Providing All Your Home’ s Exterior Needs
32 • The Beacon June 26, 2025
Did you know families with special needs can feel isolated?
I’ ve been living with autism for 37 years, and there are still days that just hurt. I’ ve developed pretty thick skin, and for the most part, things tend to roll off my back. But sometimes, life hurts and it’ s stressful.
If you don’ t live with autism, you may not understand how quickly your day can go from amazing to terrifying— how fast moods can change, especially if puberty or a medication change are involved. So many families in our community have to be constantly on alert for their child to run off or to harm themselves with head-banging or repeatedly kicking a wall. For some families the person with autism may try to attack their family member or staff.
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You cannot imagine the pain as a parent if you have to try to hold your child so they don’ t hurt themselves or someone else. You can’ t imagine how it feels to be trying to help your child while everyone around makes comments or even takes out their phone and starts to record. Unless you live in a home with autism, you have no idea how hard it is when something is wrong and your child is screaming— and you have no way of knowing what’ s wrong or how to help.
And now that it’ s nice again and windows are open, everyone can hear. We are all spending more time outside, and the whole neighborhood can hear when your child has a meltdown. It’ s heartbreaking. Not only do you feel guilty because you can’ t help your own child, but also you wonder what the neighbors are thinking. Are they thinking you are a bad parent? Are they calling the sheriff? Hopefully, they know your child has autism and they are kind and understanding.
Days like that make you cry in the shower. Those days make you sink to the floor and pray,“ Please, God.” You are so tired you can’ t even pray more than that. Some days autism will win. That’ s just the way autism is. We can’ t change it.
There are days people yell at your child with autism because, in their minds, if the person with autism can’ t talk, they are obviously deaf too, so yelling will make them answer. There are days you hear the comments about your person wearing headphones to help with sensitive hearing or you hear the laughing because your adult daughter is talking about Elmo.
You see the faces on strangers when your son gets too close and asks what their favorite dinosaur movie is. You watch the reactions of others when your son gets so happy he is jumping up and down and squealing. You learn to not care because your person with autism is truly amazing and no one can change that.
My best advice to families— go out in the community. Ignore the stares and the comments. Your family has every right to be wherever you want to be. Meet your neighbors and explain about autism. I thank God so often for my awesome neighbors. If we don’ t show the good, the bad and the ugly of autism, our community will never understand, and families will continue to feel isolated.
If you don’ t have a special needs family member and you are out in the community( or at home relaxing) and you see or hear a person with autism having a difficult time, instead of commenting or taking video, think about how you would feel if that was your family. Treat others the way you want to be treated. It really is that simple, and our families will appreciate that more than you know.
If you would like to learn more about autism, visit Facebook / Autism Apples Koolaid. For more information about our local autism / special needs support group, visit Facebook / ASK Autism.
Ridgewood Class of 1975 gathers
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Members of the Ridgewood High School Class of 1975 gathered for a picture at the 2025 alumni banquet. Pictured are Jody Hoobler Seibert, left, Shelly Reese McPeek, Teresa Patterson Porcher, Mark Parks, Brad Haines, Jere Kay Crater Gardner, Curt Crouso, Lauri Carpenter King, Leonard Klusty, Jeff Hardesty, Donnie Allen, Karen Gallagher Ames, Greg Emslie, Melody Grewell Hostutler, Steve Overholt and Mary Carter Robinson.