Entered the world on August 7th, 2003 after 41 weeks and 44 hours of natural labour. Midwife Maggie, doulas Marian and Amber, and Nana were there to welcome her. Born in the caul, a spiritual blessing in many cultures, weighing 6lbs 14oz and 20 inches long with blue eyes and strawberry red hair.
Tempest is a spirited, confident, beautiful and amazing little girl. She was recently diagnosed with sensory processing and communication disorders and has Asperger's Syndrome - a form of autism.

What does this mean?
When people hear 'autism' they think "Rain Man", but this isn't always the case. Autistic spectrum has a broad range of diagnoses and symptoms ranging from profoundly autistic to ADHD. Autism is common, affecting as many as 1 in 95 children. There is no cure, but there are therapies, dietary changes and behavioral changes that can make a big difference. Most of treatment is about learning to understand your world through a very different mind. Sometimes medication is involved to help children and adults with attention deficit calm down; to not become overstimulated as easily so they can better listen to their bodies.
Today there are many more medication options and education than there was even five or ten years ago. The idea that medication makes children 'zombies' or takes away their creativity is a myth; in fact children who lack the ability to make the hormones or compounds that the medication gives them will often respond by making huge leaps in their cognitive and motor development since they can now think clearly.

What does it mean for her?
Sometimes she doesn't 'get' social situations or interaction, and can get easily overstimulated. Sometimes she repeats sounds, words, or becomes stuck on a action or interest that she likes.
Sometimes she has trouble maintaining eye contact or "acts deaf" because she has trouble processing the aural stimulation without being physically touched although those things have significantly diminished since starting a daily medication.
She has a very high IQ and tested "superior" on cognative examinations - and will continue fine throughout school, university or a career should she chose to.
It is very likely her problems are hereditary: her mother was also diagnosed as high functioning autistic at four years old and has managed some success. :)

What has medication and/or therapy done for her?
In December of 2007 she was unable to read her own name, write, or sound out the alphabet. She could not remember the names of any of the peers she had gone to school with for weeks, on a daily basis, nor could she recall events that happened more than a few months prior. This information is all in her brain; she just can't access it. She would tear books (paper tearing is a common behavior) even though she did not want to, throw objects and had never been able to do things like listen to a story or do a puzzle.
As of April 2008 - just four months later - she can write her own name, small words and spell! She can read small books and easily sounds letters. She can count to 20, and knows how other numbers progress (but sometimes needs help counting) up to 100.
She has the highest reading comprehension in her preschool class.
She is amazing at puzzles and can complete a 35+ piece puzzle, with no image as a guide, in less than 20 minutes. She quickly memorizes what each piece looks like and where it goes, and is able to place it on a board in it's correct position without any other pieces as a guide after only completing it a few times.
She talks about events that happened years ago as if they happened yesterday, and recalls details even we'd forgotten.
She plays independently, makes eye contact and can communicate her feelings much more effectively.
She's not "cured", nor is any of this miraculous - her abilities come and go, she has "good" and "bad" days. She'll need some strategies as she gets older and encounters other difficulties, but it shows us we're on the right track.

What's she doing now?
Tempest has started attending public Kindergarten at a nearby school. She has been doing well, and has the moest advanced reading skills in the class! She writes very well, too. We have been incredibly blessed with a teacher who not only has vast experience with spectrum children in her class, but has two autistic spectrum children of her own! She has said she will help us advocate for Tempest through the system so that she can qualify for the best treatment and therapies to help her through. Her next appointment is in early November and her kindergarten teacher will be providing a log of her observations about Tempest's interactions and behavior to present to her doctors to help us navigate the very confusing and oppressive journey through autism diagnosis.