Choosing ASD Life as an Adventure
We are a family with an adult non-verbal person on the Autism Spectrum. ASD has deeply impacted our family in countless ways, including but not limited to financial, career choices, health and wellness, relationships, when and how we choose to socialize, and so much more. Despite the challenges, there are so many more joys. We choose to see our life as an adventure!
It has been many years since Exploring Our World Differently (EOWD) first entered my mind, at first as our family mantra, and many years later as a website, and I have spent just as long starting and stopping my efforts as I navigated how exactly I wanted to share our story.
As parents and caregivers to special needs individuals, we often live our lives outside of social norms, continually thinking outside the box, and developing our (at least in our case) non-verbal communication skills. While I will share a lot about our personal experiences, my intention is not to focus specifically on my son, but to be a multi-faceted resource for others on a similar journey.
That said, EOWD is about our family's journey of navigating daily life while raising and guiding a non-verbal adult on the autism spectrum. As a family, we enjoy hiking, camping, and fishing, but do not get out there nearly as often as we would like to...but we're working on it! Both my husband, Ted, and I work full-time. Ted works at a Group home for kids with special needs, and I work from home as a recruiter, blogger, and, of course, a full-time caregiver.
Tim was diagnosed with autism-like characteristics in 1997, when a formal diagnosis was not provided until age six (at least in the state we lived in at the time), and Google was not available to guide us yet. His pre-diagnosis of autism with an intellectual disability was later confirmed through testing provided by the school system.
Though many well-intentioned and loving people surround us, none understood what we were experiencing, leaving us feeling quite stressed and alone more often than not. With limited resources available, we did not even know what to seek, where, or how. So, we did what instinctively came to us. Some days were great, others were okay, and many were just about survival. When Ted came into our lives in 2004, our entire perspective began changing for the better, leading us to the life we have today.
Although many have experienced a child who suddenly withdrew, I knew that there was something very different about my child from the beginning. He was not sick, but concerns were raised early. He was ahead in many physical milestones and seemed to be a master escape artist by the time he was one year old. However, his sensory and intellectual issues have been apparent since infancy, and he showed significant delays in communication, play, and socialization.While every person and family experience living on the Autism and Asperger spectrum is uniquely different, there are a lot of similarities with which parents, siblings, grandparents, and caregivers can empathize and learn from each other.
In my experience, ASD families seem to spot each other relatively quickly. It is always a pleasure to meet a stranger who hesitantly approaches to ask the big question in a curious whisper, "Does your son have autism?". My understanding nod lends them relief and opens the doorway to the conversation. Over time, it inspired me to begin sharing our story.
Additionally, special needs families often need to make tough decisions between family and career. I was fortunate to learn how to find and create a work-life balance that enabled me to be available to my family and meet our unique needs. My experience in retail led to Mystery Shopping and Data entry, which led to scheduling, sourcing, and finally --- recruiting. My passion. I truly enjoy connecting with and helping others explore opportunities that better enable them to reach their goals.Thanks to technology, I have been blessed to work hybridly since 2006 and fully remote since 2012 between Independent Contract and W2 roles. When I'm between recruiting roles, I lean into the gig economy.
In my experience, ASD families seem to spot each other relatively quickly. It is always a pleasure to meet a stranger who hesitantly approaches to ask the big question in a curious whisper, "Does your son have autism?". My understanding nod lends them relief and opens the doorway to the conversation. Over time, it inspired me to begin sharing our story.
Additionally, special needs families often need to make tough decisions between family and career. I was fortunate to learn how to find and create a work-life balance that enabled me to be available to my family and meet our unique needs. My experience in retail led to Mystery Shopping and Data entry, which led to scheduling, sourcing, and finally --- recruiting. My passion. I truly enjoy connecting with and helping others explore opportunities that better enable them to reach their goals.Thanks to technology, I have been blessed to work hybridly since 2006 and fully remote since 2012 between Independent Contract and W2 roles. When I'm between recruiting roles, I lean into the gig economy.