Posts Tagged ‘inclusion’
Life Has a Way of Changing
You want to know what’s amazing about life? And my kid? And hard work? And goals? And hope? This. This right here. A simple trip to the grocery store. Something that most families take for granted. Something that we are always working on. Calm body. Walking. Being safe. Waiting. Communicating. But more importantly, being out in the community. A year ago I would have never dreamed that I would have met him and his therapist at the grocery store. That goal wasn’t even an option. Or that he would wait…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Name?
We walked into our favorite Thai restaurant to pick up our carry-out order when my 7-year-old son James began greeting all of the customers. “Hi,” he said with a huge smile to each person we passed. For the last several months, James, who was diagnosed with autism at two, has developed a love for meeting new people and learning their names. For a while he would just point at people and say, “Who’s that?” So, with our team of ABA therapists, we have been teaching him to introduce himself. I…
Read MoreHow We Show Love In Our House
Cooper has always communicated by touching faces. I like to believe it’s a nonverbal thing. And a Cooper thing. In my mind it’s a way to feel someone’s emotions when it’s hard to understand the words. Or facial expressions. It’s a way to say ‘I love you’ or ‘I am mad’ when the words can’t come out. It’s a way to get someone’s attention too. If Cooper really likes you, he will touch your face. This morning, and every single morning for the last six years, he has woke me…
Read MoreA Simple Trip to the Grocery Store
Trips to the grocery store. Simple right? Well, this mama didn’t know if we’d ever be able to successfully visit one. Groceries stores are loud. And crowded. And full of so many things. There is waiting. So much waiting. And walking. And colors. And different temperatures. And people talking. And asking questions. In our world we call this a sensory overload. Then add in a boy who is 9 years old. And looks like every other 9 year old boy who can easily walk through the grocery store. But yet…
Read MorePlease Make Room For Us
Last Tuesday started like every other day. I woke up way too early, tried to coax my son Ben back to sleep for an hour and lost that battle. Then, I gave in, got up and got ready while trying to keep him entertained. I woke up Caleb and shuffled both boys off to daycare. It’s the story most working moms could tell every single day. It was my usual stress, the usual morning hustle, but then someone stopped me in my tracks, both figuratively and literally. The boys’ daycare…
Read MoreIt Was Against the Health Policy
Today, we went to the library. It’s the same library I used to visit as a child. I’ve taken the boys several times in the hope of instilling a love of reading. Milo, my eight-year-old son with autism, was having a difficult time — nothing new — but I was taking care of things. I sat with him at a table in a corner of the children’s section while my six-year-old son, Linus, selected books nearby. Just seconds after I snapped this picture, a librarian approached us. I looked up…
Read MoreMy Son, Always Be Kind
Sawyer could hardly contain his excitement as we entered the gym for his friend’s birthday party. Hockey, basketball, cake and a bounce house. It doesn’t get much better than that in the eyes of a six-year-old. He dropped his present on the table as I checked him in. I caught him just before he ran off. I bent down on my knee to check his shoe laces and give him a quick hug. As I stood up I said the same thing I say every single time I leave my…
Read MoreIt’s the Isolation That’ll Get Ya
For me, as a mom, the isolation has always been the hardest part. We couldn’t go anywhere. And I mean anywhere. We couldn’t go to birthday parties, parks, movies, restaurants, Christmas dinner at a friends house, the grocery store or Target. We couldn’t go to gas stations or parades or swimming pools. Parents of older kids told me to keep trying. Keep going. Keep practicing. Leave if it doesn’t work. But it wasn’t the easy. I couldn’t get him out of the car. I couldn’t get him in the building. If…
Read MoreNo Child Left Behind
It is November and the first progress reports have been sent home and parent-teacher conferences have happened. My son Caleb is adjusting well to 5 days a week of Pre-K. His speech has improved, we are using sentences with 3-4 words and answering some ‘yes and no’ questions without prompts. I am definitely seeing the growth from last year. His teachers and I both agree that we have to continue working on independence. He sticks to them like glue and gets jealous of the younger kids. At home, he sticks…
Read MoreParents, I have a Plea from the Bottom of my Heart
To explain, this week there were two incidents that tore me up inside. I met a beautiful little 4 year old who I found out is in my daughter Evangeline’s class at school. When I asked if she knew Evie, she said with wide eyes ‘Yes! Evie just cries all the time!’ She was a sweet thing and meant no harm, but it hurt hearing that as her description of my daughter. Then, I was told by her caregiver that when they were leaving school this week, another classmate pointed…
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