Posts Tagged ‘autism and nonverbal’
Waiting for the Magic
Our Christmas in photos… Cooper is a concrete thinker. He sees, therefore it is. Abstract thoughts are harder for him to grasp and understand. Like time. Danger. Things you can’t see or feel. Magic. He’s also a yes man. So anything you ask him…he will ultimately say yes. And while many times the correct answer is yes…often it’s not. Like when I ask him and his younger brothers incriminating questions. ‘Did you make this mess Cooper?’ The answer is always yes. Even when I know for a certain that his…
Read MoreFocus on the Color
I want to brag on this little boy for a minute. His dad and I just finished up his yearly assessment with the state. I know every country is different when it comes to autism. Heck, states and even counties are different in the USA. Services and supports vary. Some better than others. We live in a fantastic state for disabilities. Minnesota values people with additional needs and prioritizes their independence, goals, and dreams. We are blessed to get the supports and services that we need to help our son…
Read MoreHappiness Looks Different for Everyone
A profound moment for our family was letting go of the picture in our head if what it was supposed to look like. Timelines. Must do’s. Picture perfect moments. Obligations. Stress. I suppose you could say expectations too. We let all that go. It was a hard goodbye. Because as people, humans, parents, we have this picture of what life is supposed to look like. We expect certain things. Big and small. We want things to go a certain way. Holidays are a big one. And autism changed them all…
Read MoreThe Mind Versus the Heart
A few nights ago, my husband and I found ourselves driving around a picturesque town for 20 minutes or so…alone. We had no kids with us. There was no loud noise or fighting or voices from an iPad. It was just us, driving around looking at holiday lights, Christmas music playing softly. Eventually we found ourselves in the parking lot of what looked like a brand new apartment complex located right on the river. It was breathtaking. After looking at the sign, we saw it was for folks 55 plus.…
Read MoreI Wasn’t Ready, But I’m Getting There
No one asked if I was ready… At 18 months old, my daughter Vivian was typically developing. She had always been “the last.” The last of the children of her age group that we knew to learn to crawl, the last to walk, the last to utter her first word, “dog.” But that was okay. She was still in the typical range. Then she began withdrawing. No one asked if I was ready to see my baby stop coming to me. I wasn’t. I wasn’t ready to watch as my…
Read MoreThankful
‘Along my journey I have learned that the more thankful I am, the more I have to be thankful for.’ Today I was…Woke up at before 6 am by a ‘Mama…wake up!’ Shot in the neck and the butt and everywhere else by Nerf Guns. Negotiated one zillion times over how many days it is until Cooper’s birthday. Cleaned every surface area of my house a dozen times. Wiped pee off the toilet seat every time I had to use it. (Life with boys!) Broke up fights. Kissed boo-boos. Got…
Read MoreHow You Found Your Smile Again-A Letter to Jack, My Autistic Son
It’s been seven months since the world stopped. You were so sad in the beginning. You didn’t want to get out of bed, and you didn’t want to play. But the most shocking thing was this: you didn’t want to watch movies. Do you remember that? It was the first time this has ever happened. The sweetest thing in your world seemed sticky and irritating. It was confusing for you, and for all of us. Miss Janell would probably call it “topsy-turvy.” This kind of thing happened to a lot…
Read MoreBucket List
Have I told you all that I made a bucket list for our family? For 9 1/2 years we were mostly homebound. And in those 9 years we worked on things like safety, waiting, sitting, standing and communicating. The progress felt painfully slow at times. But his hard work, ours too, is starting to pay off. Last week we visited a zoo! The week before that it was a pool. Today, it was an aquarium. A real aquarium with sharks and sea turtles and string rays. The place was deserted…
Read MoreThe Nudge that Led to Hope
When covid hit, much like everyone else, our world was turned upside down. Schools closed. Jobs moved in-house. Daycare paused. We hunkered down. We all became overly familiar with Zoom. Parents began to hate snack requests. We rationed toilet paper. And one other thing happened for us. One that I would have never in all my years thought could have happened. Our mental health services for our son Cooper stopped cold. The place that never closed. Never took a sick day. Acknowledged as few holidays as possible…shut down. And to…
Read MoreWhat Happens When?
I spent an intense morning with my son Luke at the eye doctor. Honestly, we’ve been frequenting doctor’s offices most days. Yesterday was PT for Ryan my husband, today, eye doctor for Luke, tomorrow and Friday PT for Ryan, Saturday, family doctor for a new wheelchair for Luke… This is life for special needs families. I made this appointment months ago…before Ryan had committed to his new surgery date in Feb…before when the original date was Jan 6 but then Luke was still in PICU and so we rearranged our…
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