My Son on the Autism Spectrum Wrote a Letter to President Trump

On January 20, my son was asked to write a letter to our new president, Donald Trump. It was inauguration day, President Trump’s first day in office, and to help the kids make connections from themselves to our new leader, she asked the class to pen a letter. Here is what he wrote:

Dear Mr. President

Congratulations. My name is Jack. I am twelve years old. I hope you will be an honest leader. Please build more schools and homes for the people who don’t have a home. I would like for you to make food for the hungry. Please be aware of the people you are leading. Think your decisions all the way through. Use expected behavior.

Thank you for listening.

My son attends a specialized program for children diagnosed with Asperger’s (autism spectrum disorder), ADHD and anxiety. His teacher emailed this to me because she was proud to see him work through the assignment using the tools he has learned. At first finding the right words was challenging. He had heard a lot of conflicting information over the length of the campaign, all those months of soundbites that permeated everywhere, and it is easy to understand how a young man could become scared and confused about our new leader. After a short time, he was able to work with his teacher to articulate his thoughts and hopes for our future.

Jack has learned many tools to help him navigate his academic programing as well as his social and emotional needs. He has a level of perseverance that is inspirational to those who know him. I read this letter back to him and he again expressed that it was hard to write it. As part of Jack’s diagnosis, he tends to see things in black and white terms, and although he has improved in this area, it is still a part of him. I told him how proud he should be that he worked through this letter. Jack’s words, his beliefs, and his dreams for our future, presented an opportunity for a deeper lesson: a plan for action.

“We don’t need to wait for the President, or anyone else for that matter, to make a difference in our community or in our world,” I said to him as we snuggled on the sofa. He nodded and kissed my cheek. My son has fears and reservations about our new president. It is my job as his parent to alleviate his fears and help him make sense of things that are troubling. It is also my job to empower him. He has done an amazing job at home and school learning, growing and advocating for himself, now he wants to see positive changes for others. I hope the act of taking action will help alleviate his concerns about other kids not having enough food or warm clothing to wear. He will be in control of creating the things he asked to see in our country.

Jack will be the change he wishes to see in the world…

I cannot wait to see where he takes us.

Editor’s note: This story reflects an individual’s experience and is not an endorsement from The Mighty. We believe in sharing a variety of perspectives from our community.

We want to hear your story. Become a Mighty contributor here.

Images via Thinkstock and Facebook