I would not venture out on this limb, if I had not spent the majority of the past nine years living and breathing autism. My son’s diagnosis brought me to my knees and at times I did not believe I would ever feel joy again. But here I am nine years later, telling the world that autism may be the greatest gift we have been given.

In digging and fighting and searching for answers I have made some remarkable discoveries about these very different, very brilliant children. I have come to view autism as one epidemic that is sparking a different epidemic, one in which we reevaluate who we are.

What is going on here?
There is more to autism than meets the eye.  It is not hard to accept that something bigger is going on here when you look at the numbers. We went from 1 in 5000 children in 1975 to 1 in 68 children diagnosed with autism today. So what is going on?

Our physical environment is loaded with stuff. We live in a polluted world with more chemicals in our air, water and food than ever before. We are bombarded daily by pesticides, GMOs, antibiotics, vaccines, drugs and many other chemicals.

And our emotional environment is one of overworked, stressed out individuals and families. We are depressed and anxious and largely unhappy. And we are disconnected from our true selves, who we are meant to be. We have created an environment, both physical and emotional, that has driven the epidemic of autism.

Could this epidemic be forcing humanity to change? Could it be the proverbial wake up call? It is easy to connect the dots between pollution, chemicals, toxicity and autism. But there is something else, even more monumental than cleaning up the planet and perhaps our vaccines. And that is cleaning up our selves or reconnecting with who we really are meant to be.

We are supposed to be happy, joyful, loving, compassionate and non-judgmental. How many of us can describe ourselves that way on a daily basis? We know, on some level, that there’s got to be a better way than what we have been living. We are meditating in larger numbers, so we can connect with that aspect of ourselves and millions of us have begun a yoga practice for the same reasons.

My theory of autism
These children are asking us to change. Not only the physical environment, but our inner environment. They are shaking things up, ripping the rug out from under us, because humanity needs a cataclysmic event to get our attention. My son got my attention.

And here is the punch line for all parents of children with autism. When you do that, when you reconnect to your true self, your children will have a reason to want to connect with you. When I started approaching my son from a place of acceptance and non-judgment and I let go of the fear and worry, he began crossing that bridge into my world. And the most amazing thing is that he is connecting with me, and others, from a place deep within himself.

Children with autism are different enough that we cannot force them to be “normal”. In fact, by coercing them to conform to our world, we actually create bigger roadblocks for them and we miss out on opportunities to connect with them from a meaningful place. While there are many ways to improve the physical well-being of our children, the most profound, deep healing will occur when we change our beliefs about autism.

So maybe the tragedy story was needed to prompt change. But we don’t have to stay stuck in that story. It does not serve us and it certainly does not serve our children. They may very well be here in such large numbers to help us. I know I am forever changed, in the most positive way, because my son was diagnosed with autism.

Andrea Libutti is a physician, author and mother to three boys; her oldest son has autism. Board-certified in emergency medicine, Andrea’s passion is helping children and families with autism, having run a private autism practice for several years. Her mission is to shift the autism paradigm from a tragedy, to an opportunity to open ourselves up and reconnect with what really matters, and empowering families to live their best lives.  Andrea is the author of Awakened by Autism, published by Hay House.