Gayle Nobel: Ready to launch

Gayle Nobel, Author of Breathe & Co-author of It’s All About Attitude

The end of high school is the beginning of the rest of your life! Now what?

What if you left high school and there were no college opportunities waiting for you, no job possibilities, and you had no ability to express yourself and make a choice regarding what you might want to do with the rest of your life?

I am writing about my son Kyle. He is 26 years old and severely affected by autism and several other developmental issues. He was able to stay in high school until the age of 21 because he was in special education. After that, I was left to figure out how to create a meaningful life for him. Unfortunately, the options are very limited for adults with special needs.

It can feel overwhelming because it seems like we have to know everything all at once rather than just taking the next best step. As a parent, it’s scary too because we know we will not always be around to make these important decisions for our child.

At the risk of giving away the ending, here’s a piece from my newest book, Breathe.

Epilogue

Ready to Launch

Throughout this book, I have endeavored to provide you with oxygen-rich tools to help you love and live well with your child. I hope you have found them valuable and useful.

Yet, as I write this final chapter, I realize I have left one very big challenge unaddressed – launching our children from the nest. When will they be ready? When will we? Where will they go?

These are tough questions. I wonder when Kyle will be ready to launch. More accurately, I wonder when I will be ready to launch Kyle.

With my daughter, Rachel, there is no question. She is ready to launch. With college graduation just behind her, she is beginning her adult life. She has worked hard to get to this point, and I am excited for her. Even in these uncertain economic times, her future is bright with opportunity. I don’t worry about her. I have full confidence that she is prepared to face the world and will thrive wherever she ends up.

With Kyle, I am frequently asked whether he will be able to live independently. Kyle does not have the skills or the judgment to take care of himself, so the answer is no. I do not have the same confidence in Kyle’s future as I do in Rachel’s.

This is a scary place for me, and one I have not delved into very deeply. I am not yet ready to launch Kyle, but am keenly aware that the day will come when, ready or not, I must face the decision. Where will he live, and who will take care of him? These are the questions that remain tucked away for future consideration.

So, I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I hope for the best, trusting the answer lies in the future. With so many children being diagnosed these days, there will eventually be a flood of adults who need supported-living situations -- new opportunities that have yet to come into existence.

For now, Kyle waits on the launch pad, and I stand firmly beside him. I release the need to know right now. When the time comes, I trust I will be able to let go and allow Kyle to move forward with grace and ease. In the meantime, I hope, pray, and trust.

Oxygen-Rich Tool

Here is what I have to offer you: hope, pray, and trust. Believe that the best will happen for your child. Let go. Love. Most importantly, breathe.

Gayle Nobel, Bio

Breathe is poetic, yet practical: not just for parents of children with autism, but as a guide for living and parenting.

Gayle Nobel is the coauthor of It’s All About Attitude: Loving and Living Well with Autism and author of Breathe: 52 Oxygen-Rich Tools for Loving and Living Well with Autism.

She holds a BA in Special Education, and directed an intensive home therapy program for 11 years for her autistic son Kyle, who is now 26. During that time she trained over 100 volunteer therapists and aides in the attitude she writes and speaks about.

Originally from New York, Gayle is an author, inspirational speaker, and also a sister to a 50 year-old brother with autism. Her book, Breathe is for anyone wanting to move beyond the autism cure books. She offers support, inspiration, and hand-on tools in every chapter for living well with life's challenges. To learn more visit http://www.autismwithattitude.com.

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Giveaway Item(s): 1 copy of Breathe

# of Winners: 1

Eligibility: US only

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