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In the beginning of this journey as a parent to an autistic child, my mind sometimes went to places I’m not proud of. Places filled with questions. Mostly why. And if I’m being honest, those thoughts still visit sometimes. I have many siblings. Many of my friends had children around the same time I did. And in quiet moments, or on really difficult days, I would catch myself thinking things like, Why us? Why my son? Those thoughts didn’t come from a lack of love. They came from fear. They…

My son, Today was one of those days. One where you seemed confused by the world. One where I didn’t know how to help. Or fix it. Autism. Woven into everything you do. Into the way you think and see and react. Only I can’t see what you see. Or hear what you hear. Or feel what you feel. Today, when I got the call to pick you up from school, I felt confused. A hard day. I’ll never know why. But with you, the stakes feel a bit higher.…

I don’t know a world without autism. And I forget sometimes, when we are out in the wild, that we are different. Because to us, our son is just our son. He isn’t autistic Cooper. He is Cooper. And we have been living this life for 15 years now. We don’t know a different life. And then something will happen. Like last weekend. We went to a restaurant. A real one. With people and noise. Cooper sat on the floor. It’s always his seat of choice. An autistic adult told…

I was walking into the neighborhood dry cleaners when another mom was walking out. She smiled and asked, “How is Danielle? Is she still making progress?” I stood there, my coat slipping down my arm, one sleeve half on and half off. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Danielle is my 23-year-old daughter. She has autism and complex medical needs, including Crohn’s. “How is Danielle?” is a question I know how to answer. A simple fine, okay, or hanging in there is usually enough. “Is she still making progress?” is…

My son is autistic, and he is my whole world. He is beautiful, brave, loving, and so full of light. Every day, he teaches me patience, strength, and what unconditional love truly means. He deserves a life where he is supported, understood, and celebrated because he is absolutely perfect. I find myself constantly fighting for the bare minimum from services that just don’t want to help him. Waiting lists that feel endless. Phone calls that are always unanswered. Emails that are just left unread. It’s constantly being made to feel…

This morning my third son had an early morning hockey practice. Setting the alarm for 6:30 am for a Saturday always cuts a little deep. Ten minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off, my eyes snapped open. Lights were on everywhere. And laying on my chair was my boy. Full dressed in his hockey clothes. He woke up and dressed himself. Typical development amazes me. I say that a lot on here. But it’s true. Typical development is a gift. Children that just know and do and try…

When I started this page years back, I did it for a few reasons. I wanted to find families like mine. And kids like my Cooper. I wanted to learn all that I could about autism, the spectrum and what it could look like as my sweet son aged. I wanted to build a village of parents, teachers, therapists, and friends who wanted to support and raise each other up. I wanted to create a safe space for families to share the unique wins and struggles that we encounter on…

There is a saying I heard a while back that reframed a lot of how I parent my autistic son. Am I helping or hurting? Let me set the scene first. I ordered pizza for my four kids tonight. It’s been a day and pizza sounded good. I was busy doing a few things so my second son Sawyer, who is 13, dished up his plate. He is not one to wait for food. Minutes later when I walked into the living room I saw his older brother Cooper eating…

When limbs get long and thick– and hair sprouts— so does an intellectual yearning for more. It’s no longer the curiosity to sneak out of a side door– to dig hands in dirt, spill rice or roll in grass. it’s no longer the fear of her climbing into cars– it’s a lust for something new and immaterial– for living and exploring– and for me, It’s a heavy fear of the world that she is so curious about.              the world she yearns to be part of.…

This question seems simple, but it is extremely difficult to answer. My daughter Olivia is 16 years old. She is autistic, and she has Sensory Processing Disorder and anxiety. Olivia has words for labeling and requesting but is considered nonspeaking or semi-verbal because she cannot hold a conversation. There was a time when Olivia did not even acknowledge Christmas. She did not understand what was going on, and opening presents did not interest her at all. Now that she’s older, she actually loves Christmas! She loves the lights, the tree,…