April is Autism Awareness month, and here at CMBN we are passionate about informing, connecting, and supporting moms in any way possible. For that reason, we have rounded up some amazing Autism-related posts from our sister sites and put them all together in one place for you!
We hope that you find something helpful in these posts, we hope that you can relate to these other moms, and above all else, we hope that you feel less alone after reading them. And for those of you for whom Autism is a daily part of your life, we are thinking of you, this month and always!
Autism Awareness: The Thoughts I Wasn’t Sure I’d Share
My son has Autism. This isn’t a fact that I hide. It’s plain and simply a fact. He has challenges to over come and you better believe he is, every day, he is. He’s breaking down walls and building up skills.
Mom Truth: My Sons Have Autism
No matter how prepared I am, sometimes the outbursts still happen. People stare to see what the commotion is all about. It’s ugly to see as a shopper; it’s even uglier as mom.
The 3 P’s My Nephew with Autism Taught Me
Since then, he has taught me so much about the outlook I should have on life. He taught me how to be patient, passionate and persistent.
Autism Awareness!
Whether you know someone with ASD or not, we invite all of you to become partners in not only promoting autism awareness, but in furthering the cause of acceptance and appreciation for all people
What Does Autism Look Like?
Upon a brief visit with Patrick, the evaluator immediately looked at me and said “your son is Autistic.” My heart sank to my feet and the tears rolled down my face before a stranger in disbelief.
Autism Aware Every Day
My feeds are ripe with stories of acceptance, awareness, inclusion and the like — all a beautiful celebration of our most amazing kids. My heart explodes when I see friends who once never gave special needs a second thought post messages of love and support. But sometimes I’m just. not. feelin. it.
Autism Awareness: Living a Life Unknown
Having autism is like waking up and living the day blindfolded, full of fear of the UNKNOWN that lies ahead.
Autism Awareness: Brenda’s Story
When I first heard the word “autism” it felt like my world was crashing around me. My two-year-old son was not going to be the little boy I thought he would be. I had spent two years planning all of the things he would do and all of the milestones he would reach… and the time frames in which he would do so. Now, what was I going to do? I went from wondering what college he might one day go to, to wondering if he would be able to functionally speak, all in a matter of seconds.
Autism Mama
Oddly enough, I was relieved. As a teacher, I couldn’t figure out how I could manage a classroom filled with twenty children, but was unable to manage my only daughter. With a diagnosis, I could begin advocating for Elle. I’d experience moments of grief over milestones she hadn’t reached, and for the relationship that I had fantasized about. But I finally had a diagnosis I could focus my attention on, to somehow “beat.”
What Autism Looks Like
I remember skipping through and going straight to the last page to see the summary and diagnosis results. My eyes immediately overflowed with tears. My son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, level 1. I was filled with so many mixed emotions. I was relieved that we finally had an answer to all of our concerns but at the same time I was heartbroken.
Finding Joy in Autism
He’s 5. He has brought me more smiles than I ever could have imagined. Entered our world from across an ocean. I’ve changed nearly every parenting tactic I had with our older three and have been reminded that even if you’ve been a parent for years, every child is different.
He Has Autism? I Had No Idea!
So, don’t assume that the kid having a fit in the store is spoiled, or just needs more discipline. It could be that he has autism…and it is just really hard for his brain to process all the information bombarding him in the busy place. Give the mama some grace. They could both be dealing with more than meets the eye.
Annie’s Autism Diagnosis
I had never heard of sensory processing disorder, but when her OT handed me a book one day, I quickly learned all about it.
Understanding Autism: A Mother’s Perspective
After 12 months of age, I knew William’s language was not progressing or functioning like his same aged peers. He could learn new words, but it was at a very slow rate. Other concerns on my list began to grow: lack of eye contact, hand flapping, and weak recognition of his surroundings.
Understanding Annie’s Sensory Processing Disorder
Because it sometimes takes months for a therapist to take a child’s case, frustration sets in. To deal with this frustration, I learned that I had to be creative in order to keep helping Annie while waiting for all of her services to come together.
My Child With Autism
If you think that your child may have an issue because they are missing milestones or anything that just doesn’t seem right with you, I would say get on a list for a specialist for an evaluation–don’t hesitate. Sometimes you may even have to bypass your pediatrician and demand a referral for a hearing test or speech evaluation, like I did.
How to Talk to an Autism Mommy
You’ve seen them. They are ahead of you in line at the grocery store, standing next to you in the school parking lot waiting for their child; they are at the doctor’s office, next to you at church, and helping you at the cell phone store. “They” are parents of children with autism.
Dear TSA Agent
That interaction might not have lasted in your memory, but it certainly did in mine. Your words helped to calm my apprehension, and to remind me that my husband and I are fighting a different fight than most, and there are people who recognize and appreciate that. I stopped to wipe my tears away and collected myself, ready to move forward.
My Secret Life as an Autism Mom
I have a six-year old with nonverbal, severe Autism, and I invite you to take a peek inside our secret world. Autism can be scary, isolating, beautiful, humorous and sad. I, along with many other families, live in this world. Our children are the faces of invisible disabilities.
Any other autism mamas out there? We'd love to hear your stories, too!
