I would like to take a moment to introduce you to my amazing little girl Katana, she is 7 years old now but was diagnosed as Autistic when she was around two and a half years old.
Above shows her building block towers at two years of age, one of the first indications Katana was operating on a different level to most kids - she started building towers like this and bigger when she was around six months old.
Katana and a lot of other children with Autism can show amazing levels of joy over things most take for granted, both Katana and her little brother love their bubbles!
Katana's main form of stimming is jumping, she loves to jump and does it constantly most days. She jumps even more when she's excited - or reading...
And then there's the lining up and organising her little people toys.
And then moving them to line them up somewhere else.
She will line up her princess dolls too.
Even the bigger ones that don't like to stand - check out the background.
Any surface is good for lining up - in spite of how frustrated she gets trying to make it work!
Even the pot plants needed to be organised.
Not sure how to explain her obsession with ears - but before her regression ear was the third word she ever said! Do you see the sheer focus on her eyes as she manipulates it.
But she does love her swing - this one is even better because it gives her the feedback she loves.
Now who said people with Autism can't be affectionate? Katana is obsessed with cuddles.
Anything is good for a hug if you love it enough, she loved her ECDP and knew that her bag meant school so she loved her bag so much she wouldn't put it down in the car.
Now at times Autism can be challenging, waking up to find your daughter like this was not fun - the knives were stored just on the other side and there was a gate to stop her getting close didn't think she'd go over the top...
Worse still is when you wake up and can't find your daughter at all, only to eventually realise she crawled under her bed in the middle of the night and fell asleep...
Or when you pour a bath turn your back for a minute and then she's in even fully dressed, water is a massive sensory seeking experience for her and she just can't get enough.
And then there's well some more sensory seeking - she comes home from school most days looking like this!
Sometimes you just gotta smile and enjoy the innocence of it all.
Katana is a beautiful, smart and talented little girl, who just happens to also be Autistic - this does not define who she is or what she is capable of.
I am so proud of how far she has come, Autism is a long road with many ups and downs not to mention the times you stray completely off course.
The important thing to remember is with enough time, effort and love anything is possible - I really look forward to the day my little girl can talk to me, tell me how her day was, what she's feeling, wanting or thinking. I will always fight for my beautiful little girl!
