“I put SO much energy into getting rid of this ‘horrible disorder.’ As her mom, I needed to fix her.’: Mom of Autistic daughter fights for acceptance

“I will never forget the day Remy got her autism diagnosis. I was scared. I was worried. I was trying to picture what kind of adult she would become having autism.

I was wondering what tactics I could use to get rid of  ‘the autism.’ Should I put her on a strict diet? Should I put her in therapy for 60 hours a week? That would surely do it, right?

I remember putting so much of my energy into getting rid of this horrible disorder, I didn’t realize I was putting my energy into the wrong thing.

I thought Remy was broken. I felt as her mom, I needed to fix her. But all the while, Remy was teaching me a perspective I wasn’t able to see before.

She taught me just because she has autism, doesn’t mean her purpose is any less than anyone else’s.

She has shown me autism is a language. It’s a different operating system. If you have been using PCs your whole life and someone gives you a MAC, sure you can try and program that MAC to be a PC, but it functions much better as a MAC.

But in a world of PCs, it’s also crucial a MAC can work with other programs. So, where I once thought I needed to change herso she would be more normal, I now realize it’s me who needs to adapt. In understanding her operating system better, I can help her learn ours much more effectively, too.

This little girl has changed my life. Autism, epilepsy, and all. For someone who has a long list of things she can’t do, the list of things she can has much more of an impact in this world.

People with autism go through a lot, but they are not broken. The quicker we learn that, the faster we can see the gift for what it is.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Jody. You can follow her journey on Instagram. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

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