Real-life stories written by people affected by autism (mom, dad, grandparent, sibling) or someone who is on the spectrum sharing personal accounts, happy moments, fears, etc.
Hello, I’m Karla and my partner is John. We’re the parents of Johnson Harris-Herbert, aka ‘bouba’, aged 12, Kale Harris-Herbert, aka ‘woo’, aged 10, and our little girl Indiana Harris-Herbert, aka ‘boo-lash’, aged six. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Kale who has asperger’s got together a pop band with his younger sister and older brother, turning
in Personal Narrative by Karla Herbert
I casually sip my tea while lying on the couch in this great new wrap my mom got me for Christmas. I’m reading a book I love and contentedly snacking on leftover holiday cookies in my quiet house. Justin, my 16-year-old with severe autism, is upstairs on the computer driving around Monmouth County on the
in Personal Narrative by Kimberlee Rutan McCafferty
Punch cornflour, and you’ll bruise yourself. If you jump on it, it’ll take your weight. Stand still, and you sink. Run your fingers through it gently, it wraps around you like liquid. Like my cornflour boy, the more force you apply, the more resistance you meet. To find its softness and fluidity, move slowly, go
in Personal Narrative by Daniel Morrison
When a child is diagnosed with autism, parents often feel a wide range of emotions from relief to despair and everything in between. These are all normal. Learning your child will struggle his/her entire life to do things most people take for granted is not only frightening, but heartbreaking. As parents, we want to see
in Personal Narrative by Eileen Lamb
I am not just a mom; I am an autism mom. Of my three children, two of them have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One of them also has a mild intellectual disability. All my children are adults now, but my two with ASD continue to live with me. My life experiences have thus led me
in Personal Narrative by Michelle Mann, MPsych
How many locks can one household hold? The answer for my household would take too many fingers and toes! I can say now after spending years working with locks of all sorts that I used to underestimate a lock’s ability. I would look at the basic use of a lock and my mind would stop
in Personal Narrative by Kristina Walsh, BHR
Suppose there are two women, one named Sally and one named Anne. Sally puts a rock in a basket of hers and goes off somewhere else, leaving the basket. While she’s gone, Anne opens her basket, takes the rock out and puts it in her own box. In this presentation, it’s very clear Sally did
in Personal Narrative by Ryan Larson, BChE
Raising a child on the spectrum is not easy. It comes with higher demands of care and time than other children. Believe me, I know! I have four children ranging in ages from eight to 17. My youngest daughter has PDD, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a moderate form of Autism. She is higher functioning and very
in Personal Narrative by Carol Tatom, RBT
Bravery is one of the most powerful qualities you can instill in your child with autism. The moment you hear that your child has autism, you want to be brave, and you want your child to be brave enough to power through obstacles, too. Developing bravery in your child with autism is easier said than
in Personal Narrative by Louis Scarantino
A parent’s love is a special love. It is not about approval or accomplishment. It is about unconditional support and concern. It’s a love born in joy, nurtured during adversity and reconfirmed on a daily and hourly basis. It’s a love bound up in anxiety and expectation. Often worry and concern can creep in as
in Personal Narrative by Steven Josias, JD
It seems that we as parents of complex children are judged at every turn. But there is no judgment more supreme or detrimental as a letter from Children and Youth Services—a letter detailing you are under investigation by the government because someone in the world, as an outsider looking in, has viewed your parenting in
in Personal Narrative by Janele Hoerner
Netflix released Season Two of Atypical in September 2018, and soon there will be Season Three. I really hope this TV series will continue for many more seasons. I have been following it since the first season and I believe that there are social dimensions that should not be absorbed by the comical element of
in Personal Narrative by Maria Karvouni
All parents schedule their kid’s departure from their home to be around the age of 18 years. I often joke that my twins have an 18-year contract in my house and then they get the boot. So it is hard to put into words how that deadline got moved up by 12 years for my
in Personal Narrative by Tiara Mays, MBA
