When my son was diagnosed ten years ago, I knew nothing of the diagnosis. Not a thing. I researched of course. I found Rain Man. And dark grainy videos on YouTube of individuals on the spectrum struggling. I wondered where my son would land. The savant side? The hard to watch side from those videos? Or somewhere in between? As time went on Hollywood brought us the The Big Bang Theory and The Good Doctor. Eventually other shows too. Our autism looked nothing like those shows. I worried and I…
Read More
I need your help moms and dads… I need you to teach your kids about kids like mine. The ones in the other classrooms at school. The faces you may not recognize in the yearbook. My son is 13 years old. He’s a 7th grader this year. He also is autistic and technically nonspeaking on paper. But I can proudly say he has loads of words and sounds and signs and he can spell and read and even use movie scenes to tell us things. It’s unbelievable really. They told…
Read More
My son, I want to make a few promises to you. Because we have a lot of stigmas to shatter around autism. And you are just the kid to do it. With a little help from your old mom. I will carry you on my back when you can’t walk yourself. I will hold your hands to my face when you feel the need to hit your own head. I will sit on the ground with you when you need a break. I will hold your body tight when you…
Read More
What colours do you see? I cannot put into words what those five words meant to me, but I’m going to try. Hope Fierce Determination Unstoppable My daughter Kya is 13 and on the autism spectrum. She was diagnosed at two and a half. She was nonverbal. When my daughter was diagnosed, not knowing if I would ever hear her speak was gut, wrenching, and unless you’ve ever had a child like mine, you could never truly understand the sadness. In fact, it was her lack of language that let…
Read More
But mama, “What is autism?” My sweet daughter innocently asked me. I let out a long sigh I had been holding in while she asked. And I let out what sounded like a laugh, only because it was a hard question that I truly didn’t have an answer for. “What is autism?” That’s a question I’ve asked myself so many sleepless nights. How do you explain autism to another person, especially a child. While I am still searching for the answer to “what autism is”, I do have a really…
Read More
I looked around while standing in the security line at the O’Hare International airport. Time to go home. I was only here for 24 hours. Not even really. I attended an amazing event for an amazing cause and slept through the night. I call that a successful trip. My hands were full, as they usually are. I was juggling my 2 bags, ID, cell phone and cup of coffee. I always get nervous in the security line. Like I’m breaking some law I didn’t know about. I picture myself getting…
Read More
I wonder if they realize how hard it is to have a child who cannot have a conversation. I wonder if they realize it’s even harder to place that child on a bus to be with people you don’t really know. I wonder if they realize we are counting on them to follow a well-written education plan with not only goals for success but also strategies built in that will help my child feel calm and safe when they are anxious, upset, and out of sorts. I wonder if they…
Read More
I received a lot of questions when I shared that I was getting my nonverbal 13-year-old son a cell phone. To be honest, I questioned myself. But I had a dream laced with hope and determination. Verbally speaking is not possible for my son right now. He shows no desire. We’ve modeled pretty much every other type of communication you can imagine too. Sign language. Gestures. A speech device. Spelling. And so on. Sometimes his autism feels like a closed door. Or something just out of reach. I can see…
Read More
What I want the world to know about my daughter My daughter is autistic, nonverbal, and has apraxia. She has debilitating anxiety. She has a monkey on her back, and it’s called autism. It confines her ability to enjoy and experience life. It has robbed her of so many things—relationships, children, and a career, to name a few. This isn’t the case for all autistic people, as it affects everyone differently, with varying degrees. My daughter has struggled immensely throughout her life. Her differences are at times invisible and other…
Read More
“I wanted to help individuals who felt alone.” When I first learned about my autism diagnosis at 11 1/2, I often wished for a role model on the autism spectrum, someone who had navigated a similar path and could offer guidance and understanding. At that time, my awareness of the broader autism community was limited. I wasn’t yet familiar with the influential voices in the field. Now, as an adult who has navigated many challenges and has established a career as a professional speaker and author, I am privileged to…
Read More