Before the autism label, this was the start:
a doctor’s question nearly stopped my heart.
“What happens when you ask him to get his shoes?”
“Not even close” I said, dreading the news.
“Not even close”,
its import echoes still.
That answer described fifteen-month-old Bill.
Back in the beginning, there seemed no end
of concepts Bill would fail to comprehend.
Simple commands, like “Drink your milk” or “No,”
stayed confusing for Bill, for years and though
he tried his best, repetition and care
didn’t always serve to get him anywhere.
Bill comprehends so much more now,
though it’s hard for him to answer “why,” or “how.”
For a long time, even with Bill near,
you could mention him, but he wouldn’t hear.
Not anymore. I report with much joy:
If you want to talk in front of our boy,
don’t mention his name, because now he knows
and is listening. He keeps us on our toes!
Would you like “more food”?
Do you want ice cream?
“A certain person” now knows what these mean.
Bill can choose what he wants to wear today,
or do . . .or eat, like an apple or peach.
Just a few years back, this seemed out of reach.
He follows instructions – this blows my mind –
the boy who wandered, was so hard to find,
now knows he can’t just cut loose and roam.
After an errand, he knows to come home.
-by India DeCarmine