Posts by Tonya Andrews
24 Things I Wish I Knew Before My Son’s Autism Diagnosis
Our son was diagnosed with autism at age 6. Although it has only been 3 years since diagnosis, there are many things I wished I knew then that I know now. I remember we felt like we were navigating the journey blind. We felt so alone and isolated, and it was a lot of trial and error. There wasn’t a guidebook on how to navigate the world of autism. So here are 24 things I wished I knew in hopes that it helps someone who is newly diagnosed: 1. Contact…
Read MoreAutism Never Crossed Our Minds
Our son Sullivan is autistic and has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder. Many people ask us, when did you know your son was autistic? That’s a tricky question because initially we had no idea. Sully had what we know now as sensory issues early on. We had to try many different bottle nipples, he threw up a lot, he stuffed food in his mouth till he choked, he would eat and eat and not like the feeling in his stomach and make himself throw…
Read MoreA Letter to Our Autistic Son
Many times when someone thinks about autism they think of it negatively. But I want to talk about autism in a positive light. I want to talk about what our son’s autism has taught us. Dear Sully, We wanted to write this letter to you, my beautiful boy, letting you know just how much you have changed our lives and the things you have taught us. You have made us more compassionate towards others. You have shown us the ability to not judge others because you never know what struggles…
Read MoreMy Biggest Fears For My Autistic Son
Dear Sully, I hope you get to experience what it’s like to have a true friend. I hope you get to experience what it’s like to fall in love and be loved in return unconditionally. I hope we get to attend your wedding someday and be those proud parents of the groom. I hope we get to stand in the hospital room and hold our beautiful grandbabies who have a huge heart and are extremely intelligent just like you. I hope you get to experience what it’s like to live…
Read MoreShould My Autistic Child Be Feared?
One of the biggest fears I have as our eight year old son, Sully, gets older is that people will look into his big green eyes and think that he is violent and that they should be afraid of him. Take a moment and think how that would feel as a parent. You see our son has severe ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and High Functioning Autism. Have we feared he may harm himself or others in our family not meaning to? As much as it…
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