Posts Tagged ‘Childhood Apraxia of Speech’
The Mistakes I’ve Made
I’m going to tell you a not-so-secret secret. I have made some mistakes over the years in my parenting journey. Shocker, right? Not really I suppose. There are no perfect parents, and this stuff is hard. I have three boys. They are 10, 8, and 2. I also am 28 weeks pregnant with a baby girl. Life is about to get a whole lot crazier. My ten-year-old has autism and on paper is nonverbal. My 8-year-old is my emotional guy. And the toddler, don’t even get me started on him.…
Read MoreAge is Just a Number
Yesterday I was scrolling mindlessly through Instagram, as I usually do, when I saw a picture that stopped my finger mid-motion. It was a little girl I knew well. Her mom, a friend of mine. We were pregnant at the same time. We have slipped apart over the years, as we so often do. The photo was precious. The caption read, the last day of third grade. Third grade. Wow. For a second I thought, that can’t be right. I did the math. It was right. If my son was…
Read MoreWhat Does Nonverbal Autism Really Look Like?
Before my son was diagnosed with autism at age three I had never heard the term, nonverbal autism. Not once. I had no idea that some children never learn to speak. Even to this day it still confuses me at times. My son is almost seven. He has no words. He is nonverbal. And I don’t know if he will ever learn to speak. I dread when people ask. I don’t know what to tell them. Throughout every step of the last four years all I have ever wanted is…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: The Founder of CASANA
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Laura Kay Smith and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to thank Sharon Gretz, the founder of the Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association. When my child was diagnosed with apraxia, a rare and severe speech disorder in children, even as a speech/language pathologist, I felt lost. I met Sharon at an apraxia conference and it changed my life. Her love, caring, and guidance was instrumental in not only getting the help and proper help my daughter…
Read MoreA Good Reminder
When Cooper wakes up in the middle of the night and comes to my bed he touches my face. He usually rubs my forehead and lays his hand on my cheek. It is so gentle that sometimes it takes me a second to register he is even there. Although he struggles with social cues, emotions, showing love, controlling his anger, etc., he is hands down the sweetest child I have ever met. I can’t even summarize his innocence with words. I don’t know how people could give up. It’s just…
Read MoreThe Proverbial Straw
There are four sides to autism. At least that’s the way I see it. There is Cooper. He has autism. Then there is me and his dad and his brother and family. We have different expectations and emotions about Cooper. There is the rest of the world and how they perceive Cooper. There are teachers and aids and therapists and insurance companies. Doctors, financial aid workers. You name it. Cooper has it. And then there is the business side. Yesterday, while working an 8 hour day, I answered 4 phone…
Read MoreIt's Ok To Care. Don't Forget That.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Cooper attending kindergarten next year. Right now he goes to an autism preschool at the actual elementary school. He rides the bus. Which is great. His class has 4 other kiddos in it. And every day they join the typical 4K kiddos. It is a completely controlled setting. It’s 3 hours long and Cooper has a teacher and an aide and a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. He lives in a bubble. When I went to the open house this year I watched…
Read MoreThere are Two Kinds of Autism Moms….
Just because shits been getting a little heavy in my world… I had a good nights sleep and woke up to Super Cooper carrying a picture around of our family. That kid has an element of sweetness and love I’ve never seen before. As I made my coffee he grabbed my hand and pointed to my face in the picture, giggled and then hugged my leg. And then my heart actually exploded. Damn you kid. Just when I was going to give up you sucked me back in. …
Read MorePotty Training Desperation
I’ve reached my limit with potty training Cooper. I’ve exhausted all options that I know of. I need help. I am waving the white flag. Or crying in front of the toilet after being kicked in the shins. Either one. There are good things happening. The kid does not want to wear a diaper…especially a wet one. He takes it off if we put one on him. And here’s the kicker. He stays dry. He has excellent bladder control. And when he has to pee he will bring us a…
Read MoreWhat I am Missing….
I spend a lot of time thinking about all the things I’ve missed with Cooper. I know…he doesn’t know…he’s happy…he’s not missing out…blah, blah, blah. Those three things top my list of ‘What not to say to an Autism mom.’ But I know. I see it everyday in Sawyer. I know what I am missing. It’s a whole life. It’s language and emotion and socialization and laughter and interaction. I am missing it all. It comes in waves. Sawyer and I were looking through his baby book last night. We…
Read More