Posts Tagged ‘autism’
When My Life Was Flipped Upside Down by a Dual Diagnosis
The other day my life was flipped upside down. We were on our way home from the video EEG and the impact of a dual diagnosis struck me to my core. It was a Friday afternoon. Derek was driving. I was watching all the cars out the window. My mind was reviewing the information we had learned and coming up with a new list of to-do’s. When, suddenly, it dawned on me. This is our life. Appointments, tests, seizures, medical fears, disruptive behaviors, therapies, financial burdens, hospital stays, unrelenting exhaustion…
Read MoreThis Year I Wish…
To my son Prestley, In 2019 I would like… To feel less guilt I have an overwhelming sense of guilt. I feel guilty because Prestley doesn’t play – is he happy? Does he know how loved he is? I feel guilty about my other children. We don’t go out altogether, we don’t do many fun things – do they resent their brother? The guilt of medicating Prestley with melatonin – so he can sleep. So we can all sleep. So much guilt swarms my mind. Daily. To find others in…
Read MoreOur 2018 Year in Review
A year ago we had a different life. We were living in a different house. We had two children…not three. Cooper had just turned seven. Sawyer had just turned five. And we had just found out that we were pregnant. This site was smaller. I had 60,000 followers on Facebook. Then I had a super viral video. I received my first round of online bullying which opened my eyes to how ugly the world of the internet can be. And today we are 430,000 strong. Cooper had six months of…
Read MoreTo my Partner in Life
My name is Amber and I am hard of hearing and an autism mother. I want to thank my husband, the man who is always fighting for awareness of our autistic son. This is going on year 3 since I found out about the autism diagnosis of my son, Jason. I remember being in the room the diagnosis day and just was feeling all mixed emotions. I was speechless going through the whole evaluation with my son. I just wanted to go home and cuddle my son and be done…
Read MoreDear Friends and Family, It’s Been a While
Dear Friends & Family, A few months ago, I felt a small cyst in my right breast and still haven’t been able to see a doctor. This brought on a harsh reality for me as a mother of a child with special needs: I don’t have time to be sick, to go to my own appointments, or to die. I never thought about that until today. I don’t have time to get depressed or get my own therapy. I’m so busy holding it together for my daughter that it has…
Read MoreThey Say it Takes a Village
They say that it takes a village to raise a child. I have wondered where you get this village. When my son was first diagnosed with autism I did not want to tell anyone. I knew that he would beat the odds and recover from autism. Maybe it was ignorance, denial, or wishful thinking. I thought that if I worked with him hard enough, provided him enough ABA therapy, changed his diet, gave him supplements he would return to the little boy that he had been before his regression. But…
Read MoreSanta did not Bring my Nonverbal Son’s Voice
Every time I go through a “grieving phase” of autism I always think it will be my last, or at least I always hope it is. However, emotions are fluid, and thus like waves in the ocean it never dies. I find that holidays are always a stressor for the grieving process. It truly is hard to let go of what you thought your life would have been like prior to the diagnosis of autism. I think it’s hard for people who aren’t going through this to understand that. It’s…
Read MoreWe are Just in the Thick of it Right Now
Jamie and I have been talking a lot lately about the future. I think it’s because we are in the thick of it right now. We have three kids. Three young kids. All boys. Busy, busy boys. Busy schedules. Sports. Play dates. Therapy appointments. Families. Friends. Obligations. Dogs. A constantly messy house. Mounds of laundry. Careers. Trying to make money. Pay down debt. Sleep deprivation. We both want to get healthier. That means trying to eat right and get to the gym. We both want to find balance. It’s like…
Read MoreIt Took a Baby…
For the last three years, Sawyer and I watch a movie on Friday nights. We eat popcorn with way too much ranch seasoning, snuggle up with blankets, argue over what movie to watch, and talk about his day, farts, Nerf guns and hockey. It’s my favorite part of the week. And for the last three years, Cooper has ALWAYS been encouraged to join us. He rarely ever does though. He likes to wander around, move from room to room, watch his shows, line up his treasures and stim. That is…
Read MoreThank you for Loving my Son
My son, Clark, was diagnosed with Level 4 Autism, Non-Verbal when he was two, even though as a mom I knew something was different about him around the age of one. Now, he is almost six, but is more on a 2-3 year old level developmentally, and is just now starting to say some words. As Clark’s mom, I decided early on that I would not let society define my son’s potential or his limitations. We started therapy prior to his 2nd birthday in our home, but he wasn’t making…
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