From Marinda K Dennis: I wanted to share my story in hopes of helping others who are struggling with grief right now, especially those on the spectrum. My 15-year-old daughter took her life this past year. She was bright, vibrant, and full of life. Her 12-year-old brother, Andrew, is autistic. It has been quite the journey attempting to navigate my own grief while helping him through his. She was his world. He was her little shadow who followed her everywhere and wanted to be just like her in everything he did. He is now lost without her. I want to share what I have learned, what we have been through, and what has led us on this journey of trying to help others heal from pain. Andrew was in a fatal car accident with his father five years ago, and Andrew sustained multiple life-threatening injuries. We had to ensure that he was stabilized before we could even tell him that his father did not make it. It has been a long and hard journey for him through the years, and yet he's thr...
At birth, doctors suggested I would be mentally disabled, in addition to the physical injuries I suffered. I have never been described as normal. “High-functioning autism” (HFA) is just another way to describe a few aspects of “me.” The autistic me is the creative me, the curious me, the complete me.