Hello I'm
Shelley Quinn and welcome
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again to Issues and
Answers. We're so glad that
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no matter where you
live around the world
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that you're joining
us today and allowing us
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to bring you a message
of encouragement and hope
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and I believe it
will be proved to be
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very uplifting to
you. Before I tell you
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about today's
topic I want to share
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one of my favorite
Bible verses with you
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and it comes from
Luke 1 in verse 37.
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And let me set the stage;
this is when the angel had
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told Mary that she is
going to have the Son of God.
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And she is saying
how's that going to happen,
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I'm a virgin. How
am I going to have the
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Son of God? And
he said Holy Spirit
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will over shadow
you, God's gonna speak
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this into your
life, plant his seed,
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his Holy seed in you.
And then the angel tells her,
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for with God
nothing is ever impossible.
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Now most Bible
translations stop there
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but the Greek actually
says and no word from God
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is without power or
impossible of fulfillment.
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And I'll tell you what,
today we have two special guests
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with us who know
that nothing is impossible
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with God and they
know that you can count
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on the promises of God.
And let me introduce to you
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our very special guests
we have Esther Castillo,
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Esther, so glad that
you're with us today.
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Thank you so much for
the honor of having us here.
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And we, we're delighted,
we also have your very special
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and charming son and
that is Pedro Acevedo.
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Pedro, welcome.
Thank you. You're welcome.
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Now we are going to be
talking today about a topic
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that's a difficult
topic and its something
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that it's a
condition that's on the rise
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in United States
and around the world,
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and that's autism.
And you know some people
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can go to medical
training and become,
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gain expertise through
schooling, and some people
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have a little more
difficult road to travel,
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they gain their understanding
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and expertise
through experience,
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and you have
gone down that road.
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Let me start with you Esther,
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what if you
could in layman's terms
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explain to us what is autism?
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I would rather kind of
read it even though as a mother,
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I could explain to you
what is autism in my life.
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I could
describe about a disorder
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that really effects
the left side of the brain
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which is the center
of communication, okay.
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And when a person is
impacted with this disorder
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because it responds different,
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no one single
person reacts the same way
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but it is described as
a complex developmental
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disorder that appears
in the first three years
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of life, in Pedro's
case was 18 months old,
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one year and half. You
know that it is sometimes
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diagnosed much later. It effects
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the brain's
development of social
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and communication skills,
okay. So once that person,
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that child can't
communicate anymore
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it has the tendency to isolate.
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They can understand
everything you're saying
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but the fact that they
can not communicate to you.
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Yes, I understand
what you're saying,
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I wanted to
understand that I'm in pain,
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I want you to
understand that I realize
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that I am making funny faces
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and you're making fun of me.
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I want you to
understand that yes I am aware
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that you're calling me retarded,
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or you're
calling me these names,
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or you restraining
me because I can not
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explain to you
that I am oversensitive
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to all of those
your scheme to the fabric
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that I have on.
And it does effect,
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I would say not
only communication
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and socialization,
but it also as effects
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the hearing, sometimes
they have hyper-acuity,
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the vision. You stop
there, when you say hyper-acuity
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of hearing, what do you mean?
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I mean that they
can hear a lot more
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than a normal person.
So they've got the ears
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I mean we say like
the eyes of the eagle
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and the ears of,
dogs have hypersensitivity
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so they can, is this
the reason that they often,
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they flap their
ears because they,
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if the pitch of your
voice they can not tolerate,
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it could cause pain
like when your nail,
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you have a nail and you hammer
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the nail inside of
the ears so, oh mercy.
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Pedro went through
that, we couldn't use
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the vacuum cleaner, we
couldn't use the blender.
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If I was driving and
Pedro was in the back seat,
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and an 18 wheelers
truck was passing by
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and he was in the back
seat, he was going to pull
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my hair and yank it just
to let me know stop the noise
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of that truck because
it's causing me pain, mercy,
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I didn't know
those things. So now,
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he was
18-months-old and explain to us
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how you learned
about this diagnosis,
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the first 18-months of
his life he appeared to be
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absolutely normal and then
suddenly something happens,
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how did you learn?
Pedro had an ear infection
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and the pain was unbearable.
