Guest Post
Realizing this is Forever
I always knew Max was going to be different. From the moment I found out I was pregnant I had this feeling I can’t describe. I had an amazing pregnancy, I loved being pregnant so much. It really is such a miracle and I didn’t take one minute of it for granted. Then he was born, my labor was tough with him but everything still “seemed fine” and we went home two days later. He was an incredible baby, I’m not exaggerating. He was a great sleeper, he nursed with…
Read MoreOur Lives Look Different Than Most
In the world of special needs parenting, the hard moments seem to be adding up the older my son gets. And they actually seem to be getting harder too, and more defining. This past summer there was one of these particularly moments, one that forever changed me. One that truly made me realize not only how autism affects Noah…but us, as a family. We made plans to go to an indoor jungle gym—the perfect place for kids right? We actually had celebrated Noah’s first birthday party there. But he wasn’t…
Read MoreThe Woman Who Makes my Son Successful
I’m writing to honor our son Kash’s school paraprofessional, Susan Reed. We are so very thankful for the long hours and hard work Susan puts in to make Kash successful. We are a family of five. My husband Kyle and I are the parents to three incredible little boys. Our oldest, Kash is severely autistic and nonverbal. We reside in a small Texas community where I was raised. When Kash was diagnosed, we decided to move here because we knew our little town would love Kash unconditionally and embrace him.…
Read MoreWhere are you Christmas?
It’s the holiday season again. The time where we find the most perfect gifts for each other, bake and cook way too much food, and get to see the Christmas spirit through our children’s eyes. Except for some of us that Christmas spirit isn’t there. For some of us you see a social media update that looks “Christmasy” (is that a word?) but what it took to get that photo is another story. My son was diagnosed two years ago, almost three now. He has never understood the holiday but…
Read MoreWhen my Son Introduced me to a Stranger
My favorite autism moment with my son is when he introduced me to a stranger. It was an amazing moment I will cherish forever! My son, Eli was diagnosed at 19 months old with moderate autism spectrum disorder. It was not shocking news to me. We had concerns with Eli since he was super little. Never greeted anyone, never responded when spoken to, never spoke a word. He always used screams, cries, and grunts to communicate. Once diagnosed, we began outpatient speech and occupational therapies at our local hospital. Eli…
Read MoreThe Woman who Changed our Lives
I would like to honor my son, Gabe’s dance teacher/therapist Jackie Zamora. Jackie has a dance class called Zamdance. It’s for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities. A little about us… My name is Nicole. When I was 29 years old my husband passed away while I was 12 weeks pregnant with Gabe. When he was 18 months old Gabe was diagnosed with autism. He is now 9 years old and is non verbal with significant delays. I never thought I could be happy again after Gabe was diagnosed…
Read MoreI Never Knew that IEPs Would be so Hard
Autism is a journey. It is a journey in a foreign land. When you arrive there is no map, no travel guide, and no book of language translation. You start to wander aimlessly looking for anything or anyone that looks familiar. Someone or something that can point you in the right direction. You stumble and fall. You cry, kick the ground, and sit there determined that you can’t do this. You are overwhelmed, disappointed, and discouraged. You don’t want to be here you want to go home. Home is a…
Read MoreThe Therapists who Become Family
They say it takes a village to raise a special needs child. Well, our village consists of three very special women. My son Mason is six years old. He is non-verbal and non-ambulatory. He was diagnosed with hypotonia, which is low muscle tone, not long after birth. We were in the NICI for 7.5 weeks. He had surgery at four weeks old for a muscle biopsy and feeding tube placement. He has been thru more in his short six years of life than I have in my whole life. He’s…
Read MoreI’m Thankful for My Son’s Para
My name is Corinne and I am the proud mom of an 11 year old boy named Dante, AKA…Mini. He was diagnosed low functioning and non verbal at the age of three. We have had many paras over the years but none who compare to our Ms. Jennifer. Ms. Jennifer came to us when mini was seven and the immediate bond between them was amazing! She was able to get him to do things we were told he would never be able to do. She is the most kind and…
Read MoreEbenezer Scrooge has nothing on an Autism Christmas
A look at our Christmas present, present and future… CHRISTMAS PRESENT As I sat alone with my oldest, panting from our recent wrestling match, keeping him from darting off for the third time, I realized I was an outsider at our own family celebration. I watched as if I was outside a storefront window. This beautiful unattainable family holiday gathering performed in front of my eyes. How badly do I want to fit in. How do I wish that just once my boys could have a happy Christmas gathering. I…
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