As a parent it is our natural instinct to protect our children. Before our babies are even born, we put so much time and energy into baby proofing our home and purchasing car seats. While our protection changes as our children grow, the desire to protect remains.
For families like ours that protection feels like an impossible feat. Self-injurious behaviors (SIB) are our worst enemy. Watching my son repeatedly bang his head on a wall feels like a direct hit to my heart with each impact.
SIB, which are common in Autism, are behaviors that causes physical harm to the individual. They are most common in children who lack functional communication, children like Brantley.
These behaviors make me feel as though I am walking a tight rope while trying to prepare meals for our family. I must balance being able to prepare food to fuel and nourish our entire family, while trying to prevent the many SIB’s that come about during meal preparations.
The oven, stove or toaster being on are like magnets drawing Brantley in. He will slide his tongue between the oven door and the top of the oven. Brantley will dive his little hands directly into a pot of boiling water or shove them into a toaster in the midst of making his favorite waffles.
These are all issues we encounter on a regular basis because Brantley does not see danger or feel pain. However, as his mom I feel each SIB episode. They hit right to my heart with a gut-wrenching pain that can only be felt when watching your child hurt themselves. It is a feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and pain.
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