Posts Tagged ‘Behaviors’
Very Nice Boy
Yesterday my son rode the bus for the first time to school. I was nervous. I thought about getting in my car and following but didn’t because I knew it would be great. When the bus pulled in the driveway after his school day I was waiting as the big doors opened. My first question…’how did he do?’ As a mom of a kid who has struggled in the past, and still does at times, I was ready. I’ve built up this armor you could say. Waiting for the negative.…
Read MoreMisunderstood in Public
Hi. My name is Carrie. I have five kids, and my second son has autism. His name is Jack. He is fifteen. Every so often I come across an article about how a person with a diagnosis or a disability was asked to leave a public place because they were too loud, or disruptive, or misunderstood. Broadway musicals. Movie theaters. Water parks. When you have a child diagnosed with autism, doing something as simple as going to the grocery store, or a Little League baseball game, can be a challenge.…
Read MoreThe Secrecy of Aggressive Behaviors
When your child hurts you… It’s happening in homes all over the country. Including ours. What would you do if a random stranger came up on the street and slapped you? Well, depending on how my mood was and how many hours of sleep I got the night before, I assume I’d either call the police or puck them right back. Both are natural reactions. But what do you do when it’s your own kid hurting you? When the frustration of not being understood gets to be too much for…
Read MoreNobody is Exempt
Isla’s first few months at the new ABA clinic were going great. She was learning a ton, and she really enjoyed seeing new therapists and kiddos each day as the clinic grew. However, with each new therapist came a new opportunity to test the limits and boundaries of her behavior. In about the second or third monthly parent training, I learned of a new behavior that was the most disturbing for me as a mother, a woman, and a healthcare professional. We were reviewing the graphs of Isla’s different behaviors,…
Read MoreI Feel Helpless at Times
I feel so helpless at times. I wasn’t prepared for that I guess. I am a strong mom. I know that for sure. I am a firm believer that all things can be fixed. If we just work hard enough. Never give up. No situation is helpless. That is what I preach. My son has autism. Or he is autistic. Whichever one you want me to say. I am also supposed to say it makes up who he is. He wouldn’t be him without autism. I think I am supposed…
Read MoreBehaviors are Communication
My autistic son can’t tell me what he’s feeling. He can’t tell me if he’s scared or nervous. The words don’t come out. So he shows me instead. And those feelings usually come out in bizarre ways. We call them behaviors. They are typically frustrating. They usually drive a person crazy. That’s the hard part about severe autism. My message today…behaviors are communication. A few nights ago, Cooper patted the chair next to me. He smiled. And climbed his body up onto my lap. He wedged his way in…in the…
Read MoreSharing the Realities of our World
We have been having so many wins lately with our severely autistic son. He is thriving. Our family is letting that breath out we have been holding for years. I feel like many parts are actually getting easier. And yet, the roller coaster continues. Our son had his longest behavior to date yesterday, 10 minutes, and had to be put into a hold. I spent the night feeling guilty. And worrying. And wondering why his life has to be so hard. Why can’t it just be easy? And as he…
Read MoreMedical Cannabis Update-Week Two
I promised I would give a weekly update on our journey with medical cannabis for our severely autistic son. We are 14 days in! In Minnesota, medical cannabis was legalized for autism in July 2018. The program is regulated by the state of Minnesota. You can read more HERE about how we got started. Want to know if medical cannabis is legal for autism in your state? Click HERE. After getting a prescription from his doctor and jumping through all the hoops, we started him on the lowest dose possible.…
Read MoreMy Toddler's Behaviors Are Out Of Control
Today is a bad day. Honestly, I think the days have been progressively getting worse for a while now and I just didn’t want to admit it. I want Cooper to improve so badly that I think I have been lying to myself. I read a quote on Pinterest that said, “It doesn’t actually get easier…you just get used to it.” Ding, Ding, Ding! That’s my life exactly. Cooper’s behaviors are out of control. I am not going to sugar coat this on my blog. I sugar coat it in…
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