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The fever started going
up and I remember that Sunday
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putting everything suppositories
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and cold compresses
and everything to bring
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the fever down,
but he didn't responded
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to everything that I was
doing, before that may be
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I need to explain to
you that my daughter Dina,
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my oldest daughter. Every
woman wants to be a mother,
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so I became a
mother when I was 31,
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I wanted more to be a
mother than being married,
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so I was all excited
being married having my baby
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six weeks after she
was one day discovered
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that she was born
with a complete AV canal,
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she had a hole that was gathered
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in the four chambers
of her heart, Oh mercy.
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And she was
declared clinically dead,
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three-months old she was in ICU
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having the first surgery.
They decided just to close
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the pulmonary
artery because every time
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that the heart
was closing the blood
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was going into her
lungs. Those 35 days that I was
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in the hospital my
husband became an alcoholic
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because he couldn't go
home and think that two woman
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of my life are
not home, so he spend
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those thirty five days
and nights across the hospital
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drinking, drinking,
drinking. And even though
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he wasn't a believer
there were days that the church
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was praying so
hard that my daughter
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was anointed
today, could just survive
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and there was one
night when he had a voice
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that says she will be
fine. So he told me don't cry
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anymore, because
I was like angry,
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I went to another
room because I didn't want
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to see her dying already.
And he told me stop crying,
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she will be fine
and I am gonna take her,
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I am going to fix
that surgery even though
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she didn't have
the first surgery
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and I will pay a plastic surgeon
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and it was really a
miracle because the surgery
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didn't work and all
the blood on the lungs
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went to the heart and I
was told by the doctors,
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she won't make
it. And I said the God
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that I believe in and
I ask him to take her,
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if she is going to a
shame her. And I promise Him
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to give him my life on
the exchange of my baby.
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And if she didn't
die with all the morphine
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that you gave her
and if she didn't die
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with this first
surgery that six girls die
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with the same surgery
the same night my daughter
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was the only survivor.
She is not going to die now;
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you said that the
surgery didn't work.
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So I took my baby
home after about ten hours
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of fighting, they told me
if she doesn't gain two ounces
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in two days, we are
going to keep her baby with us
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because she is going
to die. She has anorexia
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and she is
losing too much weight.
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The church went
into pray and my daughter
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gained the two
ounces, and eventually
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at four months old,
she decided to drink
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milk again. Praise
God, when Pedro is sick
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my husband was really a very
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deep, deep, deep
alcoholic. So that they he was,
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first let me ask you
what is your daughter's name?
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My daughter's name is
Dina, so Dina is how much older?
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She is now 24,
oh she is two years
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and half older than
Pedro. Two and half years older
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than Pedro, so when
he is a year and half
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then she is 4-years-old
and now she has miraculously,
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God has proven his
promise to your husband
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and what you
husband shared with you.
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Dina is a healthy child
now at 4-years-old, okay.
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Now you though have a
husband who is walking
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the pathway of
alcoholism how did he respond
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when he got the
diagnosis of Pedro.
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Well, I would say that
he was on denial, okay,
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because English was
his primary languages.
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He was raised in New
York since he was five.
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English was not my
primary language, so that night
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as I said that my
son had the high fever,
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my husband for
several days was not home.
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And here I am, I
don't have any car,
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I don't have any telephone,
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I cannot even call an ambulance
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and my baby is dying on my
hands with this high fever,
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I just kneel down with
Dina and I pray and the pastor
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who was preaching said Esther
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is not here with the children.
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Get out of the pulpit
Elder and go and check
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and see what is
happening to Esther.
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And I praise the Lord
because my brother-in-law
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who was an Elder
came to my apartment,
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Pedro was almost dying.
So he took us to the hospital
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they sat him on ice
when he entered the hospital
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I could say, say mommy,
he was going to say mommy;
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but then after
they put his body on ice
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I could say Pedro
say mommy and he went,
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I took a child to the hospital,
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I came out of the
hospital with a different child.
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I lost my first baby
that day at the hospital.
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So after that he had no
voice whatsoever, really?
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He went back to
probably four months
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of communication
and he started to laugh
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in the middle of
the night to wake us up,
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to rip off his clothes,
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there was no more eye contact.
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And he went like
to a word of his own.
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And I know that something
was happening to my baby,
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but my husband just told
me you are overprotecting him,
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there is nothing wrong. We
couldn't have the diagnosis
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until he was four.
But before he was four,
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I was begging the
pediatrician to please
00:11:01.33\00:11:03.65
let me know what
was wrong with my baby?
