Sharon Boyd

Autism Advocate. 2 sons live with Autism. Adam speaks for himself, and for Austin. Austin doesn't yet, so for now, I help.

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

@ScottforFlorida @SenSchumer @grahamformaine Really rich coming from the man who stole hundreds of millions in Medicare/Medicaid dollars. Disgusting, I sat through 10 yrs of Ethics classes because YOU had none!

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

@meyerjr @SenRickScott I spent 10 yrs going to mandatory ethics classes thanks to @SenRickScott after he left HCA. NEVER a problem with my Ethics!

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

@SenRickScott And yet what have you done about mass shootings? Crickets

[Holly Robinson Peete 💃🏾♍️ @hollyrpeete]

Whatever they want us to believe causes #Autism doesn’t change the fact that there are too many families that need help, compassion, programs, interventions, access to diagnosis, inclusive employment, independent living support, and most importantly access to HEALTHCARE…

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

@RonFilipkowski If he’d quit firing all the federal workforce and sending the immigrants who have legal status out of the country, maybe jobs would be better!

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

@hollyrpeete My son requires 24 hr care, lots of patience, and brings some heartache from his severe SIB. BUT I agree, he gave me purpose and each small step forward is a win. He’s the most loving 25 yr old I know.

[Pete Buttigieg @PeteButtigieg]

Moment of clarity today in the Senate where Republicans sided with big banks & against customers. Higher fees, lower transparency.

Now it goes to the House - so call your Member of Congress to ask how they’ll vote!

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

@JimmyPatronis Insulting people of your state really is not the best way to get votes. IF you go to DC you will represent people from both sides of the aisle. Divisiveness is not the way to move forward.

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

Devastating for kids with disabilities. Refuses funding for schools with DEI. Every student with disabilities has a right to INCLUSION under Federal law. What happens now?

[CSPAN @cspan]

President Trump Signs Executive Order to Dismantle Department of Education – LIVE at 4pm ET on C-SPAN https://t.co/VPl6mQWCMC

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

Very good explanation of what has really been going on while we are distracted by the garbage that is dividing us. They are talking about necessary pain for us (cuts in programs, mass firings, etc).
https://t.co/vBCGGgJ6hQ via @YouTube

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

https://t.co/rhg8JH1t1c
Consequences, huge consequences

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

@AOC We need to have call in days, shut down the phones of Democratic leaders to fight as well as Republicans against tax breaks! Autism parents did it to get treatment included in ACA. Targeted Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. IT WORKED!

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

We need to have call in days, shut down the phones of Democratic leaders to fight as well as Republicans against tax breaks! Autism parents did it to get treatment included in ACA. Targeted Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. IT WORKED! @MeidasTouch @RonFilipkowski @SarahLongwell25

[Holly Robinson Peete 💃🏾♍️ @hollyrpeete]

😡😡😡😡 all the progress we’ve made to get adults with #autism ready for the workforce and this is what these guys do
It’s so cruel and hard to watch ⁦@HollyRodFDN⁩ https://t.co/LumVLXDDNo

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

Absolutely every member of Trump’s team must be FBI background screened. I have to every 5 yrs to care for my disabled son, certainly those in charge of our government should do the same!

[Age of Autism @AgeofAutism]

Yesterday was Mother’s Day in the USA. Society likes to claim that motherhood is sacred. And autism motherhood gets elevated to the point of beatification. Sainthood. We are not machines who can endure anything and everything that life PLUS autism launches at us. This well-intentioned compliment, “Strongest women I know,” sets us up for isolated, sadness, guilt-ridden moments. And sometimes much worse. 
Most of us ARE incredibly strong and dedicated to our children, long after the nest should have been emptied. We never get a real break. We worry at every turn. We run at varying speeds on a treadmill with no emergency cut off button. We cope. Please let’s keep in mind that some small number do not cope. If you know an autism Mom who is struggling, maybe hiding her diminished arsenal of defenses, try to help her.  We must acknowledge that this journey gets tougher and scarier as we grow older along with our children, most of whom will need some level of loving care long after we are gone. 
Some days we crush life, other days we feel crushed. For most of us, and I can assure you that for me, the good days far outnumber the bad. But our normal would blow other folks’ minds. 
We are not machines. We are flesh and blood mothers. And none of us is Mother Teresa.
Kim

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

@Autismville So true! We are hidden and isolated. Mostly, exhausted

[Judith U @Autismville]

Profound autism is just too big sometimes. Severe self-injury is a particular curse that I wouldn't wish on anyone. We need answers for this community. Researchers, Advocates, Leaders of autism organizations ... World! Please help us!

[Sharon Boyd @AustinsAdvocate]

@johnrobison Thanks for saying how I feel about my Austin’s struggle with his autism. He barely speaks and plagued by self-injurious behaviors. He’s 23, I am ready to pass the torch. I adore him, I can’t accept his autism and I am painfully aware. Mostly I’m exhausted! Time to pass the torch.

[John Elder Robison @johnrobison]

Autism, Comunity, and the idea of a World Autism Month.
What even is that?
For some of us, the combination of autism and the Internet has led us to community we’d never have found otherwIse. For me, autism and the Internet has led to many online connections but those cannot overpower the crushing loneliness I feel so often, sitting in my room at night.
I’m tempted to say “I wish for real connections,” but the online connections are real, they just lack the intensity of face to face friends. And most of all, they don’t get me past the sadness that is so often a part of my life.
I do feel that my writing has touched many people and thousands have written to say how much it’s meant to them. But because of my autism, I cannot internalize those good feelings no matter how many times they are expressed. I can only use my logical brain to say there are a great number of positive affirmations, but logic has never made me feel good and it never will.
When I say I believe autism like mine is a stable heritable thing, I believe that is true and backed up by science. I believe evolution selects for some number of autistics like me because they benefit our species. But I also believe the personal cost to us as individuals is high. It hurts to be like me, much of the time. I’m happy in moments, but satisfaction with my life or prolonged contentment have always eluded me.
When I’m gone, I believe people will speak well of me. I did many positive things in my life. But if I had a chance to come back and try again - it would NEVER be as what I am. That is the oft-denied pain of autism that so many of us live with.
I believe my work to spread awareness and acceptance was righteous, and I think it opened doors and made a difference. But the community of autistic people and their families is so fragmented, and filled with people of such diverse beliefs and motivations that consensus is impossible and attacks are the order of the day on media like this. I‘ve lost the heart to fight or even to argue - it‘s the next generations time now.
As we move through this April, Autism Month, just remember that autistic people have both disability and exceptionality, both in greater measure than most non-autistics. Some of us have great gifts, while almost all of us live with great pain. There’s a tendency to glorify neurodiversity and autism, and for some, to deny disability. Don’t do that. We are what we are. We are just people, with good and bad points, and less ability to connect socially than most. Yet the world needs us. We need support and we need compassion, and love. There is precious little of that out there for most of us.

I wish you the best for Autism Month.