Posts by Kate Swenson
Fire Drills
Hi. My name is Carrie. I have five kids, and my second son has autism. His name is Jack. I’ve come to think of autism as a kind of symphony, if you will. There are loud cymbals, and a quiet tympani. Sometimes, there is a melody, but more often than not, it sounds like chaos. Jack hates fire drills. He always has. For much of his life, he has lived in fear of them. When he was six, he would come off the bus and say the same phrase over…
Read MoreDon’t Count Our Kids Out
Who needs some joy today? This kid had his first school conference in three years yesterday. He’s a big fourth grader now. And like I’ve known all along…he’s amazing. He’s joyful. Happy. Cuddly. Loves giving hugs. So smart. He knows so many sight words and is amazing on his speech device. The goal for me is typing words. I can’t wait until we can have a typed conversation. His bus driver and aide love him. His driver told me he hits the bumps for him because it makes him so…
Read MoreHalloween 2020
Happy Halloween friends! Cooper had his best Halloween ever. He happily and proudly wore his costume. And the hat! I cannot believe he wore the hat people! He willingly walked with us. He visited four houses! And only went inside one. In his defense he knows where they keep the good paper. He picked out exactly 7 treats and ate none. Thankfully his brothers helped him out. He pointed to his bag to say trick or treat and signed thank you at each house. Then he was done. We were…
Read MoreAdvice for the Special Needs Parent on Halloween
Today can be one of those days that can cause parents of children with special needs to take pause. To lose their breath for a second. To take notice of differences. To even feel slighted. Halloween. For me, in those early years post diagnosis, I took comfort living in our own comfortable bubble. But days like Halloween, pulled us out. And pushed us away at the same time. We were not like the other families. We still are not. And that can sting sharply or even in a dull way,…
Read MoreBalancing on a Tightrope
We are on a tightrope… This week my son Cooper had three of his best days ever at school. He is going to be 10 in a month or so and started fourth grade this year. It’s a pretty big deal for him. He also had one very challenging day. Which we are all allowed. Bad days happen. But afterwards, he used his speech device to tell his teacher he was sad. She didn’t know why. I didn’t know why. He is unable to tell us. It’s heartbreaking. And the…
Read More8 Minutes
Just finished carving our masterpieces. Although the repeated freezing did a quite a bit more damage to them than we originally thought. Thanks Minnesota weather. Anyhow, Cooper joined us for 8 minutes exactly. We set a timer. Let’s just say pumpkin nonsense is not for him. And that’s perfectly okay. He wasn’t too into the messiness of the carving but very much enjoyed lighting them up at the end. We got a gasp and a clap. That’s high regards in our world. The baby loved the sharpie marker and Sawyer…
Read MoreNot A Typical Halloween
Last year, after many challenging and ultimately failed trick-or-treating attempts, I had an idea. What if we went out, to a set number of houses, during the day, with less chaos and zero pressure. No other kids. No scary decorations. No crowds of goblins and Elsa’s at each house. I sent a message to four of our neighbors and they willingly agreed. I explained to them we may not make it and if we did, it may be ‘colorful.’ They didn’t care. They were excited to be part of Cooper’s…
Read MoreThe Measure of Success
The measure of success isn’t always a perfectly posed photo… Yesterday, our family of five volunteered to hand out candy at a Trunk or Treat. We expected it to be busy and fun, which it was. What we didn’t expect was 27 degree weather and sleet. That was a shock. I’ll tell ya, two years ago I wouldn’t have dared to volunteer for something like this. Because, well, we wouldn’t have all be able to go. It would have been stressful with running and unsafe behaviors. Or it would have…
Read MoreTo My Husband Who Chose To Stay
To my husband who chose to stay: That sounds so ridiculous to say out loud. Some people are currently scratching their heads because why would I say that? I say it because it’s true. Thank you for loving me when the diagnosis of autism consumed me and changed who I was. I was no longer in my mid-twenties trying to figure out how to be a first time mom. I was an autism mom and services for our son was my only priority. We said good-bye to date nights, weekend…
Read MoreMy Child is More Than a Diagnosis
Autism. Borderline Intellectual Functioning. Anxiety. Complex Medical Profile. Severe Speech Delay. Risk for ADHD. As I sit and read my five year old daughter’s recent neuropsych evaluation, I can’t help but feel helpless when I repeat these words in a continuous loop in my head. My daughter was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 (rare for a girl) and we have moved the moon and stars to give her what she needs to be successful and most importantly, happy. And she is. She’s come so far. The…
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