Jasmyn

(Philadelphia, Ms)

My daughter is 5 years old now, she was 2 when I really started noticing a problem with her being frustrated and upset all the time. Looking back now she had the signs starting very young. I would say "she is a great baby except when you take her cloths off or put them on. she just wants to be naked or dressed." At age 2 she stopped wanting baths she would scream. I tried sponge baths with different types of cloths and it still upset her. I could not touch her lightly or otherwise. She would not keep a blanket on no matter what kind it was. She stopped wanting cloths on. She stopped wanting to use the potty but if she wet herself it would upset her too. I would hold her on the toilet while she screamed and cried. She would not talk very well. She would want to be held but when she would get on my lap she could not stand it. She would want me to wrap my arms around her and when i did it just seemed to hurt her so bad.

She has an older brother who is the only one who could be around her constantly. He would sit next to her and just talk to her, not touch her or bother her just be near her and that seemed to make her happy. I took her to so many doctors. Hearing doctors, autism doctors, pediatricians. Nothing helped. I put her in speech when she was about 2 and a half during all this and she would do good some days and worse others. At age 3 almost 4 her speech therapist asked me if the occupational therapist could see her during speech. Finally we had an answer.

She is in a regular Kindergarten class. She still struggles every day but she is starting to understand what is going on. There is no cure but now we know how to help her deal with all the things that go on. She is a wonderfully creative and loving child and I am so proud of the strides she has made. No matter how hard it was I just think of how painful and scary it is for her to go threw the things she dealt with and still has to face every day for the rest of her life.