00:11:03.68\00:11:05.66
And he told me we
need to wait for Dina's
00:11:05.69\00:11:07.98
second big heart
surgery. Now that she is four,
00:11:08.01\00:11:11.97
if she survived
the fixing of her heart
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then we will go
over Pedrito and find out
00:11:14.63\00:11:18.01
what is wrong with your
son, why'd he cannot speak
00:11:18.04\00:11:20.45
even though he is
2-years-old already, mercy.
00:11:20.48\00:11:24.72
So what was your
life changed so much
00:11:24.75\00:11:29.10
then because you've
got this beautiful baby boy
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and you've got
some pictures of Pedro
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don't you? Let's
look at those pictures now
00:11:34.75\00:11:37.14
because he was such a
little darling okay, so.
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This is Pedro when he
was four months before
00:11:40.45\00:11:44.20
he became
autistic; this is the way
00:11:44.23\00:11:47.31
I brought my
family from New York.
00:11:47.34\00:11:49.21
We were a complete
family; Dina was three,
00:11:49.24\00:11:52.93
he was one and two months old.
00:11:52.96\00:11:55.31
A child that sung
with the heritage singers,
00:11:55.34\00:11:59.14
a child that walked
when he was 11 months
00:11:59.17\00:12:01.99
and a child that was
just so into his cradle at
00:12:02.02\00:12:06.80
Sabbath school
and praising the Lord,
00:12:06.83\00:12:10.04
then, he is a darling,
yes. Here it is when he was,
00:12:10.61\00:12:16.09
how old were you
here Pedro, three.
00:12:16.12\00:12:18.42
When he was
3-years-old with his Daddy,
00:12:18.45\00:12:20.80
he was autistic
already, okay, and you could see
00:12:20.83\00:12:24.46
that he is his daddy
Frank. So, he is Pedro Junior,
00:12:24.49\00:12:27.06
yes, on that birthday he
was freely over stimulated
00:12:27.09\00:12:31.76
because it was too
stimulating for him
00:12:31.79\00:12:34.13
with the noises of his
birthday, beautiful child.
00:12:34.16\00:12:37.54
In this one was
the day when I drop him
00:12:37.57\00:12:40.85
at his first early
intervention program.
00:12:40.88\00:12:43.69
They use this
star as his report card
00:12:43.72\00:12:46.34
and I was in tears to
leave him at his first school
00:12:46.37\00:12:50.28
where he was going to
have all of his speech
00:12:50.31\00:12:52.31
and language
therapy, occupational therapy
00:12:52.34\00:12:54.94
but he was happy, he
was happy there and I praise
00:12:54.97\00:13:00.22
the Lord that I decided
to go for early intervention
00:13:00.25\00:13:03.17
because it was a
teacher who decided to search
00:13:03.20\00:13:06.55
for the diagnosis
for my son. Praise God,
00:13:06.58\00:13:09.18
so though you knew
something was wrong
00:13:09.21\00:13:12.39
at 18 months, you
didn't know it was autism?
00:13:12.42\00:13:16.01
That's correct, when
you found out it was autism
00:13:16.04\00:13:20.33
were you familiar?
Had you already gotten
00:13:20.36\00:13:22.19
your bachelor degree,
where you already educated
00:13:22.22\00:13:24.05
so you went school then later
00:13:24.08\00:13:25.73
and got your
master's degrees even in
00:13:25.76\00:13:27.52
behavior science and education.
00:13:27.55\00:13:30.14
But let's back up,
so you knew that Pedro
00:13:30.17\00:13:35.59
something it
happened, he quit communicating
00:13:35.62\00:13:37.74
and now he is
4-years-old and he is in school
00:13:37.77\00:13:41.42
and someone comes and
tells you he is autistic,
00:13:41.45\00:13:44.95
did you know what that was?
That's an excellent question,
00:13:44.98\00:13:48.98
because being that, English
is not my primary language,
00:13:49.01\00:13:52.79
yes, when Dina made
it through her surgery
00:13:52.82\00:13:58.92
and his pediatrician
has no clue what was autism
00:13:58.95\00:14:02.03
all about, so he says
I know something is wrong
00:14:02.06\00:14:04.06
with Pedro but let me
just look for somebody else,
00:14:04.09\00:14:06.89
give me referral
to a neurologist,
00:14:06.92\00:14:09.06
because he referred
him for a special language
00:14:09.09\00:14:12.33
evaluation, they found
though that he wasn't deaf
00:14:12.36\00:14:15.36
that he could hear perfectly.
