Hey, I know I said I was saving this for April, but I thought I'd post it early since April's approaching to raise awareness for Autism Awareness month. This is going to be a series of one shots about Mal and Natara's family adjusting to Darcy being diagnosed with autism. Also, does anyone know who Temple Grandin is? (Don't look it up). If you know, you are officially one of my favorite people on here because I look up to her so much. Not many people know who she is, and I want to see who does.
"My name is Darcy Fallon, and I see the world differently. I have autism".
Natara watched as her eldest daughter, Cassandra, attempted to play some sort of game with her sister. She was trying to get her to say some sort of rhyme, while clapping their hands together or on their laps to the rhythm.
"Little kitty, little kitty, little lost cat
I Know where you're hiding,
I know where you're at!
Little kitty, little kitty, little lost cat
where in the world is your home at?"
But Darcy wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, and she was clearly looking at something on the other side of the room.
"Darcy!" her six year old sister whined, grabbing her sisters face to try and get her to look at her. But Darcy kept turning back to what she was staring at, clearly fixated on some random object. She often did this, and although she was two years old she hadn't even spoken her first words yet. Mal said she was just a slow learner, but Natara feared something more.
"Your daughter has autism".
"What?"
"Your daughter" the doctor said, nodding to Darcy, who sat behind them on the floor. "She has autism".
You could see the shock on both Mal and Natara's faces. Natara's jaw dropped, her eyes widening in shock. Mal didn't respond, but felt as if the world had crashed down on him. "What exactly does that mean?" he asked, glancing back at his daughter as if she had transformed into something new and strange. Darcy's gaze was fixated on a patch of light on the ceiling as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.
"At this point, we don't know how severe it could be" the doctor said "but there's a good chance she may never speak".
Natara nodded solemnly. Deafness, muteness, any of that they could work around. But Autism? It's so unknown, untreatable. Something that can't be fixed, something that affects every aspect of how Darcy would think. How does one cope with that?
"Darcy" Natara called to her daughter. It was only a week after she was diagnosed, and Natara found she couldn't accept that her daughter would never speak. It was on the stairs of their two floor home that Darcy liked to sit, her gaze transfixed on pictures that hung on the walls. The mix of colors that were Cassy's first day of school, her parents wedding photo or herself as a tiny infant.
"Darcy" Natara called again, kneeling a step lower than her daughter, holding pictures in her hand. She gently took her daughters face in her hand, trying to guide her gaze to the first picture. Darcy's attention was briefly drawn to the picture being held to her face. "Dog" Natara said, watching as Darcy's eyes focused on the small dog lying in the grass. "Dog" she repeated, trying to get Darcy to repeat it. Darcy once again turned her head, looking at her parents wedding photo. Natara shifted the picture in her hands, looking for another one. "Cat" she said, showing Darcy a picture cut out from a magazine or similar. "Cat".
But there was only one thing going through Darcy's mind as she saw this, words she could recall as if they were being whispered in her ear that very moment.
'Little kitty, little kitty, little lost cat
I know where you're hiding,
I know where you're at!
Little kitty, little kitty, little lost cat
where in the world is your home at?'
These words were whispered into her mind in her sisters voice, gentle and calm. She heard them as if Cassy were right next to her, once again trying to get her to play her game. Natara, seeing her daughters glassy eyed gaze, gave up and left her daughter to her own devices. Darcy once again looked up at the photos above her, seeing one with Cassy and Mal. How many times had she heard Cassy call him a simple three letter word? And at that time, alone and apart from her mother, was when Darcy softly whispered her first word.
"…Dad…".
