April has come to a close and autism awareness month has ended, for many of us autism awareness does not end in April, it lives on in the homes of every family with a child on the spectrum, with every friend and family member that provides support and with every caring person that works with a child or individual on the spectrum. I have had the honour of working with some amazingly dedicated mom’s and support workers and was lucky to have recently worked with some incredible people in helping to spread some awareness within the schools and communities and to fundraise so that we can continue to provide support and fantastic opportunities for the local families in our area that are affected by autism. The support was overwhelming and the awareness and acceptance that was created I know will be remembered long after awareness month. I can not express my thanks enough to all of those that took the time to help to support a cause near and dear to my heart and to all of those that continue to show such dedication and determination while working with and raising children on the spectrum. I’d like to share some of the amazing awareness that was raised
Autism is just that a spectrum, if you know one child with autism you know one child with autism! Lucky for me I know a lot of children with autism and have had the privilege of watching them grow and develop I have shared in their families excitement when they have mastered a hard to grasp skill and shown joy at all of those little things that other people take for granted. Each child on the spectrum is unique, they all face their own challenges and each one has their own personality and their own set of strengths.
Each family has their own puzzling path to navigate through and though we all travel a different path it is still within the same forest and the terrain is similar and when our paths cross we are able to share our experiences. I am honoured to be able to help other parents to navigate the confusing and often overwhelming process of a diagnosis and raising a child with special needs, to be able to offer support and a safe place for them to go whether that be a shoulder to cry on, a sounding board to vent to or another mom to share concerns or ideas with. I have never met a more dedicated or fierce group of individuals then the autism momma bears that I am privileged to call friends, brought together by a common cause and strong desire to give our children the very best that we can possibly give them.
I am privileged to have worked with some incredibly dedicated individuals that go above and beyond to help out my kids and that have opened their hearts to my family.
I wanted to end Autism awareness month by honouring those moms that work so hard every day to provide the best for their kids, the workers that go above and beyond, the family and friends that are always there, and to the amazing kids that live it every day. You are all rock stars and deserve to be recognized for all of the work that you do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
That’s me for today ending Autism Awareness month with thanks to those that know that autism is so much more than a diagnosis and that continue to live, love and laugh through this incredibly puzzling journey.
J.