00:14:15.39\00:14:17.16
So that was when they realize
00:14:17.19\00:14:18.99
that he was something
that have to go with the brain,
00:14:19.02\00:14:20.98
but the special
language pathologist
00:14:21.01\00:14:25.73
didn't want to scare me,
she didn't want to tell me
00:14:25.76\00:14:27.78
something really,
really wrong is happening.
00:14:27.81\00:14:31.15
So when I take him
to the neurologist,
00:14:31.18\00:14:33.47
and neurologist told my
husband he has an autistic
00:14:33.50\00:14:36.14
like behavior, and my
husband kind of understood
00:14:36.17\00:14:39.83
but I was asking my
husband what is that;
00:14:39.86\00:14:41.98
autistic like, what is that?
00:14:42.01\00:14:43.49
So still my husband is
telling me, he is okay,
00:14:43.52\00:14:47.35
he is fine. So he
really was in denial,
00:14:47.38\00:14:50.80
he was in denial
and because of my
00:14:50.83\00:14:52.93
language barrier I
couldn't find words to explain
00:14:52.96\00:14:56.45
what was wrong with my
son? So I would say that
00:14:56.48\00:14:58.96
we wasted two years and
a half looking at my son,
00:14:58.99\00:15:02.06
ripping off clothes. In
the mean time I'm taking him
00:15:02.09\00:15:05.07
to camp meetings to see
the people out of ignorance
00:15:05.10\00:15:08.09
with the good
faith anointing him
00:15:08.12\00:15:10.16
to cast the devil away
from my baby, oh bless you.
00:15:10.19\00:15:13.08
At the church, I could see that
00:15:13.11\00:15:14.59
they are gonna taking him
to the bathroom to whip him
00:15:14.62\00:15:17.00
with the belts
because he was very irreverent
00:15:17.03\00:15:19.15
being two years old
and he was all the noises
00:15:19.18\00:15:21.78
that he was making
like a little animal.
00:15:21.81\00:15:23.68
So, many things
happened and I didn't have words
00:15:23.71\00:15:28.54
to explain my son's behavior.
00:15:28.57\00:15:30.11
Now when I pay
attention to this speech
00:15:30.14\00:15:33.06
and language
pathologist and take him
00:15:33.09\00:15:34.44
to the early intervention
program when he was four
00:15:34.47\00:15:38.04
the public school
said no we can not pay
00:15:38.07\00:15:41.06
at private school bring
him over to the public school.
00:15:41.09\00:15:43.75
And one day he
was crying with tears
00:15:43.78\00:15:46.18
that was another thing
he didn't cry with tears,
00:15:46.21\00:15:48.20
he could made the faces
with tears didn't come out
00:15:48.23\00:15:50.54
of his eyes, okay, but
he is crying with tears
00:15:50.57\00:15:52.70
completely mute and
the teacher looked at him
00:15:52.73\00:15:55.28
and said I need to call Boston
00:15:55.31\00:15:57.75
because we were in
the city of New Bedford,
00:15:57.78\00:15:59.34
and get a developmental
psychologist to come
00:15:59.37\00:16:01.79
and observe this
child. And the developmental
00:16:01.82\00:16:04.57
psychologist
went to the classroom
00:16:04.60\00:16:06.15
then came to my house. And
Friday, my husband told me,
00:16:06.18\00:16:11.69
I've been given a diagnosis,
00:16:11.72\00:16:14.27
you were right
something was wrong with me.
00:16:14.30\00:16:17.14
Three years after we got
married I was HIV Positive.
00:16:17.17\00:16:20.99
Okay now, wow! You
were throwing in another,
00:16:21.02\00:16:24.35
so I thought you were
saying that your husband
00:16:24.38\00:16:26.57
was going to say yes, we've
got the diagnosis for Pedro
00:16:26.60\00:16:30.41
but your husband was
also having some symptoms
00:16:30.44\00:16:34.61
and now he goes to
the doctor and comes
00:16:34.64\00:16:37.47
and tells you, you're
right there is something wrong
00:16:37.50\00:16:41.00
with me your husband,
I'm HIV positive, yes.
