Posts Tagged ‘severe autism’
The Secrets We Keep
I backed out of the garage. Music blaring. Sunglasses on. To my neighbors it probably appeared like I was just running an errand. To the grocery store most likely. My neighborhood was alive as usual. So many people in their yards and driveways. I saw kids playing tag. Some were riding bikes. A few waved and shouted, ‘hello.’ I saw people gathered at the park. Babies in strollers. Dogs chasing balls. I live here, in this neighborhood. Suburbia. Every family much like ours. Two or more kids. Parents busy with…
Read MoreHow Does this End?
When my son was diagnosed with autism over five years ago, I thought it was a race against time. I thought if we did everything all at once, all the therapies and services, we would help him, and he would eventually get back on track. I knew he’d always have autism. I was never one that thought it would go away. But I did think we would help him, bit by bit, and eventually he’d be where he needed to be. Which at the time I thought was alongside his…
Read MoreThe 4 Things that Helped our Son the Most
Many of you have been following our story for years. Some even since Cooper was three when I started this blog. You’ve seen the ups and downs. The highs and the lows. You watched me struggle. And Cooper too. Severe autism is a roller coaster. There is no doubt about that. Today, he is 8 and doing so great. He is potty trained, sleeping, walking in the community, acknowledging people and his brothers, and starting to communicate. Yes, his diagnosis is still severe, nonverbal autism with a side of Apraxia…
Read MoreIt’s the Isolation that Got Us
My son is starting to communicate. It’s almost unbelievable to me. If you would have told me a year ago that my son would even attempt to say words I wouldn’t have believed you. If you would have told me two years ago that he would be potty trained I also would have probably laughed at you. Not because he isn’t smart and amazing. But because it just seemed so impossible at the time. But I was wrong. He is blowing us away lately. He has started dressing himself. He…
Read MorePlease Allow Me to Feel the Hard Parts
Mother’s day has always been hard for me. Growing up with a single dad and a mother who was not a part of my life, (and when she was, caused a lot of heartache, confusion, and chaos) I always hated Mother’s Day. I have had some amazing women in my life step up and try to help take the place of an absent mother, but I’ll be honest and say that nothing ever fills that void. I thought becoming a mother would help though. I wanted nothing more than to…
Read MoreI was the Gloom and Doom Mom
Yesterday, I celebrated my eighth Mother’s Day. I’m not sure how that is possible but I did the math and it is indeed right. I have three boys. Each delightfully amazing in their own way. Cooper is 8. He is the happiest boy you will ever meet. He has taught me more about life than anyone or anything else. He is my shadow. I am his person and he is mine. I have Sawyer who is 6. He is incredible and pushes me to my limits daily. He is smart,…
Read MoreProgress not Perfection
From the second our babies are born we are teaching them independence. The goal is to grow up…right? And thankfully, most skills are just learned through observation. They don’t need to be taught. Especially if you have an older sibling. They see it done a few times and before you know it your toddler is using a spoon or sitting on the toilet. With this amazing kid it was different. Skills didn’t come naturally. Anything new was resisted. There was no…’I’ll do it myself.’ No independence. At age 8 we…
Read MoreMy New Dreams as a Mother
I have two amazing daughters. Claudia is 15 and Keira is 13. They both are beautiful. They both have crazy curly red hair. And they both have Autism. A spectrum disorder that affects individuals differently and in varying degrees. They may share this diagnosis but in most ways couldn’t be more different. My Claudia has severe non verbal autism. She didn’t say her first real word until age 7. She still has toileting issues and needs assistance with every aspect of life. She rarely sleeps through the night and is…
Read MoreJust Another Day to Autism
Mother’s Day… Oddly, each year it only gets harder. I knew my first Mother’s Day that something wasn’t quite right. I knew it deep in my gut—or should I say soul? I had dreamed of being a Mother and I had a vision of how it would be with my child. Now I see those visions—my visions—through others on Social Media. As a special needs parent, we miss out on so much. It seems to be the most typical things most take for granted that hurt the most. To be…
Read MoreGreat Wolf Lodge Cares
A few weeks ago our family visited The Great Wolf Lodge in Bloomington Minnesota. This was a big thing for our family. Huge actually. Just like most kids, our boys love swimming. They love lazy rivers and wave pools. They love going places. And they love the idea of staying in hotels. But, and it’s a huge but, it’s not that easy for our family. Our oldest has autism. And while he loves to swim, it’s often overwhelming for him. Waterparks are crowded and loud. There is a lot of…
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