Leaving Special Education was a tremendously hard decision for me. After all, I wholeheartedly believe that the children that walked through my door on a daily basis, made up a large portion of who I am today. They challenged me, they loved me, they confided in me, they cried on my shoulder, and they absolutely stole my heart. When they melted down or took their emotion out on me, I knew they were simply trying to communicate. Perhaps they were hungry or they were sad they didn’t know their parents. Perhaps they had a headache or didn’t understand why the popular boys were picking on them in the hallway. Perhaps they were cold or they didn’t understand the directions I gave them. No matter what, they weren’t aiming to hurt me, they simply didn’t know how better to respond or communicate with me. It was during these times, I had to love them the most. It was during these times, that they needed me as much as I needed them. It was during these times, that we created lifelong relationships with one another.

These children, in their 10-15 short years on this earth, had been through way more than I have in my 25 (cough) years on earth. They have been through the ringer in terms of education, environmental conditions, medical treatments, testing and the challenges that come to them naturally on a day-to-day basis.

Autism Awareness Month, is always nostalgic for me. This is the time of year in my previous life where my kids were experiencing the highs that come with acceptance in the Special Olympics as well as experiencing the lows that come with the insane pressure that is being put on them for Statewide Testing which is unfairly set up for students with extreme disabilities, but I’ll save that rant for another post. At the end of the day, this month is an absolute whirlwind for them.

When I made the decision to leave the world of behavior and education, I made a commitment to myself and my kids to continue to stay involved in Special Education and Autism Awareness. How lucky I am to be a part of an organization that has the same goals and intentions in mind! Workday, my incredible company, has giving back events for both Autism Awareness and Special Olympics.

That being said, The Workday Warriors will be teaming up to raise money for Autism Speaks.  We are participating in the Walk for Autism Speaks which is on May 1, 2016. I am looking so forward to being among my people again, if even for a day.

For those of you walking or participating, keep in mind what this event looks like for those children and adults with Autism who are walking along side of you. Though they know how incredible the support is, and they appreciate it, this is also a challenging exercise for them. Often times, people with Autism (not all of course), are incredibly uncomfortable in crowds, they don’t like being touched, they don’t like loud noises, they get hotter more quickly, and the idea of screaming and clapping truly gives them physical discomfort. I referenced this physical pain in an earlier post called ‘Tis the Senses which would be worth a read before you participate in this walk.

With all of this being said, I challenge you to speak to, encourage, smile at our friends with Autism, not only at the event, but in your day-to-day life as well. After all, these events are for them, and they have so much beautiful content to share in our lives!

Feel free to donate to my personal Autism Speaks Walk link if you are feeling generous. Autism Speaks is an incredible organization that put the money in the places they say they will. Follow this link if you want to donate. I will try to follow up on this blog with photos of the Walk for Autism Speaks.