TheMessyBlessyMommaMovement

 Dear Mr. Kennedy, On Friday whispers of the upcoming reasons behind autism spectrum disorder began to infiltrate our nation. First on social media and then with news articles letting us know that your initial proclamation of identifying the root cause of autism was going to be announced. September arrived last week, and I began waiting with anxiety for your knee jerk announcement knowing that appropriate research was not and could not have been completed in just a few months.  I will tell you first and foremost, I appreciate your interest in finding a cause for autism, especially the type of autism our family lives supporting--profound autism, where at any given moment my daughter can aggress or elope and her cognitive ability remains nearly constant at about age 7 and socially she's about the age of a kindergartener in her nearly five foot frame that is enamored by puppies and babies. I understand what it is like to watch her struggle and watch others shun her when she trie...

 In 2015, when my daughter was diagnosed with Autism, my life ended. Or so I felt. This wasn't the type of autism that parents work through and watch as children flourish, navigating traditional education and eventual life on their own, but instead the type of autism that needs support, most likely forever.  Initially, people would pause and say "you were born for this" or "if anyone can do it, it's you" but in that moment, in that season, I didn't think I could and there are still days that I continue to feel as if I can't. As if autism is too much. There are also moments of elation, where I pause and think, I'd never dreamed we'd be here while she tries to talk to a family about a baby or a young child and their milestones and in that moment, someone sees her for who she is and engages and accepts her yet still there are other moments, where I catch my breath thinking, "will she ever be able to...." and those moments cause me to p...