A memoir about a boy.
But not just a boy, a young boy stricken with Autism.
But not just a young boy stricken with Autism, but more importantly, my son.
Kael, at the time of this writing, a young boy, in his 2nd month of being a 4 year old.
And when I say stricken with Autism, I mean Autism Spectrum Disorder. And on this "spectrume" or scale of severity, Kael ranks in the "mild" part of the spectrum. In fact for some tests, he tested just below the "Qualifying" margins, which qualifies him as Autistic. My sister Cheryl calls it "Labeling". Erica my wife and I called "It", much sooner, at about age 2... we knew. We knew our Son Kael was "Special", we knew he was "Different". Maybe just "Slow" or "Stubborn", or maybe even "Lazy", but we knew.
Labeling Kael is hard, because he is more than just those words. And Kael is more than words. However, if I did have to define him, I do like the word "Unique". It does capture what I witness with in him every day. A person, just as complex and interesting as you or I. A being that is fun and personal, loving and cheerful. Mostly happy but sometimes sad. Just like us all. He feels love... and pain, in the mean while, giving his love and being a pain, sometimes. Just like us all.
The "People" call him Autistic.
He calls himself "Kael".
And this is his story.
A journey, through his "Diagnosis" into what truly describes himself, UNIQUE.