Thank you for your recommendations and suggestions. :) I am autistic and am part of several communities of other autistic adults, including keeping in contact with some of the peers I grew up with who were in specialized instructions. But many of the peers I find were not diagnosed early on and have completely different experiences. I was diagnosed in 2nd grade and my son was diagnosed at 18 months. I had and now my son has the opportunity to gear a life and education that accommodates us versus us struggling to accommodate others, which is why I am trying to learn more. The world was much more different for autistic folks 20+ years ago. We didn’t have labels like these, we still called me and my peers “asphergers,” we went to ABA, etc. times have changed and I want a better life for my son, and better experiences then I had for him :) unfortunately when I was growing up in school, those who did not speak were considered differently from us who just had the “asphergers” label and they were separated from us in school.

My son does not speak using words, but I understand him because I am his mother. I’m not sure if this exactly makes sense. But he is never frustrated with me (unless I say no lol) because I know what he wants and when he wants it. My hopes with speech therapy and his AAC device is his ability to communicate his physical needs to other, and that him and I can bond even closer.

Thank you for your information and sharing :)