Dear Teacher, My son was the one you forgot to acknowledge at the concert last night. You said such nice things about all the other seniors that are graduating. You knew where they were going to college and had at least one personal thing to say about them. It was a really nice tribute. Many of these young adults will be going to Ivy League schools. I’m willing to bet that most of these students are top students with high academic marks. I’m fairly certain that these same students have…
The forgotten side of autism is something my son Cody lives every day. And as his mother, everyday I live the severe, nonverbal, sometimes even aggressive side. You hear so much about the children labeled autistic that go on to become speakers, lawyers or even doctors. And that’s amazing. However, that’s not our autism. I just want my son to be able to put his pants on the right way. I want my son to learn to bathe himself. I want my son to be able to tell me what…
Oh the difference a year can make. If you would’ve told me last May that my son would be where he is now…I would’ve probably thought you were crazy. I would’ve for sure cried. One year ago, our autistic son had MAJOR problems with school, eating, sleeping, behaviors, safety, communicating, ear infections and constipation. Jamie and I felt like we were failing. Or at least it felt that way. We couldn’t get help. We couldn’t get doctors to listen to us. We couldn’t get a team put together. We were…
To all the mommies out there with children on the Spectrum: You wake up so early every morning and your body is still exhausted from the previous day…week…month…year. You give yourself a pep talk, take a deep breath, and swing your legs over the side of the bed. If you’re super lucky, like me, your husband will have already brought up a hot cup of coffee and set it on the nightstand. You head downstairs and mentally prepare yourself for the battles and potential triggers that lay ahead. You keep…
I see my children’s interactions everyday. But there are some certain moments where I actually “see” it. The bond, the patience, and the unconditional love of a sibling to a special needs child. My dearest girl, For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a mom. I dreamt of you from the time I was a little girl carrying around my favorite baby dolls. I remember how elated I felt when we found out we were having a girl. I imagined the special moments we’d share; dressing…
“I would not change my son for the world. I would change the world for my son.” I came across this quote the other day and it reminded me: This is why I share my son’s story. There is so much about his autism experience that is out of my control. What I can do though is spread awareness and hope that it leads to a little understanding, patience and compassion. My son, Wilson, is four and a half years old and was diagnosed with autism at three and a…
A few days ago, Cooper had an event at his therapy center. This was the first event he has ever had. While many of you parents may have had different outcomes, Cooper was never included in any programs when he was in public education. Looking back I am pretty sad about it. But that’s a story for another day. Anyhow, today, he attends a full-time autism program. We made the decision to pull him from public education during his kindergarten year when it started to feel like he was being…
When you see a special needs child the focus often is placed on the hard things. The things she won´t accomplish, the struggles and the challenges. I consider this to be very unfair. Each child is a miracle, a marvel of life who deserves our respect. We should always focus on the possibilities. What they CAN do. What they WILL accomplish. What they ARE good at. We should see the glass half full and look at every child as a diamond in the rough who needs our help to shine…
As parents, we can play a vicious game of ‘why my kid.’ I’ve been there. When my son was younger I would look around and wonder why. I did everything right when I was pregnant. Why is my beautiful boy not meeting milestones? Why is he not talking? Why him? Why our family? I’d hear stories of mothers who did drugs or drank during pregnancy and had perfectly healthy children. And I’d wonder why him. Why our family. I’m human. And so are you. I’ve had countless mothers tell me…
It was unfathomable just a mere year or so ago that I would ever consider “sending my son away” for treatment. He’d be with people we didn’t know. We wouldn’t know what was happening on an daily basis. It seemed too hard, too cruel, too long. UNTHINKABLE. Yet here we are. We have tried EVERYTHING. Inpatient hospitalization, day treatment, shorter school days, EBD program with small class size and lots of support. Occupational therapy, crisis therapy in our home, intensive in home therapy, outpatient therapy. We have invited home skills…
