I remember very well, when I participated in the workshops and training hours, in the II International Autism Conference held in the city of Manizales (Colombia), in 2014: I was surprised to see that 95% of the participants were women, who were largely mothers and other professionals.
As a curious fact, I learned that the participation of “parents” was very limited in this type of events and other activities related to the complex and enigmatic world of Autism. I clarify, of course there are parents who are very responsible and empowered by their children with Autism, but taken to the purely practical field, there are very few "visible" ones fighting from the advocacy for a better quality of life for their offspring and other people with autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families.
Lately, with the boom of social networks: Facebook, Whatsapp, YouTube, Instagram, among others; The “blue moms” movement has been evident, which seems representative and illustrative to me, since many reflect in one way or another their daily life and the objective is the transfer of knowledge and experiences. The only negative perception that I get is that “some” mothers transmit knowledge that is not valid or proven in people with Autism, often leading to undesirable scenarios.
Returning to the topic at hand, it is very important that we parents empower ourselves on the issue of Autism. There is no other option: you have to read a lot, ask for advice from highly qualified professionals with high ethics; include our children in many community activities, accompany us with civil society organizations specialized in parents, such as the Colombian Autism League (LICA). Only in this way can I assure you that our children will be happier by obtaining a better life option.
But to achieve the above, we must address a very difficult topic for some parents: Acceptance of their child's autism. I have witnessed that many parents delay their children's progress by not wanting to accept their child's diagnosis; Their quality as “male of the house” and non-acceptance of “difference” are better for them. We have to be clear that the child we wanted so much did not arrive in the way we wanted and we have to accept and adapt to the new one who arrived.
If this is your case, dear dad and partner, I invite you to change your way of thinking and think about the future of your son and your family; Nothing is taken away, on the contrary, your child will thank you because he will feel better in his state of health, and therefore, in his mental and emotional state, leading to better well-being, not only in your child, but in that of others. the whole family.
We must also congratulate those fathers who are not visible but who work and support their children and family, they are those parents who carry out daily support and when they arrive they only wait for that smile and hug from their children and wife. They are fathers who, in a very important way, support the processes that their children carry out together with their mothers.
Something also curious that I have noticed is that many parents are separated or divorced; A very complex issue to deal with when good terms are not reached. One issue is the problem between the parents and another is the relationship with their children. A good father will have no excuse to provide support for his son, much less to visit him and express a lot of love. Likewise, here we must also write the importance of the mother allowing the father to visit her son. On the other hand, I want to mention that someone like a dad must be born to love, care for and see his son; The maternal figure is very important as well as the paternal one. I invite those parents mentioned above to empower themselves and fight for their son.
Some parents may or may not ignore them when reading these paragraphs, but what I am sure of is that I have left them a concern, a seed of curiosity that, if they know how to plant and hydrate it, the fruits in the future will come in a great harvest. that will benefit everyone.