In The News
Mom Thanks Metro Police Officer who Helped her Autistic Son
For 2 years I picked up my son from his Autism Program five days a week. While I waited for him, I sat in the parking lot and watched the metro trains drive by. My son loves trains. And every day I would watch a young mom, with a baby strapped to her chest, try to get her young, autistic son out of the building and to the train. I’d watch her hold onto him on the platform. I watched him drop to the ground and roll. I watched her…
Read MoreAutistic Teen left with nowhere to live after his Grandmother Dies
If you ask any special needs parent about their greatest fear surrounding their disabled child, I promise you it will always be the same. Who will care for my child after I am gone? That thought has haunted me many times. And it’s a complicated question as well. My son will need lifelong care. He will be a man, not a small child. I don’t know where he will be cognitively. Or if he’ll be able to bathe himself. Or buckle his own seatbelt. I don’t know if he will…
Read MoreWhat’s Best for Jack? A Silent Graduation.
When Jack Higgins’ high school graduation approached, his parents, Barbara and Patrick Higgins, wanted him to attend. Like my son Cooper, Jack, 21, has severe autism. His parents worried that he’d struggle at a loud, crowded event. But, the Higgins dreamed of seeing their son walk across the stage and receive his high school diploma. I have this same exact dream. And while my son is only 8, in many ways I’ve accepted the possibility it may never happen. “When you have a severe disability, like Jack does, you miss…
Read MorePeople with Disabilities can be Paid as Little as $1 an Hour; And it’s Legal
When I think about my son’s future, it’s pretty unknown at this point. As of right now, he doesn’t attend public education. Instead he receives full-time therapy that teaches him skills like sitting, stopping, listening, and playing. It’s the best place for him. And he is thriving. But, when we said goodbye to public education, we also said goodbye to the typical path. If he stays where he is…he won’t graduate from high school. I’ve accepted it’s a possibility. But that doesn’t make it any easier on this mama’s heart.…
Read MoreMom sends Son with Autism on a Plane with $10 Note
As a parent to a child on the spectrum, I worry constantly about how people will treat my son. All parents do. When the child has special needs, it’s time a hundred. I worry when I’m there. I worry when I’m not there. He can be loud. He can be challenging. He’s a big kid. And yes, he can be funny and adorable too. There is no doubt about that. But he is spirited. And like every other parent, I worry. I’ve said numerous times, the problem is in no…
Read MoreCostco shooting: Man killed by off-duty officer had an intellectual disability, cousin says
On Friday night, a 32-year-old man was shot and killed by an off-duty officer in a Costco store in Corona. When I saw it on the news on Saturday morning I held my breath like I do with every shooting that makes the news. And I wait. I wait for them to say one of the parties has an intellectual disability. This time it was true. The man killed, Kenneth French, was nonverbal and had an intellectual disability, according to a family member. Last night, I sat watching my son Cooper…
Read MoreTeacher Gives Boy with Autism ‘Most Annoying’ Award
As a mom to a child with autism, I have many fears about the world we live in. I worry about children bullying him. I worry about his safety. I worry about him being targeted for emotional, physical or even emotional abuse. I worry about so many things. I’m his mom. That’s my job. But honestly, never have I worried about something like this story. A father is expressing disbelief this week after his fifth-grader, who is autistic, was given a trophy dubbing him the “most annoying male” for the…
Read More272,000 Kids will be Affected
So often in our lives, we only care about what is happening in our own lives. I get that. We are all human. We advocate and pay attention to the things that affect us. Our day-to-day lives. I’m guilty of it too. But yesterday, something was proposed that was wrong. And I don’t mean a little bit wrong. I mean a lot wrong. So wrong, that I honestly can’t believe that it is even a possibility. And if you know me, you know I don’t get political very often. Mostly,…
Read MoreAmy Schumer on Husband’s Autism Diagnosis
Comedy star Amy Schumer is opening up about why she revealed her husband’s autism on her new Netflix special, saying the couple hopes this encourages people concerned about stigma to seek diagnosis. She said, “There are a lot of people with autism who go undiagnosed when I think their life could be better if they got those tools.” First, I think it’s amazing when autism makes the national news. And I don’t mean just CNN. I mean mainstream media. This story is all over the news and social media. I’ve…
Read MoreParents of non-verbal son tell story of winning Jimmy Fallon contest
COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. – For Kate and Jamie Swenson, raising 6-year-old Cooper can mean guessing games at snack time, perpetual train videos on the tablet, and bedtimes that sometimes seem to never come. “He screams one to two hours a night. When you hear me say one-two hours, you probably think I’m exaggerating. I’m not exaggerating,” Kate said. Cooper is severely autistic and is non-verbal. And his parents seem to take it in stride. “People are so afraid of the word Autism. And it really shouldn’t be so scary,” Kate…
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