What is #Autism and Why do I have it?

By Melody Benbow – TACA Co-coordinator New Jersey

We knew one day Cal would ask this question, however, in my head I always thought I would be so much more prepared with an answer. Instead, I stumbled through my words and gave an answer I was not satisified with. So, I turned to some of the smartest people I know (fellow TACA Moms) and asked for advice. When he asked again a few days later I had a little more to say. I explained that autism, for Calvin, meant that his brain and his body work differently and that sometimes he has to work harder and sometimes things bother him more than other people. But the most important thing is that it doesn’t make him more different from anyone else. That it’s just part of what makes him who he is. Some people have blonde hair or some people wear glasses, it’s just part of who they are. Mommy and Daddy work hard to help his body and find new ways to help him learn, so that he is the best Calvin that he can be.

After all that he still had a hard time understanding, and since he is a very visual kid, I pulled up our first ever Friends and Family video we made. We watched it together as a family. If you haven’t seen it, or didn’t know us back then, feel free to take a look and see how far our kiddo has come! http://youtu.be/BKE033EEoA0

As far as he’s come and as far as he’ll go in the future, our family couldn’t have done it on our own. Not only did we get tremendous support from family and friends, but we were able to rely on TACA to share experience and provide guidance and support along the way. To conquer the challenges that he’s overcome thus far, you would think Calvin had super powers. Help us support TACA so other families can help their children unlock their super powers.

To see where Super Cal is today please check out http://ff.tacanow.org/benbow-family