An Open Letter to a Friend Jess at Diary of a Mom www.adiaryofamom.wordpress.com My Dear Friend, I am so sorry for your pain. Don’t worry; no one else sees it, I promise. To the rest of the world, you’re fine. But when you’ve been there, you can’t miss it. I see it in your eyes. That awful, combustible mixture of heart-wrenching pain and abject fear. God, I remember the fear. I see it in the weight of that invisible cloak that you wear. I remember the coarseness of its fabric on my skin. Like raw wool in the middle of the desert. You see, it was mine for a time. I never would have wanted to pass it on to you, my love. I remember so well suffocating under the weight of it, struggling for breath, fighting to throw it off while wrapping myself in its awful warmth, clutching its…
Tag: community
Alysia K. Butler trydefyinggravity.wordpress.com One night two months ago I spent some time in the company of some amazing women. All mothers, all with school age kids under the age of ten, all of whom “get it.” Earlier this year, a friend and I had the idea to start a small support group, to gather mothers or fathers of kids on the spectrum. With the help of our school district, we reached out to parents to see if anyone wanted to meet, just to talk. Our first meeting was so nice that we decided to meet again. And that night two monhts ago, our group expanded. Friends brought friends who had kids on IEPs. Friends brought friends who had kids with diagnoses but couldn’t get IEPs. And as the sangria and wine and spinach dip flowed, we sat and just talked. Some of us were meeting for the first time.…
Kelly V. Russell http://2006housewife.blogspot.com My child has autism … and I, as his mother, have never felt so isolated in my life. My son has severe speech delays. This is why he doesn’t talk to you. Why don’t you speak to him? My son perceives the world in a unique manner. This is why he plays with toys in an abnormal way. Why don’t you play with him? My son has difficulty understanding social cues. This is why he avoids eye contact. Why do you stare at him like he’s an animal in a zoo? …Or even worse, ignore him, as if he’s not a human being. Being his mother does not make me a saint, though sometimes I feel like a martyr. His condition does not mean that God entrusted me with a special blessing. Autism means he was born with a formidable glitch in his hardware … a…
Susan Walton www.discoveringfamilyfun.com It’s important to realize that you cannot cope with this new element of your life alone. And you shouldn’t try. There is help out there for you, for your child, and for your family, and you should take advantage of it. In addition to uncovering the services and agencies that offer assistance, you want to find and keep the friends and professionals who will sustain you. And conversely, you may need to minimize your exposure to the people, feelings, and obstacles that drag you down. First and foremost, your best allies are other parents who have a child on the spectrum. You can find existing parent networks through local support groups, parent clubs, assistance agencies, and online forums like Yahoo Groups. Joining those groups is a great way to get started. To find out if there is a Yahoo Group for parents of children with autism in…
Caitlin Wray www.welcome-to-normal.com I have a neighbour who can’t say “autism.” Both of us having two young kids, we had a casual chat on the lawn the other day as neighbours often do, about the usual stuff. Except of course, the “usual stuff” for parents like us will strike others as highly unusual. It’s hard to make small talk about our kids without autism finding its way into the conversation. It used to make me uncomfortable; it can be awkward to find succinct ways to weave such a complex situation into an informal chat. But I no longer let society’s discomfort with autism deter me from talking about “it,” because “it” is part of who my son is, and indeed has become part of who I am. If my neighbour gets to talk about her daughter’s ballet class, then damn it all, I get to talk about my son’s karate…