Autism Awareness Month 4/4 - Amanda - Fan

Continuing the guest posts for Autism Awareness Month, today's post comes from a fan. It is truly inspiring to have received so many submissions that are so beautifully written.

Amanda Wampler is a mother of 2 boys, one NT, one with Aspergers. She wanted me to know that she home schools and, in a former life, was a foreign language teacher.

I have never met Amanda, and yet she took the time to write "what autism means to me" for all of us here. Beautiful and touching. Thank you for reaching out to all of us and participating in this project.

Ladies and Gentlemen... I present Ms. Amanda Wampler.




Autism to me is many things. I am the mother of a son with Asperger's. Many think Asperger's is the "easy" form of autism but let me wholeheartedly reassure you otherwise. 

Autism is the overwhelmed 3 year old you see in a restaurant slapping and kicking his 9 months pregnant mother as she desperately tries to calm him.

Autism is the boy who, at nearly five years old, still doesn't sleep through the night.

Autism is thousands of dollars spent on therapies that don't work.

Autism is walking on eggshells 24/7 to try and avoid a meltdown.

Autism is hard on your marriage.

Autism is isolating.

Autism and the stress it can bring is often compared to being in a war zone. Having never been in a war zone, I don't know if that's completely true but it feels pretty accurate.

Autism is full of hope.

Autism is heartbreaking.

Autism is begging your son to eat at each meal.

Autism is the boy you see in the cart or in the restaurant playing on an iPod the whole time so he can simply get through the experience.

Autism brings out the best (and the worst) in those around you.

Autism is full of misunderstandings.

Autism is all encompassing.

Autism makes a lot of things easier at times.

Autism makes me want to sell my soul to the devil to make life easier for my son.