Family & Community

A UNIQUE FOCUS: Eileen and family enjoying a picnic; "We've come to terms with the fact that we can't do things like most families do, but there are still awesome things we can do to connect as a family. These things are what we focus on."

WHEN MORE THAN ONE CHILD IN THE FAMILY HAS ASD

BY MARTA CHMIELOWICZ

Eileen Lamb, autistic advocate and mother of three, shares her experience parenting two autistic boys.

Charlie was almost 2 years old when he was diagnosed with level 3 autism. At 15 months, he stopped hitting his developmental milestones. His language began regressing, he started avoiding eye contact, and he began lining up his toys in neat rows, all hallmark symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

At the time of Charlie’s diagnosis, his mother Eileen Lamb, was pregnant with her second son, Jude. “When I was pregnant with Jude, I remember being terrified of the possibility of him having autism too,” she says. “I was afraid I’d never hear the word ‘mommy’ from one of my sons. That thought was paralyzing.”

Eileen and her husband monitored Jude closely for early signs of autism. By 15 months, their younger son started showing signs of developmental delay. Early speech therapy and occupational therapies helped Jude improve his speech and motor skills, but at age 5 he was diagnosed with level 1 autism – the opposite side of the spectrum from his brother.