Autism Changed Me As A Mom.

Being a Mom and Being a Autism Mom.

After we got the kids diagnosis I always wondered, how do I discipline.

I was very aware that a lot of their behaviors came from not being able to communicate, being overstimulated, not having enough sensory input, or lack of awareness.

I still struggle to tell the difference between typical 3 and 5 year old behavior and behaviors related to their autism.

You hear people say oh you just need to discipline better, they need consequences, they need timeout, they need…etc.

Autism made me a different mom.

All the things go through my head when unwanted behaviors arise.

Why?

What’s going on around us?

Is there loud noises?

When and how much did they eat?

How long have we been here?

Time of day.

Have we had a hard week?

All these things and so much more go through my head.

Autism has given me a lot of patience.

Im very aware that from the outside looking in Harper and Dallas look like typical kids.

You can’t see their Autism.

Im sure there have been many people see us in the middle of a meltdown and think I’m a bad mom or we have wild bratty kids that aren’t made to listen.

Dallas and Harper are made to follow rules.

We have expectations of them.

I would say we are less lenient on the rules and expectations of Harper and Dallas because the ones we have set for them we know they can follow and we know they need that structure.

I can tell when Harper and Dallas are just being naughty or when they can’t control the big emotions and feelings they are having.

There is a difference.

I hate when people say they need to be made to listen. I chuckle and think in my head. Go ahead and give it a shot, let me know how it goes!

Autism gave me a whole other view on motherhood.

It continues to change me everyday.

This post was written by Shelby Shivener from Autism On The Farm.

#autismonthefarm #autism

Comments

Speech Device.

Speech Device. A huge misconception about speech devices is that they discourage children from using their verbal language. This could not be further from the truth. Keeping a communication tool away from a non speaking child is not a way to get them to speak. Harper and Dallas both started with PECS. A picture exchange system to express their wants and needs! As a mom of 2 non speaking children getting them to use PECS as a means of communication was a life changer for us. Now Harper has her speech device. Dallas’s is in process and will hopefully be here soon. Since getting Harpers device that has verbal output when she presses a button to make a request. She is able to answer so many question and let us know what her wants and needs are. She is also repeating the words after she hears her device say them. Harper can answer me with her device when is ask, What’s your name? How old are you? When’s your birthday? What do ...

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I remember before diagnosis. There was a stretch of time where I was just a tool for Harper and Dallas. They only needed me to get them food, change them, open items and that’s it. There was no verbal communication and not much non verbal communication. Communication consisted of crying. Dallas when he would want something he would just cry. There was nothing that led to the crying. He was either fine or crying. If he wanted a drink to let me know he would cry. Harper would just drag me around. She would grab my arm and pull me to the fridge and it was a guessing game of what she would want. If I grabbed the wrong thing she would cry. If I grabbed the right thing she was silent. For both of them there was no pointing or reaching. This time of our life was hard! But this time of my life taught me so much! I learned so much about my kids. I compare it to a newborn. When you have a newborn you are in tune with them. I remember I learned diff...

Autism On The Farm

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