This will be our second year participating in the Autism Speaks Walk and one year since we have received Mia’s Autism diagnosis. In that year Mia has completed countless hours of ABA, Speech, Occupational, and Physical therapy. Our baby is working so hard and is making amazing progress, but we know that putting in the extra work won’t stop for her here. In that one year, Joe and I have also put in countless hours of researching, asking questions, going to appointments, and attending parent training meetings. Our family acknowledges the difficulty of this path, yet we have discovered moments of happiness throughout the journey.

Reflecting on the last year, I see that the answers to our questions and the support I received primarily came from other parents of children with Autism. Many of these parents are people whom I have never met personally but feel the need to help others that are in the shoes that they have once been in because they know that sometimes it feels like there is no where else to turn. While it warms my heart to know that this community exists, I also find it very frustrating that we must turn to each other instead of being given access to the information or resources we need with ease. We wait months or sometimes years for appointments and we are constantly given outdated or incorrect medical advice from our doctors or our children are just being completely misunderstood.

We will be walking with Autism Speaks to raise awareness, promote education, and increase access to resources for parents of children with Autism.

Thank you for any and all donations. We hope to see you at the Autism Speaks Walk on September 21st! 

 “Instead of trying to change how a person with autism reacts to us, we need to pay close attention to how we react to the person.”