Posts Tagged ‘Autism diagnosis’
Regression SUCKS
Yes – I said it. Regressions sucks. Seeing my son who works so hard everyday lose skills and gain more anxiety is one of the most difficult aspects of this journey. He works so hard for each and every skill he has and to see one of them disappear is heart wrenching. We are currently in the mist of regression. When Jayden gets into a regression it seems to last months and it takes nearly everything inside of us to bring him out of it. Luckily each time his team…
Read MoreThe Day He Passes You
I absolutely love being a boy mom. Race cars, dirt, and ornery smiles. I had just found out we were pregnant that week with our second blessing. We were sitting on the couch after my oldest sons evaluation awaiting to hear the words I already knew were coming. “You’re son is on the spectrum”. My sweet toddler. Laying on the floor with a car on top of his chest. Spinning the wheels. Months later we find out the baby is a boy. Our second boy. Spinning car wheels flash in…
Read MoreAs Long As He’s Healthy
While at a recent doctor appointment I was chatting with a young, pregnant woman. I congratulated her and asked her if she knew the sex of the baby. She said she didn’t know and didn’t have a preference, “as long as the baby is healthy.” I smiled and nodded but inside I thought about how this phrase has a new meaning to me since my daughter’s autism diagnosis seven years ago. When someone uses that phrase, I feel sadness in my heart. I think to myself, will she accept and…
Read MoreFellow Mom, I will Pray for your Peace
I’ve prayed for peace a lot. When you have anxiety, you learn how to manage it and be more calm. Prayer is my favorite and most regularly used tool. If you’re a mom of a child with autism, I will pray for your peace too. When I pray, I usually spend a lot of time in gratitude. It’s hard to worry about anything when you are being thankful for the present. If you’re in conflict with anything or anyone, you can’t be at peace. Anger is not a peaceful place…
Read MoreHow do you Feel about your Son’s Autism Diagnosis?
Our son was diagnosed with autism in October 2018. It’s taken me some time to feel comfortable talking about his diagnosis. I just wasn’t ready to talk about how I was feeling. But now I think I am finally ready to answer the inevitable question that follows my disclosure: So, how do you feel about your son’s autism diagnosis? It’s not a short answer because I have lots of different feelings about the diagnosis… Relief My initial emotion when I got the diagnosis was relief. Relief that the past two…
Read MoreAll I Really Need to Know
“Based on our observation, we believe your son has autism.” The echo of those words lingered in the otherwise silent room. My heart was trying to process what that meant for my son at a frenetic pace, my brain however was reconciling it with all the signs. Yes, this makes sense now! The numerous daycares he’s been kicked out of. The delayed and severely flawed speech development. The lack of interest in the same activities as his peer group. Too many to name really, but it all makes sense. Now…
Read MoreWill I be Sad Forever?
Dear Kate, I’m writing you because I don’t know who else to say this too. It’s late. 2 am actually. Everyone is sleeping. Although I know my son will be up in a hour. I should be sleeping. But I can’t. My son was diagnosed today with autism. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. I mean, I knew. We all knew. He has no words. He doesn’t even try to communicate. I overhead one of the aides in his preschool say she has never met a boy quite so autistic.…
Read MoreIt’s not Failure to Need a Break
Are you a parent? Have your children ever been out to play themselves, played alone in their room, had a sleepover, went out with a relative? For me none of these things are possible. My son is severely autistic. He is ten years old but still fully incontinent and has no spoken language. He is developmentally around the age of 12 months and he needs round the clock care. He doesn’t have friends to play with either in his own home or elsewhere. There’s no sleepovers in his world, or…
Read MoreConfidence Building When Your Child Has Autism
I almost regularly remind my kids that they can do anything they set their minds to. I’m mindful of how important it is to help grow their confidence. Giving them challenges is good, but I also like to help them build on their strengths. This becomes even more important when it involves my daughter. It’s a fine line I walk every day. Do I push her a bit more because it’s something I know she could be better at or do I sit back and let her only put a…
Read MorePlease Stop Blaming Yourself
As a therapist who primarily works with special needs children and their families, I often hear the same statement over and over again by distraught parents: “It’s my fault. I caused my child’s disabilities, etc.,.” Each and every time I hear this statement, a part of me cringes inside while the other part of me wants to jump up and give this perplexed parent the biggest hug of their lives. I also want to shout right back to them the answer that maybe they’re not ready to hear: “No, you…
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