I am the mother of three amazing children. I have two boys who are on the Autism spectrum and a daughter who has Oppositional Defiance Disorder (O.D.D). I also worked with children with special needs and disabilities for almost twenty years. With that, I have been told my perspective is a little different than others, with my experience coming from both a parent’s side and direct support staff.
I started working with children with disabilities a few years before having children of my own. In which I feel gave me an advantage over some parents. I already would know what to watch for Early intervention, some of the learning programs, some of the technics and redirection methods used at the time to address the different behaviors. Even with the experience from working with children on the spectrum and other disabilities, I will say nothing prepares a parent to learn your child has a disability.
On a different note, I will say from my experience as not only a parent but a staff member, things have changed a lot from when I first started working with children with disabilities to present day. Sometimes I feel some people don’t realize how far things have come in the last twenty years.
I hope that maybe my stories and experiences will help another. I try to always see both sides of things and keep an open mind. In my home, we always have music playing. It is, as I call it, our balance keeper. So, as you read my blog, turn on your favorite playlist. Maybe a song will come on that will lift your spirit, make you cry, or even make you angry, but only if you listen to one to have you smile again. In which you may feel the same, as some of my experiences have made me feel, going over this rainbow, as I call it, of Autism. For there is always a rainbow after the storm.