Autistic Kids Are/Autistic Kids Should by Lisa Quinones-Fontanez

Earlier this week, I read a post promoting an Autism Positivity flash blog carnival to raise awareness regarding autistic adults. Initiated by autistic blogger, Alyssa of “Yes, That Too” after the pro-autistic Facebook page Âû  (Autistic Union) shared disturbing Google search auto options forAutistics are and Autistics should. The carnival welcomes bloggers to share their stories of Autistics are and Autistic should ”[to change] search strings and the search results by way of putting good things out there.”

The post led me to search Autistic Kids Are and Autistic Kids Should and the results were equally disturbing.

Granted, they are not all horrible but it’s still terrifying, heartbreaking, unthinkable. And if I were a mom new to the autism diagnosis and I found this, I’d feel even more scared and alone.

It’s been almost five years since my son Norrin’s autism diagnosis. I’ve met enough autistic children and adults to know that they are stigmatized by people and children who do not understand.

It is time for everyone to understand. 1 in 88 kids are diagnosed with autism. 1 to 1.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder. Autism is the “fastest growing developmental disability.” April may be Autism Awareness month but for me, for parents of autistic kids and for autistic adults – Autism Awareness is every single day.  So I asked some autism parents to share a little something positive about their kids.

Would love your thoughts! Fill in the blanks (in the comments) about your kids.

Autistic kids are _________.

Autistic kids should _________.

To follow the Autistics Are and Autistics Should posts please visit Autistics Should and/or Autistics Are.

Read more of Lisa’s writing at AutismWonderland. 

I'm Not Waiting For My Son To Grow Out Of Autism

Last month the autism community was buzzing over that new study. You know, the one about kids eventually losing their autism diagnosis. For the most part, I try to ignore these kind of sensational new studies when they pop up in the news or in social media. But coworkers, friends and some family will ask, ”Did you hear about that new study?” I nod and smile and listen politely as they fill me in. But quite honestly, I am too tired to speculate what caused my son’s autism and I’m not interested in a cure for him. I’m not praying for him to recover. So my feelings on Norrin “growing out of autism” – I am pretty certain he will not. I mean, Norrin just turned seven and he’s a big kid – half my height and too heavy to carry. He was diagnosed when he was two. I am extremely proud of the progress he’s made and the milestones we’ve celebrated but Norrin’s a long way from being considered a “typical” kid. I believe autism will always be a part of him. And I am okay with that. I love and accept Norrin for the kid he is. Autism adds to his personality, it doesn’t diminish it. Not expecting Norrin to lose his diagnosis, doesn’t mean I’ve lost hope in him. I hope for a lot of things. I hope that Norrin will grow up to be happy and feel good about himself. I hope that he will grow up and know that he has the capacity to contribute to society. I hope that Norrin grows up knowing that he doesn’t need to be cured or fixed. I understand why these studies are conducted. But that doesn’t mean I have to give them any power over us. These years are too precious and the time passes too quickly. I don’t want to spend this time waiting for my son to “grow out” of anything. I want to spend my time enjoying him as he grows up. Read more of Lisa’s writing at AutismWonderland. And don’t miss a post! Follow Lisa on Twitter and Facebook!