The Autism Mom and Motherless Daughter

Family.  It's what it's all about, is it not? The love, the trust, the respect, the support.  I love my family. The one I was born into and the one I've created.  But it's not always roses with the one you're born into. I've also been a secret writer.  Technology has given many a voice to reach more people than just the pages of your secret notebook.  It's a gift used by many to heal and to express your feelings. And it is exactly what I and many other bloggers do. I have to be honest, I almost took this blog down as well as my FB page I created for DJ.  Its creation has begun a rift in my family. But then I took a step back and thought about it. What's more important, what you're born into or your creations.  The ladder, of course. I write so that one day DJ and the girls will know that I've always thought of them.  It's not something to bring attention to myself.  It is to bring attention to an issue that affects so many families. ...

About a couple of weeks ago, I went to a speech workshop at DJ's school.  The purpose was to help parents get ideas on how to stimulate speech in the home through everyday tasks and play.  I have to admit, I've been feeling defeated because all that I do is not working.  I also think the workshop made me feel worse. There was a  parent in the audience that was a speech therapist. She's been one for 11 years and similar to me, her son is non-verbal.  She spoke of her difficulties of communicating with her son, of knowing if his needs are being met.  And I thought that if she felt that way, a pro in the field, how am I supposed to feel empowered?  If my 10 plus years in the field of working with children and families were not experience enough for me to get it together.  I cried as she spoke because I haven't met a parent in my same moment, with a non-verbal child.  It's hard to know if you're doing right by them.  A parent works so...