Brenden my little Bubba Boy



Remember how I said Brenden was the sweetest little boy ever....well lets dive into that. Brenden was a pretty easy baby, not overly fussy, didn't have colic, slept decent and when it came to hitting milestones, he was a rockstart! He was even starting to say 2 word phrases around 10 months. But as soon as he hit that 2 year mark, things started to slow down, then the development seemed to stop, and by the time he was 18 months he had actually gone backwards in his developement! How does that even happen? He had lost most of his speech, and didn't seem to want to play with other kids at all, and don't even get me started on the temper tantrums. 

 I know what you're thinking, "I thought this chick said he was the sweetest little boy, this kid sounds kinda awful". Hold on to your knickers alright, I'm getting there! Anyways, back to Brenden, at this point I was starting to get pretty worried. So the logical thought was to put him into a Pre-pre school, (yes those exist),  and see if he would fall into the herd mentality and start playing and interacting with other kids. Make's sense right? WRONG! By the 3rd day I got a call from his teacher saying he spent most of his time sitting in the corner, curled up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth and hitting himself in the head. Let me tell you, he was taken out of that school that day! 

 Next step, lets go to the dr for a checkup. After answering what felt like endless questions, having Brenden attempt simple tasks, getting a second opinion and a diagnosis from a Psychologist I finally came to terms. My son had Autism. 

 In the fall of 2009 Brenden was diagnosed. I felt absolutely helpless, my child was struggling, and hurting, and I knew nothing about how to help him. So, I learned. I took the classes, did the training and got the certifications. And after a lot of ABA therapy....we have Brenden. And today, he is the most beautiful little soul. He is the boy that uses his allowance to buy the gum ball that another child is begging his mom for. He gives his favorite toys to those he loves because he wants them to feel happy and loved. He sits by the hospital bed when his sister has a seizure, and cuddles her and sings to her. He is the most beautiful little soul. His selflessness, kindness, and sweet little nature touches my heart everyday. I don't know what I did to deserve him, but I know the world is a little brighter, a little kinder and a hell of a lot better because he is in it. 

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