Learning how to code from my autistic 3 year old....
Tags: beginners, devjournal, todayilearned, codenewbie
Published: 2023-01-06 18:32:05

   I am a mom. I have 4 daughters. Being a parent, I have experienced a lot of situations... no one prepares you for.  For example, when my oldest daughter was 5, she put an eraser from the end of pencil in her ear. It got stuck. No one told me that this little human would be weird and curious enough to attempt to ruin her own hearing, or even how to explain this to the emergency room doctors. The point I am making is, as a parent you don't really know what situation you may face on a daily basis, but you still have to figure out how to maneuver through it...Parenting 101.
    This lesson I learned is one I learned from my youngest daughter, she is autistic. I never knew what autism was or knew anyone that was on the spectrum before her. She is also non-verbal (meaning she lacks functional language), and has a sensory disorder (meaning certain sounds, lighting, or even the feel of something can be overstimulating or extremely off-putting). As, her mother , I became super aware, protective and slightly overbearing over her. I did the worst thing a mother could do (I'm exaggerating...but it did make me feel bad). I doubted her abilities. 
     When my youngest daughter was 3, she began attending ABA Therapy. While picking her up after one of her therapy sessions, her therapists asked if I'd ever given her a particular puzzle (it was one of those block puzzles with a picture on each side, and when placed together it forms a whole picture) to play with and put together. My response was, "No. She can't. She won't be able to do that type puzzle, because it is too complicated for her." . I know...I know... how dare I doubt her abilities!! Little did I know, her therapist wasn't asking me to see if I'd go buy this type of puzzle and try it out, she was making me aware that my daughter had mastered all of the puzzles of that type in their facility. Herself, as well as , all other therapists, and employees had been so impressed that they wanted to know if I had taught or shown her how to work the puzzles before. Needless to say, I was embarrassed and elated all at the same time. Embarrassed, because I allowed myself to be so closed minded about her abilities, that I didn't believe that she could accomplish the task of completing this type of puzzle. I was also elated, because at that very moment, I realized my daughter was going to be fine. She was able to show me and the world that even though she processes information and communicates differently, she is able and capable of doing whatever she wants to do. From that moment on, I have always presented her with choices, opportunities, and tasks just as I have with my other daughters. I thought I was being protective and in reality, I was being a barrier. 

> “Autism is.... about finding a way to survive in an overwhelming, confusing world… It is about developing differently, in a different pace and with different leaps.” 
     
  I began to challenge myself and learn how to code, shortly after that moment. I started teaching myself JavaScript, taking courses on CodeAcademy, FreeCodeCamp, and YouTube. I realized that I had been doubting my own abilities. She taught me that I am enough and that I am able to do whatever it is that I set out to accomplish, regardless of what other people may deem as obstacles in my path. 

  So, I'm sharing this story to encourage anyone who has doubts about their path to continue working towards your goals and remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH and YOU ARE ABLE. 


P.S. The doctor's were able to remove the eraser from my oldest daughter's ear.