Ponderings about the Week

Hannah got bit on the chest at school this week by another little boy in her class. She didn't cry. It scares and pains me that she has such a high pain tolerance. No 6 year old should have been through so much that they don't respond to pain. She was bit during music time. At least it happned during a time when she is happiest, I suppose. The little boy got really excited and just bit out of that excitement. Hannah happened to be in his bite path Thursday. Her teachers were wonderful. They called me and let me know what happened and apologized. Not that they needed to apologize because it wasn't anything they could have prevented. It did make me feel good that they felt so bad for Hannah.

I have to say that the incident did bring to the surface alot of the fears we have for Hannah. She cannot tell us if she is hurt or who hurt her. That thought terrifies me. It can plague me if I let it. I find myself pondering keeping her with me 24/7. She'd be so unhappy though, and so would I. Hannah LOVES school.

Actually I think Hannah did tell us who bit her in her own way. They can't tell me who bit her, and it doesn't matter who it was to me. Every one of the boys in Hannah's class are just precious and she adores them all. However, when I asked Hannah she recited...."no, no, no, boys name TIME OUT!" Then when I asked, "did boys name bite you" she responded, "they say....no, no, no boys name, TIME OUT!" I think she was answering my question in her own way. I can do two things with this. I can be excited that she was able to tell me in her own way, or I can be depressed because she can't tell me like a typical child does. Choosing how to think? That has been such a constant theme in my life lately.

Today we watched the HBO documentary, "Autism, the musical". I cried through alot of it. Lexi just so reminded me of Hannah and sort of gave me a view of what Hannah may be like at 14 yrs of age. As her parents talked I saw in them the same things David and I worry about when we think about Hannah's future. It's scary.

April is Autism Awareness month. I'm driving everyone nuts that knows me, I think. We just need some help getting the right people looking into the cause of this epidemic. In 1980 1 in 10,000 kids were diagnosed with autism. In 2007, it was approximately 1 in 150. I'll let you do the math, but that is an astronomical increase.

Just two more days to a new total. I'll post it as soon as I get it! Thanks y'all!