April marks Autism Awareness Month and to be honest, I don’t remember talking about it last year. What which the pandemic and everything with Cleo happening so fast, I don’t think I has processed it.
But anyway, 2022. The year that we start celebrating April as Autism Awareness month. Autism isn’t Cleo’s diagnosis but it what make her – her. One thing that I have never done is be afraid of talking about what we are going through. I find it helpful to talk about it and the more that families talk about it, the more awareness will be raised. It is all about being honest but also sharing the real life and the truth of what life is like with a child with Autism.
We have good days and bad and we take days as they come. What Cleo likes one day, she might hate the next. When we first noticed signs with her, these things upset me. How can your child be ok one day and then the next not be ok? How can they hate everything? From touch to tastes to smells. It changes daily. As a parent, I have had to learn that being hit isn’t a sign that Cleo hates me ( trust me, I think this some days), Cleo is struggling and I am her mum. Her safe space, that is why I am the punching bag.
Learning to breath and take time when things are getting tough. Some weeks I can consume too many takeaways and it is due to stress!
But it is all part of the Autism journey and times like awareness months help get remove the stigma surrounding Autism.
So happy April and Happy Autism Awareness Month!
The Coastal Mummy 