When I first started ChewyLicious
When I first started this website/Page my intentions were to share our Autism story and share the Chewys that have worked for us. Chewys helped my children tremendously. I have two boys diagnosed with autism both complete opposites but one thing they both had a hard time with was biting on things. Matty would bite on his hand when he would get mad and bite on his shirts (his shirt would literally have holes) when he was nervous. CJ would bite his nails,cuticles,skin, and his shirts too. I then learned about Sensory Processing Disorder and one of Matty's teacher/therapist introduced us to the sensory chew necklaces. After a lot of redirecting the necklaces became an everyday accessory to the boys wardrobe and they love getting to choose which one they are going to wear. I was so happy with the results and I wanted to share it with other families dealing with the same issues. So I posted a couple pictures and a video and to my surprise I was met with some comments I was not expecting. I guess I was faced with the reality of what some people think... I see a happy boy who no longer bites his fingers until they bleed and is just living life, smiling, and laughing. But judging by the comments "kids aren't dogs" and "These should be investigated for spread of disease" and a couple other comments that were deleted so I guess not everyone sees a happy little boy! And I'm a person that looks at everything from every point of view and I put myself in their situation... I would have kept scrolling if I had no interest or education on the subject. I am also a person who doesn't worry or care about what anyone says but for some reason these comments just bothered me and I think it's for the fact that is this the way society views children like mine and one day my boys will be in this world without me to protect them. So I kept the website but stopped posting my boys. Having two boys on the spectrum this was not my first encounter with rude people or comments but this time it just hit me different and if I let that stop me how can I expect my kids to be able to advocate for themselves. I am proud of who they are and I want them to be proud too! So I have to just think these people are just uneducated like their comments ... "spread of disease" like if he didn't have the necklace in his mouth it would have been random objects anyway (this is why he needed the necklace) or its"horrible for his teeth" Well do you think the rocks or random objects he would chew on instead would be better for his teeth? I can only hope people will become more educated, accepting, and understanding. We recently added clothing to the website with hopes of spreading awareness and acceptance through our clothing! So join our Facebook page and check out the website!