Autism Care Today wrote an article, "Run Your Own Race" to talk about comparison and how detrimental it can actually be to parents, especially those of children with differing abilities. The author of the article, who is the mother to a son with autism, begins this post by quoting "comparison is the source of all suffering," and points out just how much she needs to remember this idea as an autism parent. She admits that she frequently finds herself comparing her child to others, on the spectrum and not. This particular mother just took her son off of the diploma track at his school and decided to let him focus more on learning vocational skills instead. This decision made her realize that she is now forced to accept the fact that her son may never go to college and it all brought her back to the day that she received his diagnosis; she had to accept that he is different. Because of the heavy influence that social media has on our lives we may often find ourselves playing the comparison game. Within a couple minutes of scrolling, you are sure to come across someone's child's accomplishments or their gold star or big trophy or whatever it may be that makes you sit back and begin comparing your child to everyone else. The reality is, we all need some perspective and recognize that there are some parents out there who would gladly trade places with you. All children have different gifts, strengths, and talents and they all develop these characteristics on their own time; autistic children are no different in that regard. Just because one child is on a particular "path" and has mastered this skill or that, your child does not have to be forced to catch up. This author closes by saying, "We can't compare; we just have to run our own race."
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