Autism and Grief

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/giving-voice/202402/the-spectrum-of-loss-grief-through-the-autistic-lens

As a daughter who lost her dad at 15, and a mother who's spent two decades raising an autistic son, I have spent way too much time thinking about grief and about autism. I haven't often seen them talked about together - though I've watched my son experience the loss of his three grandparents, and address sorrow - both his own and that of the people around him - in ways that are both typical and amazingly unique.

"Nana must be feeling lonely without Papa."
"I think Papa must be in God's sunshine."
"She was MY grandma - and I loved her."
"Mom - your dad died 40 years ago - that's a long time!"
"It's December 28th, Mom, are you feeling sad today?"
"I just realized that "funeral" has the word "fun" in it!"

A year or so after the death of both of his grandmothers, James began to implode - an onset of OCD, anxiety and depression that took over and dominated our lives for almost two years. I've often wondered if the experience of losing two women he loved - and who adored, understood and valued him - was part of what set his implosion in motion.

I'm grateful for this piece that just popped up on my feed - thank you Hari Srinivasan for sharing your insights on the experience of grief through the lens of autism.