I am more at peace lately. Peace in my
life is letting go of my worries and making God center of my life. Making
autism center is not helpful. Man should never be the center. Perfect wisdom
comes from God alone. Peace comes from really teaching me about God. My mom
reads me the Bible everyday. I learn that God is at work teaching people about
His great love. He loves us without ceasing. I am peaceful knowing God accepts
me no matter what. Mom accepts me like God does. She loves me as I am right
now. This is why I can start to feel my anxiety fade away.
I make more daring decisions now. I used
to be afraid of almost everything. I feared a beach with its crashing waves and
many people. Now I love playing in the sand and sea. I used to have meltdowns
in a noisy auditorium. I feared I would make a terrible scene. Making a scene
was a bigger fear than the actual noise.
I have developed some calming
strategies. One is to pray. Handing over my worries to God really helps. Wanting
to please my teachers has made me not behave as badly as in the past. Naturally
I am unable to control my movements and stims well. But now I am able to be in
control a little more. I am more able to be calmer in new situations. I am
not so fearful of making mistakes. I know I will still be loved by God and by
those who see me not as a bad boy but as the real me and still accepts me. I am
more courageous. I am facing fears of failure by day to day understanding I
will be ok even if I fail. God always loves me.
Philip learning to skate at SABAH
Copyright 2015 Philip Reyes. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2015 Philip Reyes. All rights reserved.
You are an inspiration to all individuals with disabilities. You are you but you still had the courage to find a way to communicate. Keep up the good work and know that God loves you and made you who you are because he knew you would have the strength to help others.Have a blessed day.
ReplyDeleteHello Phillip,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts and inspiring words. We share something! We both know God loves us and we love Him, too! I am so happy for you to have found Rapid Prompting Method (RPM). I am a counselor that works with people with all types of disabilities, including people on the Autism Spectrum. However, I am learning so much from reading your Blog and really am curious about Neuro-diversity. I will be reading as much as I can about it. And, also RPM.
I'm sorry that you were stuck in ABA sessions and it made you so bored and frustrated. I wanted to learn how to help people with Autism through ABA. But, after I went for the first training session - well, Phillip! I have to tell you, I didn't like it very much. It was boring for me to learn, too! So, if the teacher is bored - then, the student will be bored, too. Don't you agree? I'm still searching for new ways to help people with disabilities live better lives. Not just people with Autism. I like what you say about not being disabled - just being you! And, seeing the world in a different way. You are an amazing advocate for people with Autism. I will continue reading your words, Phillip. Thank you! And, Merry Christmas to you and your family:)
Thank you so much for sharing you thoughts and feelings. My 9 year old son, Elliott, has ASD and while he is verbal he can relate to you so much. You have also helped him to understand that although an Autistic individual may be non-verbal it does not mean they are 'low functioning'. He was surprised and delighted to learn that you think very much like he does and he empathized at how hard it must have been for you when you could not communicate at all!!!!! We are Christians too and he loves your positive attitude and faith. He is excited to follow your blog : )
ReplyDeleteYou need to write a book, Philip. You are such an inspiration to all! Your words are that of God and speak way beyond Autism alone.
ReplyDeleteKeep up your hard work & never lose your faith!
Thank you Philip for sharing your experience through your blog. Your words are a blessing and teaching me far more than any text book ever could. I know God will continue to bless you abundantly.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading everything you wrote Philip, I wish I knew about your blog sooner. I think about you a lot, ever since I met you for the first time. I always knew you are very smart and very sincere, and I just wanted to help you with your fears as much as I could. I am very happy to know that you are so close to God, and I pray for you too. Please keep writing, I am sure your talants will help many boys and girls, many parents, many people...
ReplyDeletehi mariya, i am happy you are my dental assistant. i am more comfortable now because of your patience. thank you for my good teeth.
DeleteHi Mariya, the comment above was from Philip. You have been one of the best people to have helped Philip. Your kindness, patience, and love really shine through by the way you treat him. We are blessed to know you. Lisa
DeleteHi Philip! You seem to be such a cool kid! I can't wait to let my friend Becky get to know you! Her son, David is autistic, and I think you would be a kid he would like to read about. Thanks for your stories, I think you're awesome!
ReplyDeleteJodie
Philip, I just found your blog today and I am so impressed! But I would like to ask you a question. You write so beautifully--can you explain exactly what it is that prevents you from expressing yourself vocally? I have many autistic friends here in China, some verbal and some non-verbal, and I would really like to understand more.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary-je, Philip has a new post up in which he answers your question. Thanks for asking. God bless you and your friends in China!
Delete