Featuring: Denise O'Reilly A Behavior Therapist and a Mother Who Took Those Two to Give Advice to Other Parents
Photos Provided By: Denise O'Reilly
Me: Please share a little about yourself.
Denise: My name is Denise O’Reilly I have been a behavior therapist for autistic children for over 11 years. I now have a 4-year-old son who is autistic. With my experience as a therapist and a mother I have decided to combine the two and provide advice and resources to other parents on Instagram. I post videos of my son’s progress as well as make materials to use as resources to help parents with autistic children. I am currently making a potty-training book and course tailored to children on the spectrum.
Denise: I noticed something was wrong with LJ since he was 8 months old and because I worked in the field for so many years, I knew exactly what I was looking for. The signs I started to notice were, fixation on objects, he had this obsession with Legos, but he wouldn’t play with the Legos he would hold a Lego up to his face and spin it in circles. Another sign was his stimming off of the ceiling fan, he would stare at the ceiling fan and flap his hands. Another sign was him not wanting to touch certain textures with his hands and not responding to his name. Those were the early signs i noticed, the other signs came along as he grew older such as lack of eye contact and being non vocal.
Me: I have saw many of your posts on both Instagram and TikTok and I appreciate how you are so informative and willing to share you and son (LJ's) story. Can you give people that are reading today, the signs you noticed that something was wrong?
Denise: Luckily for me I didn’t have any questions because before his diagnosis I already knew what the result was going to be. It was hard for me to hear another professional tell me that my son had autism. That is when it really hit me. I did cry but not because I was disappointed that he had autism I cried because I knew as a parent all the struggles that came along with it.
Me: What advice would you give to a parent that has just received the diagnose about this journey that you wish someone would have given to you?
Denise: My advice to those whose children has just been diagnosed would be that it all gets better in time. With the right therapy, consistency and patience it will get better. You may not have signed up for this journey, but you were chosen because you are strong and capable.
Me: I just smiled as I watch LJ grins when you allow him to be independent. I am proud that you are so patient with him and allowing him to do different things. Tell us a little about LJ amazing strides that warms your heart up, that you sometimes don't get to capture on camera.
Denise: LJ is a very smart individual. He is typically a happy child. I love watching him progress and I love watching him just being happy in the moment. He picks up on things so quickly like how he is able to use sign language to communicate. You can teach him a sign and he will learn it in a day. It also warms my heart the way he interacts with me and how he would randomly come up to me to get my attention or give me a hug and a kiss. Those random hugs and kisses and rare moments that are hard to catch on camera, but it warms my heart when he does it because it tells me that he is happy and that he loves me.
Me: People can overstep boundaries and say things that they shouldn't. What are some things that people have said to you that was offensive towards your parenting and son.
Denise: I don’t like to pay mind to negative comments but sometimes I get comments on my parenting strategies, or they would comment about LJ saying that he makes up his own language and that the words he says don’t really sound like the real thing. I have also gotten comments about signing the puzzle piece.
Me: How did you react to these comments?
Denise: I try to inform the people who write those comments in a nice way that people are entitled to their own opinions.
Me: LJ is nonverbal, what are methods that you use to communicate with him?
