My Autistic Daughter Has Brought Our Family Closer

29Apr
by Jazmin Guerrero

My daughter is autistic. A year ago when I found out, my first feeling was fear. I had not felt that type of fear before. However, on my way home something came over me. As my thoughts became more centered I told myself, I didn’t have to be afraid. That instead I should focus on feeling strong and courageous. I knew fear would not empower me to help my daughter. 

Since then I have continued to practice gratitude. More and more I see the happiest girl in front of me. She is full of love, enjoys the simplest things, and finds joy in every situation. She is living life to the fullest, and although she has a different way of seeing things, it’s okay. All people see things differently. Now I understand that autism is a life condition and not a disease; people who are on the spectrum should be treated fairly.  

When I understood my daughter has a different operating system and she just learns differently, I was able to understand her better. However, the process has not been easy. It’s one thing for me to learn and understand; I also had to explain all this to her father and sisters. This took time and was very challenging. Yet now at the end of the day, we all know it’s a condition we have to continue learning about. Each day she has brought us closer as a family. We enjoy her good and not-so-good days. Every day we learn something new, that’s the honest truth.

She is our pride and has made us strong. We have learned that autism is not a tragedy, the tragedy is ignorance.

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Jazmin Guerrero

Jazmín Guerrero is from Guadalajara, México and the mother of three daughters who attend schools in the San José Unified District. Jazmin began advocating for ​​special education when her 3 year old daughter needed help getting a diagnosis. Over the years Jazmin has come to realize our public education system is very unfair to children with special needs; especially to children in our Latino community. Being a parent leader in the “Yo Soy Tu Voz” leadership and advocacy group has given her the opportunity to advocate, educate, and support other Latino families having access to a fair and equitable education.

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