Posts Tagged ‘Autism Support’
Some Christmas Miracles Come with Paws, and Ours Is Named Bingo
The holidays are always tricky for our family, just like they are for so many families with special-needs children. Our daughter is seven, but a simple Amazon search for “gifts for 7-year-old girls” doesn’t capture what she’ll actually love. If a toy isn’t tied to her current interest, it’s set aside within seconds. And when all her favorite shows seem to be from before 2015, gift hunting feels more like a treasure quest than a holiday tradition. This year, though, we’re preparing for something different. The greatest gift we could…
Read MoreNine Christmases Later: A Holiday That Finally Feels Like Home
When My son Isaac was born, it was just before Christmas. We spent that year just staring at this perfect baby that was all ours, envisioning the Christmas days we had to come, the visits to Santa, and the traditions we would make as a family together. That was before we knew how hard Christmas would be for our boy—before we knew that what we thought he wanted was not actually what he needed. It was before we knew that wrapped presents made him feel uneasy, that moving the room…
Read MoreWhen Christmas Isn’t Magical Yet: Hope for Parents Raising Disabled Children
To the parents raising disabled children who feel the weight of the holidays creeping in because Christmas isn’t magical yet… hold on. The holidays bring big feelings when your disabled child isn’t ready for the wonder. Some children find the magic late, but it’s no less perfect when it comes. Sometimes, it’s even more. There was a time when Christmas passed us by almost unnoticed. She didn’t care for the tree or the music, didn’t light up at the sight of wrapping paper or twinkling lights. And that silence… it…
Read MoreAm I enough?
I wake her every morning to begin a brand new day. I sit beside her, asking questions, slowing her steps, listening to her read, guiding her through mistakes, celebrating every victory. I nudge her past her comfort zone, toward chores, and cooking, and cleaning. I set alarms, build routines, help her move from one moment to the next. I give her her meds, teach her how to care for herself, walk the thin line between her independence and the dangers she cannot see. I place her sensory tools close, soft…
Read MoreAutism Parenting: Don’t Compare, They Say
“Don’t compare,” they say.“Your child will progress in their own way, in their own time.”“There’s beauty in the different.”All wonderful advice. All true.But it’s not simple.It stings sometime.I live within our bubble.To be honest, I am the bubble.I protect. I contain. I shield. But within that autism bubble, sometimes I drift in and out having a typical child, having other children in my life.Sometimes I look outside; other times I don’t.Sometimes I can’t.We aren’t always part of that outside space.And then come the moments where I see it — typical.A…
Read MoreParenting in the Grey: Navigating Autism and Braces
When you have a child diagnosed with autism, suddenly everything feels different. Almost as if you are looking at your same life, your same child, even yourself, through a funhouse mirror. It’s you. It’s them. It’s the same house. It’s the same family. But it’s just different. I’ve felt that way for fourteen years now. And while I am more than confident about so many things, navigating autism in the world is confusing. The days of black and white are gone. It’s all greys now. Last night my fourteen-year-old, nonspeaking…
Read More“We Try Again Tomorrow”: The Words That Carried Me Through a Hard Day
Today, I received a phone call to pick my autistic son up from school. He was really struggling. And while no one got hurt, and no property was damaged, he wasn’t being safe. They did the right thing to call. They care about him. And I appreciate that. Only this isn’t the first time since starting high school. It’s also not the second or third or even fifth. School is really hard for my son. He also wants to be there. And he’s in the right spot. I have never…
Read MoreWhen Autism and Christmas Magic Meet
I have never met a person who loves Christmas more than my oldest son Cooper. So much so that he has been asking to put up a Christmas tree for well over a month now. I managed to hold him off until today. But when he got off the bus today, he immediately pointed up to the grey Minnesota sky and said… SSS-NNN-OOO-W. Cooper doesn’t have a lot of words. He is technically nonspeaking. I would say he has 20 or so words. 5 that he uses consistently. And maybe…
Read MoreAutism Progress: A Little Independence, A Lot of Hope
Sometimes progress shows up in the smallest, quietest moments. It doesn’t always look like milestones or big announcements. It looks like midnight snacks and Ritz crackers. I heard her in the kitchen last night and assumed she was getting herself Goldfish. To my surprise and delight, when I walked into the kitchen, she was getting herself some Ritz cheese and crackers (she only eats the cheese inside, like an Oreo). She had gotten her own bowl and plate, and a spoon for her yogurt. To most people, this is not…
Read MoreLove Your Kids. Ignore the Hate.
Parenting a child with a disability is not a competition to see who has the highest functioning kid or the most severe kid. It’s not about bullying a fellow parent for admitting they are having a hard day. It’s not about alienating them because they see something different than you do. It’s not about arguing over labels or word choice. And it’s especially not about belittling a fellow parent who is newer to the journey. A parent who is asking questions. And asking for help and support. Acceptance takes time.…
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