Post by account_disabled on Oct 22, 2023 0:15:23 GMT -5
“Having a deaf son made me a better person, if it weren’t for him I would be an ordinary mother like any other, but it made me strong.”
Maria Ferreira is 37 years old and is the mother of William, 11, who is deaf and diagnosed with autism. An activist for almost 10 years in the cause of autism and for 4 years in the cause of the deaf, she tells her inspiring story with her only child.
Late diagnosis, Libras study, group of mothers, projects she Brother cell phone list participates in, challenges and achievements over the years, summarize a little of the interview we did with her and that you should know. After all, stories like this make us see the world in a different way and reflect on what we can do to make it better. Check it out!
Hand Talk (HT): What was the period between William's birth and the discovery that he was autistic like for you?
Maria Ferreira (MF): William was born on August 28, 2008 and had no medical conditions, he was a perfect child. Everything happened normally, as it does for all married mothers who dream of building their family. When he was almost two years old, he had his first seizure, and I already noticed a change in his behavior. Shortly afterwards he had a second seizure, and from then on he changed completely, becoming a closed and reclusive child.
As he studied at a private school, we were concerned about his development, and that's when they contacted me, saying that he wasn't keeping up with the class and that he had changed. He no longer wanted to interact with his classmates and sometimes stayed under the table doing repetitive movements. I first took him to a psychologist, who already identified traits of autism, but directed me to a psychiatrist so that the diagnosis could be finalized, and he confirmed it. My world has fallen! I was bewildered, but I didn't stop and I went after him to understand how I could help him.
I took him to the speech therapist, but he still couldn't keep up with the class. He said little and his development was well below that of children his same age. I went to the Association of Friends of Autistic People – AMA, and there I had my first contact with more severely autistic people. I sought treatment, but, as the case was milder, if treated with others there would be a risk that his condition would worsen by imitation. After that, I filed a letter with the São Paulo State Department of Health and in less than a month we were able to receive treatment at the Mental Health Care Center – CAISM.
HT: And when did deafness enter history?
MF: Periodically he carried out all the exams. BERA and the audiometry test always showed normal results, but the audiologist who took care of him said that perhaps he could be deaf and that autism was interfering with the diagnosis. So we performed the BERA while he was asleep and it was normal, but when he was awake there was a change, with 80% hearing loss in the left ear and 20% in the right ear. I freaked out once again! In addition to autism, he was now deaf. I was very worried because my son didn't have a language and it was very difficult because the Brazilian Sign Language – Libras was introduced very late. I put him in the school where he is today and he has improved a lot. In a year he is already fluent in Libras and also takes private Portuguese and mathematics classes. After the diagnoses were closed, it was just gain after gain.
HT: What is it like being the mother of an autistic and deaf child?
MF: The biggest challenge was in early childhood, because that was when I had to give up a lot for his sake. Every cognitive gain he has today is a victory, and this is due to the work I did back then, dropping everything to dedicate myself to his treatment. When I found out he was autistic I went to study, it took 2 years of Applied Behavior Theory. I studied the ABA methodology (Applied Behavior Analysis) and also the TEACCH method ( Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children ) to work with him at home as an Occupational Therapist, helping CAISM professionals.
Maria Ferreira is 37 years old and is the mother of William, 11, who is deaf and diagnosed with autism. An activist for almost 10 years in the cause of autism and for 4 years in the cause of the deaf, she tells her inspiring story with her only child.
Late diagnosis, Libras study, group of mothers, projects she Brother cell phone list participates in, challenges and achievements over the years, summarize a little of the interview we did with her and that you should know. After all, stories like this make us see the world in a different way and reflect on what we can do to make it better. Check it out!
Hand Talk (HT): What was the period between William's birth and the discovery that he was autistic like for you?
Maria Ferreira (MF): William was born on August 28, 2008 and had no medical conditions, he was a perfect child. Everything happened normally, as it does for all married mothers who dream of building their family. When he was almost two years old, he had his first seizure, and I already noticed a change in his behavior. Shortly afterwards he had a second seizure, and from then on he changed completely, becoming a closed and reclusive child.
As he studied at a private school, we were concerned about his development, and that's when they contacted me, saying that he wasn't keeping up with the class and that he had changed. He no longer wanted to interact with his classmates and sometimes stayed under the table doing repetitive movements. I first took him to a psychologist, who already identified traits of autism, but directed me to a psychiatrist so that the diagnosis could be finalized, and he confirmed it. My world has fallen! I was bewildered, but I didn't stop and I went after him to understand how I could help him.
I took him to the speech therapist, but he still couldn't keep up with the class. He said little and his development was well below that of children his same age. I went to the Association of Friends of Autistic People – AMA, and there I had my first contact with more severely autistic people. I sought treatment, but, as the case was milder, if treated with others there would be a risk that his condition would worsen by imitation. After that, I filed a letter with the São Paulo State Department of Health and in less than a month we were able to receive treatment at the Mental Health Care Center – CAISM.
HT: And when did deafness enter history?
MF: Periodically he carried out all the exams. BERA and the audiometry test always showed normal results, but the audiologist who took care of him said that perhaps he could be deaf and that autism was interfering with the diagnosis. So we performed the BERA while he was asleep and it was normal, but when he was awake there was a change, with 80% hearing loss in the left ear and 20% in the right ear. I freaked out once again! In addition to autism, he was now deaf. I was very worried because my son didn't have a language and it was very difficult because the Brazilian Sign Language – Libras was introduced very late. I put him in the school where he is today and he has improved a lot. In a year he is already fluent in Libras and also takes private Portuguese and mathematics classes. After the diagnoses were closed, it was just gain after gain.
HT: What is it like being the mother of an autistic and deaf child?
MF: The biggest challenge was in early childhood, because that was when I had to give up a lot for his sake. Every cognitive gain he has today is a victory, and this is due to the work I did back then, dropping everything to dedicate myself to his treatment. When I found out he was autistic I went to study, it took 2 years of Applied Behavior Theory. I studied the ABA methodology (Applied Behavior Analysis) and also the TEACCH method ( Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-handicapped Children ) to work with him at home as an Occupational Therapist, helping CAISM professionals.