Posts Tagged ‘nonverbal autism’
A Simple Procedure
Dear Children’s Hospital, We just left your Saint Paul hospital. We visit you often. Not for super serious things thankfully. Ear tubes, Adenoids, Impaction, sedated blood draws, to name a few. We’ve been going to doctors for so long that at this point, I don’t know if my son is getting easier, we are getting stronger, or hospitals are finally starting to get it. Either way, today went well. Although I always like to say a huge success in our world is probably still an epic fail by typical standards.…
Read MoreUnderstanding Social Norms
This afternoon I took Cooper and my baby for a walk. If you have followed me for a while then you know that my son is thriving. It’s obvious in my posts. I like to say we are all settling into autism. Me. My husband. Sawyer. And Cooper. Our whole family. We are all learning. We have calmed down. We rarely get shocked anymore. And Cooper is doing so great. We have started venturing out into our community. Daily. We keep trying. Pushing. But I never, ever take my boys…
Read MoreI have a Date with my Boy
I have a date tonight. At 4:30. Right after school. We are going to go train hunting. Me and my boy. He has a ticket. Well, actually it’s a piece of paper that I wrote on this morning. But to him, it’s a ticket. A reminder. Something he can hold onto. And treasure. Something he can show his teachers. And keep with him all day. I am going to pick him. I am going to bring snacks and drinks. I know he will burst out the doors smiling. Running. My…
Read MoreIt’s Different Than What I Pictured
When I pictured my son at age 8, I thought it would be full of sports. Throwing baseballs. Riding bikes. I thought we’d be building with Legos. And playing PIG at the neighborhood basketball court. I pictured play dates. And never ending birthday parties. I thought we’d be arguing over math homework. And trying to get you to wash your face. And of course conversations about Minecraft. I thought you’d be so popular. And that your life would be so busy I’d be praying for time to slow down. I…
Read MoreSilence and Chaos
April is Autism Awareness Month. If you’re in my circle, I imagine you’re pretty aware of autism. We live and breathe autism. My son Michael has always been loud. He’s always made his presence known. He’s larger than life. I dare you not to smile when he signs “more tickles, please”. As anyone who has ever met him will tell you, it is impossible not to fall in love with him. I know as his mom, I’m biased, but he’s the cutest 3 year old in existence. The thing that…
Read MoreAutism Awareness Month
Today is autism awareness day. That means you will see your news feed full of stories about autism. The news outlets will cover it. It will be everywhere. So many people come to me with questions of what to do. They ask if they should celebrate. If they should advocate. Should they wear blue, red, purple or gold. They are confused. I get it. It’s overwhelming. Today, I ask you to simply start a conversation about autism. You don’t have to do anything huge. Just start talking. I invite you…
Read MoreI Will Tell You About Our World…
Maybe you follow my page. Or maybe we went to high school together. Maybe you heard about me. Or you are a friend of a friend. Either way, you know I have a son with autism. You know his name is Cooper. And that I talk about all the parts. You’ve heard that I don’t hold back. I am raw. I am honest. I talk about the beautiful parts. And the hard parts. Even the sad parts. I do this because it is my life. And I am not the…
Read MoreChildhood is Not One Size Fits All
“Motherhood is about raising and celebrating the child you have, not the child you thought you’d have. It’s about understanding he’s exactly the person he is supposed to be. And if you’re lucky, he might be the teacher who turns you into the person you’re supposed to be.” -Joan Ryan I always knew I wanted children from a very young age. And for some reason, I always hoped I’d have a little boy. Well the universe heard my wishes and a little over four years ago we met our beautiful…
Read MoreA Letter From Your Therapist
It’s okay to ask for help. It doesn’t make you a bad parent, you’re not doing anything wrong. No one could have ever prepared you for this: there’s no quick-study guide on parenthood, let alone parenthood for ASD. You’re not supposed to have all the answers right out the gate. It’s okay to have baby steps that take months to achieve. It’s okay to feel like things may never change. It’s okay to have hope that everything will change. It’s okay to feel guilty…for a little while. It’s okay to feel…
Read MoreWhat I Know is Different than How I Feel
I know he was born in 2010 on a cold, icy winter day after what felt like days of pushing. His birth was traumatic. At least that’s how it felt to me. I remember them saying he’s not breathing. I watched them gather around the table. So many hands. All rubbing him. I was waiting for the cry. I kept looking at my doctors face to see if he was panicked. He was an old pro. He’d been doing this for years. He seemed fine. Never sweating. Never appearing frazzled.…
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