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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,…

When my son’s autism was discovered twelve years ago, I wasn’t ready to think about the future. Nope. I focused solely on the present and helping him. And it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t like help just rolled in. I learned quickly there is no prescription for autism. Instead, it was trial and error. And a whole lot of advocating (fighting) for services and supports. But hard work paid off. And he was worth every bit of the hard. When he turned 8, I was ready to dip my toe into…