Progress: Yes!

Autism from a mama who has been there. I am hoping to post every day this month. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments.

Progress: Yes!

One on my peeves in life is that every generation wishes they’d been able to fight the fights of generations before. Some won’t even acknowledge progress because that might somehow diminish what they are trying to achieve now. I disagree. Praise the work done and build on it.

“The cherry blossoms are blooming, the daffodils are bright, and it’s getting just warm enough to enjoy an early evening walk without a jacket. It’s April in Bethesda, time to dust off the outdoor furniture, put away the winter clothes, and... focus on autism. That’s right: April is Autism Awareness Month, time to take stock in where we’ve been, figure out what we’ve accomplished, and think about next steps.

First, we must recognize that for most individuals and families impacted by autism, though research has resulted in many positive changes, we still have a long way to go. In this spirit, it is worth spending a little time thinking about what the state of autism research and knowledge was approximately 20 years ago, how that has changed, and what we hope to know 20 years from now.”

This is taken from an article from April 24, 2019 by Joshua Gordon at the NIMH. I encourage you the read the whole article.

“What will the state of autism research look like twenty years from now? It is incredibly hard to predict, but knowing the work we’re doing now, I’m optimistic that we will make important strides in the coming decades. I am hopeful that in the next 20 years, we’ll have thoroughly defined the genetic factors, and many of the environmental factors, that underlie the biology of autism, including the variations we observe across the spectrum of ability, gender, and the lifespan.”

So, whether you are team blue or red, put down your weapons of division and join together for a “future with optimism and commitment.”

We’ve come a long way, baby.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/messages/2019/progress-and-priorities-in-autism-research-its-beginning-to-feel-a-lot-like-springtime.shtml
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Celebrate the small stuff. Be flexible. Laugh.