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.…
I am a sitting board member for a local nonprofit autism group. We recently had an autism family event, and as always, I like to chat with families and fellow board members to get to know them better. Some have children older than my son, so I am always eager to soak up their knowledge and wisdom on this journey. In our conversations, one thing resonated loudly… finances. I heard stories of financial struggles just to get their children the help that they needed, whether that was proper placement in…
I love you. Three simple words. Most of us throw them around loosely.Take them for granted. We say them when we hang up the phone,when a loved one leaves the house,when we kiss our little one good night. Sometimes out of habit. It’s something a mother hears a million times over a lifetime, that is, unless your child is nonverbal. Then you might never hear it. One of those things that most don’t even think about. I have told my daughter “I love you” every day, multiple times a day,…
I often say that my son’s diagnosis of autism touches every aspect of his life. From small things to big things. Even something as simple as riding the bus. See, I worry a lot. About everything. Especially when he’s not with me. When the bus pulled in the driveway after his first day of school this year, I was waiting as the big doors opened. My first question…’how did he do?’ See, as a mom of a kid who has struggled in the past, and still does at times, I…
My oldest son was diagnosed with severe nonverbal autism at age 3. In so many ways it felt like it changed everything. Big things and little things. Would he ever be able to talk? Would he make friends? Would he learn to drive a car? Go to prom? Have a job? Would he ever live independently? Goodness I worried. And wondered. About everything really. His story had no clear answers. He’s fourteen now. A teenager. A freshman at our local high school. So many parts are as I predicted they…
Autism has been in the news a lot the last few days. More than I’ve ever seen in my fourteen years of being a mama to a child with severe nonverbal autism. I thought it’s what I wanted. To be seen. To be understood. To finally have people take notice of this complicated, mysterious, magical life alongside autism. I was wrong. Reading and hearing about my son’s disability, mostly being shared by people who don’t live it, has been unsettling. So much fighting. A lot of us verses them. Finger…
After my son was diagnosed with severe nonverbal autism at age three, I was told all of the things he would most likely never do. Speak. Read. Write. Live independently and so on. As if the people around us, the ones there to help us, knew his future. It felt crushing. It was as if his story had already been written. And there was nothing I could do. Well, there ain’t no determination like the determination a mother has when she is told what her baby won’t do. Mark my…
I knew it was coming – the day my daughter Rosie would leapfrog her older autistic brother. Leapfrogging is when a younger sibling surpasses an older one in areas like emotional, functional, or verbal development.This summer, I enjoyed watching my 6-year-old daughter learn to do so many new skills.Tying her shoes.Taking a shower.Doing her makeup.Styling her hair.It has been so fun. Having a little girl is everything I dreamed it would be.Sass. Spunk. Cuddles. Laughter. Tickles. Frilly Dresses. Random fashion shows.As she speeds through all these milestones, it catches me…
If you had been in Central London anywhere from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament two years ago, you might have seen a family hurrying after a little boy in noise reduction headsets, weaving through the crowds on Whitehall. A determined little boy, followed by his own personal entourage. That was us. And if you had told me years earlier that we would be there, I would have said it was impossible. For many families with a child with autism, it might be and I completely understand that. If…
Eleven years ago, we were so confident in our adoption journey that we shared that we had been chosen. As I look at, my husband, Billy and I and who we were, I see so much more than two rested soon to be parents. I remember the joy, pride, terror and trust — the tears, the years and the struggle to become parents. I remember the decade of living with an empty crib as various agencies told us we were ready and waiting. The dreams of what it would be…
