20. Therapy

Sean was a month shy of his third birthday. At age three he could enter the Early Intervention Program full time at Houston Elementary. With Savannah in preschool, and Sean in school, I was hoping to have some downtime and recover from the drama over the years. It had been a whirlwind.

Sean began medication right away. We gave him Tegretol and slowly watched him return over a couple of weeks. The mood in the house changed. He could look us in the eye for longer than a second. He was happier. The tantrums were still ever present but at least there was help! He began to eat better, it seemed. When he was a baby he ate everything. He was not a picky eater until the autism started to take over. Then he only ate linear yellow foods such as french fries, grated cheddar cheese, french toast cut into strips, bacon. If I offered him a chunk of cheese he wouldn't eat it like he did before the autism. When I grated it, he ate it by the handful. I learned to be creative.

We were on our way. Life was still as hard as ever but the light was on. There was a lot to learn. The drive to educate myself was super strong. I began to write poetry. I could express myself without speaking directly to anyone. I loved to write poetry then and still do. It is pure therapy.

Sean at South Padre Island - age 3