We Are All In This Together

Autism is a spectrum disorder.  Kid's are everywhere on the spectrum and figuring out where they are can sometimes be confusing.  I hear a lot of parents fighting back and forth that their kid is worse.  I also hear oh you kid is high functioning so you have no clue.  Well we do have a clue.  As with it being a spectrum the parents and families have a wide range of stuggles they deal with everyday.  Just because someone doesn't have the same stuggles as another does not mean they are struggling.  We need to support each other and not compare and fight over who is worse.

I have heard a few times your son doesn't look like he has Autism.  Or he must have a low level of autism because he is mainstreamed in school.  What does a kid with autism look like?  And where did you get your medical degree?  As for his level in some places he is high functioning and in some he is low functioning.  You cannot look at a kid and see where they are or what their struggles are.  Many of their struggles are not the type you can just look at and see right away. 

I just don't feel that it is anyone's place to tell someone that what they are doing is wrong or oh that doesn't work.  Every kid is different and everyone has different beliefs.  It's been held against me for saying if there was a magic pill to fix it all I'm not sure I would take it.  If it could help him not struggle so much but keep him the same then yes I would but if it would change him into a different person I wouldn't that would not be my child.

I'm one that believes medication is a last resort in our case.  In someone else's case it may be needed and be one of the first options.  Just because you meet one child with autism doesn't mean you know them all.  You know one child with autism one set of struggles, one set of treatments, and one families way of dealing. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is we are all different and hold different thoughts and beliefs.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Whats wrong is when the attacks start just because the other person thinks differently.  Again we are all in this world of autism together.  The bickering, fighting, and personal attacks do not help our children one bit.  If we want answers and support we need to stand together if for nothing else but our children.