Autism Awareness month

April is Autism Awareness month. Oh, we're always aware of it in our house, although it's such part of the fabric of our family that we hardly notice it sometimes. This is made easier by the fact that Abby's Asperger Syndrome and Brian's PDD-NOS are milder than the diagnoses of many on the autism spectrum.

My general acceptance of autism in our family is a relatively new thing. When Abby was first diagnosed (with PDD-NOS) it was as if we were told our beautiful four-year-old had a debilitating, incurable disease. My head swam with horrifying thoughts: She'll never have any friends. She'll end up in an institution. She'll never hold a job, never get married, never live independently. She'll never be the daughter I hoped she would be.

More than four years later, I can say that she has some friends and many positive acquaintances. She won't be institutionalized for her Asperger's. In all likelihood, she will develop the necessary skills to find rewarding work as an adult. She already wants her own place to live when she grows up, so she can get a dog. And who knows if anyone will get married, disability or no disability?

She isn't the daughter I had originally hoped for (and that would be the perfect child every first-time mother hopes for) but she's the daughter she is and I wouldn't trade her. For the record, I'm not the mother I hoped to be, either, but we're doing all right together.