00:16:41.03\00:16:45.22
Five days after
and I am saying this,
00:16:45.25\00:16:47.72
so that you could
understand how heavy
00:16:47.75\00:16:50.24
was the impact of
Pedro's diagnosis, okay.
00:16:50.27\00:16:53.07
Friday my husband telling me
00:16:53.10\00:16:54.87
I've been given six months
to live, six months to live,
00:16:54.90\00:16:58.22
six months to live
and on Tuesday, Saturday,
00:16:58.25\00:17:00.84
Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, four days
00:17:00.87\00:17:02.75
after my son's
developmental psychologist
00:17:02.78\00:17:06.32
come home and tell me I
have a news to give you.
00:17:06.35\00:17:10.04
Your son has a long
life developmental disability
00:17:10.07\00:17:13.31
that has no
cure. At that moment,
00:17:13.34\00:17:15.63
I was pinching
myself, thinking am I alive,
00:17:15.66\00:17:19.03
the two big love
of my life my husband
00:17:19.06\00:17:22.63
and my baby are
about to go, oh mercy.
00:17:22.66\00:17:28.57
And my husband after
that, that he was confronted
00:17:28.60\00:17:32.97
with you have
six months to live,
00:17:33.00\00:17:35.37
he decided to kind
of having an abusive,
00:17:35.40\00:17:38.46
you know relationship
and kind of give Pedro
00:17:38.49\00:17:42.06
and I and my daughter the love
00:17:42.09\00:17:43.69
that we really
needed so much. Esther,
00:17:43.72\00:17:46.94
how did you cope with
this? Okay your husband,
00:17:46.97\00:17:50.59
you see a behavioral
change in your husband
00:17:50.62\00:17:52.58
and he becomes more loving
and you are looking at him
00:17:52.61\00:17:58.13
thinking he is
going in six months,
00:17:58.16\00:17:59.83
your concern must
be devastated thinking
00:17:59.86\00:18:03.33
your beautiful baby
boy has got a long term,
00:18:03.36\00:18:07.68
life long
developmental disorder,
00:18:07.71\00:18:11.04
how did you cope with
this? On my knees, Amen,
00:18:11.07\00:18:15.59
what a great answer, what
a great answer, on my knees,
00:18:15.62\00:18:18.48
yes alright. You'd
been married eight years,
00:18:18.51\00:18:21.82
I think you've mentioned
to me earlier, eight years
00:18:21.85\00:18:25.11
when your husband
first got the diagnosis
00:18:25.14\00:18:28.61
he was HIV positive,
before we get married, okay
00:18:28.64\00:18:33.40
and he didn't
know, we didn't know.
00:18:33.43\00:18:34.68
He was actually HIV positive
00:18:34.71\00:18:36.59
before you married,
before, three years before
00:18:36.62\00:18:38.52
we got married. Alright,
but now you've been married
00:18:38.55\00:18:40.62
eight years, did
you, did he survive longer
00:18:40.65\00:18:45.93
than the six months
that the doctors said?
00:18:45.96\00:18:48.70
How long did he
survive? Seven more years,
00:18:48.73\00:18:51.53
seven more years
and how was that?
00:18:51.56\00:18:54.05
Well he decided to
change his lifestyle,
00:18:54.08\00:18:56.96
he became
vegetarian. We went to an
00:18:56.99\00:19:01.32
alternative treatment
clinic. You know with ozone
00:19:01.35\00:19:05.43
treatment and I
always treated him
00:19:05.46\00:19:08.54
like the cane of my
life, I never denied him
00:19:08.57\00:19:11.88
of anything
because of his diagnosis.
00:19:11.91\00:19:14.56
I encouraging him
to go back to school
00:19:14.59\00:19:17.49
and to help me that
was when he finally got out
00:19:17.52\00:19:20.91
of the self denial
and decided to join forces
00:19:20.94\00:19:23.60
with me who did
not know the language
00:19:23.63\00:19:26.12
to go to the school meetings
to see how I was being molt
00:19:26.15\00:19:30.59
because my language was
so, my accent was so heavy
00:19:30.62\00:19:33.95
that when I was saying,
I need help for my baby.
