Further down the road--

After you have been traveling this journey of Autism for awhile you will realize that the "scenery" will change. What I mean by that is; what you focus on when your child is first born and diagnosed is different from the years you spend banging your head against the wall as you fight with the schools;then you realize that school is about to come to an end and you are faced with another challenge of social acceptance and community involvement not to mention having our kids ready to exist in this world someday without us.

I have spent hours and hours with many parents on several websites and support groups who are all at different places on the "trail". What you find is so many people in so many different situations all with different frames of mind and battles ensuing. So many are on the brink of nervous breakdowns or heart attacks because of the challenges Autism presents. Everywhere you turn it is a struggle. Regional Centers which were created specifically to HELP our kids and would not exist without having to service our kids, schools and school districts always unwilling to accommodate or provide what they should and of course other governmental agencies like IHSS and CDE that always present road block after road block before they succumb to helping you and finally there is the medical profession who should have some basic understanding about Autism but they never cease to amaze me how ignorant they can be----
Don't get me wrong I am not bad mouthing these people but most of them JUST DO NOT GET IT--and they wont or don't take time to learn about out kids before they try to "service" them.

Well this rant is going in a different direction than I intended when I sat down to write ----So I will re-direct and get back on track
My observation is this; as you travel down the path things change and it is so important to not let "a moment in time" to get the best of you-- You have to fight and you have to stand up for what you believe BUT : "This too shall Pass"

I reflect on several situations I beat myself up only to find that a year or 2 down the road what I fought so hard for was not even important anymore. I mean everything in its own way has pertinence but the level of importance has faded with age.

I guess what I am trying to say is that fight for what feels right; never let go of anything you know is important even if it is in the "moment" but don't bust a gut over it, because somewhere further down the road you will recognize that there is a new battle; a new issue; a new horizon to conquer. Try not to focus so keenly on the present and be more accepting of the broader challenges of tommorrow. I think its a much better plan for you and your child.