(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Mandy Conner and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This December I want honor and thank my daughter Rilyn. Her love for her sister Katelyn ‘KK’ is unbelievable. My oldest daughter Rilyn is 11 and Katelyn is 10. Rilyn and Kk are 15 months apart so the majority of her life she has lived and dealt with Autism on a daily basis. There have been parties we had to miss, vacations cut short and nights where no one slept. Through it…
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my son talking. Or not talking. I want you to know that on the surface I’m okay with having a nonverbal son. And by okay I mean I can picture a future where my adult son does not speak to me. I don’t cry about it anymore. I haven’t for years. It wasn’t fair to him or me. I had to move on. I rarely dwell. I am even excited about his Speech Device and am hopeful that one day he will use…
The journey called fatherhood is one that is naturally fraught with many twists and turns. There are no concrete directions that you receive at the beginning, but there is at the same time information and advice coming at you from multiple directions and sources. You hope and pray that everything is going to take care of itself as you work frantically to provide the framework necessary for normal growth and development of your child. Why wouldn’t this occur normally, right? Many of the behaviors I am seeing in my son…
Last week I helped a father while his daughter was in the middle of an autistic meltdown. We’ve all been there. As the parent your focus is safety and getting through the meltdown. This man needed an extra pair of hands. And I had no problem offering mine. After she calmed down we had a quick conversation that has stuck with me. Without knowing each other, or saying much more than an introduction, he said, ‘I didn’t know how hard it was going to be. And I really didn’t know…
The holidays are here! And wow are they stressful. Non-stop events, travel, shopping, expectations, etc. As much as I love Christmas time I know I always breathe a sigh of relief when January rolls around. One element that makes it more challenging is having a child with a disability. My son Cooper simply can’t go most places. Restaurants are not an option. Crowds, noise, being away from home and expectations are very challenging for him. Because of all that we had to implement some tough decisions when Cooper was three.…
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Carmen and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) I’m honoring my husband’s Aunt Sandra and Uncle Harry. I am thankful to them for simply loving my children from the beginning. Aunt Sandra and Uncle Harry have taught me to have faith in humanity again. They love my children unconditionally, no matter what, and have never known my kids are on the spectrum, because we ourselves didn’t know for a good while. Sounds simple enough to love children, but it hasn’t…
I have two sons, Cooper is seven and Sawyer is four. They are both blonde, adorable, strong-willed, and funny. They are both obsessed with their mama. They are loud. They are both snugglers. They have been brothers since Cooper was almost two. And yet, it wasn’t until recently that they even began acknowledging each other. Yes, it broke my heart for years. There are days when it still does. I can almost picture what my life would be like if my boys were able to play each other. If I…
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Nikki Wallace and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This December I am honoring and thanking my son’s mighty village. I have so many people that I am grateful for that I don’t even know where to start. First, I want to thank my son’s aide Mrs. Angie Flint. She has been with us for two years now and she is like a second mom to my nonverbal six year old. When he is with her I never have to worry.…
I have many goals for my nonverbal son. Obviously, I want him to speak one day. But even more than that I want him to be able to communicate and in more than just a ‘preferred request’ sort of way. I want him to be conversational. I want him to ask me questions. I want him to be heard and understood. Right now, since he is nonverbal and struggles with Apraxia on top of his Autism, reaching these goals means encouraging the use of his Speech Device. Cooper uses a…
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Carrie Gagne and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This December I want to honor and thank Katie, my son’s Creative Arts Therapist. While I know we are lucky to have many wonderful therapists and teachers who help Drew every day, we are especially grateful for Katie. My son Drew was diagnosed with autism at 18 months. He was and still is nonverbal. Looking back now, I was in a total fog. Confused, scared and in complete denial. Then, angry…
