Posts Tagged ‘autism and minnesota’
Educating Police Officers About Autistic Behaviors
Autism and law enforcement is a hot topic in the news right now. Stories like the one about the ten year old boy with Autism who was arrested at his school in Florida are all over my Facebook news-feed. I continue to get questioned about it by friends and family. How do I feel about it? As a mom to a little boy with severe, nonverbal Autism my answer is…SCARED. And it’s not just about law enforcement. It’s by teachers, therapists, doctors and even strangers. I could go on and…
Read MoreWhen the Autism Checklists are Wrong
I like to talk about common misconceptions surrounding Autism because I was lead astray by well-meaning friends, loving family members, a guilty, worried conscious, and the damn internet. I like to talk about misconceptions around autism because I was so confused before I knew. Before I REALLY knew. And lost. And scared. I was so desperate for my son to NOT be autistic that I believed anything I read on the internet…or that was told to me. I was a new mom with a beautiful, smart, cuddly baby boy. A baby…
Read MoreLeaving The House With An Autistic Child
I want to talk about leaving the house with my severely Autistic, six year old son. I think there are misconceptions about why we choose too and not too bring him places. I’ve been accused of hiding my son. Of being embarrassed of his behavior. I’ve been accused of letting the bullies win. On the other side, I’ve been praised for continuing to try and bring my super challenging son to stores. Everyone has an opinion. Measures of Success Last night we had a really tough outing. And if I’m…
Read MoreUnderstanding The Entire Spectrum Of Autism
I had the honor of doing an interview with Kerry Magro. He is an Autism Advocate who is truly making a difference in the world. Here is our conversation. This guest Q&A is with Kate Swenson who is the mother to two amazing little boys. Her son Cooper is on the severe end of the spectrum. She shares a glimpse into her secret world through videos at Finding Cooper’s Voice. Q. How did the idea of filming your story first come about? I started blogging about Autism when my son was…
Read MoreWhen Does Parenting An Autistic Child Get Easier?
Have you ever wondered that? I used to all the time. I would be at a particularly low point in our Autism journey and I would ask that question to my mom or a friend or a doctor. And no one would tell me the truth. I just needed to hear if it was going to get easier or get harder. I needed an honest answer. The problem was I was asking the wrong people. I’m not surprised I get asked this question every day by parents of newly diagnosed…
Read MoreFirst Steps After Your Autism Diagnosis
After I received Cooper’s diagnosis of Autism I expected things to change overnight. I thought for sure we’d immediately start treatment or medicine or something and we’d begin to fix him. My child was sick. Let’s fix it now. We had an answer. We knew the source. Now we fix it. But that’s not how autism works. It’s not a disease. There is no curing it. There is no solution. There is managing it. There is navigating it. And it is straight up trial and error. If you’ve met one…
Read MoreGetting More Services
Yesterday was a tough day for me. I was dealing with so many effects of Cooper’s disability. I spent over an hour talking to the county. I have decided to move forward with trying to get more services for Cooper. And this means confessing my whole life story to a random social worker that doesn’t know me or Cooper or sometimes anything about Autism. Telling our story is a lot. It makes me feel trapped. Sad. Embarrassed. Like a whiner. Uncomfortable. I feel like I am begging at times. And…
Read MoreAn Autism Christmas
Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time. Pre-autism it was my favorite. I love the decorations and the food and the family. The snow. The coziness. The children opening presents. The list goes on. Christmas was my favorite. It’s different now. Just like everything post autism. There are too many expectations. I used to get sick to my stomach just thinking about it approaching. Except now I have a wild and rambunctious 3 year old who LOVES Christmas. He talks about Santa non-stop and how he is going to…
Read MoreThe Uphill Battle of Being a Caregiver
I cried on my way to work this morning. Not because I was sad. I cried because being Cooper’s mom turns me into someone I don’t like. I feel trapped. And alone. And so utterly overwhelmed. And like I need to make threats to make his life easier. I don’t ever feel like I’m doing enough. Or the right thing. The special education system is a constant uphill fight with a 200 lb pack on your back and no food or water. Nothing comes easy. Not one part of it.…
Read MoreI Am So Proud Of Cooper…
As someone affiliated with Autism I have noticed if I browse through Pinterest or Facebook or any of the dozen support groups I am part of there is often a common theme….having a special needs child changes your life. Or defines you as a parent. Or teaches you lessons and makes you a better person. I’ll be honest. I don’t feel that way yet. I haven’t ever actually. Every day is more like an episode of Ground Hogs day. He typically wakes up before 5 am. My anxiety about him…
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