Girls With Autism Flying Under the Radar proclaims one headline. For many years, it’s been accepted the wisdom that there’s an approximately 4:1 ratio of autistic men to autistic women. Recently, self-advocates, scientists, and clinicians have challenged this long-accepted ratio. They claim autism presents differently in girls. As a male on the autism spectrum, I
in Personal Narrative by Jonathan Mitchell
Friday night was pizza night. This tradition began when Dylan was in middle school and the increased social pressures and new academic pressures conspired to totally “unglue” him. By Friday, he was an exhausted wreck, and frankly, so was I. Middle school is difficult for most children. It was close to unbearable for Dylan. It
in Personal Narrative by Polly Godwin Emmons
There is a steady slowdown of cars in front of us on our way to a swim meet. My son, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at an early age, starts to show his agitation. Anxiety violently announces itself in the form of rapid-fire questions. “Why are we stopping?” “How long is this
in Personal Narrative by Gail Morton, MLIS
Growing up, I always knew he was different, different from other people around us. But I still could never understand why, why him? When we went out in public, people would just stare at us for such long periods of time it was almost uncomfortable—it was as though they were judging us and him just
in Personal Narrative by Holly Reynolds
Obsession and repetition are run-of-the-mill when you are raising a child on the spectrum, so is finding the hilarity through the days which prove to be most stressful. Laugher really is my best medicine. Our son Ryder was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when he was three years old. He currently obsesses over a
in Personal Narrative by Jessica Honc
In my experience, people with autism always have things that are priorities to them. Priorities can mean many different things. It could be a highly specific topic of conversation they wish to discuss, a tangible item that is particularly important to them, or maybe it’s an activity they wish to engage in without interruption. People
in Personal Narrative by Emily Beth Scheinert
As a parent of a child diagnosed with autism, I had to adjust to my son’s interests and not my own. It took a lot of practice and patience. Put yourself in your child’s shoes. Imagine a world where everything is chronically overwhelming to all five of your senses. I always say, “My son is
in Personal Narrative by Tasha Wooten
Blessings? Most people would not use that word when they think of autism. I probably wouldn’t have either until I had a child on the spectrum, but it is true. When my daughter was a toddler, I was always so impressed by how smart she was. She could line things up by colors and shapes
in Personal Narrative by Taryn Plendl
Warrior moms. We’ve always been there. Fighting for our kids. Protecting them. Providing for them. Defending their rights. Especially mothers like us: mothers of children with special needs. We are the voice for our children who have no voice of their own. We will fight for them. With all our strength. For as long as
in Personal Narrative by Emily Davidson
As a parent of a child diagnosed on the autism spectrum, I can certainly relate to those instant pangs of fear one immediately begins to digest when the word “autistic” is thrown at you. Will he ever be able to hold down a job? Will he ever be able to find his soul mate and
in Personal Narrative by Mara Fineshriber, BSBA
Aaron was not happy. Wednesday night was youth activity night, and since Leia was away at an all-girls camping trip, it was just him. The boys were meeting at Nate’s house for a pool party which meant being shirtless. Worse, his parents had decided they were going to walk there. Aaron didn’t mind walking, and
in Personal Narrative by Jay Gowen
It was the fall of 2016. Our dew covered lawn provided safe harbor for a few of the bubbles that had landed rather gently. Beginning to realize my son’s condition, I watched as he stopped popping the bubbles, and gently squatted alongside to gaze within the sparkling spheres. At about 16 months, he lost his
in Personal Narrative by Jana Tams
This letter is addressed to anyone who loves a person on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or wants a better understanding. Eight doctors, blood work, and a brain scan later, no one could clearly explain autism or tell us why it happened to our son. Our hope is that this letter helps to lift fears,
in Personal Narrative by Johanna Taylor
