Do Autistic Children Have Special Gifts?

For the first three days my baby, ""Lilly" (name changed to protect privacy) seemed fine. On the fourth day she developed a red raised rash on her entire body! We called the Pediatrician and followed his advice to get some blood work done. The results were normal so we heaved a heavy sigh of relief and went about our daily schedule.

There was something different though about this baby when I compared her to my other two children. Lilly was restless and did not sleep much. There were times when she did not enjoy being held by anyone. I took her to the Pediatrician many times, looking for some guidance but I received none. "She will grow out of it," is what I heard each time. In the late 1980's Doctor's were not looking for an autism diagnosis, not much was known about it.

We went through five years, before we got the autism diagnosis. Finally, at Lillys Kindergarten Pre-Screening, my concerns for her challenges were validated. Five out of seven problem areas were found. A truly bittersweet situation, I concentrated on getting the services she needed.

Once we had the validation, I interviewed a Pediatrician. The Doctor seemed to grasp all of the challenges Lilly had. She ordered therapies, Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and an in depth vision screening.

I was still in shock as I called our Regional Center for an appointment to do an intake. Once the intake was complete, her services came quickly. We were offered an aide to assist Lilly with her activities of daily living. The Center suggested we make an appointment with an Autism Center at a large teaching hospital, hours away. Lilly's appointment was a comprehensive two day battery of testing. She was at the age where she required many breaks to get through all of it. The written report was sixteen pages in length, and included a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Known as "P.P.D," a part of the autism spectrum. Once we began to meet other families dealing with autism we learned which path to take, and many helpful strategies. The best one (in my opinion) was: The key to a peaceful household was how the parents reacted to the child. The only thing in my control was my reaction, I worked on the advice and quickly found peace. Lilly and I developed a daily chart to increase her independence and smooth out transitions. Now she had something she could control . Lilly also had "Sensory Integration Disorder," which explained why she did not like to be held, had to have the tags removed out of her clothing and food had to have the correct texture in order for her to eat it. Sensory Integration Disorder could be another entire hub!

If you were to meet Lilly today, her challenges would not be obvious to you. She is a sweet young woman who has learned how to compensate her challenges over the years. I believe she will be successful at whatever she decides to pursue.

When school began Lilly was tested for Special Education services. The first time she did not qualify. But I had a gut instinct and I was determined to get her the services she needed. The school tested her again, and this time she qualified for Special Education and Related Services. As her advocate, I needed education on autism, her specific challenges and how to assertively get them for her. The school was hesitant, and I needed a mentor to walk me through the situation. I made a few phone calls, and managed to find a volunteer to assist me. "Mary"(name changed to protect identity) had been down this road before with two of her children, and she was a Godsend! We spent many hours developing an individual education plan (I.E.P.) for Lilly and attended many meetings with the School District. My dining room table was covered for many months with stacks of paperwork and books. We ended up with three five inch loose-leaf books documenting Grades K-3. Lilly received Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Vision Therapy, Counseling for Social Skills, Accommodations in Class, Assistance in the lunchroom and Door to Door transportation. We also arranged for private Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, and Vision Therapy. The results on the School Districts evaluation showed that these areas were the lowest, so we felt she needed extra therapy. Lillys vision had changed from a score of 20/25 to a minus 375 in one year! She had developed high myopia and wore glasses with prisms in the lenses to aid in her vision. In 2008, her vision plateaued with a refraction of -675 plus prisms in each lens. After researching, I understand quite a few children diagnosed with autism have vision problems also. The glasses helped Lilly, and now she loves to read! Last year she began a Novel and we can see her talent with words in her writing. Lillys challenges were a good teaching tool to the School District. Autism was not diagnosed very often in the early 1990's. The Special Education Department made positive changes and grew to provide the proper services to many other children.

By fifth grade, Lilly was painting pictures with acrylics and drawing detailed pictures with colored pencils. Her talent was obvious and her passion for art showed in her work. She also had a wonderful Art Teacher that year in school. The Teacher nudged her just enough to increase her self-esteem without causing her to shutdown. Lilly seemed to have one idea after the next, and completed many complex pictures using different mediums.

When Lilly was about to begin Middle School, we moved to the Midwest. The move was difficult for Lilly, but she was passionate about art and also began sewing. I brought a few of her pictures to an Art Gallery in the largest City near us. The owner of the Gallery was overwhelmed with Lilly's talent and requested to display the pictures in her Gallery. Once the pictures were up on display in the Gallery, the media visited and did a television segment on Lilly's paintings and her talent for art. Lilly received a phone call from The Art Association, telling her she had been named "Artist of The Month." Her pictures would be displayed in our hometown for one month! She was overjoyed!

I have  often wondered, if autism had a role in her gifts? I had read about similar stories before. We asked Lillys Doctor about the relationship with autism and her challenges. He agreed, he had other patients with autism who were also very good at art. Once again Lilly received an invitation to display her pictures, and she was named "Artist of The Month" for the second time by The Art Association.

Lilly seems to have talent with art, painting, drawing, sewing, knitting, writing and advocacy. I will post a few pictures of the paintings Lilly has done on another hub.

Lillys present goal is to become a Motivational Speaker for people with invisible disabilities.

 Pulitzer-Prize Winner: Tim Page, critic and author

 Elisabeth Hughes, author

 Peter Tork, musician

 Gary Numan, singer and songwriter

 Daryl Hannah, actress