Posts Tagged ‘ASD’
Independence
I just had a huge mom win. I successfully bathed all three of these little monsters in the shower. Cooper first. Then Sawyer and the baby. There was so much water. So. Much. Water. It was on the walls, the ceiling, and puddled on the floor. We used 4 towels. There was an incident with a shampoo bottle and a glass of water. Boys I tell you. But all three are bathed and dressed in jammies. I feel like I moved to expert level parenting. Showering is a big deal.…
Read MoreFinding the Balance
I remember when our oldest son Cooper started disliking a lot of activities. It didn’t happen overnight. More like an evolution over months. He was 18 months. And refused to go outside. He looked at the world as a foreign place. But because he was little, we could still go places. But as he aged, it became nearly impossible. Until, we couldn’t really go anywhere at all. We learned that he loves being home. He loves being warm and cozy and snuggling under 7 fuzzy blankets. He likes watching The…
Read MoreA New Year
I just spent the last 20 minutes scrolling through ten years of photos to find any photo from a New Years Eve that I could share with you. I couldn’t find one. Apparently we don’t really do NYE in this house. I did manage to find the cutest kids ever. Whew. They need to stop growing! Anyhow, this is the first photo I ever got of my boys together. Willingly sitting by each other. Cooper is 4 and Sawyer is 2. It’s my absolute favorite. Their relationship has been a…
Read MoreGoodbye 2020
What is your word for 2021? Resolutions are hard. Heck most folks don’t make it past a week. So many people are picking a word to be mindful of throughout the year. Examples include patience, peace, success, health, rise, advocacy. I’ve been thinking about mine since last night. Last year my word was joy. I of course can’t pick just one. Content: Someone will always be skinnier. Someone will always be more successful, have more followers, be a better writer, make more money. Someone’s life will always appear easier than…
Read MoreA Taste of Inclusion
Last year my son Stalen went to preschool. I was so nervous and scared. It’s one thing to send your child off without you but it’s another when they are non-verbal, on the autism spectrum and have a lot of unique challenges. Stalen has pica so I was worried that he would eat something he shouldn’t. He also is a runner and elopes so that weighed heavily on my mind. I was worried about him being accepted, I was worried that he wouldn’t make any friends. I was worried that…
Read MoreThe Lessons He Teaches us
My husband and I work very hard to teach our son Jack practical life lessons. How to make breakfast, change a light bulb, feed the dog, get the mail—stuff like that. This isn’t always easy. It requires a lot of patience, and planning. You see, Jack has autism. He is sixteen. He doesn’t like lessons. He doesn’t quite comprehend things the same way other teenagers do. He needs step-by-step instructions, and a lot of cues. He is easily distracted by loud noises, or the looping track of ideas within his mind—what…
Read MoreThe Whispers of the Past
Throughout our journey to finding your voice I have come to learn the beauty in the simplicity of a whisper. There were days where I dreamt of your voice. I’d wake in tears trying to remember every moment, the tone, your facial expressions, but as quickly as the dream came, the memory of it left forever. My days would be filled with working with you on gaining communication skills, whether they would be by verbal speech or by hand gestures. I wanted, no I needed you to be able to…
Read MoreWhen it Snows
Research says people with autism often struggle with crushing anxiety, and may have a hard time forging meaningful connections with family, friends, and various social groups. When I read things like this, I see little more than a collection of letters on a page. As hard as I try, I cannot find my son within the sentences. And yet it is true, about the anxiety and the struggle to connect. Most of it, anyway. Or maybe some of it. { 5:46 in the morning } Mom. Mom. Wake up. Jack,…
Read MorePerspective from an Autism Uncle
I remember my Godson Zachary’s first birthday after his severe, nonverbal autism and apraxia diagnosis. I remember it clearly. I bought him this Ninja Turtles hat, knowing he hated hats but I thought how that was the one he was going to love. Spoiler alert, he didn’t. I think everyone in Zachary’s village has had this kind of moment over the years…which is fine and mostly harmless…but this doesn’t do him any favors. I think about that moment often. I don’t remember ever discussing the hat any further but I…
Read MoreDifferent Isn’t Scary
Parent: I wish my autistic child could talk to me. Parent: I wish my child with autism could communicate with me. Parent: I wish I knew what my nonverbal child was thinking. Parent: I wish I knew what my child loved. Child: Listen and I will show you in the most mysterious ways. Be prepared to wait. And to listen to more than just words. My son Cooper has started taking photos with his iPad. Hundreds and hundreds a day. I know because the iPad is linked to my iPhone…
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