Severe Autism Venturing Out into the Community
Because sometimes you just have to get out of the house!
I’m setting a goal of getting out of the house. The isolation is getting to us. It’s been so many years. And honestly, I feel like it’s now or never.
We are going to start venturing out weekly. Short trips. Non busy times. Zero expectations. If it goes badly we will just leave. Once a week minimum.
Every parent I talk to with older autistic children tells me the same thing. Just start going. And keep trying.
I want you to know that Jamie and I have PTSD over outings gone badly. So this is a big step for us. But when we look at spending the next forty years in the house…we are willing to try. One more time.
Because isolation is suffocating. We want to be part of our community. We want Cooper to enjoy it as well.
Tonight, we went to Home Depot. We went at 8 pm on a weekend because we knew it would be a quiet trip. And it actually went perfect.
Cooper walked, pushed the cart, and rode in the cart. He didn’t throw or run. We chatted throughout. Took our time. His limit was 20 minutes. He even used the bathroom! Which is huge.
I feel like we conquered the world right now. Success is measured differently in our world. This is a big one.
What did we buy you ask? Well, Cooper and I picked out a Christmas wreath. I have a feeling he may be sleeping with this for a few nights!
Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter.
