Posts Tagged ‘severe autism’
It’s More than Awareness
When I reflect about this month; April – Autism Awareness Month, what is it that I want most? I want ACCEPTANCE, ADVOCACY and ACTION! I want others to not just be aware of autism but to actually accept, make a difference, and make an impact in a life of some living with autism. When we talk about awareness, its a good start but it’s not something we should be satisfied with. It’s not until people understand, accept, and take action that we should say that progress has been made. So,…
Read MoreA Simple Procedure
Dear Children’s Hospital, We just left your Saint Paul hospital. We visit you often. Not for super serious things thankfully. Ear tubes, Adenoids, Impaction, sedated blood draws, to name a few. We’ve been going to doctors for so long that at this point, I don’t know if my son is getting easier, we are getting stronger, or hospitals are finally starting to get it. Either way, today went well. Although I always like to say a huge success in our world is probably still an epic fail by typical standards.…
Read MoreUnderstanding Social Norms
This afternoon I took Cooper and my baby for a walk. If you have followed me for a while then you know that my son is thriving. It’s obvious in my posts. I like to say we are all settling into autism. Me. My husband. Sawyer. And Cooper. Our whole family. We are all learning. We have calmed down. We rarely get shocked anymore. And Cooper is doing so great. We have started venturing out into our community. Daily. We keep trying. Pushing. But I never, ever take my boys…
Read MoreI have a Date with my Boy
I have a date tonight. At 4:30. Right after school. We are going to go train hunting. Me and my boy. He has a ticket. Well, actually it’s a piece of paper that I wrote on this morning. But to him, it’s a ticket. A reminder. Something he can hold onto. And treasure. Something he can show his teachers. And keep with him all day. I am going to pick him. I am going to bring snacks and drinks. I know he will burst out the doors smiling. Running. My…
Read MoreIt’s Different Than What I Pictured
When I pictured my son at age 8, I thought it would be full of sports. Throwing baseballs. Riding bikes. I thought we’d be building with Legos. And playing PIG at the neighborhood basketball court. I pictured play dates. And never ending birthday parties. I thought we’d be arguing over math homework. And trying to get you to wash your face. And of course conversations about Minecraft. I thought you’d be so popular. And that your life would be so busy I’d be praying for time to slow down. I…
Read MoreAutism Awareness Month
Today is autism awareness day. That means you will see your news feed full of stories about autism. The news outlets will cover it. It will be everywhere. So many people come to me with questions of what to do. They ask if they should celebrate. If they should advocate. Should they wear blue, red, purple or gold. They are confused. I get it. It’s overwhelming. Today, I ask you to simply start a conversation about autism. You don’t have to do anything huge. Just start talking. I invite you…
Read MoreI Will Tell You About Our World…
Maybe you follow my page. Or maybe we went to high school together. Maybe you heard about me. Or you are a friend of a friend. Either way, you know I have a son with autism. You know his name is Cooper. And that I talk about all the parts. You’ve heard that I don’t hold back. I am raw. I am honest. I talk about the beautiful parts. And the hard parts. Even the sad parts. I do this because it is my life. And I am not the…
Read MoreWhat I Know is Different than How I Feel
I know he was born in 2010 on a cold, icy winter day after what felt like days of pushing. His birth was traumatic. At least that’s how it felt to me. I remember them saying he’s not breathing. I watched them gather around the table. So many hands. All rubbing him. I was waiting for the cry. I kept looking at my doctors face to see if he was panicked. He was an old pro. He’d been doing this for years. He seemed fine. Never sweating. Never appearing frazzled.…
Read MoreConversations that Change Us
It was a few years ago. Five years to be exact. Cooper had just been diagnosed. We now had a reason for the behaviors. A reason why he had no words. Why he couldn’t sit still. Why he screamed. Why he refused to sleep and eat. Why Jamie and I were so exhausted. And worried. And scared. We knew why. I had recently told you. Over the phone of course. It was one of our weekly conversations. We talked about the weather first. Then football. My job. And then Jamie.…
Read MoreAutism and Wandering
It’s just after 11pm. My nonverbal autistic son is usually (and by usually I mean always) in bed (and by bed I mean on the floor behind the door of his room) by 8:45pm. Not tonight. Dawson has been impressing me with all of his newly founded abilities, which he performs independently. Putting his dishes in the sink. Putting his shoes away. Pulling his pants up when he is done with the restroom. Climbing on top of things to access what he feels he needs…you wouldn’t believe the type of…
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