Juggling the Astronaut: Autism into Adulthood
By Wendy Frye
This spring, our son graduated from high school.
Born well and happy, he like many of the children you read about, regressed back into himself after his early rounds of routine vaccinations. He became very sick, unhappy and while meeting his major milestones on time, lost his ability to communicate with us using language.
"He's a boy, they are late talkers." "Wait until he is three years old, it will come." Eventually, after many years of expert opinion and conjecture, we were handed a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The diagnosis delivered complete with long stares and a diatribe of advice which included an institution at the end of our 18 years of parenting.
Our family dynamic never "changed" or "wavered" from the original plan. We vowed to do anything and everything to help this child, my first born, regain what was so bullishly robbed from him including his health, happiness and a healthy future. This happened over 15 years ago - when 1 in 10,000 won this Autism lottery. Always (always, always!) holding steadfast and headstrong into the winds of what many families are dealing with now, we are emerging at another side of the story. He's not 100 percent, but he is the best version of himself, right here, right now.
This spring, our son graduated from high school.
To accomplish his graduation our son endured more challenges, trials and tribulations than is room to list here. He came from the back of the pack, shackled to an iron rod, his tongue tied up in poor health and a system that let him down. A true dark horse is what my son is.
How did he do it? The day after diagnosis we started building a "launchpad" if you will. A port in the storm where he could find his health, gain his voice, and ultimately blast off to leave his fingerprint on this world. Biological interventions coupled with sensory based therapies EVERY SINGLE DAY became our families norm. He did it all. As they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink. Well, he drank it in, took responsibility to grow into the fine young man he is today.
This spring, our son graduated from high school.
This young man is a self-declared artist. On his own accord he has studied art history, memorized styles and artists to go on and create fractal, abstract and downright provocative compositions with his own hand. He names the pieces so thoughtfully, giving us insight about what it is like to be Autistic. He proclaims he is an artist with Autism. And knowing this world so desperately wants to know more about how he feels and thinks, it has become his pleasure to offer his works for sale, with proceeds going back to the fine organizations like Age of Autism.
This spring, our son graduated from high school.
He went through his school career in self-contained special education classes attending main stream
This fall, our family makes even more changes to facilitate his college education. The artist is attending the local community college to take additional classes in his chosen career, Art. And as it is and always will be, we will support his endeavors because they our own too. Parenting my child, I will escort him for the first leg of his journey, until he is ready to go it alone or differently to his choosing. We will be living forward - reveling in amazement at his accomplishments with zest, relishing the simple fact he is here, communicating with us and the rest of the world as the artist with Autism.
~ Wendy Frye
www.jugglingtheastronaut.wordpress.com
"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." ~ Thomas Jefferson
The proceeds of "Fractal Faces, 2009" by James Frye purchased through the Age of Autism will again,
Wow, many congratulations to a wonderful family and an incredible young man!
Posted by: Katie Wright | August 07, 2012 at 08:40 AM
It's never easy for anyone with autism to take the next stage in life but with support from others it makes it a lot easier.
Posted by: megan | August 02, 2012 at 05:57 PM
Re: "He went through his school career in self-contained special education classes attending main stream art courses. When he accepted the Superintendents Award of Achievement he turned to the crowd of 7,000 + and threw his arms up in victory. What a day, within the thunderous applause laid the culmination of HIS efforts to be the best version of himself HE can be."
WOW!!! WHAT A STORY, WHAT AN ONGOING ACHIEVEMENT FOR THIS AMAZING BOY AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY!!!
Posted by: AutismGrandma | August 02, 2012 at 05:20 PM
James Congradulations;
What a really wonderful day. It is finally over - and even though there is yet more to come - that is scary - it is still a day the signifies a "VICTORY"!
Congradulations and all the best yet to come.
My son has just finished up with his community college and has several electronic degrees, construction electricity -which I was very surpised and pleased about.
Now we have turned to vocational rehabilitation for further help. His highschool teachers got him into this program a year before he graduated .
