Posts Tagged ‘nonverbal autism’
My Son’s Disability Isn’t Always Beautiful
A very nice woman approached me over the weekend and thanked me for talking about autism. She thanked me for being honest and not sugarcoating it. She thanked me for keeping it real. That conversation reminded me why I do what I do. I refuse to lie about my son’s disability or downplay it to make people feel better. When my son was first diagnosed I dove head first into helping him. I turned to other bloggers, Pinterest and Facebook groups because I couldn’t find anyone in real life that…
Read MoreThe Dreaded Question: ‘Do You Medicate Your Son With Autism?’
I hate this question. I hate it so much that even typing the sentence ‘do you medicate your son‘ gives me anxiety. It’s not that I mind sharing the answer with you. I am an open book. I also firmly believe that as parents we can help our children even more by speaking opening and honestly about what’s working and what’s not. I remember years ago when Cooper was first diagnosed I just wanted someone to tell me what to do. Tell me the best course of action to help…
Read MoreThe Business Side of Autism
A good old fashioned Cooper and Kate video update with a whole lotta conversation around the business side of autism. https://youtu.be/5ChoHnXVIz8 When my son was diagnosed with autism at age three, I was prepared for it to be hard. I knew there would be struggles and challenges. I even suspected it would be stressful and confusing. I wasn’t that naive. And I definitely knew it would be an emotional ride with ups and downs. But what I was not prepared for was the never ending paperwork, phone calls and appointments.…
Read MoreHow Having an Autistic Child Affected My Marriage
To say our son was a challenging baby is an understatement. He didn’t sleep through the night for four years. We functioned in a constant state of exhaustion. He screamed most of his infancy. He struggled to eat. He struggled to poop. He was never content. He had never ending severe ear infections and multiple tubal surgeries. He missed milestones. He was even misdiagnosed a few times. Because of his delays and no real diagnosis the medical debt from therapy started piling onto the credit cards. Money got tight. And…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: My Son’s Angel Nana
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Kayla Stewart and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to honor my Mom Tammy, who is now my son’s Angel Nana up above. My son Dawson is going to be four at the end of this month and was diagnosed with autism on March 6th, 2017 at the age of 3.5 years old. Although he is nonverbal, he can sign a song in a heartbeat. He loves being hugged tight and being held high. And oh,…
Read MoreWhy Do I Advocate for Disability Rights?
I have been asked more times than I can count why I advocate for people with disabilities. I’ve heard statements like ‘Why don’t you just buy the stroller yourself?‘ Or, ‘Why do you always seem to be fighting some battle around autism?‘ My answer is simple. It’s the right thing to do. I have the means, a voice, the ability and the passion. And I do it for the people that cannot. I advocate for the people that don’t have a voice and for people that can’t advocate for themselves.…
Read MoreI’m Thankful For You: Miss G
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Jenna Newman and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to nominate and honor my son’s preschool teacher, Miss Guerrini, or as we call her, Miss G! When my son Tommy was born, he had a very hard time breathing on his own and was put on breathing machine. Thankfully, he was only on it for a days and in the NICU for about a week. Today, Tommy is six years old and is autistic and…
Read MoreMy Son, I’ve Failed You
My dearest son, Today, I failed you. I failed as your voice, your advocate, and your mother. Since you know me kid, if you could speak, you would probably say, ‘Oh, mama…You are too hard on yourself‘. And, maybe I am. I just love you so much and I cannot stand the thought of the world not giving you a chance. Or learning about your disability. I cannot stand the fact that they refuse to acknowledge the real you. You have autism kid. It’s okay to say that. It’s even…
Read MoreAutism and Bed Stripping
My son Cooper has stripped beds since he was two years old. This means that he will remove the blankets, pillows, top sheet, bottom sheet, mattress pad and even the mattress. This also means that every single day of the week I make three beds from mattress up. Mine, Coopers and Sawyers. I want to tell you that of all the ‘behaviors’ that my son exhibits…bed stripping is the worst in my book.The behavior is exhausting and frustrating. I know he is doing it for sensory input. I understand that.…
Read MoreAutism and Goals
I typically look at goals and progress in relation to my son’s autism in one of two ways. There is how far we’ve come and how far we have to go. Cooper is almost seven and I believe he is thriving. When he was first diagnosed we had no idea what the future held. Autism was and still can be a mystery. Add in words like nonverbal and medically complex and it’s even more confusing. We don’t have a crystal ball to tell us what his future holds but I…
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