Every Day is Autism Awareness Day

Every year, April 1 begins Autism Awareness Month.

April 2nd is Autism Awareness Day, where so many wear blue in support of Autism.

I love April because what it does, it places autism in the news and really gets the dialogue about autism out there where it needs to be.

I personally love the coverage April brings as a mom to a child with autism.

We need to be talking about autism. We need to be changing policies and ensuring these kids get services they need.

We need to discuss aging out. We need to discuss the states that have a ten-year waiting list for waivers.

There are so many conversations society should be having about autism. I just never seem to hear them, especially in April.

I hear a lot about walks and fundraising but I see little that address the direct needs of the families that are really struggling.

The needs of the families that cannot fund the services their kids need.

The needs of the family who have coverage but have to wait up to a year for Applied Behavioral Analyst therapy due to waitlists.

There are so many topics worth bringing to the forefront of Autism Awareness month, however, I rarely see them the way I would expect to see them.

Autism can be a very an isolating world understood by very few. It has taken me five years to really accept that.

I am so grateful for everything autism has taught me. I am also fairly certain Jayden and our family sprinkles Autism Awareness wherever we go because severe autism is hard to hide.

I am can tell from each of our outings that so many are accepting and considerate of autism. But, unfortunately, I can tell you there is a lot of learning that still needs to be done.

I love how the kids circle around Jayden around the park and ask about his speech device. Kids are so observant and often fascinated by Jayden.

He rarely sees to even notice them though, and that kind of stings because I wish he would have friends.

I love how my five-year-old son, Jaxon is a tiny walking autism activist. I wish the world could see Jayden out of the eyes of his brother who loves him so purely.

Unlike many of us, Jaxon has never known a world without autism.

Jaxon hears me on the phone for hours at a time with our insurance company or the State, but he has no idea how each service his brother receives is a battle.

I feel like the rest of the world is oblivious to the fights autism parents gear up for and battle on a daily basis.

Autism is hard work, it is sleepless nights, it is a constant worry, it is never knowing what is coming next, and it exhaustion that most people will never know.

But autism is also the most beautiful part of my day. It has opened my eyes to things I would have never seen without Jayden.

Autism gives us the highest of highs.

Autism has made our family such a strong unit.

Autism gave me a new perspective of the world and I am grateful to for the lessons autism has taught me.

This April when you wear blue, I want to encourage you to look at the legislation in your state and make your voice heard, there are a lot of families are depending on you to do more than just wear blue.

Written by, Kirby Morgan

My name is Kirby and I am the mom to two amazing little boys Jayden who is seven, Jaxon who is four and I have a have one bonus daughter Kayla who is seventeen from my husband’s previous marriage. My son Jayden was diagnosed with Autism at two years and four months old. I was pregnant with Jaxon when I received Jayden’s diagnosis and Jaxon was born four months after Jayden’s diagnosis. You can follow our journey at Beyond Autism Jayden’s Journey.

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