Change

 Change is inevitable. 

All of us will experience some sort of change in our lives whether we like it or not. 

I admit, there are changes going on in my life right now that I’m having a hard time dealing with. Big changes. Hard changes. Changes with no rhyme or reason.  Work-life balance is a sensitive thing. 

Tonight I watched my son Charlie play in the back yard with his service dog, Sunny. All of this change made my thoughts turn to him. 

You see, he doesn’t do well with change. Not at all. Autism makes change hard for people. For Charlie, change means confusion, meltdowns, destruction, emotional dysregulation and the inability to get back on track easily.   

But for a people like my son, who are so incredibly affected by change, how are they supposed to handle change as they get older and go out into this world when this world is ever-changing?  It's honestly hard for me to fathom when change is so debilitating for him.  

Change for him throws everything off in his life.  He likes his routine and for that routine to be predictable.  If there is a change we need to help him prep for it in advance, talk about it, dissect it, plan and repeat.  

At home, he is able to do what he needs to do in order to slowly get back on track, all on his timing.  At home he can find his comforts, have his people and service dog with him.  But what is he to do when he goes out into the world and someday gets a job?  A job where tasks change, schedules change, and expectations change constantly.  The thought of it puts fear in the pit of my stomach.  

Things like this are exactly why we invest so much time and energy in therapies each week.  

We don't know what the future holds for our son Charlie. We are fully aware of some of the challenges that lay ahead of him.  All we know is, that as parents, the best we can do to prepare him for his future is to provide him with the services available to him, provide a loving, sportive home and surround him with a network of people that will continue to love him and support him through life.