Atypical is Typical, Basically...

Busy, busy, busy. Yep, that's the life of every parent. There is so much to do, so much going on, so much running around, and so much that never gets completed. That's how it is for me, anyway. I get moments throughout the week where I find time to write a blog, make a FB post, or watch a recorded Housewives episode. Now, it may take several of these moments to complete any one of these tasks, but I manage to get it finished. Usually.

Today, my mom has Asher. He didn't have therapy. She is just giving me a break. My plan was to go through Knox's clothes. (That boy is growing so fast.) I also wanted to watch a new show on Netflix. The episodes seem short and I thought I could breeze through them as I worked. The show is called Atypical. It's about the life of a high school boy with Autism. I know that every child on the spectrum is different and many of the scenarios seem a little unrealistic, but I'm still learning from this show.

What am I learning? Well, this boy, Sam Gardner, is a senior in high school and his parents and sibling still struggle. They struggle, but they keep going. I don't agree with some of the methods that they resort to, but I'll take it as a lesson and not a recommendation of how to handle things. One of my favorite things about this show is that Sam's sister is fiercely supportive of him. She still treats him as a "typical" sister would, but she stands up for him. I love that. I spoke recently to one of Jackson's former teachers. She told me that I would have nothing to worry about when it came to Jackson and Asher. He's the type of kid that would always be supportive of his little brother. I find a little of Jackson in Sam's sister.

I am also learning the lingo and what is socially acceptable. Ok, I never thought about it, but I know I have referred to Asher as my "Autistic son." This doesn't happen in everyday situations. It's usually while I'm making an appointment or talking to a therapist. There was a scene in the show where an Autism Support Group criticized a parent for this. They said they prefer to use the child before the diagnosis. So, you should say "my son with Autism." I know I'm not to this point. I don't even know enough to be this particular about the wording of a sentence. It's just interesting to know it's out there.

I'm looking forward to a show coming out in the fall on ABC. It's about a doctor with Autism. **See what I did there?** There are many critics of shows like these, but I feel like I can find little nuggets of knowledge in them. Maybe others will too and the negative stigma of Autism will become a bit less. That has to be a good thing, right?

I can't say that things are getting easier in my busy life. People tell me that it will. That is to be determined, but the future is promising for my little guy.  Even the world of television is becoming more inclusive.

Here is a clip of Atypical:
https://youtu.be/ieHh4U-QYwU

Here is a picture of typical Asher: