April is Autism Awarenss month but how can I (little me) create awareness

When I say little me, I am speaking physically, mentally and emotionally. The thought of someone under 5 feet tall, emotionally unstable and mentally, well not a PhD candidate. I often wonder, "How do little people make a BIG difference"? History is full of small people making loud noises, huge changes and significant strides into making our world a better place.  

Awareness= knowledge or perception of a situation or fact. 

OK! So.... if all I have to do is have knowledge to bring awareness then even a little person can do that, so my post is about passing on the knowledge I have learned from raising a brilliantly feisty and awesomely stern young women with Aspergers (well now called High Functioning Autism or whatever other diagnosis the current doctors wants to attach to her).

What we tend to focus on most, is ALL the stuff we read and hear about what she can not do or the issues she has to deal with, for example: pick up on social cues, handle change, eccentric behavior, reciprocity, gross motor coordination and controlling emotions. 

When I look at adults and evaluate peoples movement and reactions, I realize that we all have navigated through life figuring out what we are good at, what makes sense, and where we fit in. If we try something that doesn't feel right we tend to move in another direction. We eventually end up as an adult that has leaned into our positive traits and found others that have the same or similar interest. Some times our path is directed because so many people tell us we can't do something or remind us of our failures.  

 

The same is true with any child that struggles in different areas of life, they begin to figure things out and migrate toward the areas that give positive feedback. As a parent, this makes my job a little clearer, I am not trying to force my child to overcome obstacles by trying a little harder, go to more and more therapy to fix something or constantly remind my child of what they can not do.  

My job is to provide a pathway for exploration so they can discover WHO they CAN be.  

Our controlled environment has its daily challenges, like every other parent we have found what works best for her today and welcome changes as needed. Opening our mind to the revolving door that constantly swings with her mood and mustering up all the patience to be damage control task force 24/7.  Giving up the unrealistic dreams that so many times we impose on our kids placing them in a box with boundaries of what we think they should be or do. The would of, should of, could of- syndrome of parenting no-no's. 

Filling in learning gaps with endless options makes a dim future seem bright and exciting and it may be as simple as turning over the confusing picture to find the imprint of the crayon made an abstract masterpiece.  There are two sides of a coin and of a child- the one we choose to see and the one the world sees or maybe even they see in themselves. If we ourselves can not see the other side it will be hard for them to find a path right for them. If we all ended up cheerleaders and quarterbacks the world would be missing the magical sound of the band. 

 Let them all play the sound of their own tune loudly, from the mismatched clothes that don't really fit right or the ear muffs that fade out the sound to help her cope, or the sweet way she hugs not to feel the discomfort of touching. Noticing and enjoying the sparkle in her eyes when the reptile collection adds a new member or a friend announces they love lizards! The very thoughtful notes that take my breath away explaining what she couldn't verbalize. The hat she wears every night to sleep because she says it helps her mind rest.  
The pink sunglasses sometimes see blue, OH how I love BLUE!