When I came home from work today, my son’s worker showed me a video (click here to watch it). There was my 24-year-old hesitantly climbing a ladder. He looked doubtful, somewhat unsure, and given that he has some definite motor coordination issues, I really felt for him. But, as the video progressed, I saw him continue haltingly to the top. There, I saw him focus and slowly move forward, stepping slowly at first then more surely until he stepped off the end of the high diving board and dropped into the water. What a smile as he swam, bounced, and jumped his way to the shallow end of the pool! My son, a non-verbal adult with autism, is a great swimmer, but, at 24, this was his first time off the high diving board!
It’s a small success, but a success it is. We know there are many more stories out there, the ones that keep us going when life gets challenging. Tear-jerking stories, heartwarming stories, hilarious stories, and inspirational stories – the stories that make us realize that all our worry and work is worth it. We’d like to hear your stories – the large ones and the small ones. Send us your stories of strength, survival or success by September 15. We will feature some of them in Autism Weekly, our weekly member e-mail newsletter, during October, Alberta’s Autism Awareness Month. And stay tuned – There may be prizes! Please see the submission guidelines below.
