If I had one thing to say to parents of children with autism, PANDAS or high needs...

Look beyond the physical, beyond the symptoms, beyond your interpretation of what is wrong to see what is right.  This child is trying to tell you something.  Your journey is about de-tangling that message.  Could it be a painful one? Maybe.  Could it be an eye-opening one? Maybe.  Could it put you on a new path? Most definitely.

Regardless of your physical journey, your spiritual journey lies somewhere in the mass of symptoms you view every day.  Where did they begin, why are they part of YOUR life? 

Perspective. 
n.noun

1. A view or vista.
2. A mental view or outlook.
3. The appearance of objects in depth as perceived by normal binocular vision.
4. The relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole.
a perspective of history; a need to view the problem in the proper perspective.
5. Subjective evaluation of relative significance; a point of view.
the perspective of the displaced homemaker.
6. The ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance.
tried to keep my perspective throughout the crisis.
7. The technique of representing three-dimensional objects and depth relationships on a two-dimensional surface.

I feel particularly drawn to #4.  The relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole.

Our children are part of a whole.  They are part of a family, part of a community, part of a universe.  Let’s keep that in mind when we are scaling the depths of the earth to “fix” them.  They aren’t who they are without us.  And what part of us are they?  That is your journey to uncover.  But don’t forget the depth and breadth of that possibility.  Leave no stones unturned, open your heart, open your mind and most of all, open your spirit to ALL possibilities.  When we narrow our searches, we limit ourselves.  You may not find your car keys if you only look in the family room.  Silly association, I know, but it’s just as silly to single out your child as “ill” without considering the source.  When we single out one part of our family for “recovery” we are saying they are alone, they aren’t a part of us. 

They ARE interconnected with us, ALL of us.  We are just as much a part of their recovery, as the air we breath is a part of our survival.

Do you see your child “recovered”?  Or do you see your child as “sick”?  These are questions we MUST ask ourselves, because we attract what we give off.  We must see our children the way we expect to see them, as healthy, whole and unique.  Only then can our views begin to take in the big picture.  Your child is in your life for a reason.  Don’t underestimate the power of his/her purpose on this earth.

I have my children to thank for my gift of intuition.  Their mere existence gave me reason to push myself harder than anything else has ever pushed me.  Their passion for life drove me to look at my own passions.  Their challenges became my challenges.  And thankfully, their journeys intersect with mine.

Put the magnifying glass down and pick up the globe.  Look around you and take it all in.  I’m not here to tell you where to look or how to find your answers, but if you feel like something is missing in your own tale, it’s time to actively seek out that happy ending.  It’s there for the taking, all you have to do is believe in fairy tales.