I SUGGEST EVERY ONE TRY TO GET THE TEACHERS TO GET THIS FOR YOUR CHILD WHILE IN HIGHSCHOOL; becuase it keeps you from getting anxious enough to have a heart attack about things. They have already helped him with his resume, they ever drove him up to the college and had him to get his transcripts, and are giving him coaching for interviews.
Meanwhile this summer we are relaxing and he is helping me with the fencing.
So there is life after highschool, and I know how darn lucky we are.
Posted by: Benedetta | August 02, 2012 at 04:34 PM
I agree,it is an admirable goal, it's fantastic, wonderful and shows that a lot of love and support went into this child. For those that are leading their children across a room, watching them punch themselves in the head, not getting a verbal response, nothing but a growl, this is hope and this is not unusual to see this degree of recovery. Sadly there will be some that don't get here, but for the most part they do. I don't see this kind of recovery in those that are sent to a facility, and NO they aren't the worst of the worst, as my nephew upon advisement of Krieger was to go in that direction and he too graduated highschool in regular classes with an aid. My sister is a whisperer, a calm whisperer, and she whispered to the docs, "you are wrong" and found Dr.Brenner, and this was 1994ish. So much can be done, and when we admit as a nation that it's vaccine induced disease, we will have more at hand to fight those toxins and antigen reactions. But first they need to tell the truth to send the science in the right direction...and the liars won't. We see, Wakefield, Blaylock, Mercola, along with a nobel laureate being shuttled to the quack pile, while the robotic docs who follow the rules continue to damage our kids. We really need thinkers, and they're becoming extinct, even among ourselves we need to be careful of what stories we buy into, I'm guilty, so I've given myself homework. Whether it be medicine or politics, I am often amazed that what I read is pure fiction, and the truth has to be uncovered with a little research if you can find it at all. We know our free press sides with corporate concerns and that seems to create and promote the lies in all arenas.
Posted by: barbaraj | August 02, 2012 at 03:15 PM
Congratulations James!!! Congratulations Wendy!!!
What a great, inspiring story. Wishing him many more years of achievement and happiness.
Posted by: First do no harm | August 02, 2012 at 02:37 PM
Wendy,
May we all achieve what you have with your son. You both are an inspiration to the community. Best of luck with the future - may it be as beautiful as Jame's artwork.
Posted by: Sonja | August 02, 2012 at 01:41 PM
Just imagine what this world would be like if everyone maintained the level of enthusiasm that James appears to have! Congratulations to everyone who played a role in helping James become "the best version of himself" - an admirable goal for each and every one of us!
Posted by: Donna L. | August 02, 2012 at 01:12 PM
Congrats, and way to go support team! Great piece!
Posted by: Parent | August 02, 2012 at 10:01 AM
This story is very similar to the story of my nephew, while we didn't take away his autism ,as we had hoped and prayed, we helped him get to his best place. Unlike the story the other day of the woman with five, who ,while saying regression starts at the time of vaccine, went on to say she's taking him to Krieger and vaccines played no part in his autism. I will tell her, my experience with Krieger is one that shows a deep promotion of pharmaceuticals, coupled with many side studies funded by pharmaceuticals , and a complete corporate denial of vaccine causes. This is no place to go, jmo, if you want to come close to the kind of recovery that can be achieved. I don't want my son to be trained like a dog with treats , I don't want him to be under the influence of drugs to take away his reactions to his pain,what I do want is a complete disclosure of the cause, and an antidote , one that will fix his capd ,fix his vision, stop his gastro pain, and with that I expect a halt in progression and a path toward a kind of recovery. One day with stem cell , perhaps his own, a renewal can repair his organs that were so horribly damaged by vaccines.
Posted by: barbaraj | August 02, 2012 at 08:09 AM
i bought one of these wonderful prints back when we first reported about James. the colors and energy are an inspiration! so glad to know he will be pursuing his dream and developing his skills.
Posted by: dan olmsted | August 02, 2012 at 07:00 AM