Seeing the Beauty in Autism

By Darcel White, The Mahogany Way

Beauty may not be a word people use when talking about Autism.
Living with a child on the spectrum can be challenging at times.
Our lives are like the best roller coaster, full of hills and twists and turns, excitement one minute and terrified the next.

Finding and seeing the beauty in autism can be hard when your life consists of various therapies, your child only eats four things, doesn’t go to sleep until 2am, or wakes at 3am every.single.night. You’re sleep deprived, you’re doing your part for autism awareness, you’re researching, educating family, friends, and sometimes strangers. Maybe you have a child who hasn’t potty trained yet, a child who is non verbal, or a child with severe learning disabilities.

Maybe you’re dreading the next IEP meeting, or you might be that one parent who is up at your child’s school every single day acting as his aid because the school continues to tell you it’s not in the budget to provide that service to your child.

Maybe you’re thinking about homeschooling your child but feel overwhelmed by all the what ifs.

Maybe you get frustrated at times because your child has a hard time with daily living tasks but can name every type of dinosaur or bug to ever roam the earth.

I know this is some of the hardest work you’ve ever done, and never in a million years did you expect to be the parent of an autistic child. You’ve been subjected to article after article about what causes autism and you have well meaning friends offering the use of essential oils to cure your child of autism. You’ve dealt with ignorant comments such as She doesn’t look like she has autism, and you’re over all of it.

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The beauty is in how you’ve come to see the world through your child’s eyes.

There’s beauty in the way you love and accept your child for exactly who he is.

The beauty is in meeting your child where she is.

The beauty is in your strength and courage. This parenting journey is not for the weak.

There’s beauty in the way you show up for your child every single day. The words ‘give up’ are not a part of your vocabulary.

There’s beauty in the way you advocate for your child, and your passion for helping others on the same journey.

There’s beauty in the way you remain this unmovable rock for your child.

There’s beauty in the your unshakable faith in your child.

The beauty is in the way your child’s eye light up when you come home with a new bug book.

The beauty is in the moments you spend with your child at 3am while the rest of the house sleeps.

The beauty is in how you celebrate meeting the small goals as much as the big goals.

Can you see the beauty in how autism has changed all of our lives for the better?
We were gifted these amazing, precious children to look after. These smart, courageous children, born with all their quirks and amazing talents and gifts.

What beauty do you see in Autism?

*Darcel is a Single Mama to Three. She writes about her Motherhood journey, their Unschooling lifestyle, knitting projects, and raising a child with Autism at The Mahogany Way.