Invisible Struggle.

I’ve never described autism as a superpower.

Not for myself or my son.

Not because autistic people aren’t amazing.

Not because they aren’t incredible in the way they see and do things.

Not because their strengths aren’t acknowledged, admired, and absolutely needed in this world, but because being autistic can have some really hard, invisible struggles that people don’t understand.

That perhaps there’s this misconception that their struggles don’t warrant the shutdowns, disruptions, and discomforts they feel when faced with challenging situations.

Unbelievably amazing strengths that blow you away? Yes.

My son surprises me every day with how his brain works, but I don’t call them superpowers.

My son is going to do amazing things as he grows up and finds his voice in the world, there is no doubting that.

But it’s important to acknowledge how painful things can be for autistic people in situations that others seem to do with ease.

He had a friend’s birthday party over the weekend.

He was so excited to be there, but also so anxious. So proud to be giving his friend a gift, but also so nervous. So happy to be invited, but also so overwhelmed.

Lasting less than two hours and then we left. Exhausted and overloaded.

Head hurting from the anticipation, people, and sensory overload. It then meant no basketball training that afternoon, no dinner, medicine, and a dark room to try and sleep. It will take days to recover.

I sympathize with my son because I can see his pain.

And if you can relate, I want to remind you too 👇

It’s okay to honour these feelings with no shame.

Knowing your limit is a powerful tool in understanding how we all work.

You’ve got nothing to prove to anyone when you’ve made the effort and done the very best you could.

Whether you see it as a superpower or not….

understanding, acceptance, and love is what helps get us through ♥️