I still remember the day I started writing about our journey with autism spectrum disorder. I was home alone. It was raining outside. For the first time in a long time everything inside of my house was still. Too still. Every single emotion and feeling about the past year navigating diagnosis bubbled to the surface. I knew in that moment that I needed to let it out.

I started writing. In the beginning I wrote a lot. Writing was medicine for my soul through good times and bad. And over the years I have written less. And one day recently I found myself in need of my soul medicine. In need of letting the pieces collecting inside of me out into the world.

My oldest son is 9 years old. He was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 2. At the time of diagnosis my youngest son, now 7, turned 1 year old. Looking back, there is nothing graceful about those early years. And then for a while we thought we found a rhythm. Wrong.

You see, there is no “rhythm” with autism spectrum disorder. It is just one big game of key changes and tempo fluctuations. It is learning to live from moment to moment. One moments in fast forward; and the next in slow motion.

It is not always pretty. But it is real. Our emotions are big and plentiful. In this space you will find joy and sadness, fear and excitement, successes and set-backs. You will find it all. Because autism is all of that.

This is our story.

JS