The impression I got from #antivax circles, was that autistic children were very difficult and burdensome. When my vax-free son started to regress and then stagnate I just thought he was behind and would catch up. When some family members implied he was #autistic, I was offended.

Then his preschool teachers said he didnt play like the other kids, and I thought "So! He's brilliant and has his own imagination" When he would entertain himself for hours outside smashing things with a bat, or examining the tree bark, or laying on his back looking through the

tree branches wave around, (sometimes he fell asleep, lol) I was happy he could entertain himself. When the robot vacuum became his best friend, and volcanoes were his obsession, I saw this as unique. But then around age 4 the gap between him and his peers wasnt closing.

It was at this time, I was realizing I was so wrong about vaccines, and I asked myself if I was wrong about my son. So I took him to our doctor. Having an autistic child herself, she saw the signs. She recommended an assessment. Even then I remained hopeful that he wasnt autistic

I thought if he was, he was just on the cusp. His level 2 ASD diagnosis hit me like a ton of bricks. I hit the ground running, and found every single resource available. I now know my son is still the same beautiful, brilliant boy. With OT and SLP and an aide, he is thriving.

The #antivax community is ableist, and harmful to the #autistic community. I have learned so much, and have so many regrets. The biggest one is not getting my son help sooner, because the blinders I had on. My son is 5 and fully vaccinated now. #VaccinesDontCauseAutism