Mom’s Candid Post about Raising Autistic Son Goes Viral: ‘Some Disabilities Cannot Be Overcome’

A mother of an autistic child is being lauded after she posted a heartfelt confession about raising a child with a disability.

Leigh Merryday Porch took to Facebook to share a post about raising an autistic child through her Facebook page, “Flappiness Is.”

The mother opened up about how it is not always possible for a child with autism to defeat the adversity, contrary to what several success stories in the media suggest.

“They're stories of autistic kids who didn't talk but do now, children who sing the national anthem, young women who compete in beauty pageants, and those on the spectrum who graduate from college,” Porch wrote.

She added that people come to know about these stories and they enjoy it because “human beings persevering in the face of adversity is a beautiful thing.” However, she explained, such stories also feel “like a slap” to many others.

https://www.facebook.com/FlappinessIs/posts/2870516303022068

Porch further elaborated how the disability cannot be reversed no matter how hard a parent tries.

“Because some disabilities cannot be overcome. They can be accepted, worked with, planned for, and accommodated, but no amount of parental love and determination can erase them.”

Her son, Callum, suffers from such a severe disability. She wrote that there is no possibility of overcoming the odds and “going to law school” because he is “simply not wired for that.”

However, the mother has not given up all hope for her son. She said that it is not in her power to “rewire” him, but that does not mean that she has no will or determination to “try harder.”

Porch further stressed that the idea of overcoming the odds should not be a deciding factor of an autistic child’s success.

https://www.facebook.com/FlappinessIs

/posts/2869334459806919

She added: “The presence of an autistic adult in the world who doesn't make the newspaper is not a statement of failure. Not of society, not of his family, and certainly not of himself.”

For Porch, it is more important to give her son unconditional love and acceptance in the face of adversity.

She believes that providing people with disability “every reasonable opportunity any other person has to live, learn, and grow” is simply enough.

As Porch pointed out, the success stories of children with autism are often inspiring for many people and quickly go viral on the internet but not everybody's experience is the same.

It takes an immese amount of courage to candidly open uo about issues as sensitive as this. Porch's message served as a voice to many other parents who are familiar with the struggles of raising an autistic child but who refuse to give up no matter what.

Last year, a young student with autism became an internet sensation after he delivered an inspiring graduation speech.