Rethinking Birthdays for Kids with ASD (A story from Calleen Petersen) 🎂

Birthdays can be tough when your child has ASD. My son always wanted friends to play with, but social struggles and processing delays made it hard for him to connect. We’d invite people to his parties, but most didn’t show up. Watching his sister get piles of gifts and guests while he barely got any broke my heart.

Then, something amazing happened. When we moved to Washington, we invited seven kids to his party and almost all came! He was overjoyed, surrounded by gifts and laughter. It felt like a small miracle.

https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/celebrate-birthdays-with-autism/

Last year, I decided to focus on “experience birthdays” instead of big parties. My son loves pirates, so we surprised him with a pirate cruise in Seattle. The crew treated him wonderfully, and we ended the day watching Pirates of the Caribbean. He was in absolute heaven.

His sister got jealous she wanted an experience too! And honestly, that’s okay. These moments remind me that our family’s life may look different, but it’s still full of love, joy, and creativity.

We don’t have to celebrate like everyone else to make memories that shine. 🌟