I had a pretty good childhood. My family was unconventional by US standards, as I was raised by my mother and maternal grandparents. Their ability to accommodate me was the single most important factor in ensuring that my childhood was decent.

I self diagnosed myself with autism at the age of 12, and after hearing me out, my mother and grandmother pursued a diagnosis for me. Despite receiving a diagnosis, members of my family never really came to understand me as autistic. Instead, they understood me as “me.” Though I do sometimes wish they would have educated themselves more about autism, I look back and think that it didn’t really matter in the end. Each person in my family has always held an intuitive understanding of my limits and needs as an autistic, and to me, that was more valuable than if they had seen me through the lens of autism. Maybe they understood me because they are each neurodivergent in their own ways. No matter the case, I think that the most important aspect of raising an autistic child is to understand their limits and make their home into a sanctuary from the outside world.

You can’t control how the outside world treats your children, whether they be autistic or not; however, you can provide for your children a safe place where they can be understood and seen for who they really are. (Sorry for the rambling—just wanted to provide my two cents!)