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What a “Normal Day” Looks Like in Our Autism Life
Craig slept early last night—already in bed by 9:30 PM. This is E A R L Y for us. He was supposed to have his exams with his SNED teacher today, but it got cancelled.
By 2 AM, he was wide awake, laughing loudly in his bed.
I’m sure he was up until around 4 AM. I didn’t bother waking him early this morning; he needed the rest, so yes… we skipped school again.
After brunch, Craig started showing signs of aggression—hitting his head while we were having coffee. I distracted him with cookies just so he could regulate a bit.
Time check: 1 PM. Still a long stretch before therapy at 3:30 PM. On normal days, he would already be sweeping or wiping surfaces voluntarily. But because his expectations for exams weren’t met today, I could feel a meltdown brewing.
To avoid escalation, I started guiding him with his chores—observing quietly if he would follow through. Whew. He did.
But as a mom, I always wonder: What if work was demanding at that exact hour? What if I couldn’t step away to manage his behavior? It could’ve escalated so fast—more pees to wipe, more frustration for him, and more stress for whoever was with Craig, whether Papa or Kuya.
I feel blessed to be able to work from home, while also being Craig’s full-time carer. We’re not complaining—but these are the daily realities behind the scenes. These are the adjustments we make in our lifestyle:
• I don’t answer calls.
• Anything that can be scheduled earlier, I do—water refills, Shopee or Lazada deliveries.
• We limit visitations.
• We modify routines as we go along.
And even then, there are days we go back to square one… and that’s okay. That’s part of acceptance.
This is our Autism Journey.
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Craig’s School Journey: 3 Lessons I’ve Learned as a Mom in 4 Years
T.Vicky assisting Craig 
1. There is hope.
Two years before he entered school, Craig was in regular therapy — and it took so long before he could even write or color. But when he joined Kindergarten, something clicked. Just a few months in, he suddenly started writing his own name. Progress comes, sometimes quietly, sometimes in big surprising ways.
2. Environment matters.
After his huge progress in Kindergarten, we transferred him to a private school thinking it would be “better.” But he wasn’t happy. He got sick often, regressed, and didn’t want to go to school. After the first quarter, we returned to public school — and he slowly found his rhythm again. I learned that the “best” school is the one where your child feels safe, happy, and understood.
3. Follow his lead.
As parents, we want to give them everything. We hear terms like “bridging the gap,” and we feel pressured to push, push, push. But along the way, I realized: the more we force, the more he resists. His progress actually came when I stopped rushing and started following his pace. He found friends, he connected, and those friendships even extended to us.
#dearcraig#autismawareness#autismjourney#autismacceptance#snedandmainstream
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SNED – Special Needs Education
11.18.25 | Today. No input probably si Craig with group work but I high fives ✋️all these kids for being so inclusive. Mainstream – Regular Class I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about Craig’s school status. He is currently in Third Grade Mainstream, but still under SNED.
There are so many discussions around this topic, and honestly, I don’t always have the capacity to explain or give opinions. So for now, I’ll simply share our experience.
People would say, “Wow, ang galing-galing ni Craig, Grade 3 na!”
Me: hmmm hmmm hehe
— proud of course, but… not exactly in the way they think.
In our world, this is a different kind of “promotion.” In public school settings—based on our experience—as long as a SNED learner can sit still and hold a pencil, they can already be placed in the Mainstream class.
This was yesterday, despite being late, he insisted going to school. But for SNED learners like Craig, being in Mainstream does not automatically reflect their academic level. (Of course, some SNED learners are geniuses. But Craig’s story is different.)
Here’s Craig’s current level:
1. Can he write? YES
2. Can he spell? Some 3-letter words
3. Can he read? Limited
4. Can he count? Yes — sometimes up to 50, sometimes only 20
5. Can he do addition? Uhm… maybe sometimes
And the list goes on.
We have limited resources — in every aspect. Therapies are costly. SPED teachers are few. Not all regular teachers have experience handling SNED learners. Classrooms are limited.
And the list goes on.
As an Ausome mom with limited resources too, we simply make do with what is available. It’s all about mindsets. I rarely complain about the limited accommodations in school because the ratio is around 1 SNED teacher to 35 learners on the spectrum — all with different needs.
But despite all these challenges, our 4 years in public school have been an Ausome experience. We’ve met friends. We’ve gained a community. It has given Craig so much exposure and socialization — not just for him, but for the whole family.
P.S. Shawtout sa Tropa
#dearcraig#autismawareness#autismjourney#autismacceptance#snedandmainstream
