Games and Plans

She was a very special angel to us. She was our last offspring
A daughter, young and full of vibrant energy. She was also a sort of ‘redemption’ that we could have a child that was NOT damaged. But, alas, our hopes were not to be.
We were 40 and 43 and, after raising two autistic sons, she was exhausting.
Boys are ever so much easier to raise. No histrionics, no sobbing, at least our two were mild-mannered and easily directed.
We watched her fade as she turned each year older until she was basically nonverbal at 5 years old. Our hearts were broken. But she was already on the radar because our sons had weekly therapies. And so it was, our daughter was directed through a school program designed to assist her growth and development.
As a first-grader, she was enchanting, and the other kids would follow where she led them. Literally, entire lines of kids would follow her to unexpected sections of the school. She was always into ‘mischief’ with her exploring and questing.
Now, at 14, Nikki is in 9th grade and going to online schools and maintaining A averages. She is still autistic but has a game plan that we can help guide her through.
I now know none of my children are broken… they just think differently. And that is okay by me.