00:19:33.98\00:19:36.60
He is not stupid, he is
not a profoundly retarded,
00:19:36.63\00:19:39.47
please you know
read, I am enrolled now
00:19:39.50\00:19:42.47
in the Autism Society of America
00:19:42.50\00:19:44.45
and I begged my husband let
me go back to school please,
00:19:44.48\00:19:47.85
because he told me you
have Dina to take care of.
00:19:47.88\00:19:50.09
Dina was the princess,
the baby, and one of things
00:19:50.12\00:19:54.64
that you will read in this book
00:19:54.67\00:19:56.48
that says on your
our words was how she cry
00:19:56.51\00:19:58.86
because the day when
Pedro was born my husband
00:19:58.89\00:20:01.33
so much into
alcoholism that he didn't buy
00:20:01.36\00:20:03.66
a crib for Pedro. So I
have to prepare Dina's crib
00:20:03.69\00:20:06.99
and Dina almost
killed him with throwing toys
00:20:07.02\00:20:09.91
to that little boy and
that was on her crib, yes.
00:20:09.94\00:20:12.29
She didn't
understand that he was that,
00:20:12.32\00:20:14.64
I needed to be faithful
to my husband and make him
00:20:14.67\00:20:17.70
feel is over with Jesus power.
00:20:17.73\00:20:20.13
You don't need
alcoholism, Dina is here,
00:20:20.16\00:20:22.27
the miracle has been
done. So it was hard for him
00:20:22.30\00:20:27.06
but he finally, when he realized
00:20:27.09\00:20:29.94
that he was gonna
die he decided to,
00:20:29.97\00:20:31.60
not to us said
the Lord immediately
00:20:31.63\00:20:33.90
but to pay for a Christian
education for my daughter
00:20:33.93\00:20:36.86
to let us finally have
family worship with all,
00:20:36.89\00:20:39.30
following those
turn into television on.
00:20:39.33\00:20:41.58
They are not going to
sing one day at the time,
00:20:41.61\00:20:44.18
praise God, praise God
you know and he let me go back
00:20:44.21\00:20:48.95
to school to learn
and that was when Pedro
00:20:48.98\00:20:52.91
was my inspiration for me
to get my bachelor's degree
00:20:52.94\00:20:55.03
in psychology and we
became involving the community,
00:20:55.06\00:20:59.27
I adopted 24 families
who didn't speak English
00:20:59.30\00:21:02.56
to let them know about
the resources that were there
00:21:02.59\00:21:05.58
and going to meetings with him
00:21:05.61\00:21:07.13
and fighting for the
raise of their children. Amen.
00:21:07.16\00:21:10.61
How was life
different for you before
00:21:10.64\00:21:13.09
and after autism?
Before I would say that
00:21:13.12\00:21:16.80
we were a happy
family, even though my husband
00:21:16.83\00:21:19.86
was struggling with
alcoholism but Pedro
00:21:19.89\00:21:22.56
was enjoying at
home, I mean he was born
00:21:22.59\00:21:25.91
with 10 pounds and 11
ounces, eating like a bird,
00:21:25.94\00:21:28.78
he still eats like that
today. But he brought us
00:21:28.81\00:21:31.62
so much peace, you know
and he four of us together,
00:21:31.65\00:21:34.36
it was just awesome.
Then having my son's diagnosis
00:21:34.39\00:21:39.35
and my husband's
diagnosis together,
00:21:39.38\00:21:41.07
it was like
leaving one day at the time
00:21:41.10\00:21:43.72
and thinking what can
I do to rescue my husband
00:21:43.75\00:21:47.05
and my son. And
it must have been so
00:21:47.08\00:21:49.98
terribly
frustrating when you recognized
00:21:50.01\00:21:52.40
and started studying on
autism that this is a child
00:21:52.43\00:21:56.53
whose understanding
you and his frustration,
00:21:56.56\00:21:59.73
his behavioral outburst
are because he just can't
00:21:59.76\00:22:04.98
communicate with you
and he is so frustrated
00:22:05.01\00:22:07.83
and to try to reach
him must have been a very,
00:22:07.86\00:22:10.90
I mean that was a
driving factor and he wasn't.
00:22:10.93\00:22:14.68
Now you know I am
looking at her time,
00:22:15.53\00:22:18.07
and we have so little
time left, you will come back,
00:22:18.10\00:22:21.31
I know we're
planning on a second program
00:22:21.34\00:22:23.24
but would you like to talk about
00:22:23.27\00:22:26.36
the types of
therapies, do we have time
00:22:26.39\00:22:28.81
and the short time or
would you rather reserve
00:22:28.84\00:22:30.67
that for a second program.
