Amy Saunders and her husband Randy know better than most the struggles of having to build their child’s self-confidence when it seems like the world is against them. Their son, Austin, is in 8th grade this year, which is easily one of the most awkward times of any person’s life. In addition to navigating middle school, Austin has a laundry list of mental health struggles including everything from autism to anxiety.
Upon seeing a writing prompt that her son brought home from school, Amy took to Facebook to share the struggles that Austin faces on a daily basis—in his own words.
“Our son wrote this for his English writing prompt this year, 8th grade. Austin has Autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Fine Motor Skill Delay and Anxiety Disorder. The prompt was to write 3 things that he wishes his teachers knew about him. It broke our hearts to read this, and to hear/read from him on how he struggles daily.
Austin wrote:
‘I wish that they knew that I am autistic. I wish that my teacher knew that I need help on a lot of things like my handwriting. I wish that my teacher know that I have a depressed life sometimes. I wish my teacher knew that I am not being defiant I am overwhelmed shutting down. I wish that my teacher knew that I am very good at bottling up anger and having outbursts.’
“These are our sons feelings, struggles and everyday challenges,” Amy wrote with the post.