There’s always so much stigma around autism and how to communicate with someone who can’t communicate verbally. Having toddlers is hard enough without adding OCD, sensory processing disorder; and then not being able to communicate with them, It’s a whole other ball game.
Then there’s that one moment when it all changes; it doesn’t become a challenge, it becomes a learning experience. It doesn’t become daunting, it becomes inspiring!. Every day my child teaches me patience and kindness. I have learned so much more from this 4-year-old boy than I ever did in my years of school and university.
I didn’t need to teach him how to communicate with me; I learned to communicate with him.
We have conversations just like all moms do with their kids. We play together for hours on end. He tells me he loves me. He has learned simple sign language signs to say ‘please’, ‘thank you’, ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’, and I’m pretty sure he flips me off every now and then too, lol.
These are all things I’ve learned too.
I’m glad I was chosen to be his mom. I embrace his autism and I long to educate the world on just how amazing and smart children and adults with Autism are, and how much there is to learn from the autistic community. I want to encourage parents of non-verbal autistic children that they aren’t alone and it does get easier.
My journey has been amazing this far and cannot wait to see what the future holds for myself and my little human. #iloveyou3000 Blake.
Author: Andrea Hoffman
