In my recent viral video, backlash came over several topics. One that surprised me the most was the anger over me describing how having an autistic child has affected my mental health. How the worry over his safety and his future has changed everything. I had no idea that would anger people. It’s a normal conversation topic whenever I get together with other moms who have children with special needs. We talk about the stress, anxiety, migraines, ulcers. We complain about how our sleep is affected. Our sanity. We joke…
My ‘aha moment’ developed over a series of very confusing, embarrassing, bizarre, and frustrating events. But, I know that there was an undeniable moment in time, where I saw without a doubt, that there was something about my son very different from other kids his age. Something very different from my older son. The difference wasn’t a spoiled child. It wasn’t a lack of discipline. It wasn’t just the toddler stage. This difference was beginning to infiltrate every moment of every day and every night. Looking back, I could say…
When my son Cody was diagnosed at the early age of 17 months, he was a quirky little guy with high energy but somewhat aloof and not really “autistic” looking, I guess. As Cody grew older his disability was much more evident and it’s been hard. I remember thinking I felt like I had to explain why Cody was acting in a certain way or almost apologizing for him being too loud or disruptive. When Cody was little and having a meltdown he just looked like he was a young…
People often ask me if I knew my son had autism when he was an infant. The answer is no. There were, however, all these little clues that he was different from his brother. Little to no eye contact, not responding to his name, and not smiling when myself or someone else would smile at him. But, they were all just out of my awareness and the complete picture of what we would face in the coming months was not yet clear. I started to question things near Finn’s first…
Today, I watched my four year old Florence at one of her school performances. As I stood watching her dance and sing – coyly beaming at me every now and then – I felt that old familiar feeling rise. It’s bittersweet. See as I watch my girl perform I cannot help think of my son. Connor is three. He was diagnosed just before his third birthday with ASC. Connor has the type of autism that you cannot miss. You know the loud, in your face and challenging type. Introverted he…
Hey all, here is the update on Cooper’s ear infections, Cat Scan, and most recent request for ‘help’ and a ‘doctor.’ So many of my wonderful followers have been asking for an update and it makes me so happy to know that people care about Cooper. I used to think if I could just get him communicating I’d be able to help him. I was wrong. Now that he communicates we still can’t help him. I’m chasing doctors, demanding tests, advocating, researching, going slightly crazy, all while my kid melts…
Hi friends! Here is a good ole fashioned Super Cooper and Kate update. We haven’t done one in a while! Cooper is healthy, happy, sleeping and working on many different skills in ABA. He’s specifically working on pairing two sounds together! I want people to know that yes, I get caught up in the struggles that go hand-in-hand with parenting. And especially parenting a child with special needs. But, what matters most, is my son’s happiness. And this kid treats every day like it’s the best day of his life.…
My autism “ah-ha” moment came when my youngest son was six years old. He was diagnosed at age four with moderate to severe autism and a global delay. I was recently a single mom of the three boys, with two of them on the autism spectrum. My one son however was high functioning and steadily progressing. That was not the case with my middle son though and it was a very hard pill to swallow. We had many medical professional tells us that we needed to focus on quality of…
To my sons first friend, I’m not sure that you know what you mean to me. I have watched you and my boy, for months now. I have seen the way you tend to him. Not in a, here I’ll help you because you’re special needs…kind of way. But a, you’re my friend and I want to be with you…kind of way. I have seen the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you. I have watched you get him to do things, that others can’t.…
Jamie, I’ve been thinking about when we first got married. How young we were. We were so unbelievably happy. We had a little house. We had jobs we liked. We had so many friends. We had two puppies. We referred to each other as mom and dad when referencing the dogs. We were that couple. But most importantly, we knew exactly who we were. We had identities and hobbies. We weren’t defined by anything that we didn’t want to be defined by. Some days, I swear you would just stare…
