Posts Tagged ‘autism and nonverbal’
Marriage With Autism
Marriage with autism. It’s hard, it’s beautiful, it’s an adventure. When you see another couple of a special needs child you ask them how they are, and most say “we are great.” You see beautiful pictures on Facebook, but that isn’t always the reality. I think it’s a topic that isn’t talked about often. Marriage is a challenge for any couple. You have two people living together who are opposites most of the time, so naturally they are going to argue. Throw a special needs child in the mix and…
Read MoreI Wondered Why Autism
Earlier in my journey I would often wonder why. Why my daughter, our family? It seemed unjust, unfair, why did this happen to her? It didn’t make sense, when I looked around I saw other families and their children and everything looked different from ours. Easy, simple, typical We were anything but. We were loud, chaotic, and everything was challenging. I searched for a reason, for something that could explain it. There wasn’t an answer. This was the life she was given, the life we were all given. I didn’t…
Read MoreTo The New Mama at Therapy
To the new Mama, I met you today as I was taking Lexi to therapy. It was your son’s first day. I could tell right away that you were overwhelmed. Nervous about your son. Wondering how it went. Praying he didn’t have anxiety the whole time. Hoping you made the right decision. Your emotions overwhelmed me with compassion. I wanted to hug you…I DID hug you and later I apologized for invading your space. You told me briefly about your story. Your long road to diagnosis. How you waited so…
Read MoreMy Son is Many Things
He loves the wind in his hair and the thrill of the motion. His favourite phrase being, “Push me, I’m ready” as he stands between you and your favourite TV programme requesting your partnership. A task where “no” is not an option. And once the swing has been pushed and his legs continue the momentum, he notices as you slink away, once again announcing his right to your role in the task. Social skills are there, but they are on his agenda. Each night he reluctantly enters the land of…
Read MoreA Letter to My Autistic Son’s School Team
Dear Team, First and foremost thank you for being here. We want you to know that we are truly grateful for you. We are so excited for this school year. It’s going to sound weird but we have been praying for you and hoping for you. We used to want to control the situation of who Whitman had and what his school year was going to look like but we’ve started simply praying that God would put the right people in our life so Whitman could grow into his best…
Read MoreMy Autistic Son and Anxiety
It’s a weird thing, anxiety. Purposefully placed inside our minds, as a means to keep us safe from outside harm. It’s there to keep us cautious and on our toes. And thank goodness for that. Can you imagine a world where you had none? Where you walk this earth fearful of nothing. Jumping from high spaces, running at full speed, no brakes, and carrying a “maybe deal with it later” mentality? I bet you answered “yes and no” to each of these. So did I. But my son, those answers…
Read MoreShe Didn’t Know What Autism Would Bring
I wish I could tell you that the Mom in the picture was wise and ready for whatever came her way. But, she was young and naive and just getting her feet under her after the birth of her first child. Things weren’t going as they were supposed to and behind the smile, she was struggling like never before. Struggling to understand what she was doing wrong and why her baby wasn’t sleeping, eating and was doing so many repetitive things. She had read all the books and taken the…
Read MoreOngoing Acceptance of Autism
On a sunny Thursday afternoon I was reminded of the ongoing acceptance of my seven year old son’s autism diagnosis. I took my daughter to the park across from my son’s school thirty minutes before we picked him up, so she could play. It just so happened that my son’s class was out on the playground where I could see him and his classmates. As peeked over every so often I tried to be careful that he didn’t see me. I watched him and his fellow autistic students play. Anyone…
Read MoreTeach Them How To Be Kind
Twenty years ago, my sister and I walked this same playground together, just as my girls are now. We were atypical in the way of being twins. To the other children, we stuck out as different. They didn’t understand how we could look and act so much alike. Now add in that we were raised by a single mother, our father was gone and struggled with addiction. Most of the time our family was in survival mode. My mom always tells the story of the time she drove by the…
Read MoreI Was Judgmental of Another Mom
Today, I was judgmental. Today I was jealous. Today my heart ached. As we battled through a specialist check up, I had to watch the anxiety build in my daughter. Silent but strong. Fear and irritation consumed her, followed closely by terror, as we progressed from appointment to lab work. The transition led to tears. Then the flapping, stomping body. Then the yells… I’m sure we looked like quite the scene. One melting down kid in one arm, another bewildered kid on the other, mom sweating, flustered, and weighed down…
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