Navigating Autism Together Through Social Emotional Learning
There is a folder on my desktop. It is full of photos of Adrián at school through the years. The first day of each year, multiple photos of random things, birthdays, school trips. The nervous smile he has perfected, the backpack that always seems slightly too big, and that particular way he holds himself when […]
Adrián has been at this school since he was three years old. He walked through those doors as a tiny little person who already had so much to say, in his own unique way. And now, at twelve, he is getting ready for high school. I am excited for him. Genuinely, deeply excited. And also, if I am honest, a little anxious in the way that only a parent who has been held by something truly good can understand. Because leaving a school that has given us everything feels enormous.
The silver lining is this: Guillermo is still there. He has years ahead of him at that school, and knowing that brings me so much peace.
One of the things that tells me everything I need to know about our school is this: when I see their number come up on my phone, my first instinct is not dread. I know, with complete certainty, that if they are calling me, it is because they have genuinely exhausted every option they had. I am their last resort, not their first reaction. That is the kind of trust that took years to build. And it is everything.
Can I let you in on a secret? Luis and I have been working on something that started as a dream, became a conversation over dinner one night, and somehow turned into a book. Actually, our most exciting book yet. Adrián, Guillermo and us are going to London. 🇬🇧 And before you ask: yes, this […]
I have to tell you about a happy moment in our lives. It usually starts with a brightly colored invitation, held a little nervously by Adrián. “There’s a party,” he’ll say, his voice a mix of excitement and that familiar flutter of anxiety. I know that flutter so well. The questions swirling in his brilliant […]
I have a confession. I was scrolling through Instagram last week, mindlessly passing by vacation photos and recipes, when my feed stopped me cold. There she was. The new Autism Barbie. I read the caption, zoomed in on the photos, and right there on my kitchen floor, I was so happy. A yeiii scream came […]
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“Why does Adrián get to stay home from Grandma’s party, but I have to go?”
My neurotypical 3-year-old niece asked me this during a family gathering. And honestly? I didn’t have a good answer ready.
Because how do you explain to a child that their autistic cousin isn’t “getting away with” something, he’s protecting his nervous system from complete overwhelm?
How do you help cousins or even siblings understand autism in a way that builds empathy instead of resentment?
A good friend of Adrián told me at pick-up “Adrián, Is SO tired, but he was acting normal all day.”
“What do you mean, ‘acting normal’?” I asked..
“You know… making eye contact. Not stimming. Sitting still. Acting like other kids.”
My heart broke. Because I realized: my son was masking. And he was exhausted from it.
