Posts Tagged ‘autism and nonverbal’
Because, Autism
I must finally admit to myself and the world that I’m tired. Physically and mentally exhausted. For the last 15 years of my 17-year-old son’s life, autism has dictated the mood, comfort, décor (or lack thereof) and decibel level of our home. Severe, non-verbal autism has robbed my son of the ability to communicate effectively or calmly and replaced it with banging, hitting, throwing and aggression. It’s as if my son’s development has frozen in time…demonstrating behaviors matching a two-year-old temper tantrum. No matter the circumstance, he has learned…
Read MoreDon’t Count Our Kids Out
Who needs some joy today? This kid had his first school conference in three years yesterday. He’s a big fourth grader now. And like I’ve known all along…he’s amazing. He’s joyful. Happy. Cuddly. Loves giving hugs. So smart. He knows so many sight words and is amazing on his speech device. The goal for me is typing words. I can’t wait until we can have a typed conversation. His bus driver and aide love him. His driver told me he hits the bumps for him because it makes him so…
Read MoreBalancing on a Tightrope
We are on a tightrope… This week my son Cooper had three of his best days ever at school. He is going to be 10 in a month or so and started fourth grade this year. It’s a pretty big deal for him. He also had one very challenging day. Which we are all allowed. Bad days happen. But afterwards, he used his speech device to tell his teacher he was sad. She didn’t know why. I didn’t know why. He is unable to tell us. It’s heartbreaking. And the…
Read MoreNot A Typical Halloween
Last year, after many challenging and ultimately failed trick-or-treating attempts, I had an idea. What if we went out, to a set number of houses, during the day, with less chaos and zero pressure. No other kids. No scary decorations. No crowds of goblins and Elsa’s at each house. I sent a message to four of our neighbors and they willingly agreed. I explained to them we may not make it and if we did, it may be ‘colorful.’ They didn’t care. They were excited to be part of Cooper’s…
Read MoreThe Measure of Success
The measure of success isn’t always a perfectly posed photo… Yesterday, our family of five volunteered to hand out candy at a Trunk or Treat. We expected it to be busy and fun, which it was. What we didn’t expect was 27 degree weather and sleet. That was a shock. I’ll tell ya, two years ago I wouldn’t have dared to volunteer for something like this. Because, well, we wouldn’t have all be able to go. It would have been stressful with running and unsafe behaviors. Or it would have…
Read MoreWishing On Stars
I’m trying not to obsess over signs that my daughter, Evie, is on the way to finding her own words. Not scripting, echoing or repeating; I mean her own feelings, her own thoughts, expressed in her own words. She’ll be five in November, and despite being a chatter box of sorts, she’s considered nonverbal. She isn’t able to communicate verbally outside of our home, with people who don’t know her like we do. Evie told me she loved me the month before last. Can you imagine my shock? Part of…
Read MoreA Gift I Will Never Take For Granted
I will never get over the gift of communication. Something so many take for granted. My newly two year old just told me he had an owie on his foot. He sat down. Took his sock off. And pointed to his injury. To so many outside the world of autism, this may sound so simple. His older brother is 9, nearly 10, and we work nonstop on communication of pain. For years, my sweet boy had ear infections that we didn’t know about. We didn’t know if his shoe was…
Read MoreRemember, Your Sister Talks to Angels
Recently my daughter Sage who holds her feelings in like they never existed, who would rather use her fists to deal with hurt, broke. Her sky blue eyes welled up and her upper lip quivered as a stream of salty tears spilled down her cheeks. My dearest Sage, You have a job more important than other kids your age. Not only do you have to protect your littlest sister from dangerous situations, you must also protect her from hate and evil. Sage, there will always be mean people who spew hate. Yes…
Read MoreLove Needs No Words
Here is my blue-eyed, blonde hair, sweet boy looking at me. He shows his love through his eyes. He may be unable to tell me he loves me verbally, but he shows me in his unique way. Thinking back three years ago, life was a lot different. It was the start of our autism journey. It was the start that our life would change forever. He was not making any form of eye contact. He would not interact with peers. He would always want to be left alone. It was…
Read MoreThe Brave Ones
What is bravery? I’ve been thinking about that question lately. The definition is the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty. It goes onto give examples of a brave firefighter. A brave nurse. A brave athlete. And no doubt, yes, they are brave. They face burning buildings and medical tragedies and catch the winning pass. They do things I could never do. They are brave. But I think about bravery in another way too. Imagine going out into a world…
Read More