PERSONAL NARRATIVE
Empowering
My Special Needs Son
to Reach for the Stars
By Shelly HENLEY
A
s an autism parent, you find yourself in a lot
of unanticipated roles through your child’s
life. I’ve found out I was a pretty good play-
mate, tantrum wrangler, list maker, and
scheduler. We are all thrust into roles like
attorney, speech therapist, tutor, and read-
ing specialist—roles for which we have no
training other than it is imperative we are our chil-
dren’s most enthusiastic supporters. One of the roles
I never thought I’d have is entrepreneur.
28 | Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 74
Our company, No Label at the Table Food Company,
began when my son was turning 18 years old and
transitioning to adulthood. He said he wanted to be
a chef in a restaurant. Initially, I giggled and told him,
“No, you like to eat at restaurants!” Then I realized, no,
of course, he wants to cook. He started a gluten/ca-
sein-free diet when he was a toddler. Eighteen years
ago, no one knew what gluten-free was, so I pulled
him up on the kitchen island, and we baked. Baking
and cooking are process-driven. You follow the steps