Silence isn’t Golden

“It will get easier when he talks,” said my mom, to me, a first time mom. I’m rocking my crying newborn and googling reflux, colic, and “breast is best.” “It will get easier when he talks,” said my mom, to me, a slightly concerned mom now. Zachary is barely making milestones on time. The doctor ask, “Is he rolling from his back to belly yet?” “Almost!” I said, trying to convince the doctor and myself. And sure enough a month goes by and he does! I assure myself God is…

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Let Your Child Show You The Way

As a young child, my son Cody was always full of energy and often became dysregulated and would have meltdowns and tantrums for hours at a time. I remember sitting against his bedroom wall just watching him during one of these meltdowns to make sure he didn’t hurt himself. There was really nothing I could do. I just made sure he was safe. Those were very hard times in our journey. I didn’t know what he needed and felt so helpless. I can say I look back and I now…

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How to Borrow a Speech Device in your State

My son Cooper received his speech device when he was four years old. At the time I was overwhelmed by it. Not only did I feel the emotional strains of it I felt like getting one was such a huge commitment. Would it work? Should we try it? Will he even use it? I just didn’t know. I didn’t know how much energy I should put into advocating for a device either. I’ve felt this same way with many assistive technology devices. I wanted to try before buying. I recently…

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Assistive Technology for Kids With Autism

A Speech Device scared me. I thought it would limit what little verbal communication my son had. I was scared that he would go silent. I was scared he’d get teased. And honestly, I was worried to try something new and fail. If you have a kiddo who is nonverbal or has limited communication I am sure you have heard about Talking Devices, Speech Devices, or Assistive Technology. And if you are new to the world of Autism it can all seem a little bit scary and overwhelming. When Cooper was 3 we had…

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