What do you all think??

The Ice Rink

The ice skating rink is perhaps one of the last places you would expect to see a disabled child. But if you look closely, you will see him. He is the little boy standing just outside the rink with his two parents. You might notice that one of the parents always has a hold of this little boy, never letting him go. You notice he does not talk much, and does some strange things with his hands. They have been coming here for a couple of months now. Their oldest son is learning to play ice hockey, and coming to the rink has become a family affair for them. They all show their support; even the little guy. The little one has been watching all the kids skating at the rink-joyfully jumping up and down each time one of the figure skaters would spin in front of him. He loves watching them. His two parents smile at each other and then at him-for them, this is enough for now. You find yourself staring at this family, not out of happiness, but rather out of dismay. I have noticed your stares. That little boy you are staring at is mine.

On this day however, I am not going to let that bother me. We have decided to put ice skates on that little disabled boy. We have decided to let him be a part of the action. We get to the rink and get skates on. Although my little man seems to want to skate, this mom admits to being just slightly nervous about how it could all go down. We head out to the ice and carefully step on. I grab on to my sons’ hand and begin to lead him around the rink. We are met with his figure skater friends who have been twirling in front of him for weeks now. They both tell him how good he is doing, and even though he does not look at them, I can tell he is beyond happy. Nobody knows it, but this mom has a tear in her eye at this moment. You see, this is nothing short of a miracle. That little boy who is now ice skating with his mom is autistic.

This is the article I am thinking of submitting to Autism Today. I would like to hear your thoughts!