Mikyla’s Smile: Our Community Needs Awareness about Autism

Written by Candace Caswell-Thompson of Hudson.

My daughter Mikyla was born a full term healthy baby. Mikyla has always been a happy child who is always smiling. She reached all her milestones early.

At 18 months she was talking, identifying letters and some words from watching "My Baby Can Read" and LeapFrog, as well as potty training. She loved books and the cartoon section of the newspaper.

She often carried these items around with her and her baby doll. Right around her 2nd birthday she did a reverse and she stopped talking, stopped potty training and she stopped sleeping through the night.

We took her to the doctor for her 2-year check-up. The doctor kind of ignored our concerns. Mikyla was referred to an ENT. We were told that Mikyla would probably begin talking again if we had P.E. Tubes put in her ears, so we had the surgery.

An entire year went by getting the run around when finally one doctor said that she must be autistic. Shortly after Mikyla's 3rd birthday she was diagnosed with autism.

My entire world changed that day.

Hearing that your child has autism is one of the hardest things to go through. Every day is a new day with joys and challenges. Some days seem harder than others. We have to celebrate even the smallest milestones.

Mikyla goes to six hours of therapy a week with Speech, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. It has been recommended that she receive more hours of intensive therapy, but it is more than our insurance or pocket book allows.

Mikyla's smile and laugh brings such joy to our family. I believe that one day Mikyla will talk again. God gave our family Mikyla for a reason. She is His precious child, His gift to us.

Everyone in our community needs to have an awareness about autism. We all need to stand together in this.

Parents who have a child with autism often wear thin at times from lack of sleep and lack of support. A lot of parents feel that they are walking through this alone.

Most churches, gyms and other facilities are not equipped or able to accommodate autistic children and their families and that's hard. Some parents who have a child with autism have lost friends because their child is "different"… that's not showing God's love.

Everyone needs to have support and we need to show them God's love. Helping others is like helping the Lord God Himself….Matthew 25:31-46.

To all parents of Special Needs Children, stay strong in the Lord and never give up hope.

I want to spread an awareness of Project Lifesaver.

What They Do:

"The primary mission of Project Lifesaver is to provide timely response to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer's, autism, and other related conditions or disorders."

How It Works:

"Citizens enrolled in Project Lifesaver wear a small personal transmitter around the wrist or ankle that emits an individualized tracking signal. If an enrolled client goes missing, the caregiver notifies their local Project Lifesaver agency, and a trained emergency team responds to the wanderer's area. Most who wander are found within a few miles from home, and search times have been reduced from hours and days to minutes. Recovery times for Project Lifesaver clients average 30 minutes — 95 percent less time than standard operations."

If you have a non-verbal autistic child please get them on Project Lifesaver. Contact Project Lifesaver International or the Sheriff's Office in your County to see if Project Lifesaver is available in your area.