Happily Everleigh After | AutismOklahoma Walk

Autism is a complex, lifelong developmental disability that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum condition” that affects people differently and to varying degrees. While there is currently no known single cause of autism, early diagnosis helps a person receive the support and services that they need, which can lead to a quality life filled with opportunity. What this looks like for us: Everleigh has atypical speech patterns and has commonly been referred to as non-verbal. But guess what! She is now able to speak in some 3-4 word sentences and keeps adding words to her vocabulary. She is also able to communicate by gestures, and if you ever need a partner for charades, you want Everleigh on your team. We are involved with private speech therapy and public school speech therapy services. Everleigh has some repetitive movements and occasionally will flap her hands. She has a preference for sameness and experiences difficulty with transition or routine changes. She has a low sensitivity to sensory stimuli and will commonly cup her ears with her hands. This typically happens when there are loud unexpected noises. Everleigh will get attached to various items, for instance at the age of 3-5 it was juice cups, umbrellas or toothbrushes. She could not physically function or focus on anything else unless she has said items before leaving a room (up to five sippercups at a time). We had episodes of her wanting to wear multiple backpacks at the same time, wearing an entire box of bandaids, and carrying nail polish with her EVERYWHERE we went. I remember packing for a flight once and she wanted her little bin full of mismatched socks, so that’s what we brought onboard! (And she played with them the entire time!) Transitioning from one activity to another used to typically come with a meltdown. If routines were not upheld, uncontrollable thrashing would occur (prior to ABA therapy). But she has progressed so far over the last year! Everleigh started speech therapy and occupational therapy at the age of 2. We have individualized education plans through the public school and have graduated from ABA therapy. When I inform people that Everleigh is autistic they commonly reply with, “But she has great eye contact and is so loving and friendly. She looks normal.” But remember, autism comes in all shapes and fashions. There is a wide range in functionability. Autism is not diagnosed by checking all the boxes. Common behaviors are as follows:  * Speaks later than typical or not at all (nonverbal) * Repetition in language or movement, such as repeating the same word or sounds, hand flapping, or any repeated movement * Atypical nonverbal communication, including avoiding eye contact, giving few facial expressions, or having a monotone * Prefers solitary or parallel play rather than engaging in associative or cooperative play with other children * Extremely distressed by changes, including new foods or changes in schedule. * Preference for predictable, structured play over spontaneous or make-believe play  * Strong, persistent interest on specific topic, part of a toy, or item. If you have any questions I would love to do my best to answer them for you or find someone who can!