"You caught him on a good day," his mom says with a smile as he sits under the tree as he's told. Though he doesn't always look at the camera, I was able to capture a few of his expressions and a little bit of what makes him McConaughey. I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect. I have known McConaughey since he was born. His parents are a caring, God fearing couple that have given him all the love, nurturing and care he needs. He is nonverbal, and it is hard to gauge how much of what you tell him he understands. He was cooperative though and truly seemed to enjoy his morning at the park. Though he came up to me once or twice and gently pushed my camera away, he didn't mind me working around him to capture a few special moments for his mom.
I want to share McConaughey's story today in honor of Autism Awareness Month and all the individuals and families affected by this disorder.
This is his story as told by his mom, Kelly Carnes.
His smile melted our hearts, his perfectly round head was so smooth, his skin so soft and our lives would forever be changed! "What a good boy," I thought. He never cared to put any tiny toys in his mouth or play with the decorations we'd have laying around the house. In fact, the only thing he cared for as a 10 month old was a couple of small containers of Spanish seasoning I kept in the bottom kitchen cabinet. At his 1st birthday party, he didn't care about diving into his cake like other kids do. He got more frosting on his hands and on me than in his mouth. Still, we didn't think much of it at the time.
Shortly after he turned one, he had a check up. I made sure to touch on the subject of speech. To my surprise his doctor said, "Give it a few more months, he's in a bilingual home and that always slows down speech. Plus, he's a boy. Girls normally develop faster than boys in that area. My heart was telling me it wasn't any of those reasons for his speech delay, but I went home and did what was suggested, we waited!
After 6 months of no progress in his speech, I asked to see a specialist. We found ourselves in a small, gray room, with just a couple of toys and plastic mats laid out on the floor. The developmental pediatrician walked in with a couple other people and began trying to interact with our boy. It seemed as though the room shrunk around us as we witnessed our son unable to perform the small tasks in front of him.
By the end of that doctor visit, our precious little boy was diagnosed with Autism. I knew very little about what that meant, and I knew I was about to dive into deep waters! After our son's 2nd birthday we would move to NC where we met with a psychologist who would confirm this diagnosis and quickly transition us into an early intervention program where our son could begin Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy from home.
We looked forward to our son's 3rd birthday. Not for the cake or presents he'd receive but because it meant he was able to start Preschool. He still wasn't talking or playing with toys like other kids his age and had a hard time giving us eye contact. If that wasn't enough, he had a hard time chewing food! He would gag at the sight of cookies, cake, yogurt melts, pizza; just about anything and everything that required chewing. He would put his hands up at the sight of anything other than baby food, milk, yogurt or pudding. Even though he'd eat these items, he'd still put up a fight! We'd have to hold down his hands and keep his head from moving side to side just to give him his first few spoonfuls. He couldn't feed himself so we'd have to feed him at every meal. As he got older, he got bigger, which meant stronger. It was very difficult to keep him seated during meal time and we were so grateful when his occupational therapist suggested a special feeding chair called a Special Tomato.
I wish I could say that he's now talking and chewing but that's far from the truth. He's now 7 yrs old and loves music! It calms him and helps him relax when he's over stimulated. Although he's still nonverbal he'll bring us the items he wants to eat or drink and finds ways of getting his point across. He's a happy boy that brightens up a room with his warm smile. He continues to make progress and we celebrate them, no matter how small. We continue to find ways to better his speech and daily living and are blessed to have a supportive family and circle of friends.There are so many families out there dealing with this disorder everyday. Let's give them the love and support they need by educating ourselves about what autism is and what we can do to help.
Click on the links below to find out more information about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), resources and support, and information about how to get involved:
In Charlotte, North Carolina:
This is not an exhaustive list of resources but it is a place to start. If you would like to recommend a resource I have not included please contact me or leave a comment, and I'll be sure to add it to the list.
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