When Progress Looks Different Than You Expected

Progress doesn’t always look the way we imagined it would.

Sometimes it’s not a big milestone or a clear “before and after.” Sometimes it’s quiet — almost invisible to anyone but you.

I used to think progress meant huge changes — words suddenly spoken, behaviors gone overnight, or breakthroughs that made everything easier. As an autism parent, you want that progress to be obvious, and you want it to be quick. But that’s not always how it goes. And to be honest - I don’t even think that’s how it EVER goes. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Sometimes progress is eye contact that lasts a second longer.

Sometimes it’s a meltdown that ends five minutes sooner.

Sometimes it’s just touching a new food when they didn’t want to touch it before.

And sometimes, it’s you — staying calmer, handling the hard moments with a little more grace than before.

💙 Progress isn’t always loud.

It doesn’t always come with applause or photos you can share online. It often shows up in the quiet moments when no one else is watching — when you realize how far you’ve come, even if no one else can see it.

🌿 Progress can be messy.

There are steps forward and steps back, days that feel like victories and others that break you open. But even on the hardest days, you’re still moving — learning, growing, showing up. That is progress, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

🌻 Progress can (and it will) surprise you.

Sometimes it looks nothing like the picture you had in your head. But that doesn’t make it less meaningful. Sometimes it’s the smallest thing — but it’s still worth celebrating.

If progress in your home looks different than what the world expects, please remember:

It’s still progress.

Your journey doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s, and it’s never going to look like anyone else. Autism is a spectrum - no two neurodivergent children are alike - that’s part of what makes it so unique.

Celebrate the small steps — the quiet wins, the ordinary moments, the tiny signs that healing or growth is happening.

Because those little steps? They add up to something beautiful. 💙