The Stories We Share

We are just a few weeks away from celebrating the 6th anniversary Henry’s autism diagnosis.  We celebrate now, but back then it was a different story.

Six years ago, I was nervous and confused.  I can admit it now, but I knew nothing about autism before his diagnosis. It’s hard to believe because autism is now my life and my work. 

But yes, at that point, I knew nothing more about it besides a few characters in TV and movies.

Henry had a lot of the textbook signs back then: no eye contact, wouldn’t answer to his name and became nonverbal.  I was confused because he was such a loving, happy boy and always came to us for hugs.

What I had understood about autism back then was that most people are cold and don’t want to be touched or social.  I know now that that is just one aspect of it.

Henry also flapped his hands when he got excited. I thought that was so cute; I still do.  I didn’t know it was also a sign.

I wish I had seen stories of other kids on the spectrum.

It’s called a spectrum for a reason.  If you have met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.  Every story is different, every child is different, and every adult is different; but they all walk similar paths.

As a documentary filmmaker, I searched for autism documentaries in the months leading to Henry’s diagnosis.  All I could find was interviews from parents years later; not what happened right when the diagnoses happened.

And what I had even more difficulty finding was how to navigate the beginning of the journey.

So the day before Henry’s diagnosis, I put the camera on myself and talked about how I was feeling and what it meant for my family getting a diagnosis.  I interviewed myself later that week and probably ten more times throughout the first year.

About six months post diagnosis I decided I was ready to meet more families and make new friends who understood. The moms I met were amazing and we were all new to the autism world; helping each other along the way. 

All our kids were different but also had many similarities.

I knew then that I needed to share the stories of others on this journey not just Henry’s story.  I found five other families in the Phoenix area and three families in Massachusetts to connect with.

We’ve been filming the kids for over five years now; filming updates every six months.

The series is called “Across the Spectrum” because I wanted to stress that autism is not the same in each person.  We have a wide variety of kids in our group. 

Each child is unique and show us their own amazing personalities when we come to film them.

I film and share these stories to show parents that autism is not a bad thing. 

If you think your child is having any delays then you need to get your child evaluated as quickly as possible. 

Early intervention is SO important; the sooner you know the sooner your child can get the therapies and help they need.

I film and share these stories so struggling parents know they aren’t alone; that there are others going through the same thing.

I film and share these stories so people who don’t have autism in their life, can get educated and maybe next time they witness a child having a meltdown at the store, they don’t immediately jump to assuming its just a “spoiled” child.

I film and share stories because maybe there is a parent out there that is confused like I was about their child.  Maybe they will see one of the children and think… my child is just like them.

I’ve learned a lot in the last six years.

I’ve grown as a mother.

Henry has taught me that love needs no words.

We celebrate everything in our house.

No step is too small.

 We hope you follow us. 

We would love to hear your story too.

Written by, Rachel Wege Lack

Rachel Lack is a filmmaker and mother to an eight year old autistic boy. She has been filming nine autistic kids in Arizona and Massachusetts for the last 5 years. She is filming these kids all the way to adulthood. The documentary series is called Across the Spectrum. You can follow them all on Facebook at Across the Spectrum: The Doc, Instagram instagram.com/purlingplace and our YouTube channel  https://www.youtube.com/user/1PurlingPlace

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Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.