We heard it from doctors, therapists, education specialists, teachers, and principals. We now use this word on a daily basis. It lives in our house like a grumpy old man. We not only got used to the disappointment it carried with it, but the anger that comes from it.

There’s a children’s book that my son loves to have read to him. David gets in Trouble by David Shannon, is a cute and short story where David, a young spontaneous boy, gets in trouble at school often. When we read it, Liam laughs. He feels like maybe, he’s like David? We say ‘no’ so often that he can relate to David. Yet, when we say ‘no’ he still becomes enraged. It’s not always easy to rationalize what such a little word means, especially when your child has Autism. Things are black and white, so how can you say ‘no’ to things that are clearly ‘yes’ in his mind.

Someday, he will hear ‘no’ and not think about it much. He will hear it and follow the instructions given. Like the rest of us, it will just be the small word that we hear and gives us a bit of disappointment, but we shrug it off and move on.

Today, we live in a pandemic world. Leaving the house is always hard when you have ASD. We have to plan and talk about the day ahead. Look at where we are going and make sure that there will be no surprises. Today, everyone feels a little of what someone with ASD may feel when they go out. The pandemic has made it much harder for our ASD loved ones to get out and be in the community. Many of us have stopped going out at all. But with time, we will be able to say ‘No, we can do this’. Because in the end, ‘No’ can be a positive change.

This one little word, carries a different emotion for everyone. My son feels rage when he hears it. I feel sadness. Yet, I used to feel determination. I pray that I get that feeling back. The strength that can come from the word ‘No’. . . the empowerment. . . the satisfaction. That one little word has such different emotions for everyone. How do you feel?