“I feel so alienated” - Keri Hilson

Let’s talk about alienation. Since Azrael’s diagnosis, we have been selective on who we shared it with. Primarily because when people hear of any sort of neuro-diversive diagnosis attitudes and actions change. We don’t want our little boy “felt bad for” or treated differently because of a score on a standardized test.

Due to others not understanding the reason behind his difficulties in social situations, they judged our parenting. Any parent knows this road is bumpy and scary. You always wonder if you are doing the right thing, worried about long-term effects of current decisions.

Those thoughts are increased exponentially when raising a child on the spectrum. All the comments from others about how your child behaves/responds to typical stimuli. And the parents aren’t the only ones that feel the alienation. Whether your kid is reclusive or a social butterfly, they can sense when their peers retreat. Azrael’s latest phrase is “I’m shy”. He’s actually not shy at all. But its very clear that he has experienced some level of rejection and bullying from peers that gives him anxiety around new kids.