l ing
her story
Author and blogger Carrie Cariello talks about her son’s autism, advocacy and finding a balance BY KRYSTEN GODFREY MADDOCKS
R
aising a child with autism is kind of like going for a boat ride in the wide open water.
One minute it’s all smooth sailing — the radio is playing softly, no one is screaming a profanity — and all of a sudden, you come to an abrupt stop, like the anchor has dropped. This is how Carrie Cariello, 44, describes raising her autistic son, Jack, in her Huffington Post blog: “Here is What No One Says Out Loud about Raising a 13-Year-Old Son with Autism,” published in April 2018. It is one of many that have been published in outlets such as TODAY Parents, the TODAY Show, and Parents.com. Her blogs — posted each week on her website, CarrieCariello.com — tug at the heartstrings of parents who struggle with the conflicting emotions the come from loving someone with autism. In them, she writes candidly about her experiences with her blue-eyed son Jack, 14. Now more than six feet tall and 180 pounds, he’s getting older and still wants to know whether a restaurant serves Coke or Pepsi. (He prefers Pepsi.). He also suffers from anxiety and needs to self-
stimulate to keep himself in check. But he has a superb memory — if you tell him your birthday and ask him what it is two years from now, he’ll remind you what day you were born. He is a dichotomy. He is complicated. He is loved. “Did I tell you my son has autism?” Cariello writes that she often repeats this phrase to servers, home repair technicians, and others she encounters in her orbit. Her honesty is a source of power and strength to her readers, who relate to the trials, tribulations, and humor that autism brings to the Cariello family of Bedford, which includes four other children, ages 15, 13, 11, and 10, and husband, Joe. She writes about the emotional toll of autism while exposing the bright moments. The Cariello family on vacation. From left to right, back row: Jack, Carrie, dad Joe and Joseph. Front row: Charlie, Rose and Henry. COURTESY PHOTO
www.parentingnh.com
| APRIL 2019 9