I've always found writing to be therapeutic so I'm hoping giving this blogging thing a try might help get some of this weight off my chest. I'm Trista and this will be the start of my writing journey all about the life we live with my son Roman. Roman is my oldest son with husband Chuck. Roman is a bright boy who's 5 years old but since he was about a year old has had quite a few difficulties. I'll get into those a little more later.
In addition to Roman we also have a 3 year old named Cash and I have a 6 year old step-daughter named Madison. That pretty much sums up the family dynamic so you'll know who's who if you're ever reading.
Back to Roman. We've had so many behavior problems with Roman since we can remember, he was late talking, almost 5 before he potty-trained and still has some trouble. We just knew things weren't right. After years of doctor after doctor trying to get some help on just what wasn't right with Roman we went to a new doctor about a month and a half ago. After our initial hour long session and endless questions he tells us he has a strong feeling our son has Aspergers. What? Autism? Our son? You must be wrong? He's so normal for the most part. And why hadn't anyone before ever mentioned it? The doctor advised us to educate ourselves on Aspergers and to come back for further testing. Well after a month and a half, this past Wednesday, Roman was officially diagnosed with Aspergers and ADHD.
Upon reading countless articles, websites, blogs, etc. I had my "ah-ha" moment and knew in my heart this is what made Roman different. It fit and while no one is ever going to be ok saying "My child has Aspergers/Autism" I almost feel relieved because at the very least now we have a name so we can start to help him correctly.
But where do we go from here? Thus is where my fear comes in. From what I read Oklahoma isn't the greatest when it comes to care for Autism and Aspergers and I believe it. I wanted so badly to join a support group but the closest one is almost an hour away. I'm just at such a loss at what we do from this point on, how do I find him help now, therapy, etc.
We'll make it through this, of that I have no doubt. If there is one thing this family is not lacking it's support when it comes to one another.
So I guess that's it for my first post. I hope if anyone reads this that I can be of some strength to you or support. We're all kind of in this fight together and I figure the more out there written, the more awareness that's hopefully made. Thank you for allowing me to share this journey with you.
Trista
