Autism Awareness Month - Day 1

Autism is not a one size fits all diagnosis. In fact, most medical issues are not a one size fits all diagnosis. If I tell you I have a broken bone, what does that tell you? It tells you some bone between my skull and my toes is broken but not which bone, or to what degree. It's a general term. Autism is the same way.

Kids with Autism can't speak.
Except many can.

Kids with Autism have low IQ.
Except many don't.

Kids with Autism rock back and forth in a room.
Except many don't stim that way.

Kids with Autism wear diapers their entire lives.
Except many potty train.

Kids with Autism have one great almost savant like gift.
Except so many don't.

This is why the quote from Dr. Shore is so vital. If you have met one person with Autism, you truly have only met one person with Autism. You need to get to know a person, any person, to find out who they are. The same thing goes with people on the spectrum. They are individuals who live out their Autism in their own unique way with their own unique manner of presenting with their symptoms.

Today is the first day of Autism Awareness month and I will be sharing a lot more about this unpredictable world of Autism our family deals with. We didn't ask for it, but here we are helping our son each and every day. He is a huge blessing to our family, Autism or not. He isn't his Autism. His Autism isn't him. He's our sweet little boy that we love beyond words. We all have struggles in life. This is his.