The Cure Debate

I was listening to the news and they were discussing how a cure needs to be found for Autism.  I posted a question on my Facebook page and several opinions were posted one way or the other and I got to thinkin.

I feel that the opinion of the parent is often correlated with the level of functioning their loved one has or doesn't have.  Parents with non-verbal low functioning children are desperate to hear their kids voice and seem to often have a very different opinion than a parent whose child is verbal high-functioning and maybe even in a mainstream classroom.  Picturing how any of these parents feel and their opinions on a cure seem easy for me to understand, I can totally see both sides.

I have 3 kids diagnosed with Autism and our 4th being evaluated in June.  They are all different and have their own sensory issues, challenges and strengths.  So, obviously I have many feelings about Autism that are both positive and negative.

In discussing curing, people quickly say that if a parent loves their kiddo unconditionally than why would they want to change them. 

Let's be honest...we all love our kids unconditionally and we are all walking on a road that we didn't expect.

Yes, Autism has made me a better person.  It has made me see the world and life in a totally different way.  This is NOT about ME.  At all.  Being a mother and a parent has also done these things for me.  How I feel about Autism and the cure debate is NOT about ME.

I don't want to change my children for who they are.  But, if the Autism was taken away then they would be able to do more kid stuff without the issues they have. 

Ask me, their Mommy, if I would take hurdles away so they could be a happier kids and I would say YES...but I don't want to change THEM. 

My one son is lower functioning than the others.  There is a smart and funny kid in there that we don't see as much as we should because everything is so clouded over by Autism.  It's frustrating for him and us.  I even feel differently about his Autism than I do the Autism that my other kids have.

Would I take away sensory, anxiety and social issues or anything else to help them?
All day long the answer is YES.

Go ahead, hate me, unlike my page and think I'm a horrible person.  You won't be the first or the last.

I try to always be positive about Autism. It can be amazing.  But, I can't sugarcoat it. 

My family is Autism.  We are not sports games and dance lessons. 
We are Speech Therapy and OT.  We are doctor appointments and IEP meetings.

I love my kids.  Our family isn't the typical family next door and that's fine with me.  But, as a parents I want what is best for my kids and want them to be happy.  Autism prevents them from being happy a lot.

Do I think there will be a cure?  No, I don't.  And truthfully, if something was to come out, I wouldn't do it because I would be too scared to hurt, change or somehow lose them.  I do think someday there may be a way to prevent others from having Autism. 

Our kids are our kids.  We will keep doing all the therapy we can to help them.  We will keep advocating for them.  We will keep working to spread Autism Awareness. 

Most importantly, we will continue to love our Autism Family Circus.