No two children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are the same, nor do they have the same experiences. Just because one child with autism breaks a pen or tears up a workbook when he/she is anxious at school, doesn’t mean that every child on the spectrum reacts in the same way in an environment that
in Personal Narrative by Sarah Hawkins
When Ewa Omahen met a woman at work who was in a state of despair over her son’s disabilities, she chose to reach out. As a mother of a 15-year-old son with autism, Ewa well understood the challenges that go hand-in-hand with raising children with special needs. Take a look at the touching letter Ewa wrote encouraging
in Personal Narrative by Ewa Omahen, PhD
Growing up in a fairly strict and conservative first-generation Korean home in the United States, we were taught we shouldn’t discuss any of our issues outside the home. We are a culture that feels we must suffer in silence, for it is disgraceful to be so open about our challenges in public. Unfortunately, this is the mindset of the
in Personal Narrative by Sunny Jang
My son, Colin, blows me away every day. He is 28 years old and was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at a young age—back when the relatively unknown syndrome was still stuck in a cul-de-sac of uncertainty. Now, Asperger’s syndrome is everywhere—in mainstream TV, movies, comic books, and scores of blogs and websites. We spent Colin’s
in Personal Narrative by Donald Cohen
“We are all stories in the end. Just make it a good one.” – Doctor Who, BBC Network One evening, all snuggled up and ready for bed, my daughter Daphne and I were channel-surfing and landed on the BBC network. The “Blink” episode of Doctor Who, starring David Tennant as the Doctor, was showing. We were
in Personal Narrative by Jackie Nelson
Alan Turing: The man who cracked the ‘unbreakable’ German Enigma Code in World War II. A gay man convicted of homosexuality in the dark days when it was a crime, but posthumously pardoned by Her Majesty the Queen in 2013. Until recently, that was about the sum of my knowledge of this brilliant man, but
in Personal Narrative by Jane Carver
When I think about why I like to help others, I really cannot think of a single defining moment when it all started. It just happened. I really love to volunteer my time to help others, or just teach people new things. It makes me feel good about myself and is meant to make someone
in Personal Narrative by Nick Turziano
The clock ticks. It’s too hot. Everything is too warm. Sweat clings to your skin like a parasite, drenching your clothes and sticking your hair to your forehead. Your breath comes in short, sharp pants, chest heaving violently. Tears gather in your eyes and fall at an uncontrollable rate, streaming down your face without your
in Personal Narrative by Rebekah Price
There are a lot of articles floating around the Internet written by mothers raising an autistic child or two. Some pieces are beautiful and full of joy, others, unfortunately, are heart wrenching and very sad. I wanted to share a father’s view — how I felt when I realized my only child, a son, was
in Personal Narrative by Mark Peterson
My new granddaughter is now six months old. She does not do much except eat and sleep. She is just starting to sit up and may soon begin to crawl. We can play a little peek-a-boo and a few other early infant games. What can we do for fun to get to know each other?
in Personal Narrative by Steven Josias, JD
Recently I was searching the house for something. We have no storage space so “storage” is pretty much anywhere I can stuff something and finding “said something” later often proves to be an all day event. I never did find what I was looking for but I did come across DC’s Journal from way back in
in Personal Narrative by Vickie C.
My daughter is beautiful. I look at my baby girl and she takes my breath away. It has nothing to do with her blonde hair or her sparkling blue eyes, though they’re a nice touch. What makes my daughter beautiful is her smile. For the longest time, I couldn’t define exactly why this was the
in Personal Narrative by Emily Davidson
Amber is a beautiful young girl whose life is in constant turmoil and yet, to the outside world, she maintains a healthy outlook on what she has been given. Even at the age of eight she realizes that she will never have most of the advantages bestowed on other children and this sense of loss
in Personal Narrative by Donald P. Sweeney
As a parent, one of the hardest things you’ll have to do is watch your child struggle. At the age of five, our son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. When he turned nine, at an attempt to have a “typical “birthday party, we invited 10 kids to come scuba diving. It was something most kids
in Personal Narrative by Alice Kay
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