“‘Sit down. I don’t know when you’re going home, STOP asking.’ They were admitting me because I wasn’t getting along with my mom.”
‘STRIP. You HAVE to wear these scrubs.’ I was being watched while I removed my underwear.’: Teen suffers abuse at psychiatric ER visits, ‘I’m not just a number in the system’
The Day I Was Diagnosed As Autistic Was The Day I Became ‘Normal’
“’You know, he is very ADHD.’ What I found blew open my world. I saw my son, but more so, I saw myself.”
10 Things To Know When We Say Our Child Has Autism
“It does not mean our child is dying.”
‘I’ve NEVER regretted following my mama gut. I fight for him when others give up.’: Mom to Autistic son says ‘it’s a privilege to be a voice for him’
“If I didn’t advocate for him, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
‘We need to DO something!’ SO many people were going to be in trouble.’: Woman creates food pantry to help community
“No one should have to struggle for food. Food is a necessity, not a privilege.”
‘He’ll grow out of it,’ they’d say. I didn’t. I spent YEARS masking myself to fit who I thought I needed to be. I learned to celebrate my differences.’: LGBTQ man waiting for autism diagnosis, ‘I was BORN this way’
“I began to only stim in the privacy of my bedroom or the bathroom and treated it like a dirty secret I’d hopefully grow out of, along with my attraction to boys and all things deemed feminine.“
‘His teacher handed me a whiteboard covered in symbols. ‘He’s writing in Japanese.’ We were mind-blown.’: Mom describes son’s autism journey, ‘He’s different, not less’
“Our 2-year-old, who was unable to communicate his needs, began to read anything we wrote. Words, names, sentences. It was truly amazing!”
‘The text came at 12 p.m. ‘All schools will close at 2:30 p.m. for a minimum of 2 weeks.’ Autism doesn’t allow for change.’: Mom of autistic child says ‘covid-19 could change everything’
“Routine is something we thrive on in our house. It stays the same every day, down to what my little boy eats, the shape his sandwiches are cut into, and the song we sing at bedtime. Routine is the one thing he could control. With that one text message, everything changed for him.”
‘We walked towards the line. John made a beeline for the door. ‘I’m here to help. Follow me!’ Tears filled my eyes.’: Mom ‘in tears’ after touching act of kindness for autistic son
“John is autistic and has a great love for animals. We thought it’d be a fun family outing to go to the Aquarium. It was a mad house. There were long lines, people everywhere. Overwhelmed, John made a beeline for the door. My heart broke. The stares stung. A man asked if I needed help. I explained we wouldn’t be staying due to the circumstances. He reached out to shake my hand. ‘My name is Chris and I’m here to help!’ He told me he had a ‘back way.’ My eyes filled with tears. In all our years, this was a first.”
‘No, not again! I can’t handle another child like this!’ I was angry at people who asked, ‘Are you gonna try again for a ‘normal’ child? I sat in the bathroom, crying.’
‘I was in survivor mode. I wouldn’t let myself feel. I couldn’t be weak; I had to keep going. People asked, ‘When will they grow out of it?’ I remember getting to a point where I thought, ‘This is going to kill me. I need to accept it.'”
