PDD Is Pervasive Developmental Disorder
When our son was first diagnosed it was with the label of pdd. Pervasive Developmental Disorder. What in the world was this? I was told that we did not have enough characteristics of autism to put that label on our son. This was good, I thought. The drive home from the doctors office was long. I thought each word out. Pervasive. That word means throughout, permeate. Our sons developmental delays were throughout his body? This can't be good. Were we all missing the autism signs? It wasn't long before the diagnoses turned to autism and then another diagnoses of NF1 (neurofibromatosis type 1) was heaped onto our son. Fear, disappointment, anger and denial took up residence within me. For over a year after our son was diagnosed I was frozen with disbelief and disappointment; the fear in my mind became my greatest enemy. My thoughts became more negative with each passing week. I never fell into a depression but I sure bought into the hopeless words of our son's doctors and teachers. I just couldn't bring myself to think that the professionals might be wrong. I had allowed my mind to be transformed to what the professionals were telling me about our son.
The Bible teaches us to renew our minds. I had to learn to think like Christ and stop having my mind enslave our son's future. I am thankful I always believed God doesn't waste a human life. To have a son who would never talk, never behave, never think, always be a burden to someone seemed cruel and out of God's plan. Surely, our son could be of some value sometime in his lifetime! I never lost sight of that. I chose to believe God at His word. God wasn't answering my prayers like I thought He should. I wanted Him to wipe the autism and neurofibromatosis out of our son's life. I wanted to wake up and have my son know how to talk! My prayers were heartfelt and my faith was larger than a grain of mustard seed...so where was God's power? I give you the answers that I found to that question on page 17 and 18 of my book, Finding God In Autism. Pdd, autism, aspergers...whatever the diagnoses, whatever the label...God is here to help. Here to listen. Here to teach us and mold our characters.
So how far will you and I go to help our own child? I hope and pray we do no less than the father in the video below does...
And if you need more inspiration then check out this site that helps with raising special kids.
Buy the book Finding God In Autism
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