21 Lessons From Autism in 2021

21 Lessons From Autism in 2021:

1. In their own time, in their own way.

2. People are curious and want to understand how to help, asking questions is just often uncomfortable.

3. It has brought some of the strongest, and most genuine women I know into my life.

4. Your behavior, as a parent, can benefit from therapy just as much as your child’s.

5. Ignoring the behavior does not mean ignoring the child.

6. Self-care is not selfish.

7. The days are long, but the years are short.

8. Progress is worth celebrating, no matter how big or small.

9. Your child’s IEP is not meant to for them to keep up with all the other children, it’s meant to meet their unique needs.

10. Nobody else is going to advocate for your needs or the needs of your child like you can mama.

11. Asking for help shows great strength, it is not a sign of weakness.

12. Your child has an entire team of specially designed support personnel at school, don’t try to take all of that responsibility on yourself if they need to quarantine at home. It’s not realistic mama, for anyone.

13. They know you are doing the best that you can, and they’re thankful you’re their parent.

14. It’s completely ok to take days off.

15. Bad days are completely normal for you, and your child.

16. Inclusion is more than your child attending “specials” with their peers at school.

17. An escalated adult can not de-escalate a child. Finding tools to remain safe and neutral are crucial for the adult.

18. Saying I need a break, I need more support does NOT mean you’re saying you love your child any less. In fact it means the exact opposite. Asking for help to be better for them proves how much you love them.

19. Teaching our children skills for independence is not something we need to save for transition age (14+), these skills should be looked at as early as possible.

20. Parenting a child with autism is forever, that’s heavy and planning for forever is a lot to think about. It’s ok if you’re not ready right after diagnosis, take time to get there.

21. You are doing an amazing job, even when you don’t think so. We need to give ourselves grace, because nobody is judging us as harshly as we judge ourselves.