Posts Tagged ‘hope and autism’
Never Ever Give Up Hope
Our family’s number one goal is to get in the community together. It’s never really happened. Well, not successfully. But we refuse to give up. Tonight, our middle son had flag football practice. I wanted to go. My husband wanted to go. We wanted to get the other two boys out of the house. So, we did it. Cooper’s motivator and encouragement…two (not one!) vintage train magazines from eBay. His most favorite thing in the world. We stayed an hour. I have never, in nine years, been more proud of…
Read MoreI Choose Gratefulness
It’s interesting to know how much my attitude plays into this whole mothering thing. When my oldest was diagnosed with autism six years ago, my focus was him and him only. He was the one who was struggling. I needed to help him. I learned after hitting my breaking point, that my mental health mattered too. I was exhausted. I was worn down. I felt the weight of hope firmly on my back. And my attitude was being affected. I was looking at things through a sad lens. A heartbroken one.…
Read MoreMy Child is Bright
Now, lets rewind to the time my son Danny was born. In the back of my mind I always knew there was something not right. I used my mothering instinct and knew something was wrong when Danny screamed and screamed without being soothed with anything possible in this world as a baby. By the time he was three years old, he had no language, no words, or even nonverbal communication was void. After much advocating, Danny was finally diagnosed at age three. ABA therapy was the best therapy at the…
Read MoreHe Likes School…I Think.
Cooper gets done with school at 4:30 M-F. I pick him up every day. I chose to do this because the thought of him being on a van in rush hour traffic with a stranger as a nonverbal autistic child actually put me in the fetal position on my bed. I can deal with him riding the bus ‘to’ school but not both. So, I pick him up. I usually get there about 4:10 because there are 7 parking spots for 100 people. Ok, I am exaggerating a bit but not by much. The…
Read MoreFalse Hope is Brutal
I had a close friend over this weekend to help us with our house remodel. 17 times, yes I counted, he said, “I think Cooper is going to talk someday.” He was so hopeful. “I just know it Kate, he is going to talk. Don’t give up hope. He’s so close.” And it went on. “It’s going to happen. We just need to break through.” How dare he? He has no facts. No medical knowledge of the situation. I don’t think he’s ever heard of Apraxia or read a sentence…
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