For those of my readers and friends who have known me for a while, you know that my younger son, Builder, is autistic. I have tried, for the past couple of years, to kind of invite people into our lives through blog entries so that they can see what autism looks like in our family.

This year is no exception. Some of the things you’ll be reading may be repetitious. Some of them will be new insights on our homelife today, and things I’ve been learning.

Remember: If you’ve seen one child with autism — you’ve seen ONE child with autism. You might see my son or someone much like him the next time you’re at the grocery store, the library, an amusement park or at the mall. You might not even know it. But then again, you might.

He or she might be laughing and reading things out loud and making fun noises. They might be dancing in circles, happily, or asking questions, or staring fixedly at a fire extinguisher.

Or they might be throwing themselves onto the floor in an expression of their frustration with the world around them and their inability to process all the input that you and I filter constantly.

Be patient. Be kind. Their parents will bless your understanding.

Tags: Autism, autism awareness month, Parenting