7 Signs of Caregiver Burnout

By Kate Swenson | March 10, 2017 |

Hi, my name is Kate and I am a mom with caregiver burnout. Some of you may shake your head at that. You don’t believe me. How can a mom be a caregiver to their child? Is that even a thing? A mom is a mom and caring for their child is in the job description. I agree but caring for a child with severe autism is so much more. It’s an up all night, never sit down, zero to life journey. I have 2 children. Cooper, my first born, is…

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How to Grandparent a Special Needs Child

By Kate Swenson | March 9, 2017 |

I called you today, Mom and Dad. You knew today was the day. The day of the appointment. The appointment that would either relieve all our fears or change the future. You knew the doctors and teachers were throwing around words like “autistic” and “developmentally delayed.” You knew I refused to believe it. You refused, too (and I appreciate that more than you will ever know). Our Family Was Changed Forever We told each other for a long time that he was fine. We reassured each other daily. He was…

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I Blamed Autism for My Divorce

By Kate Swenson | March 7, 2017 |

I am sitting here in my living room, feet up in a recliner, drinking a much-needed cup of coffee. One kiddo is off to school and one is at daycare and my house is finally quiet. I know I should get up and start my work day but I am distracted. I have been staring at the stack of my divorce papers for 15 minutes. I find a bit of irony in the fact that they are covered with our autistic son’s ‘treasures’. A few chewed up family pictures, an…

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