Autism and Hope

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It's crazy that I've had this new site for almost a year and still haven't managed to get old posts moved. I'm working on it so don't be confused if you see Christmas posts or other things that seem odd. Autism, you know? And life in general.

Last week, we were so lucky to be able to take another long trip to the Smoky Mountains with my parents, Mandy, Cory and Rosie. For ten amazing days, we did nothing but fun stuff with lots of sitting on the back deck of our cabin tossed in.

Trips like this were something I had never believed would ever happen. Casey and Rob's different needs made travel seem impossible and scary. I was terrified they would dart away from me when I had no one around to help me find them. (I knew they wouldn't respond to strangers.)

A few years ago, we started taking vacations and it's been wonderful.

Autism is definately always with us and we adjust what we need to make sure Casey and Rob are safe and that they get to do everything they want to do while in the mountains. Casey wants to go somewhere every day - she doesn't care where. She just wants to go wherever anyone else is going.

Rob is not that way. It's funny - once he discovered his "cave" in the lower level of the cabin, he was in heaven. It was dark and quiet - just what he needs. (Tho, he was disappointed I couldn't find football on his TV every night! He only watches football when we travel - no idea why!)

He spent hours in the hot tub every evening. Casey always got in, but didn't sit for long. She wanted her bath and to sit on the deck in the glider chair.

We went to stores early. We ate lunch early, before anything got crowded. We had their headphones with us. And we split up often so Rob could stay in his safe place while Casey explored places with us. I made sure Rob went everywhere he said he wanted to - rivers, waterfalls, the Ferris Wheel, the fountain show, the aquarium. When we were doing something different, I always asked if he wanted to try. Sometimes he did - sometimes, he didn't. And that's ok.

We bought foods we knew they would eat and I kept them on their same bedtime routine. Autism was always part of the day - adaption was always there, too. A few times, Rob and I went to the car while everyone else finished looking. He was done and getting anxious. I'm so thankful to be able to read him (most of the time!) and take him out of places that make him uncomfortable.

Our journey with autism hasn't always been smooth and there are still days that I feel like autism is kicking my butt.

But look at us now! From barely being able to leave the house some days to traveling and having the best time with family.

This is why I always tell parents to never give up! Never lose hope. Your story won't be exactly like ours, of course, but everyone needs hope. And faith. Keep reaching for your dreams!