Autism Awareness and The Discussion
So, it's April again. Everywhere I look there is something about Autism. That's not a bad thing. With diagnostic numbers on the rise (again), there's a big push in getting information out there. That is a very good thing, in my opinion. The only way to counter ignorance is with information and education. It matters. It matters a lot. It hits home for me, of course, given that my youngest is on the spectrum. And he's old enough now to start asking questions.
I guess they're doing something about autism at school and he's asking about it. Never one to miss an opportunity (and to make absolutely certain the information came from me and his dad and not an accidental slip of the tongue by a teacher), I used his questions as an opening to explain that he has autism (technically pdd-nos but that it is part of the asd umbrella and yes, I gave him the technical terms of his diagnosis). That it isn't a bad thing or something to be ashamed of. That all it means for him is that he learns a little differently, he wiggles all the time, and sometimes he might need a little help with something that others don't or take a little longer to master a skill (like tying his shoes). That his autism was why we went to speech therapy and occupational therapy (with two of his favorite people ever). I tried to explain that autism is different for everyone - but he's only seven so I'm not sure how much he understands yet. Did I do the right thing having this conversation now rather than in a few years, I don't know. I think I did. For me, I don't ever want him to think of autism as shameful or bad. It's a part of who he is and he is awesome. I feel like, down the road, if he thinks we hid this from him in any way, that would be a whole lot worse than trying to explain it early and often.
I'm glad he is asking me questions, even if some of them are too big for me to answer well. I'm glad we had that conversation yesterday (and this morning, and very likely this afternoon). But, I worry some too. I know that's part of being a mom and the second guessing isn't going to do any of us any good but I can't seem to help it.
Also, we are doing a fundraiser this month with the help of Bob Evans - basically, you take the flyer in when you go out to eat and they give a certain percentage of your total to our local groups. I know we've got all the Bob Evans in West Virginia and some in Ohio so, if you're in those areas, print the flyers and take them with you! http://northernautismcommunitywv.webs.com/
I guess they're doing something about autism at school and he's asking about it. Never one to miss an opportunity (and to make absolutely certain the information came from me and his dad and not an accidental slip of the tongue by a teacher), I used his questions as an opening to explain that he has autism (technically pdd-nos but that it is part of the asd umbrella and yes, I gave him the technical terms of his diagnosis). That it isn't a bad thing or something to be ashamed of. That all it means for him is that he learns a little differently, he wiggles all the time, and sometimes he might need a little help with something that others don't or take a little longer to master a skill (like tying his shoes). That his autism was why we went to speech therapy and occupational therapy (with two of his favorite people ever). I tried to explain that autism is different for everyone - but he's only seven so I'm not sure how much he understands yet. Did I do the right thing having this conversation now rather than in a few years, I don't know. I think I did. For me, I don't ever want him to think of autism as shameful or bad. It's a part of who he is and he is awesome. I feel like, down the road, if he thinks we hid this from him in any way, that would be a whole lot worse than trying to explain it early and often.
I'm glad he is asking me questions, even if some of them are too big for me to answer well. I'm glad we had that conversation yesterday (and this morning, and very likely this afternoon). But, I worry some too. I know that's part of being a mom and the second guessing isn't going to do any of us any good but I can't seem to help it.
Also, we are doing a fundraiser this month with the help of Bob Evans - basically, you take the flyer in when you go out to eat and they give a certain percentage of your total to our local groups. I know we've got all the Bob Evans in West Virginia and some in Ohio so, if you're in those areas, print the flyers and take them with you! http://northernautismcommunitywv.webs.com/