"When I was small, I didn't even know that I was a kid with special needs. How did I find out? By other people telling me that I was different from everyone else, and that this was a problem." — Naoki Higashida, The Reason I Jump
My latest fear: I don't want C to grow up thinking something is wrong with him, that he's broken or damaged. But how? He knows something is different. He's used the words "autism" and "ASD" in reference to himself (and that's okay). He knows his twin lives a different life, goes to a different school. He knows he has special people who come to our home to work with him almost daily. He experiences all the doctors appointments, the evaluations. He's contended with being attached to oxygen equipment 24/7.
So what can I do to prevent him from thinking he's broken or damaged?
I'm not sure, but perhaps it starts by not thinking these things myself.