RN & Autism Mommy; Wearing Two Hats
Introduction
Nursing school, in my opinion, was the equivalent of a three year boot camp. It was the hardest, yet most rewarding, endeavor of my young life, or so I thought. Five years after completing nursing school and receiving my RN license, I was blessed with my second child in two years, a son. Little did I realize that my two worlds, that of a pediatric nurse and a mother, were about to collide in ways that would change not only my view of medicine, but my view of life in general. In 2001, as my new bundle of love neared his first birthday, I knew something was not quiet right. His language development was months behind that of his sister when she was his same age, only fourteen months earlier. His eye contact was poor, he refused to follow simple directions, he showed little interest in human interaction, and overall, he was just very atypical for an one year old. Autism was relatively unheard of at this time. In my six years as a pediatric nurse, I could recall only one patient with the diagnosis of autism; he was severe. Forrest Gump had been a blockbuster hit the previous decade, but autism was still mystical to those who did not have a family member with the disorder, or who did not work directly with autistic patients. Also unfortunate was that the movie, Forrest Gump, left society with an inaccurate stereotypical view of autistic persons. In spite of the lack of exposure to autism, I had little doubt my son was displaying classic signs of autism. At his fifteen month checkup, I mentioned my fears to our pediatrician, and so the journey began.
What This Blog is and What This Blog is Not
I have attempted several autism blogs and failed. I am not of the typical mindset for the mother of an autistic child, so my views are prone to offend readers. If you are seeking confirmation on the drudgery of life as the parent of an autistic child, stop reading now; this blog is not for you. If you want to believe you have been cursed with an imperfect child, stop reading now; this blog is not for you. If you want to believe that your life is so much more difficult than that of your family and friends with typical children, stop reading now; this blog is not for you. Now, if you want a realistic view of the challenges of raising an autistic child, as well as the rewards, stay with me; I may enlighten you. If you want a view of how nursing theories, my experience as a pediatric nurse, my personal research, my college and life education, and my blessing as the mother of a precious autistic son have all intertwined to assist me in raising a happy, healthy, intelligent, funny, and loving, autistic child, you have come to the right place. Because I was chosen to be a pediatric nurse, and then blessed to be the parent of an autistic child, my views and philosophies differ from mainstream autism bloggers. I hope to share my experiences, my views, and most of all, I seek to offer hope to those who are just now facing the gut wrenching realization that their world will never be the same, because their child has autism. This blog will touch on our autism journey, the nursing profession, and most of all how the two have been instrumental in blessing my life.
Disclaimer
This blog is intended as a project for my senior level class, Nursing Concepts, Issues and Theories, in which I am currently enrolled in pursuit of my BSN at the University of North Alabama. My scheduled graduation date is Summer of 2015. Yeah, me! Please be patient while I plug my awesome school (I always get distracted and sidetracked when doing housekeeping!). If you are trying to find an awesome institution in which to pursue your college education, look no further, simply click on the link above. Okay, back to cleaning. While I intend to use and link scientific, researched data to validate the majority of my entries here, the blog will also include some of my own personal opinion. It should be noted that the opinions expressed in this blog are in no way endorsed, nor created by the University of North Alabama, or my employer, Children's of Alabama. These are my own personal opinions, formulated throughout the past fourteen years as a mother, a pediatric nurse, and a college student.
Thank you for reading and sharing your comments,
Tracy Luker
Thank you for reading and sharing your comments,
Tracy Luker
