Procrastination

I am a P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-O-R. There, I said it. I have been told that the first step to getting help is admitting you have a problem.

Among the other things that have been on the "to-do list" for a while, I had been putting off getting David's name added to a waiting list. I finally started the process just before Christmas—great timing, huh? I made the initial phone call, completed the follow-up paperwork and releases, and got my signature witnessed. This morning, I had an appointment for the parent interview, which will be followed by an interview with David's teacher.

Actually, I have waited more than two years to start this process and it is not because I am a horrible parent. I usually reserve my stalling techniques for my own personal projects, not things that involve the boys. I had postponed this process, however, because the Community Supports Program, for which I have just made the application on David's behalf, will not provide services for him until he turns 21.

For those of you who are not regular readers or do not happen to be related to me, you may not know that David is six; I have just applied for programs that we cannot use for almost 15 years. Let me say that again. I applied for services for David 15 years in advance.

Of all the worries I have about David, I really did not want to contemplate whether or not he will someday be self-sufficient while I was trying to prepare for Christmas. I am not yet ready to associate words like "respite, modification, supports, and assistive" to David as an adult.

We had been advised to put David on the list for services because the wait is currently more than three years. Who knows how long it will by the time David is eligible? So, assuming he falls significantly below his "typically developing" peers in three of the seven categories, his name will be added to the ever-expanding list.

I know all about procrastination because I can be quite good at it myself, but as the parent of a child with autism, a parent facing the very real possibility that my child will need support as an adult, we as a society are going to need to address the fact that there are not enough services for the increasing number of kids with autism—or other developmental issues, for that matter. How much longer can we continue to procrastinate on this subject?