Posts Tagged ‘nonverbal autism’
Our Daughter was Nonverbal
Our daughter was nonverbal. She did not sing. She did not make noises. She did not imitate. She did not point. We were repeatedly told she might not ever talk. Every time I heard this sentence it was overwhelming. Then we got the call from aeiou – an early intervention centre in Brisbane Australia. A place was available. A full time placement. My anxiety peaked. A full time placement for my nonverbal toddler. Do they REALLY understand what nonverbal is? How serious this is? Do they really know what they…
Read MoreI Used to Google Nonverbal
I used to google. A lot. Late at night typically. Always on my phone so Jamie couldn’t see my search history. I’d google flapping. I’d google ‘my toddler doesn’t sleep. ‘My toddler has no words.’ I’d google ‘my toddler doesn’t eat any food.’ ‘My toddler has no imaginative play.’ I’d google all the sentences that ran through my head on a constant stream. The sentences I had never said out loud. I’d google nonverbal at age two. Nonverbal at age three. And then eventually nonverbal at age four and five.…
Read MoreMedical Cannabis and Autism: Month Two Update
I promised I would give a weekly update on our journey with medical cannabis for our severely autistic son. We are just over two months in! We’ve seen amazing, huge, gigantic, breakthroughs. I am so excited to tell you all of them. But with that, we’ve also seen a huge increase in behaviors. We’ve learned that while awareness is an AMAZING thing, it can bring issues that we’ve never had before. In week one we saw a reduction in anxiety. In week two we saw improved engagement with his surroundings.…
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 MoreMy Husband, Thank You for your Sacrifice
I am thankful for my husband Steve. We’ve had an amazing journey thus far. November 27th will be our families Autism anniversary. The day one of our twin boys, Maverick, was diagnosed. At the time of Maverick’s diagnosis, we were living in central Washington. A peaceful, rural area, filled with apple orchards and wineries. A beautiful place to raise a family, just maybe not our family. Acquiring services in an underserved area is difficult. Maverick was receiving early intervention services through a local organization. It consisted of two speech therapy…
Read MoreThe Parts I Wasn’t Prepared For…
When my son was diagnosed with autism at age three, I was initially devastated. I think that’s normal for a parent. The word was big and scary. It made me feel out of control. It made me feel helpless. I knew nothing about autism. Or where to begin. Or even what the future held. I felt that way for at least a year. But once the dust settled, I dove in. My kid was awesome. He was adorable and smart. He just needed more time. More help. Autism didn’t change…
Read MoreThinking About Forever
A few nights ago we attempted to take Cooper trick-or-treating. We prepared. We planned. We encouraged and motivated. We set realistic expectations. We tried. We failed. And Jamie and I found ourselves sitting on our porch thinking about forever. Thinking about the next fifty years of autism. We aren’t new to this. We’ve been doing it for seven years. We live realistic hope better than anyone I know. And yet, we were there again. Looking at forever. Saying the worries out loud that only a parent of a severely disabled…
Read MoreTo the Parents Whose Kids Won’t Trick-or-Treat
To all the parents whose kids most likely won’t trick-or-treat tonight. I understand what you are feeling. I am you. My child is yours. Another holiday. Another thing that will be a struggle. Another day that most kids enjoy. That they wait for. They they get excited about. Except, your child doesn’t. Another thing that should be easy. Simple. Except, it’s not. I want to acknowledge how hard it is to have a child that doesn’t care about holidays, birthdays, the tooth fairy, presents, visiting Santa, etc. It has nothing…
Read MoreAdjusting to Life with a Baby (VIDEO)
I am so excited to share with you how we are adjusting to baby Harbor and to being a family of five. We are twelve days in! Honestly, overall, it’s going VERY, VERY well. In so many ways we are just your typical family adjusting to having a new baby. There are moments of chaos of course. But, there are also so many parts that are so much harder. Cooper still needs 100% of his self care administered. He can’t get his own snack or drink, or dress himself, or…
Read MoreWelcoming our New Baby
Cooper has a new brother! Welcome to the world, Harbor Edwin Swenson — born Oct. 9 at 4:17pm, weighing in at 8 lbs 7 oz. Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers. We are settling in at home! Sawyer is over the moon excited and asking to hold him every five minutes. Cooper is cautiously excited and slowly warming up to being near him. He laughs every time he squeaks and gets very nervous when he cries. https://www.facebook.com/findingcoopersvoice/videos/1932980700337447/ Interested in writing for Finding Cooper’s Voice? LEARN MORE Finding Cooper’s…
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