Posts Tagged ‘Nonverbal’
Deciding to Be Brave
I had a friend ask me yesterday what made me decide to be brave. I love that question. I don’t feel brave. Ever. I feel afraid. And unheard. And lost. And completely unprepared and unequipped to handle what autism is throwing my way. But this sweet friend of mine saw it as bravery. And I loved her for it. I was filling her in on the whirlwind of the last week. I had my mini meltdown at Cooper’s pediatrician. I demanded that he helped me. I was a cross between…
Read MoreI Am Not Above Bribery
Over the weekend I made a plan. I prioritized my mountains and I decided to put personal things on the back burner for a bit. I don’t need to exercise right now. I don’t need to paint Sawyer’s pink room. I don’t need to unpack every single box in this new house. All of that can wait. PS. How cute is that room!?!? What I need to do is figure out Cooper’s diet. I decided that he is going to join us at the dinner table for all meals when…
Read MoreTouching Video from Upworthy
I love how he says…I never saw his autism as something that needed to be cured. And that he just wants his son to be happy and not hurt himself. So touching and made me cry in the break room like a baby. There is always hope my friends. We just have to adjust what the end result looks like. [facebook url=”https://www.facebook.com/Upworthy/videos/1185660188141504/” /]
Read MoreAutism and Changing Behaviors
I recently read a study that found moms that have children with autism, have also been shown to have stress levels similar to combat soldiers. I have felt this for years but I could never admit it. If I admitted that I couldn’t handle Cooper than I was admitting he was severely autistic. Admitting meant defeat. Or failure. There are a lot of emotions that go into asking for help. I am strong. Seriously. This blog is the ONLY place I break down. Not in real life. Not to friends.…
Read MoreWhy Did I Stop Writing….
I get so many emails from people wondering where I am. Emails wondering if Cooper is ok. If I am ok? People that genuinely care about Cooper and his development reach out to me on a daily basis. These emails and messages warm my heart. And I am so thankful for them. It reminds me that Cooper’s journey is helping others. That is amazing. I can remember the blogs that got me through. I would read them from start to finish in a night while drinking a bottle or two…
Read MoreSeeing the Ignorance First Hand
I had a conversation this past weekend that I can’t stop thinking about. It just keeps coming back. Not negatively. Not positively. Just more thought provoking I guess. It opened my eyes to the ignorance out there. I don’t share Cooper’s autism with most people. You would never meet a new person and immediately say…I have two kids…one is deaf. Or one is blind. Or whatever. I get to be choosy about who I share my Cooper story with. And I use it wisely. Maybe that’s weird. I’m not embarrassed.…
Read MoreTrick-Or-Treating
I gave Cooper a sign for Halloween. It was simple. It said Trick-or-Treat. I gave it to him because he looks so much like a typical child and people don’t know how to react when he does things. They get nervous. I get nervous. And then Cooper gets nervous. By giving Cooper a sign I removed the guesswork and answered the questions that people have. ‘Is there something off with that child?’ We’ve all been there. You’ve all wondered it. Let’s be honest. You see a kiddo or even an…
Read MoreFighting for an Autism Diagnosis
I thought getting a diagnosis would be easy. My son is different. He doesn’t talk. He flaps. He screeches. He hates to be touched by strangers. As a baby he never slept. Ever. He cried constantly. Endless ear infections, stomach issues, constipation, hearing problems. The list goes on. He never babbled. To this day he’s never said a word. I thought it was obvious. There is something wrong. Tell me what it is so I can fix it. That’s what you do. It’s broken and you fix it. No one…
Read MoreThe Isolation
I took the boys to the beach this past weekend to soak up some of the last bits of summer. The beach is kind of our place to go. Cooper does his thing and I play with Sawyer. Cooper loves the sand and will spend hours (if I let him) throwing rocks and sand into the water. So yes, it is best if we go when no one else is there. He doesn’t notice if people are in the way. He just throws. This is the isolation I always talk…
Read MoreThe Story Behind the Photos
Six months or so ago my dear friend Alicia put something into motion.. She saw a Facebook post by a photographer asking for people to nominate extraordinary special needs families. This amazing photographer, Kacie K Photography, understood firsthand how challenging and upsetting something like having your pictures taken can be for an autistic child. And for their parents and siblings. Unbeknownst to me, Alicia nominated our family. Here is her letter to Kacie K Photography: Kacie, First of all thank you for providing the opportunity for a family to have a photo shoot…
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