to Love although he is sooo hard to take out to public places. But I can deal with that as long as I get my loves from Bridger. We love you Bridger.