When I tell people my son is autistic, here are some of the things they say

When I tell people my son is autistic, people respond from a good place but they say things like:
“He doesn’t look autistic. He’s just shy.”
“Oh but he talks, so at least he’s not that autistic.”
“Are you sure? He just lacks social skills.”
“He doesn’t like to be around people, he must not like them.”

What they don’t see is the way that he feels and loves our village so deeply. 
What they don’t see is the hours of therapy he goes to every week, just to be able to participate in a world that wasn’t designed for neurodivergent people. 

What they don’t see is how hard he tries, even when he is overwhelmed, to stay so calm.
What they don’t see are the days we can’t even leave the house before the meltdown from the day still had his nervous system in overdrive. 
Others ask why I would want to put a label on my son because it would make people treat him differently. 

And I do want them to treat him differently - by that I mean, to ensure that he gets the accommodations that he needs at school to support him to learn, and the kindness from others when they see him playing alone and ask him to join in at the playground. 

Today is World Autism Day and I am grateful to be this little guy’s mama bear 🩵

Autism awareness and autism acceptance are still so far from where it needs to be. If you are reading this, share your story about autism with those around you: your friends, your family and colleagues. Awareness becomes acceptance and that makes a world of difference for families like mine. 

I created a page of resources to help families who don’t know where to start and share my journey.