Carter's Story
When Carter was born it was blissful! We were so happy to finally have our son. Everything seemed perfect. Carter met all his developmental milestones without any problems, and he seemed to be growing and adjusting like a “normal” happy baby boy. It was not until Carter was about 10 months old when his doctor first diagnosed him with Asperger's Syndrome.
At first, I completely denied the doctor’s diagnosis because we did not believe it was possible to diagnose him with Asperger’s Syndrome at such a young age. As a mother, I just kept thinking what I could have possibly done wrong to cause my son to receive this diagnosis. I began to blame myself for his condition and wrapped myself in a blanket of denial.
After further research, I finally began to think that maybe his doctor could be right. Carter exhibited all the common symptoms for babies on the autistic spectrum. His symptoms included:
Even though all the symptoms were there, I was still in denial. How could such a young baby be diagnosed with something as life changing as autism? It was still hard for me to allow his doctor to label my son as autistic. His pediatrician tried to reassure me of his diagnosis by explaining that Carter‘s symptoms were similar to his own. He disclosed to me that he himself was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and that a lot of the behaviors that Carter demonstrated were very familiar to him. He continued to explain to me that Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of high functioning autism.
It wasn't until Carter was about 12 months old that I finally accepted his diagnosis and allowed him to begin treatment. He started all the intensive therapies that were recommended by his doctor. He began speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy twice a week for 4 years. My entire life revolved around all of Carter‘s therapy sessions and providing him with the assistance he needed to grow and develop into the best version of himself. This included psychotherapy for me.
Although Carter showed signs of progression, things began to take a turn once again. When Carter was five years old his therapy sessions were discontinued as they were no longer needed, and he began kindergarten. Carter began to struggle with his symptoms and became very aggressive at school. He would fight, hit his teachers, and even attempt to leave school grounds. I was frequently called to come to his school to calm him down. During this time, his doctor recommended that Carter should be put on medication to help him manage his behavior. Initially I rejected all the medication that was offered.
From age 5 to 7 we attempted have Carter play sports to build his social skills. He tried soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, and football. He successfully completed a season of all four sports, however, would tell me that he did not want to play the sport anymore.
When Carter was eight, I received a call from his school that changed everything. Carter was having a very rough day and was unable to contain his anger. He was unhappy with how he was being treated by his peers and told his teacher that if one more thing went wrong in his day, he was going to kill himself!
It was heartbreaking to hear his teacher tell me what happened. My son’s anger and unhappiness were completely out of my control. I did not know he was beginning to have such horrible thoughts. I began to think that maybe this could have been avoided if I were more open minded to other solutions for his behavior management. It was then that I decided to follow the doctor‘s recommendations and have him assessed by a psychiatrist for medication management.
As difficult as it was, putting him on medication, it changed his behavior for the better. Carter had made the honor roll for the first time ever! He was able to concentrate more, and he no longer had negative thoughts or physical altercations at school. It felt like we had finally gotten to a place of peace and balance.
Shortly after, we enrolled him in no-contact sports to help him become more sociable. It helped Carter tremendously! He began playing tennis and golf, which he now loves. Sports help Carter to focus on something that he is good at and for him that is the most rewarding feeling in the world!
Helping Carter meant finding what appeased him. Using his symptoms and focusing his skills on things that sparked his interest helped him to be in control. We allowed him to indulge in his obsessive fixations, high energy, and desire to work alone by choosing activities that made gave him control. And we noticed something changing. We began to see him heal! The use of non-contact sports, 1-on-1 activities, and traditional psychotherapy sessions proved to be affective in Carter's developmental progression.
Watching me as an entrepreneur sparked the same drive in him. He began to ask why he had to wait until he was an adult to start a business. I told him he was right! He did not have to wait. He could start a business now he just needed to decide what he wanted to do and develop a business plan. After many ideas that were not feasible Carter is the proud owner of Spectrum Golf, a company dedicated to providing quality golf apparel and inspiring youth to embrace their differences and work hard to achieve their dreams.
Thank you for reading Carter's story.
