What It’s Like to Parent a Child with Autism & SPD

This is going to be a hard topic for some, simply because of the fact that people get tired of hearing about Autism.

I am here to tell you that there are times where I personally feel like I’m drowning because it is so hard to do everyday things while parenting a child with Autism. Normal, everyday things that most people find to be the easiest part of their day is often one of the many nightmares parents who have children with Autism face. You see, the easy routine of brushing teeth, making dinner, or even taking a shower probably gets taken for granted but having a child with Autism and even Sensory Processing Disorders (SPD) turns ordinary things in a daily battle. The fights can range from potty training to getting your child dressed, to even getting your child to eat certain foods.

I know that for me, the fact of having a child was scary enough, but when you add in Autism and SPD you tend to feel as though you have failed your child. When I first found out why my child was in need of extra attention, part of me crumbled. Being a single mom is hard enough, but when you add judgment into the equation from those close to you, you can’t help but feel like you have made a mistake or that you failed your child.

I am here to say, that having a child with Autism or SPD is a hundred times harder to raise. But in the end, if you have a positive outlook on the hard and difficult situation that you’ve been dealt with, you’ll start to see how pure your child’s little heart and soul really are. You begin to see that they aren’t anything different from you or me on the outside, but on the inside, they just need to have more support than you may have originally thought.

It takes a lot to have a child with these disorders—I won’t lie or sugar coat anything. But these kids deserve just as much or more love as everyone else. You see, things in life always get harder before you start to see the light at the end of the road. But if we support parents who have a child or children dealing with these disorders, maybe we can start normalizing the fact that Autism and SPD exist and don’t make people “weird or different.” This is an opportunity to start changing the world one little person at a time.