My oldest was diagnosed with autism over 10 years ago now (you can read her story here). From the day she was born I entered a world that no parenting book could guide me through. Ashlyn is now a teenager and we still have our struggles but she has far surpassed any of the outcomes we were given when she was a toddler. I do not blog about autism as much as I used to. We do not eat, sleep and breath autism anymore. It is part of our life but it does not define our family or my daughter.
If you are at the beginning of your autism journey the best advice I can give is to be your child's best advocate. You as the parent know your child better than any expert ever will.
And have hope.
There is so much more available now than there was when Ashlyn was young and although the unknown may seem scary and you may not have the future you envisioned, things will get better and there is always, always hope for our amazing kids.
I realize that I am among a small minority of autism moms who have girls on the spectrum and so far (some how) we have survived grade school, dentist appointments, hair cuts, middle school and puberty and are working our way through high school so if you are on the same road and have questions or just want to connect please email me at jessb_27@hotmail.com.
I have recently connected with a great group of ladies also blogging under "special circumstances." We are all blogging our way through autism, down syndrome and even cancer. If you would like to be inspired by some amazing ladies visit one of my new friends today...
Dani- I'm just that way
Ginny Marie- Lemon Drop Pie
Tulpen- Bad Words
Melody- My Twisted Stitches
Chris- A Crazy Kind of Faith
Amanda- Life is a Spectrum
Lynn- Autism Army Mom
Jean- Mommy to Two Boys
Julia- Reaching my Limit
Jenny- Oh so very me
Jen- Me and my Boys
Lorie- The Sweet Pea Chronicles
Cheryl- A Little Bit Quirky
Jillian- The Sublime Life
Maya- Musings of a Marfan Mom
Amanda- The Motherhood Umbrella
Erin- Ambundsen House of Chaos
Melissa- The Straarup Family
Zahra- Kabobs and Apple Pie
Tara- 3 Peas in a Pod
Tabitha- The Knitting Journeyman
Oh and here are a few things I have stumbled upon over the years that will always be my "go to" resources...
My favorite links:
Alternate Vaccination Schedule
Houston Enzymes
Talk About Curing Autism
Books I love:
Children with Starving Brains by Jacqueline McCandless
Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Conditions by Karen DeFelice
The Out of Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz
Your Gonna Love this Kid by Paula Kluth
Doctors I would travel for:
Dr. Phillip Demio
Dr. Richard Solomon
