TheMessyBlessyMommaMovement

Last year, my daughter attended a field trip with her peers in a general education setting. When moving to North Carolina, I expected education to be different and with a school district the size of Wake County, I recognized that the peers my daughter would have wouldn't be like the ones we had in our small New Jersey town. You see, where we were, families were known. All families. Children were included. All children. While life was not perfect and barriers needed to be broken, those of us raising children with additional support needs had a wealth of support in our local disability groups and also many of us found support from families that unlike ours were raising children with typical abilities. When we arrived in North Carolina, with an intense IEP, the teachers did what they could do honor it but the "inclusion" portion was a challenge. Our school segregated students in extended content from their typically developing peers. I shared my expectations of inclusion and...

  For a parent hearing the words, your child has been given an autism diagnosis, in that moment, their life will forever change. While autism has a spectrum as vast as an ocean, in that moment, that parent is united with other parents who like them choose to honor and accept the birth of a new life that they never expected. When my daughter was diagnosed, I anticipated how the process would go, what therapies she would need and how we would access the support that was necessary to help her grow into a strong, independent adult, with few barriers and limitations. As our daughter has grown, so had my understanding of raising an autistic child. I no longer anticipate anything. Instead, I honor everything. I recognize that all parents want success for their children with few barriers and limitations however, all people, autistic or not will face adversity, sorrow and sadness. This week at church, our Pastor spoke of the fact that there was a woman present, she was celebrating her 100th...