October 12, 2025
Autism to the Front: Seeing Families Like Mine
When my son was diagnosed with severe nonverbal autism nearly 11 years ago, I remember feeling like we had the only child with autism.
As we made our way home from his diagnosis appointment, we wondered where the other families like ours were.
We couldn’t possibly be the only ones going through this.
For so many years, the isolation continued. At first it was just a feeling. We were different. And boy did our world get small.
But then for a lot of years we couldn’t safely leave our home.
Our son Cooper was a runner and seemed to seek out danger. He couldn’t communicate. He didn’t sit or wait or listen or play.
That’s when the isolation nearly broke us. Those years were the hardest.
Yesterday I shared our story at a rural library in Spooner, Wisconsin. I was getting set up when I first heard Luke.
I didn’t even have to look because I knew…he was like my Cooper.
I have this saying that I share quite often.
Autism to the front. The front of the line or room or whatever.
I assured Luke’s mom that he could move freely around. Absolutely nothing he could do would bother me.
I saw her breathe a sigh of relief.
I am so proud of families who bring their autistic children out into the community. And I feel so much love for them.
It’s hard. There is judgement. And the world can be unkind. But they came anyways.
Luke is amazing. So is his family.
And seeing families like mine. It means everything to me.
Thank you Vinson and Julie for sharing your awesome kid with us.
Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook.
