When you have a child diagnosed with autism, at some point you will be told all the things they may never do or achieve. Whether it’s from a friend of a friend, a medical professional, an educator, the internet, or an evaluation where you spend hours filling in little bubbles next to questions that cut you like a knife. The limits will be placed. I wish it didn’t happen. I wish instead we were told about how yes, it will be different, and yes there may be parts of development…
Let me set the scene for you… My husband and two of our boys plus baby get on the elevator. We are loud and busy. Our two year old is trying to push all the buttons. I am using my hip to block him. Our ten year old is autistic and adores elevators. So he is happy flapping and dancing. Just as the door is about to close to bring us to the second floor of the hotel my husband yells out…‘I’ll hold the door for you!’ And a big,…
I am doing a 25 days of autism photo challenge with Autism adventures with Alyssa on my Instagram page, Findingcoopersvoice. Today is day 19 for me. ‘Post a picture of your child with their treasures, or any item they love.’ Can we just all take a moment and acknowledge how incredibly cool these photos are. Cooper adored putting his favorite treasures in lines. Now I’m not autistic so I can only speculate as to why he did it. To me it seemed like he wanted order in a crazy world.…
Transitioning back to school can be scary for all kids. For kids with autism it can feel downright terrifying. Especially after just settling into summer. Here are 4 tips I use to prepare my autistic son for back to school and to make the transition as simple as possible. Visit the School: Drive to your child’s school. Park in the parking lot. Walk around outside. Visit the playground. Get your child used to seeing the building. We have been visiting Cooper’s school daily for nearly a week now to prepare…
Everyone deserves to be heard. Especially your child. Their thoughts call for respect. And to be able to communicate those thoughts is a fundamental human right. The beauty about communication is that it looks different for everyone. For some, it means verbally speaking; for others, making music. But for those with autism, “speaking” one’s mind takes a form perhaps more beautifully unique than any other. How, then, do we celebrate this in a way that empowers kids with autism to influentially express themselves? With this question in mind, I want…
There are really precious moments in life. Like when your father-in-law comes to find you to say… ‘Cooper and I just walked around the campground. He held my hand the whole entire way. He’s never done that before.’ He just beamed as he said it. Ten years is a long time to wait as a Grandpa. But worth every minute. I’ve never met a more loved or treasured little boy. Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting…
Laughter. You know the kind that comes deep from the belly? It’s the best. And when you hear it coming from someone else you immediately smile. Especially when it’s two of your children. Ages 10 and 2. Brothers. One would assume they don’t have a lot in common. Or a lot of time for each other. But they do. See they both really love The Good Dinosaur and Cars. And bull dozers and fire trucks. The older one loves acting out scenes from movies. He will zip around the house…
Do you have a sentence that you say a million times a day? You say it so much it could be written on your tombstone. Here lies Kate. She is best known for ‘turn it down buddy’. Or with your last breath you say…’why are you naked?’ Because I do. As a mom to three boys I am forever asking why they don’t have pants on. And for the volume to be lowered. No one complies though. Not ever. What is yours? What sentence do you say every single day?…
Let’s talk nicknames. Do you have one for your child? Did you have one growing up? We adore nicknames over here. So much so that we use them more than their actual name. They are a bit silly. And each kid has many. They evolve too. Cooper started as Super Cooper. Then Super Duper. Then the ‘Dupe.’ Snoopy Joe. Joseph. Sloppy Joe. The list goes one. Sawyer. Soybean. Soy burger. Soy nuts. Nuts-a-fuss. And when he wears us down we say we’ve been fussed. It’s a real thing. Harbor. Harbie.…
My son Cooper doesn’t have a lot to say verbally. But he’s always communicating. Sometimes it’s a point or a wave. A sound. A facial expression. A click of a button. A stomp of a foot. He’s always listening too. He hears everything. In fact he’s incredibly nosey. He nods sometimes. Or smiles at something we’ve said. Or even scowls. He adores sounds. The hoot of an owl. The screech of a tire. The whistle of a train. And the roar of a wave. I think he hears things that…
