But he seems so high functioning . . .

"He must be very high functioning"

"I didn't realize he was autistic"

"Oh, I forgot"

Some people may think these are things that would warm a Mama's heart. 

Evidence that the appointments, the therapy, the research, the tears, the struggle was all worth it as your little one was meeting societies norms.

After all,  what Mama doesn't  feel their heart yearn to see the little one succeed after so many struggles.

I guess I'm one of the odd ones. For every little leap of  joy my heart makes as my little guy makes  his steps forward I'm painfully aware of all the little steps happening behind the scenes, to the side, and turn us all around as we try to navigate the craziness of our son's journey with autism.  I'm aware of the meltdowns, the pain, the confusion, and the fear my little one faces in a world that is always on the go and overloading his brain with stimuli it wasn't built to naturally process.  I'm aware of  the hasty retreats to quiet, the calming down, the sensory supports, and the tears from when the effort of fitting  in with the demands of the world become too much.

With that  awareness comes sadness and concern for what my son may face because he seems  "so high functioning"

When people think of autism they think of the extremes. The child who's non-verbal and lives in their own world or the individual who lives no differently than a neurotypical peer.

But autism isn't necessarily a condition of extremes. Autism is a spectrum and one  case does not necessarily fall on the spectrum the same way as another (This comic is an awesome introduction). Our little one  can be quit the talker, laughing and yelling and having fun. However, external noise,   sensory input, and transitions can all throw him into a meltdown which is why I've become a big fan of online shopping. A large portion of his speech falls under the category of echolalia  with his relying on memorized phrases that will come out at random times and heaven help the person who doesn't know the script.

I'm honestly  thankful that people see so many sides to our little guy: his love  for music, his manners and compassion, his smile, his energy but I worry that by forgetting his diagnosis they actually do him a  disservice. By recognizing his autism you don't have to label my little guy that's a  personal choice but you do have to recognize that he may interact  differently and need different supports to reach his full, untapped potential. By denying his  diagnosis he's also denied that support and left, with us, to face the  consequences of circumstances that expect him to act in situations where he is at a  deficit. 

So what does this Mama's heart hope for?

I hope one day, instead of the "I forgot's" and the minimizing comments it becomes more common to hear "how can  we help him continue to succeed"