Stories

My name is Tina and I am the mother of an amazingly loving and kind teenager, Logan. Logan likes to do lots of things in his community. He enjoys helping others, going camping, taking a car trip just about anywhere, and of course, taking a vacation! Anyone who knows Logan, knows that he often has a smile on his face and is eager to greet friends and family with a hug. He participates in many athletic activities and even earned a silver and bronze medal at Special Olympics State Games in men’s gymnastics this year! He was proud of this accomplishment and so were we.

When I first became suspicious that he may have autism when he was just over a year old, I heard many things from people about the diagnosis of autism. Some examples included:

1. You will never be able to go on vacation or take him places
2. You are going to make him have autism by starting him in services so young
3. He will be in his own world and unable to love you
4. It is going to be really hard having a child with autism, he will never achieve the dreams you have for him

I am pleased to say that none of these predications came true. He enjoys interacting with people and has many friends.  He even asks for people he loves when they are gone. Relationships are very important to him. Logan just so happens to have autism but that does not define who he is. As you can see, he is so much more than a label. Even though he is unable to use spoken words to communicate, he can still talk to others by using his iPad.

I have always believed as mother that it is better to push him outside of his comfort zone. I assume that he can do things even if it takes him a long time to learn it. He takes great pride in his accomplishments. Sometimes just simply believing in the skills of our children, can give them the self-confidence to achieve difficult things. I would encourage others to set the bar high for their children, you are telling them you believe in their abilities by doing so. By believing in your child’s skills, you help them believe in themselves. When we believe in ourselves, we can accomplish great things and find true happiness. I believe that Logan has found this true happiness in his life.