Posts Tagged ‘aba therapy’
Thank You for Believing in My Son
I chose a life of motherhood, but this motherhood chose me. A different one of sorts, a special needs one. And because of this, I have needed more help along the way. A lot more. My son Noah wouldn’t be where he is today without our village, truly. Each person we’ve encountered on this journey has played a crucial role in our lives, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them. There is one person in particular that I have been exceptionally thankful for lately, and…
Read MoreNew VIDEO: The Difference a Year Can Make
Oh the difference a year can make. If you would’ve told me last May that my son would be where he is now…I would’ve probably thought you were crazy. I would’ve for sure cried. One year ago, our autistic son had MAJOR problems with school, eating, sleeping, behaviors, safety, communicating, ear infections and constipation. Jamie and I felt like we were failing. Or at least it felt that way. We couldn’t get help. We couldn’t get doctors to listen to us. We couldn’t get a team put together. We were…
Read MoreMeasuring Success a Little Differently Than Most
A few days ago, Cooper had an event at his therapy center. This was the first event he has ever had. While many of you parents may have had different outcomes, Cooper was never included in any programs when he was in public education. Looking back I am pretty sad about it. But that’s a story for another day. Anyhow, today, he attends a full-time autism program. We made the decision to pull him from public education during his kindergarten year when it started to feel like he was being…
Read MoreThis Is Our Autism Too
A video has been showing up in my news feed lately. It was produced by a group called Born Different. As I scrolled the video began to auto play. The caption caught my eye. ‘These twins with severe autism were forced to stay in a prison-like home surrounded by chicken wire fence. Rather than give up, their parents persevered to improve their behavior.’ I paused for a moment. A video about severe autism. A video about my world. A video that shows behaviors and our realities. The realities I lovingly…
Read MoreA Letter to the Mother of a Child With Autism
Dear mama, I want you to know that when you leave your child with me, he will be safe, loved, and encouraged. I want you to know that I see you and you are not alone. I also want you to know mom, that I see behind your smile and want to hug you every day. When you leave your child at my door I sometimes secretly hope that you are going to do something wonderful for yourself and that you don’t forget to take care of yourself. I want…
Read MoreTeaching Play To Children With Autism
At age seven my son has very few play skills and no imaginative play. This means keeping him entertained without technology is a real challenge. What I wouldn’t give to be able to say to my son, ‘go play.’ Right now that phrase doesn’t make sense to him. He needs to be taught the skills first. For years we have worked on puzzles and anything alphabet related. But both of those types of play meant that I was sitting next to him and engaging with him. I had hoped by…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Oldest Son
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Kelli Stutzman and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This December I would like to honor and thank my oldest son Andrew. He is an amazing brother and son and I am so blessed to have him. To start, I want to share with you just how much my son Andrew helped me. Two years ago, at age 19, Andrew had just moved to Kansas City to live with his dad. It was a whirlwind at our house. I had…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: Integrity Behavioral Solutions
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Ashley Wells and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) Our daughter Lenorah is 4 years old. She has Autism Spectrum Disorder and MERLD (Mixed Expressive Receptive Language Disorder). She is a sweet girl with a LARGE village of teachers, therapists, family & friends. We are thankful for everyone in her life, but today we want to recognize her ABA therapy provider: Integrity Behavioral Solutions. We would like to honor the entire company, because every team member contributes to her success…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Son’s ABA Therapist
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Joann and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to honor and thank my son’s ABA Therapist, Ronnie. My name is Joann and my husband Jeff and I have two sons. Dylan is nine and Christian is three. Christian was diagnosed with Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, Expressive Receptive-Language Disorder in March. He was also nonverbal. Christian developed typically until 18 months and that’s when we noticed he stopped babbling. All of the words he had were…
Read MoreFrequently Asked Questions About Autism
When my son was first diagnosed with autism I had a million and one questions. I thought that getting his diagnosis would be the hardest thing we would ever had to go through. I believed once we got that we would immediately get services in place and start to help Cooper. I thought it would all be uphill from there. I was wrong. We left the appointment and that was that. It was up to me as his mom to find the ‘right’ services for him, find the right doctors,…
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