You Know You're A Mum Of A Child With Autism When...

1. Repetition in any shape or form is just a part of daily life.

2. Teachers (want to) run for cover when they see you.

3. Sleeping eight hours in a row is a rarity.

4. Sleep-deprivation has become a way of life.

5. Mental health days are a regular occurrence out of necessity  - for mother and child.

6. Being afraid of the strength of your own child mid-meltdown is very real.

7. Every day is organised to prevent meltdowns.

8. After every meltdown in which you have been physically and/or verbally attacked, you find somewhere quiet to shed tears of shock and pain.

9. You have to explain autism to your child and hope that they will embrace their differences.

10. You are the only Mum in the playground whose child cannot go on after-school play-dates because they will get too tired after a full day at school.

II. Birthday party invites are often not reciprocated.

12. Your child hides from her friends at her own birthday party.

13. Those who are meant to help sometimes get it wrong.

14. Your own world and social life becomes very small to accommodate the needs of your child.

15. You haven't been away with your husband for a night since your child was born.

16. Catching up with friends and family is difficult.

16. Options for part-time work are restricted because your child often needs time-outs from school.

17. A significant part of your week is spent attending IEPs, having meetings with teachers and/or specialists, writing social stories, attending workshops and/or researching autism.

18. Sue Larkey is one of your friends on Facebook.

19. You have made crucial connections with other Mums with children with autism. But you don't see each other much, because of the needs of your children.

20. Your friends who are parents of neurotypical children think you're a saint, but behind closed doors you know that's not always the case.

21. You need more sleep than your child does.

22. You've been judged more times than you can remember.

23. When your child appears to be "high-functioning", you're labelled as an anxious and over-protective parent for preempting situations.

24. You envy how easy it is for other parents to just drop their kids off with other people.

25. Some days it feels as if you are living and breathing autism.

26. Some days you are all autismed-out.

27. You wonder if you've perhaps become autistic yourself.

28. You remember your child's milestones by the different "special interests" ie: obsessions, she's had over the years.

29. The social difficulties make you want to cry.

30. Even though you may have chosen to be open about your child's autism, it is still hard to hear your child say "I have autism" to other people.

31. You wonder what the future holds and try to be positive - but the workshops you attend and material you read warn of further challenges you may have to face.

32. You hope your child loves and accepts herself and are at times mystified as to how to achieve this with all the day to day challenges she endures.

33. Because you've carefully managed your child's autism, many who see her outside of the home see her at her best and wonder what all the fuss is about.

34. Although some milestones are in her own time, you still celebrate every single one of them as at least it means progress is being made.

35. You own a significant number of sensory toys.

36. Your child probably has the biggest collection of My Little Ponies in town.

37. You know things are coming right when toys are lined up in rows.

38. You avoid the word "no", give your child options instead of instructions and have become a very good negotiator.

39. You can act out some of the episodes of Spongebob as you've seen each episode several times.

40. You always have your child's favourite food in the fridge/freezer.

41. You are amazed at the insights your child has at times, that seem way beyond her years.

42. You can spot another child with autism from a mile.

43. You have identified at least one other member in your extended family who may also have autism.

44. You can describe where your child is at to your partner with just one word. eg: "borderline".

45. If your child's routine is broken, you know you will pay for it later.

46. Trips away have to be very carefully planned and aren't always easy.

47. You have met some extraordinary people because of your child's autism.

48. You couldn't do this on your own and have formed some incredible bonds with some amazing teachers and specialists along the way.

49. When you hear about any struggles your child has endured at school, you want to make it go away but know that you can't.

50. You feel blessed to have a child with autism as it has made you a better person in so many ways.




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