Why We Started Our Autism Journey
When the world stopped turning in 2020, our world started spinning faster than we could handle.
My son, J, was just a toddler then. While everyone else was learning how to make sourdough starter or navigate Zoom meetings, we were watching our little boy drift further into his own universe. We knew something was different. We saw the signs, the subtle shifts that nag at a parent’s intuition until they become impossible to ignore. But getting answers during a global pandemic felt like trying to shout underwater.
Doctors’ offices were closed. Waiting lists stretched into infinity. Specialists were only available through grainy video calls, where they couldn't see the way J wouldn't make eye contact or how he lined up his toys in perfect, rigid rows. It was isolating in a way that is hard to describe unless you’ve lived it. You feel like you are screaming for help in a room where everyone is wearing noise-canceling headphones.
Finally, when he was four years old, we got the official words: Level 2 Autism.
It wasn't a shock, but it was still a heavy door slamming shut on the "typical" future we had vaguely imagined.
That diagnosis was the beginning, not the end. That is why I started Our Autism Journey.
I needed a place to put all of this. The sheer volume of emotions you feel as a special needs parent is overwhelming. There are days so hard you feel like you are drowning in appointments, meltdowns, and paperwork. You worry about everything. Will he have friends? Will he be independent? What happens when I'm gone? It is so easy to get lost in the fear of the future, to let the anxiety about what comes next rob you of the joy of right now.
But then, there are the highs.
The first time he used a new word correctly. The moment he successfully navigated a transition without tears. The sheer, unadulterated joy he finds in the things he loves. These victories are massive. They deserve to be celebrated just as loudly as the struggles deserve to be acknowledged.
I created this space to talk about all of it. We aren't glossing over the hard stuff here. We are going to talk about the sleepless nights and the developmental plateaus. But we are also going to share what we are trying—the therapies, the tools, the small adjustments at home that help J develop and thrive.
Most importantly, I started this site because I remember how lonely those early days felt. I remember scrolling through the internet at 3 a.m., desperate to find someone who understood what it felt like to love a child so much while being terrified for them at the same time.
If you are reading this and you feel lost, please know that you aren't alone. This is our journey with J, but I hope in sharing it, it helps you navigate yours, too. We are figuring this out one day, one meltdown, and one miracle at a time.
Welcome to the journey.
