Autism is.....

At a recent workshop I was given a piece of paper and asked to complete the following sentence;

'Autism is...............'

My first thought was to write down, 'Autism is a neurological condition and is characterised by the following......'

How dull. I scrapped that idea.

I decided to let my mind relax and wait for the words to appear. Interestingly each word that popped into my brain was positive, although 'challenging' did make an appearance.  I found the experience to be beneficial so thought it a great idea to have another go. For this particular exercise I chose to use each letter of the alphabet (me and my lists!). I wrote down the first word(s) that came to mind and then added my thoughts that came from that word.


Alarming:  The thought of what is going to happen to Nick after my death. My only worry.

Bloody hell:  What have I let myself in for. Tongue in cheek!
 
Cheerful:  Sometimes that cheerful smiley face of mine is fake!

Development:  I feel that Nick's development is an ongoing process and one that I wish to nurture.

Exhilarating:  I am so excited about the possibility of taking Nick on future travels.

Frustrating:  To be honest, this word rarely appears in my vocabulary.

Good grief:  Not sure where this came from. Perhaps a sign of exasperation!

Health:   I am very conscious of staying fit and healthy because I have to live forever.

iPad:  I am aware that Nick has too much screen time. End of story.

Joy:  I cannot lie, it has not been an easy journey, yet this boy makes my heart sing.

Kiss:  My boy may not show love in the conventional way, yet his regular requests for family hugs are the bomb.

Love:  He is my kid and that's that.

Mindful:  RDI has shaped the way I parent and has increased my awareness of being mindful.

Nicky:  Has the most awesome big brother.

Open:  I am open to sharing our life in order to help others.

Parenting:  This journey is going to be a long one, therefore be that 'glass half full' person.

Quiet:  Nick is a gentle soul and a bit of a couch potato, like the rest of his family! :-)

Restful:  Life for us is calmer, more peaceful.

Special needs:  All I can say is, thank goodness for my friends who walk a similar path.

Time:  Time heals angst.

Uncertainty:  We don't know what the future holds, although we plan to live, love and laugh.

Victorious:  Perhaps not the correct word, however, am happy dancing over every achievement

Welcome:  My home and school have an open door policy. Feel free to visit.

x:  No word comes to mind!

Yes:  I find it hard to say no.....

Zigzag:  We don't ride a rollercoaster, there are no highs and lows. It's all about changing direction and moving forward.

If you were to do a list, what would it look like?