"The history of a special girl and a special cat"Under this name lies an incredibly touching and life-affirming story. His main characters are a girl and a cat. The girl is six years old, her name is Iris Grace. The cat is slightly smaller, her name is Tula. Iris Grace has autism. This became clear not immediately. Only in the fourth month of Iris's life did her parents understand that with their precious girl it would not be easy. She did not sleep well, and if she fell asleep, it was only on her mother's shoulder. Mom and Dad hoped it would pass. But there were all the new features of the Iris Grace behavior. She did not like the company, and sometimes she went into her own world: her eyes were glassy, the girl seemed to float away somewhere far away. Doctors assured me that this is normal. And Iris's mother in general has ceased to understand something because of constant lack of sleep.
1/7Photo: facebook.com/IrisGracePaintingPhoto: facebook.com/IrisGracePaintingPhoto: facebook.com/IrisGracePaintingPhoto: facebook.com/IrisGracePaintingPhoto: facebook.com/IrisGracePaintingPhoto: facebook.com/IrisGracePaintingPhoto: facebook.com/IrisGracePaintingBy the time she was a year old, her sleep problems had not gone away. Rather, they had gotten worse. The girl’s mother was in despair. But one day something happened: Iris suddenly stopped demanding her mother’s attention. She would lie there all morning looking at books, turning the pages and getting stuck on each one for a long time. Her mother finally understood: her daughter saw the world differently than others. That’s why she could spend a long time watching the trees outside the window. That’s why she listened to music so that her whole body “sang along” to it. Things always had to be in the same place. Iris would only agree to wear the same clothes. Shoes? No. No way. Months passed, and Iris became more and more withdrawn. “Mom” and “Dad” were all she sometimes said. She was diagnosed with autism only when she was two. Her parents were scared. But now they at least knew what they were dealing with. Now they were learning to communicate with their daughter all over again. Iris drew very carefully: a bizarre mixture of ease and thoughtfulness. And then there was a breakthrough - Iris's speech therapist advised the girl to teach the girl to draw. But she didn't have to teach her. Iris did an excellent job with brushes and paints. The girl's paintings turned out amazing. It seemed so to her mother. Iris's parents created a page on Facebook - a kind of gallery for the little girl. And suddenly ... people started asking to sell them Iris's paintings. Not even originals - copies. The girl was three years old then. She was not like the others. She was famous and brilliant. Fans of her work are our idols. This is Zooey Deschanel, Angelina Jolie, Ashton Kutcher.
1/3Photo: @irisgracepaintingPhoto:@irisgracepaintingPhoto: @irisgracepaintingAnd what about Tula? Soon she appeared too. Thanks to the cat, the girl learned to trust the world around her. Tula became a guide for Iris. The baby even began to sleep better - not the usual five or six hours a day, but the whole night! The mother, exhausted by many years of lack of sleep, was happy: this is not a cat, this is a gift from fate. Now the parents are sure that they can cope. This is what is told in the book "The Story of a Special Girl", which was recently published in Russian by Livebook. It was very difficult for the parents. After all, they did not understand what their child was feeling, how she would react to an extraneous sound, a flash of light, even the feeling of sand under her feet. They were exhausted. It is not so easy for them now. But at the same time, mom and dad believed in their daughter so much, trying to do everything possible, and even impossible, that their baby still returned from her world to their common - the big world of people.
