If you haven't gone through it...

It's really hard when you first mention to someone that your child is autistic (stranger, friend, or family) how to explain to them what its like.

Most people, mostly at work, go "Oh! I'm SOOOO sorry!" That bothers me a little, although, it's what I would have said a year ago. I've responded, "It's not that bad, he's on the high-functioning end of the spectrum." But, it is hard to deal with everything and even harder to give others an idea about what we go through.

I wanted to share a poem that I found on AutismSpeaks.org, which itself is a WONDERFUL site to start your information gathering. I found this over a week ago and still cannot read it without tearing up.

Perspective - A Poem for Jaren
by Barbara Spires

When you walked on your tippy toes
at the age of 11 months
We called you Skillful

When you playfully flapped your arms
at the age of one
We called you Adorable

When you methodically piled up the laundered clothes
at the age of 15 months
We called you Eccentric

When you memorized every alphabet, number and color
at the age of 18 months
We called you a Genius

When you climbed the tallest furniture piece
at the age of two
We called you Fearless

When we told them all that you can do
at the age of two
They called you Autistic

And as you keep challenging yourself
to reach out to us
at the age of three
We choose to call you...Awesome

If you really want to get a feeling for the ups and downs that parents of autistic children go through on a daily basis, please view Autism Every Day. The first time I viewed this 13-minute video, I cried because I finally didn't feel like I was the only one going through this. There's a longer version that was played at the Sundance Film Festival and I'm very excited to see it.