25/11/2025
When School Isn’t a Break: A Message to Autism Parents on Days Like This
For so many of us raising children on the spectrum, there are “days off from school” that don’t feel like a break at all. They’re the days when the routine shifts, services pause, the structure our kids rely on disappears—and suddenly everything lands on our shoulders at once.
And while the rest of the world thinks this is a vacation day, we’re out here rearranging our lives, losing hours at work, burning our limited PTO, or taking unexcused absences just to make sure our children are safe, supported, and regulated.
To every Autism parent navigating that tension today… I see you.
I know the juggling.
The stress behind the smile.
The mental checklist that never ends.
The feeling of being the only one who understands what this day actually requires of you.
When I talk about the “schools of autism,” this is exactly what I mean — the lived reality, the invisible labor, the planning, the advocacy, the exhaustion, the love, the determination. Not everyone understands this world, but we live in it every day.
And I want to say something clearly:
Just because we’ve grown, learned, or reached a more stable season doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten what the hard seasons felt like.
Some of us might now have a little more flexibility.
Maybe a job that finally understands.
Maybe a partner who can carry some of the load.
Maybe resources we didn’t always have.
But none of us forget those years when we were drowning in school calls, behavior notes, meltdowns, IEP meetings, therapies, and impossible choices between work and our child’s needs.
We remember.
And we still feel it with you.
If today is tough, breathe.
If your child is dysregulated, you’re not doing anything wrong.
If your patience is stretched, you’re not alone.
If your house feels loud, chaotic, or “off,” it’s not because you’re failing — it’s because this is hard.
You are doing actual hero work with no applause, no PTO, no quiet lunch break, and no roadmap.
And things do get better.
Not perfect. Not linear.
But better — in understanding, in tools, in community, and in the softening of the hardest edges.
And until they do, remember:
There is an entire community behind you that gets it.
You don’t have to be superhuman today… just present.
I’m sending love and strength to every Autism parent doing their best — especially on the days that don’t look like anyone else’s “day off.”
We’re in this together. 💙
