Photo Credit: Apollo Jack Envernizzi, my son's photography.
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Walking Through Autism can include witnessing a child in severe pain and aggression, daily. It is the hardest part of my journey as a caregiver and mother. The advocacy alone involves a relentless warrior mentality to manage the beloved one's pain. There is a need to activate deep strength to maintain a calm composure for the best energy in the midst of extreme pain, self injurious behavior and chaos. Preparedness is a constant factor in place likened to watching a time bomb 24/7. At any time it could go off without warning and the responsibility to manage extreme behaviors is eminently on the caregiver’s shoulders. And during the seemingly calm moments, the mind reels through possible responses to efficiently tackle a number of different behavioral scenarios while wrestling to hold back tears. There is no rest during this watch and it may last for months even years. Caring for the suffering while the heart is slowly breaking is the hardest part of a caregiver’s journey.
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