A Parent’s Perspective on Life with a Side of Autism

Abstract

Mary Rosswurm has learned through firsthand experience as a mother of a child with autism and as professional in the field of autism and ABA how to blend and balance her life with autism in order to have a life with a side of autism. This chapter covers her personal backstory. She specifically recollects being confronted with the mysteries of what to do after an autism diagnosis when her son Brad first showed signs of the disorder 25 years ago. This chapter issues a detailed call to compassion from outsiders and discusses the challenges of being an autism parent with a frank discussion of depression, anxiety, and guilt that parents often face. It features practical and hopeful advice for those just beginning their autism journey. Part primer, part memoir, the stories feature honest opinions and vivid scenes spanning the last two and a half decades. Mary is still walking along the autism path and is further down it than many, but shares her advice and lessons to parents who are not as far along, hoping to help them find balance and acceptance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)