Posts Tagged ‘autism awareness month’
4 Simple Words I Wish People Would Say Instead of “I’m Sorry”
With April being World Autism Month, I wanted to share something that’s been on my heart lately in hopes to help “Light It Up Blue.” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the words “I’m sorry,” since Jack was diagnosed with autism last year. I’ve honestly lost count. First, I want to say that this is not to knock anyone or make them feel badly about how they react when they learn about a child who has special needs. You see, prior to having my own child…
Read MoreThe Scarlet A(wareness) of Autism
I have never been a huge fan of the word aware, even well before my son was diagnosed with autism. The term itself is a copout, really, claiming the basest level of understanding. I am aware I have a shopping addiction. Terrific. Now what? The educator in me would prefer awareness to sit lower than comprehension, even lower than knowledge within that famous hierarchy of learning. I feel the act of claiming awareness in order to make oneself feel sufficiently enlightened, wise, or in-the-know is, well, lame. One of the finest qualities an individual can possess, in…
Read More6 Wonderful Things I Get to Enjoy Because of Autism
In the wake of Autism Awareness month, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite qualities about my son Zachary, who has severe non-verbal autism. Sometimes it is easier to get wrapped up in the hard parts of autism, because, yes autism is hard. However, there is happiness and joy like no other as well. We live in New Jersey, which has the highest rate of autism in the nation. The CDC reports it as 1 in 32 in New Jersey. Chances are you know someone with autism if you…
Read MoreAs Autism Awareness Month Comes to a Close
As we come to the end of Autism Awareness Month, I feel inclined to write this. I have read opinions from both sides of the fence on this topic that are in abundance lately (probably something to do with Autism Awareness Month, ya think?), so I feel the need to offer up my two cents. I know you can hardly contain yourself! I, like many other autism parents, follow a lot of Facebook support pages and other social media pages for parents who have children on the spectrum, as well as various other bloggers. I have seen several…
Read MoreA Message From a Self Advocate
Since it’s Autism Awareness month, my daughter Alexa wanted to share something with you. Here is a little background on my beautiful daughter. At 6 yrs old, Alexa was diagnosed with Autism. Everything suddenly made sense! All the quirks, the struggles, sensory issues, etc… It wasn’t just the apraxia of speech. Now our goal became two fold; 1) to provide her with all the support she needs and 2) to help her love and embrace her differences and to be proud of them. At first, every time we would talk…
Read MoreWhen the Reason is Autism
On November of 2014, the most beautiful baby boy came into our lives. As most new parents, we were completely overjoyed and thought he was absolutely perfect. Jackson was such a happy baby, and I remember how people used to comment on how expressive he was. As Jackson grew, he continued to hit all the milestones of a typical growing infant and soon, toddler. Rolling over? Check. Crawling? Check. Walking? Check. First words? Nothing. I recall around age two when I started to get a little suspicious about why my…
Read MoreThe Vital Parts of Autism Awareness Month
I often wonder how many people actually care about these awareness campaigns. I don’t mean that pessimistically. There are many wonderful people that try to educate others on many topics. However, as realists, most people don’t care unless they are somehow connected to the illness or disability, and there are so many of them. October is breast cancer awareness month. February is wear red for heart disease in women. June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Literally, every time I’m driving I see a bumper sticker for some kind of…
Read MoreAutism Awareness Month
I think Cooper falls in a really weird place on the autism spectrum. In some ways he is severe. He doesn’t speak. He has zero self-care. And hardest of all he has no self-awareness. Cooper doesn’t know he is autistic. He doesn’t know he is different. He doesn’t know that he has no friends…He most likely doesn’t know what a friend is. But on the opposite side he isn’t violent. He isn’t mean. He is easy to care for. He smiles and laughs and requests hugs and kisses. And I…
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