Welcome to Autism.dad
Why I started a Facebook page and a blog about raising my non-speaking son, and what you'll find here.
I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time.
My son is autistic. Level 3, non-verbal, which is the clinical way of saying he needs a lot of support and he doesn’t use spoken words. What the clinical language leaves out is everything else: the way he laughs with his whole body, the way he grabs my hand and drags me toward whatever he’s decided we’re doing next, the way he knows exactly what he wants and has zero patience for me being slow to figure it out.
I started the Autism.dad Facebook page to share those moments. Short ones. A photo, a sentence, a small win from the day.
This site is for the longer stuff.
What I’m going to write about
- The day-to-day. What our routines actually look like, what falls apart, and what we do when it does.
- What’s worked. Communication tools, sensory stuff, sleep, the boring practical things that took us years to figure out.
- What hasn’t. Because I wasted a lot of time and money on things that didn’t help, and I’d like to save you some of that.
- Advocacy. My son can’t speak for himself yet, so I’m going to do it loudly until he can, in whatever way that ends up looking.
Who this is for
If you’re a parent who just got a diagnosis and you’re sitting in the car in the parking lot not sure what to do next: this is for you. I’ve been in that car.
If you’re years in and tired: this is for you too. You’re not doing it wrong. It’s just hard.
If you’re autistic yourself and you want to tell me I’m getting something wrong: please do. I’m learning, and I’d rather learn from you than guess.
One more thing
I try to write about my son the way I’d want someone to write about me. He’s a person, not a lesson. If I ever slip on that, call me on it.
Thanks for being here.