Autism has been part of our family for more than 15 years. In the begining it was really, really hard. But, I would not ever trade any of those difficult moments. It is what has made our family resilient. Our son Sammy taught us that autism was a blessing in disguise.
On June 3, 2014 our son, Sammy graduated from Huntington Park High School as class Valedictorian. I'd like to share an except of my son's Valedictorian speech..
...John Lennon once said, "When I was 5 years old my mother always told me that hapiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy". They told me I didn't understand the assisgnment, I told them they didn't understand life."
Well, when I was 3 1/2 years old I was diagnosed with autism. My parents were told that I would never be a typical adult and would most likely need to one day be institutionalized. You know what, they were right. I am not typical, but being autistic has not hindered me. In fact my autism is what makes ME stronger. I have had to battle to learn what comes natural to most people. Of all the challenges that I have had to conquer, learning how to communicate with others was the most difficult one. I struggled with my own body to give voice to my thoughts, feelings and opinions. It took me 7 years to be able to say "I love you" to my own mom. And let me tell you, it was worth it to see the huge smile on her face. Finding my voice is what helped me knock on the door of my happy. But, proving to myself that the label of autism that I was given does not define me but that my actions do. That is what finally opened the door to my "happy".
May all the children like our 2 boys that are on the autism spectrum open the door to their "happy" as well.
Huntington Park, CA