00:22:30.70\00:22:32.13
Well I could kind of go
over them, in Pedro's case
00:22:32.16\00:22:36.45
the first one that
he needed was the speech
00:22:36.48\00:22:39.47
and language therapy with the
00:22:39.50\00:22:41.54
functional
pragmatic component, okay.
00:22:41.57\00:22:44.65
And by functional I explain
that is not only teaching
00:22:44.68\00:22:46.89
them how to
speak. Is teaching them
00:22:46.92\00:22:49.10
how to go to a post office
and how to use the language
00:22:49.13\00:22:52.20
to communicate
with the real world.
00:22:52.23\00:22:54.01
Pragmatic is the social language
00:22:54.04\00:22:55.90
that he needs to survive
in case nobody who loves him
00:22:55.93\00:22:59.12
when he is around
them, that's good.
00:22:59.15\00:23:00.17
So his speech and
language pathology was on that.
00:23:00.20\00:23:02.78
He also received a
auditory integration therapy
00:23:02.81\00:23:05.82
which is the one
that desensitize him
00:23:05.85\00:23:08.43
when he was
listening to so much noises
00:23:08.46\00:23:12.62
that our voices he couldn't,
00:23:12.65\00:23:14.89
he was covering his
ears because the tone
00:23:14.92\00:23:17.64
of our voices. This is
the way Pedro used to hear,
00:23:17.67\00:23:20.41
you could see in the
top that the sound went all
00:23:20.44\00:23:23.66
the way up from
one place to another
00:23:23.69\00:23:26.08
and after ten
days this is the way
00:23:26.11\00:23:28.08
they cut off his hearing so that
00:23:28.11\00:23:30.91
he wouldn't be
impaired. So they had the,
00:23:30.94\00:23:33.51
this all parts
of autism they have,
00:23:33.54\00:23:35.86
the left side of the
brain then it's effecting
00:23:35.89\00:23:37.94
their hearing to where
they have such auditory acuity
00:23:37.97\00:23:43.65
that is disorder,
absolutely torture to him,
00:23:43.68\00:23:47.21
yes, yes and
then through therapy
00:23:47.24\00:23:48.82
they were able to
help that, that must have
00:23:48.85\00:23:51.56
been a very big blessing.
Yes, I know that therapy
00:23:51.59\00:23:54.81
that he needed to was
to desensitize his skin
00:23:54.84\00:23:57.44
which we call
sensory integration therapy.
00:23:57.47\00:24:00.00
He needed to be
taken for a whole year
00:24:00.03\00:24:02.05
to an occupational
therapy, so he was certified
00:24:02.08\00:24:05.21
in sensory integration disorder,
00:24:05.24\00:24:06.96
that was when he
finally decided not to rip off
00:24:06.99\00:24:10.72
his clothes,
because, so that's why
00:24:10.75\00:24:12.38
he was ripping off his
clothes, because they feel
00:24:12.41\00:24:14.67
like when you are
out on an elevator
00:24:14.70\00:24:16.05
and somebody touching
you and you say you shock me,
00:24:16.08\00:24:18.43
yes, they feel that
all over their body.
00:24:18.46\00:24:20.56
So it's like that
static electricity,
00:24:21.24\00:24:23.39
those little shocks,
24/7 especially when you put
00:24:23.42\00:24:26.82
some type of material or clothes
00:24:26.85\00:24:28.39
and they can't tell you
this is driving me nuts,
00:24:28.42\00:24:30.74
so they will take it
off. At school the teachers
00:24:30.77\00:24:34.00
didn't know about
that, so they used to scratch
00:24:34.03\00:24:36.13
his face and his
chest, restraining him
00:24:36.16\00:24:38.93
when he was telling
them the sense of your skin
00:24:38.96\00:24:41.03
is driving me
nuts, even the scent
00:24:41.06\00:24:44.84
or the tone of the
voice of people is like
00:24:44.87\00:24:47.30
they are completely
they were around them,
00:24:47.33\00:24:49.87
doesn't make any sense
to them and all they can do
00:24:49.90\00:24:52.09
when they can speak use
to throw temper tantrums
00:24:52.12\00:24:55.40
and behaviors. And
unless they recover from that
00:24:55.43\00:24:58.75
and can speak and say
this is why I do what I do?
