How I Cope While Raising a Son with Autism

As I write this article, I am listening to my son running throughout the house, screaming in a language unknown to many, feeling the air touch his face, enjoying his life as a kid, his life as himself. This is my son. My son has autism.

Believe it or not, this is actually considered a good day. Although the screaming can become intolerable and at times is quite annoying, I realize he is trying to enjoy his life despite having the disorder.

There are those under the umbrella of autism who have a heightened alertness to senses. In the case of my son, he cannot stand certain noises. Although he is considered a "screamer," which he does for hours and hours a day, he cannot stand sounds like soft music played in an elevator. He hates the sound of motorcycles driving by us (the same as so many other autistic and non-autistic individuals). And then there are times when he does not want to be touched, but those times are unpredictable.

It is important to understand that not all autistics are the same. But for many people on the spectrum, they have atypical sensory experiences. An example would be my son becoming very excited about hearing a plane miles and miles away that no one else hears. Another example is during his early elementary years, he had to have something red on his plate when it was time to eat. You would say he was a finicky eater, but I was to the point of pulling my hair because you cannot always find a food item that had a red color. Imagine doing this on a daily basis, and if you didn't, a major tantrum (also known as an anger outburst) would emerge. These anger outbursts may involve throwing objects, making loud noises, or banging his head against the wall.

Thank God for early intervention and tons of support. Thank God he is no longer having those types of tantrums. Thank God that today was a good day.

This is a day in my life - a day in the life of a parent with a child who has autism. You may wonder how do I handle this... where do I find support? All of us need support when dealing with a loved one with a disorder. I have always been the social butterfly, the talker, the one who can't keep her mouth shut. I only have one brother, but my mother has 11 brothers and sisters. That means plenty of cousins - cousins who happen to be best friends, caregivers, my social support. I have one cousin that is older than me and she often comes over to either talk or give me a break from my kids. This is the time when I go out to the movies with my husband, go out to dinner or just spend some quiet time alone with him.

As I said before, I am a social butterfly, so I often talk to my friends and they provide me with emotional support. I also walk two miles a day, three to four times a week. This is a stress releaser that simultaneously helps me to stay in shape. This is what I do to enjoy my life. This is how I release my frustrations.

I also love to write. It has become therapeutic and has helped me to support other parents who have children with autism. I have written a blog at http://raisingsucautistic.blogspot.com/.

Overall, these are ways that I cope - how I handle my life raising a son with autism.