Posts Tagged ‘apraxia’
A Conversation with a Stranger
Last week I helped a father while his daughter was in the middle of an autistic meltdown. We’ve all been there. As the parent your focus is safety and getting through the meltdown. This man needed an extra pair of hands. And I had no problem offering mine. After she calmed down we had a quick conversation that has stuck with me. Without knowing each other, or saying much more than an introduction, he said, ‘I didn’t know how hard it was going to be. And I really didn’t know…
Read MoreHaircut Tips for Autistic Children
I can think of a lot of struggles that Cooper and I have had over the years. He is autistic and nonverbal. That alone is hard. But to this day, one of his biggest struggles was and is getting a haircut. When Cooper was two we visited a local Cost Cutters for his first trim. We put it off forever because we knew it was going to be awful. Cooper hated to sit and be touched by strangers. So, we went very early in the morning and hoped for the…
Read MoreI Thought You’d Be Over The Grief By Now
I had dinner with an old friend a few weeks ago and inevitably the conversation turned to autism and grief. It always does. My world is autism. The crazy roller coaster that it is. Over a much needed glass of wine I told her about the roller coaster of my life. I always preface by saying, it’s a lot. I swear I’m not exaggerating. I told her all about Cooper’s wins lately. I told her about his new autism center and how we are done with public education and emphasized…
Read MoreWhat Does Nonverbal Autism Really Look Like?
Before my son was diagnosed with autism at age three I had never heard the term, nonverbal autism. Not once. I had no idea that some children never learn to speak. Even to this day it still confuses me at times. My son is almost seven. He has no words. He is nonverbal. And I don’t know if he will ever learn to speak. I dread when people ask. I don’t know what to tell them. Throughout every step of the last four years all I have ever wanted is…
Read MoreMy Greatest Fear As An Autism Mom
Raising a kiddo with an unknown future is tough. It takes a toll on a parent’s sanity and emotions. I have fears for my autistic son that I would never have for my typical son. And, I think it is important to say these fears out loud. When my son was diagnosed I just wanted to find someone that talked about autism realistically. I needed someone to say they were scared and that they were tired and worried. But I couldn’t find that person which in turn, made me feel…
Read MoreWhy I Said Goodbye To Hope
I just changed my six year old’s diaper. It was messy. There was poop dripping down his leg. It was on his jeans. His socks. The poop got on my hand, couch and carpet. This is the side of autism that no one talks about. The kind that challenges your hope and sanity. This was the tenth diaper I have changed this morning. It is 6:37 am. I am exhausted. I am almost crying. I thought, why me, why us, and why my kid. Why. What did I do wrong? And…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Children’s SLP
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Tara Surowiec and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to thank Christine, my children’s Speech Therapist. She first started working with my son Greyson when he was just two years old. Currently, he is five years old, on the spectrum and nonverbal. A little bit about us…My husband Paul, myself (Tara), my daughter Alexa (8) and my son Greyson (5) make up our family. We just celebrated our 17th anniversary! My husband Paul is an RN…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: The Founder of CASANA
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Laura Kay Smith and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to thank Sharon Gretz, the founder of the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association. When my child was diagnosed with apraxia, a rare and severe speech disorder in children, even as a speech/language pathologist, I felt lost. I met Sharon at an apraxia conference and it changed my life. Her love, caring, and guidance was instrumental in not only getting the help and proper help my daughter…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Son’s Teacher
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Jenn Wilson and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to thank my son’s teacher, Ms. Bastedo. My son, Jaret, is currently 10 years old and in the fifth grade. He has Autism, ADHD, anxiety and Apraxia. He is in a special education class primarily geared towards kids on the autism spectrum. His class consists of children in fourth through sixth grade. When I saw your video today, I knew I had to email you because…
Read MoreWe Made It Over The Potty Training Mountain
There are moments I know I am going to remember forever. And one of them is reading this text message from Cooper’s school. He did it. He pooped at school. I want to be honest when I say I never fully believed that my autistic son would be potty trained. That’s how high the mountain was for him. At age six it felt like he was nowhere close. He loved his diapers. He refused to sit on the toilet for longer than 15 seconds and he’d scream and kick and…
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