“Worry,” “fear,” “chaos,” “exhaustion,” “hope,” “love.” These are some of the many words parents of kids with autism spectrum disorder use to describe their reality. In honor of Autism Awareness Month, we asked the HuffPost Parents Facebook community to share what autism looks like in their families. While no two stories are identical, these parents wish for what everyone wants for their children: acceptance and joy. Keep scrolling to see what autism looks like and read what it means for nearly 50 different families. ANA ZAMBRANA "This is what autism looks like in our home. This is Lucas, and he's 7. He was diagnosed in December 2016. He's considered high-functioning autistic. We took this photo to share his diagnosis with family and friends...
Several years ago, during one of our holiday trips, we went shopping at Downtown Disney. For those who are not familiar, Downtown Disney is an open mall, filled with shops and restaurants. The stores were very crowded with vacationers and locals enjoying the holiday decorations. Mike, as always, was walking in front of me. I typically walk behind Mike. I am able to guide him through crowds verbally and redirect him, as needed. Also, he tends to walks at an extremely fast pace, whenever I get ahead of him, he speeds up to pass me. As we were walking through one of the stores, Mike spotted a young man standing in line to check out of the store. The man...
Who doesn’t adore a hot summer’s day? One in which the blue skies seem to roll on forever, clouds are only fair-weather ones and the sun literally beats down from early in the morning until late at night. Perfect times to spend with your loved ones and create happy memories that last forever. I don’t deny that there is something so unutterably beautiful about such times. When the sun shines, everyone is in a happier place; everything looks brighter, cleaner and feels more upbeat. For me, as someone with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it’s a blessing and a curse. Sunlight — in fact, daylight in general — can often irritate me to the point of blinding headache unless I’m well prepared and have my...
There are lots of frightening rumors about what causes autism, a mysterious brain disorder, in children. We asked leading experts across the country to get you answers. By Jan Sheehan Nancy Wiseman had a feeling early on that something wasn't quite right with her daughter. When Sarah was 6 months old, she stopped babbling, and by 10 months, she was silent. By 18 months, the increasingly aloof toddler no longer responded to her name, and she resisted being held, kissed, or touched. "I felt that I was losing my child a little more each day," says Wiseman, of Merrimac, Massachusetts. When Sarah wasn't saying any words or even making sounds that resembled words by 20 months, her grandmother, a school psychologist, suspected...
