Today, I would like to talk about something that is extremely important that I have learned as an autism parent. It has changed everything about the way I respond to certain behavior, and made both my life and my son’s so much easier. That lesson I have learned is this- that it is absolutely essential to figure out what is causing a behavior before jumping to the conclusion that it needs to be punished. What we as adults view as difficult behavior is often a child’s response to overwhelming emotions and overwhelming stimuli. For so many years, when Elijah was not yet diagnosed, I tried to punish him for things that were simply a reaction to overstimulation or inability to express emotions. I had no idea that what I was doing was actually perpetuating the problem. Yet, I always wondered why it didn’t work. Now, it has become clear to me, and I am ashamed of myself for the ways I handled his behavior when I didn’t know. You can punish someone over and over again for the ...
This is a place where I share my thoughts, feelings, and experiences about being a parent to a child with Autism and ADHD, and our journey through trying to parent him. I want to be real and honest about the worst days, and share the joy of the best days. I hope that others with similar experiences can find a sense of comfort in knowing they are not alone, and that they can laugh and cry as they read about our relatable experiences.