Sincerely,
Carter's MOM - Dr. Thelma Tennie
At first, I completely denied the doctor’s diagnosis because we did not believe it was possible to diagnose him with Asperger’s Syndrome at such a young age. As a mother, I just kept thinking what I could have possibly done wrong to cause my son to receive this diagnosis. I began to blame myself for his condition and wrapped myself in a blanket of denial.
After further research, I finally began to think that maybe his doctor could be right. Carter exhibited all the common symptoms for babies on the autistic spectrum. His symptoms included:
- Delayed speech and language skills
- Not responding to his name by his first birthday
- Not using common gestures (pointing or waving) and not responding to them
- Avoiding or rejecting physical contact
- Exhibited repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping or rocking
- Excessive fixations on certain activities, routines, or objects
- Extreme sensitivity to touch, light, and sound
Even though all the symptoms were there, I was still in denial. How could such a young baby be diagnosed with something as life changing as autism? It was still hard for me to allow his doctor to label my son as autistic. His pediatrician tried to reassure me of his diagnosis by explaining that Carter‘s symptoms were similar to his own. He disclosed to me that he himself was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and that a lot of the behaviors that Carter demonstrated were very familiar to him. He continued to explain to me that Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of high functioning autism.
It wasn't until Carter was about 12 months old that I finally accepted his diagnosis and allowed him to begin treatment. He started all the intensive therapies that were recommended by his doctor. He began speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy twice a week for 4 years. My entire life revolved around all of Carter‘s therapy sessions and providing him with the assistance he needed to grow and develop into the best version of himself. This included psychotherapy for me.
Although Carter showed signs of progression, things began to take a turn once again. When Carter was five years old his therapy sessions were discontinued as they were no longer needed, and he began kindergarten. Carter began to struggle with his symptoms and became very aggressive at school. He would fight, hit his teachers, and even attempt to leave school grounds. I was frequently called to come to his school to calm him down. During this time, his doctor recommended that Carter should be put on medication to help him manage his behavior. Initially I rejected all the medication that was offered.
From age 5 to 7 we attempted have Carter play sports to build his social skills. He tried soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, and football. He successfully completed a season of all four sports, however, would tell me that he did not want to play the sport anymore.
When Carter was eight, I received a call from his school that changed everything. Carter was having a very rough day and was unable to contain his anger. He was unhappy with how he was being treated by his peers and told his teacher that if one more thing went wrong in his day, he was going to kill himself!
It was heartbreaking to hear his teacher tell me what happened. My son’s anger and unhappiness were completely out of my control. I did not know he was beginning to have such horrible thoughts. I began to think that maybe this could have been avoided if I were more open minded to other solutions for his behavior management. It was then that I decided to follow the doctor‘s recommendations and have him assessed by a psychiatrist for medication management.
As difficult as it was, putting him on medication, it changed his behavior for the better. Carter had made the honor roll for the first time ever! He was able to concentrate more, and he no longer had negative thoughts or physical altercations at school. It felt like we had finally gotten to a place of peace and balance.
Shortly after, we enrolled him in no-contact sports to help him become more sociable. It helped Carter tremendously! He began playing tennis and golf, which he now loves. Sports help Carter to focus on something that he is good at and for him that is the most rewarding feeling in the world!
Helping Carter meant finding what appeased him. Using his symptoms and focusing his skills on things that sparked his interest helped him to be in control. We allowed him to indulge in his obsessive fixations, high energy, and desire to work alone by choosing activities that made gave him control. And we noticed something changing. We began to see him heal! The use of non-contact sports, 1-on-1 activities, and traditional psychotherapy sessions proved to be affective in Carter's developmental progression.
Watching me as an entrepreneur sparked the same drive in him. He began to ask why he had to wait until he was an adult to start a business. I told him he was right! He did not have to wait. He could start a business now he just needed to decide what he wanted to do and develop a business plan. After many ideas that were not feasible Carter is the proud owner of Spectrum Golf, a company dedicated to providing quality golf apparel and inspiring youth to embrace their differences and work hard to achieve their dreams.
Thank you for reading Carter's story.
Sincerely,
Carter's MOM - Dr. Thelma Tennie