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.
