The Isolation of Autism
There were a lot of things I did not know when my daughter was diagnosed with Autism, but what was most surprising to me was the isolation.
Isolation did not happen immediately. It was overtime and yet it seemed to happen overnight.
We went from playdates to therapy and that set us apart.
We were no longer carefree.
We were thrust into a world neither of us knew and it became our new normal.
The playdates faded away and the therapy increased. Our days were no longer ours.
My daughter did not have the luxury of an easy day. She spent her time in therapy which meant I did too and soon the life we had built seemed to come crashing down.
I am the first to admit I made a lot of mistakes.
I watched other kids enjoy playdates at the park or birthday parties and none of those things were possible for us.
My daughter was different and although that shouldn’t matter it did.
Is that why the phone stopped ringing or was it me?
Was my sadness too much?
Did I change that much?
The answer to those questions is yes.
Yes, I did!
But do you know what else I did? I learned who people are. Who they truly are to their core and that was a hard lesson to learn.
As the years go by, we are finding our footing and where we fit into this world.
So much has changed since her diagnosis.
She is thriving, she loves playdates and birthday parties, and she absolutely loves her people.
And if you are lucky enough to be loved by this incredible kid then you are just that lucky!
I still feel the isolation, but it has shifted.
Thank you for writing this.
I saw my “village” literally crumble in a day when all of my family and most of my friends didn’t come to his 6th brithday party, even though I’ve been feeling shut away and isolated for the past year or so. My son’s favorite cousins all went to a Monster Truck show instead, something my son would never be able to handle going to due to it being so loud and overstimulating.
The few people who did show up are worth everything, and I am so grateful to them. I just wish it wasn’t so lonely in the day-to-day, and now I feel I’ve lost some long-term friends over it. But I wouldn’t trade my son in for anybody. He is beyond amazing and sweet, and so loving. I”m very lucky and everyone who actually cares about him came through, and he had a wonderful birthday day and everyone didn’t mind that we had to wrap it up early due to him being overwhelmed.
Anyways I just found this blog and this is the first post I’ve read, so than kyou again. It’s nice not feeling so alone in the loneliness!