00:24:58.78\00:25:01.93
They suffer alone,
it's not misbehaving
00:25:01.96\00:25:04.65
because they want to,
it's because of the reason
00:25:04.68\00:25:07.03
that it's really making
them to feel discomfort.
00:25:07.06\00:25:09.51
Well we've got so
much more to talk about
00:25:09.54\00:25:13.25
and because we're
certainly not going to leave you
00:25:13.28\00:25:16.17
without hope, I told
you this is going to be a
00:25:16.20\00:25:18.40
program of encouragement
and the encouragement
00:25:18.43\00:25:21.31
is Pedro's now in
college and he is communicating
00:25:21.34\00:25:25.22
and God did even
though your husband
00:25:25.25\00:25:30.86
did go to his
rest, he accepted Christ
00:25:30.89\00:25:35.52
is his savior confessed
his sins before he died, Amen.
00:25:35.55\00:25:38.61
So you have the blessed hope
00:25:38.64\00:25:40.85
that you will be
reunited with him,
00:25:40.88\00:25:42.64
your daughter
Dina is now healthy
00:25:42.67\00:25:46.00
and she is also getting
her degree in psychology
00:25:46.03\00:25:49.11
because she wants
to help other children
00:25:49.14\00:25:52.17
who are
developmentally challenged
00:25:52.20\00:25:54.46
and we've got Pedro
who we're going to hear
00:25:54.49\00:25:57.63
from during our second program,
00:25:57.66\00:25:59.51
who is going to college
00:25:59.54\00:26:01.63
and such a delightful young man.
00:26:01.66\00:26:03.90
So God has been good
to you and let me ask you,
00:26:03.93\00:26:09.06
just if you could
take just a few seconds
00:26:09.09\00:26:11.22
and look in
this camera over here
00:26:11.25\00:26:13.00
what would you say to a parent
00:26:13.03\00:26:16.08
who has just
received this diagnosis
00:26:16.11\00:26:20.40
for their child of
autism? I will tell them
00:26:20.43\00:26:24.43
that with God
everything is possible.
00:26:24.46\00:26:27.42
God could conquer
language barrier, remember
00:26:27.45\00:26:31.58
that you have your
son or your daughter eyes
00:26:31.61\00:26:34.04
and ears, nobody
will do it, but you.
00:26:34.07\00:26:36.26
And I said like
I did that Cross,
00:26:36.29\00:26:38.88
I say ladder to
reach out for always.
00:26:38.91\00:26:41.55
Educate
yourself, surround yourself
00:26:41.58\00:26:44.51
with supportive
groups and tell your family
00:26:44.54\00:26:46.58
that all you need
is their understanding,
00:26:46.61\00:26:48.94
you don't need
them to repeat at you
00:26:48.97\00:26:50.95
but to re-understand
and then to show love
00:26:50.98\00:26:53.03
for your child because
they are really, really make us
00:26:53.06\00:26:55.73
happy when they are loved. Amen.
00:26:55.76\00:26:57.97
And as you said that
the cross become a ladder
00:26:58.00\00:27:01.97
to get across to go there
and know that, that child,
00:27:02.00\00:27:05.98
this precious child is
one that's worth loving
00:27:06.01\00:27:10.07
and worth reaching
and you have reached him
00:27:10.10\00:27:13.33
where he can now
communicate with you again.
00:27:13.36\00:27:15.60
Esther, thank you so
much for sharing today,
00:27:15.63\00:27:18.65
and Pedro we'll
give you a chance to talk
00:27:18.68\00:27:21.53
on the next
program, how's that. Okay.
00:27:21.56\00:27:24.89
For those of you at
home, if you know someone
00:27:25.68\00:27:28.82
who has an
autistic child or perhaps
00:27:28.85\00:27:31.79
you have one in your family,
00:27:31.82\00:27:33.02
I would really
encourage you to have them
00:27:33.05\00:27:38.24
tune in for this
program again next time
00:27:38.27\00:27:40.79
and see how, what
hope God can give them
00:27:40.82\00:27:45.13
and you know, Romans 15:13 says,
00:27:45.16\00:27:47.48
Now may the God of
hope fill you to overflow
00:27:47.51\00:27:50.09
with joy as you trust
him, thank you so much.
00:27:50.12\00:27:54.00