The Perfect Fathers Day

Autism brings a torrent of challenges. Motor control issues, muscle hypotonia, sensory issues, and the occasional sprinkling of ADHD & PDA. All of these have conspired against my son learning many basic life skills as he enters his senior year of high school.

We're planning a trip to Hawaii, so yesterday we went to the pool to practice wearing snorkels so he could join us on a turtle-watching expedition. We opted for a full-face mask, which took care of the overwhelming sensory input of water hitting his face. With that conquered, he was able to concentrate on other aquatic skills.

And next thing you know, he was swimming on his own, for the very first time.

I cried then, and I'm crying while writing this now. I'm so proud of my not-so-little man, and I couldn't imagine a more-perfect Fathers Day.