There is an ominous question that lurks around every special needs parenting group, and there never seems to be a right answer.

Would you cure your child’s Autism?

If you answer yes, some parents argue that you want to change the core of your child. If you answer no, you are attacked for not wanting to better your child’s future. I stay away from these heated debates; why allow someone to attack how I personally feel?

With that said, I feel safe to share my answers with you here.

YES! I would cure my son’s Autism in a heartbeat. Autism does NOT define Charlie; if anything, it limits him. It creates chaos out of normal every day situations, requiring rigidity and strict structure. Autism doesn’t allow for deviation from the usual or expected. It hinders Charlie with every move.

I truly believe that Autism restricts my son from being his true self, and it has been my job and mission to suppress the gripping hands of this condition in order to allow my sweet son to emerge and shine through.

If my husband and I didn’t work so hard to overcome the true nature of this Autism beast, we would have lost Charlie. When we started the diagnosis process, Autism had already taken hold of my wonderful son. He avoided contact and gaze most of the the day. He lived in his own world, ignoring everyone around him while sitting in the corner inspecting toys for hours.

He was miserable, trapped by this strict set of rules governing his tiny little world. Autism invaded every aspect of his 2 year-old life. It even ruled his entire sensory system, taking hold and consuming his little body that craved crashes and hits instead of hugs and soft touch. Charlie couldn’t feel his own body often times which led to self-injury, mostly to his head. Tell me you wouldn’t cure that.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for Autism, so I can only wish and pray. The best “cure” for our boy is what we are doing and will continue to do: suppress the strains of Autism every single day by equipping Charlie with tools to overcome the hurdles this condition presents.

We taught Charlie to move his body in such a way that allows him to feel his limbs, reducing self-injury greatly. Slowly but surely, in a very safe place, we continually ease Charlie into giving way to change. We will continue to support him as he navigates safely through every day changes that are difficult for him; we do all of this in hope to create a better future for our son.

Charlie is NOT defined by Autism, and we will not let it take hold of him. When we are lax in our therapy and flexible structure, I see Autism creep in ever so quickly. We will continue to fight for our son, so he can live as the wonderful, sweet, and hilariously funny boy God created him to be.

I pray that eventually Autism will be a resting giant that can be suppressed with all the tools Charlie is learning. That is our “cure” for today, but, yes, if there were a genuine cure, we would take full advantage and allow our amazing son to enjoy life more fully without the hindrance of Autism.

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