The first of many

Yesterday I decided to talk to Dominic about his autism. He has started to notice he is different and make comments about his brain frustrating him so I thought it was a good time to have our first talk. I did not want to over complicate or overwhelm him so I kept it short and simple. I told him that he is very special and that his brain works differently because he is autistic. I explained that is why he is really good at some things and also why he struggles with others. I could tell it was a lot to process so I did not go much more into it than that and I am sure we will have more conversations in the future but it was definitely a relief to have our first talk. 

About that time.

Dominic is 8 and a half years old, more and more he is realizing he's different from those around him. He is becoming frustrated with himself when he tries to explain or understand things. He tells me he's never going to learn or that he is stupid. Although I have not quite figured out the best way to explain it to him I think we are getting close to the time where we need to talk about his autism. I want him to know that it makes his brain work differently but that it's not a bad thing. All of the things he builds, the lines he makes, his amazing memory, these are all the great things that have come from his autism. He may learn differently than others and at his own pace but I want him to know that's okay. I want him to know there's a reason for his struggles but that they don't define him and that he can overcome them. I want him to know that his autism is a blessing and it is an amazing part of his life and nothing to be ashamed of. I am not sure when exactly we will have this conversation but I know it will be soon and I think it's going to be a good thing for all of us.

Realizing he's different

Over the past year he has really started to realize he is not like everyone else. He doesn't understand things the way we do, he doesn't react or show emotion the same, and his level of communication is not the same as kids his age. He can talk and they said he never would so that is amazing in itself but he has a hard time with some words and still doesn't know a lot of them either. He is getting better at holding a conversation but his limited know leg of words makes understanding and speaking difficult. All of these things make him noticeably different and being 8 years old he is starting to see it too. There are days when he cries and tells me he doesn't understand things or he doesn't know how to talk, there are days that he hates himself for his differences and it breaks my heart. Most days are good but his hard ones are really hard. I hope that he one day see how amazing he truly is.