Neurodivergent and proud

The Ham, as my youngest son is known, is autistic (or has autism- he isn't old enough to express a preference yet). Like many parents the first place I turned to after his diagnosis was Autism Speaks because they are the best known autism group. It wasn't too long before things that made my blood boil began popping up. Talk of "curing" autism and treating it like some scary monster to be defeated, and not an integral part of who The Ham is disturbed me. And the lack of autistic voices speaking for about their experiences was also a red flag. Without too much searching I found other people who felt the same (or similarly enough). People advocating for appropriate accommodations for autistic people instead of trying to cram everyone into some rigid box of "normal". Our family is happy to be neurodivergent and spreading autism awareness and fighting for acceptance everyday.

As part of my commitment to raising a strong self advocate I want him to have all the available tools he might need to navigate life, and part of that is realizing that no matter how well intentioned a person can be, interacting with them takes spoons that aren't always available (google spoon theory if that doesn't make sense). On the other hand animals don't require the same internal resources and have other benefits too, mainly (for me as a mom) those wonderful doggie noses that can track run away children. A service dog is literally a constant companion (yay ADA) that has all the benefits you get from a regular pet as well as the specialized training they receive.

One of the reasons we went with Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers is that they tailor the final parts of training to the family the dog is placed with. What's more is that because of their training model, they come to us for delivery and additional training- instead of the other way around. Really, it makes more sense. "Let's take the whole family out of our comfort zone to meet a new member of the family and important support tool while disrupting our routine and trying to absorb a ton of new information around strangers and animals" said no one ever.

So that is (part of) our story. If you want to buy a shirt and support our campaign we would really appreciate it. If you have questions please ask (politely). Thanks!