Posts Tagged ‘severe autism’
I Thought You’d Be Over The Grief By Now
I had dinner with an old friend a few weeks ago and inevitably the conversation turned to autism and grief. It always does. My world is autism. The crazy roller coaster that it is. Over a much needed glass of wine I told her about the roller coaster of my life. I always preface by saying, it’s a lot. I swear I’m not exaggerating. I told her all about Cooper’s wins lately. I told her about his new autism center and how we are done with public education and emphasized…
Read MoreHelping Nonverbal Kids to Communicate
My son is almost seven years old. He has autism. He was and is nonverbal. I like to mention that because some kiddos with autism speak at some point and lose their speech. I can’t imagine how hard that must be for parents. To hear their child speak one day and not the next must be gut wrenching. Our story is a bit different. My son has never spoke. He has never babbled. He has no approximations. He mostly screeches, screams and hums. I’ve never heard a word like sound…
Read MoreA Letter From the Sibling of Child with Autism
A few days ago I shared a letter I wrote for my son Sawyer. You can read it HERE. It was a toughie to share. It was brutally honest. It was real. And I really put myself out there. I purged every ounce of worry and self-doubt that I have about raising an autistic child alongside a typical child. Let’s get something straight. Cooper is an amazing little boy. He is funny and sweet and brings more joy than I can put into words. But…it’s different for me. I am…
Read MoreBehaviors, Business, Physical Care and Emotions
I’ve been doing the special needs parenting thing for seven years now. I’ve learned so much about myself, my son, autism, friends, family and life in general. Having a child with a disability changes everything. I’ve learned about exhausting, relentless behaviors. I’ve learned how demanding physical care can be. I’ve completed evaluations, made phone calls, and sent emails. I’ve felt the unique, confusing heartbreak that goes into raising a child with a disability. Some parts are great. I see beauty now that I never knew existed. Some parts are heartbreaking.…
Read MoreWhen the Super Mom Gets Depressed
There is a stigma around depression. A really, really ugly one. And I think there’s especially a stigma around mothers who have depression. If you’re depressed, you’re weak. Broken. You are medicated. You cry a lot. You sleep a lot. This isn’t true. At least not for me. I have a wonderful life. Two beautiful children. Three wild dogs. A wonderful and supportive partner. A beautiful home. I’m not weak. I am strong. I am freakishly independent. And I am not broken…at least not completely. I am not medicated. And on…
Read MoreTen Gift Ideas for Kids with Autism
It’s that time of year! You know the one. Questions are pouring in from family wondering what to buy your child with autism for Christmas. I always find it to be super stressful. My son does not play with toys. Honestly, he doesn’t play with anything. And it has only been six months since he started even caring or noticing gifts. Prior to that, opening gifts caused him a huge amount of anxiety. Which in turn caused anxiety for the rest of the family. Every holiday involved our family gathered…
Read MoreA Conversation with Cooper’s Brother
Last night I was putting my four year old to bed after a particularity hard autism day. I’m to the point in our journey where I can openly admit when autism is hard. I can also admit when motherhood in general is hard. I have two amazing kids. Cooper, my funny, silly, train loving boy, who has autism, is six years old. And his brother Sawyer, is my energetic, smart, curious four year old. Together, they are the perfect storm of joy and chaos. Yesterday, Jamie and I had reached…
Read MoreA Message to the Parent of a Newly Diagnosed Child
Your child has just been diagnosed with Autism. You heard about me from a friend of a friend. Or maybe you found me on Facebook. Or you emailed me at 1 AM as you were frantically googling autism in the middle of the night. You are so confused and scared. You feel like you’ve lost control of your life. I see you. I understand what you are feeling. I was you. I am you. You are going to look to me for hope. You are going to search through hundreds…
Read MoreAnd Just Like That, Hope Bubbles Up
There is a funny thing that happens when you have a child with autism. When I walked out of Cooper’s diagnosis appointment, I felt every single emotion possible. We waited for 7 months for that appointment. The day came. The appointment happened. We got the diagnosis. We left. I cried. Everything was immediately different yet exactly the same. I was not the same woman that I was just a few minutes prior. I was an autism parent. A special needs parent. I had a label. I was immediately different from…
Read MoreWhat Does Nonverbal Autism Really Look Like?
Before my son was diagnosed with autism at age three I had never heard the term, nonverbal autism. Not once. I had no idea that some children never learn to speak. Even to this day it still confuses me at times. My son is almost seven. He has no words. He is nonverbal. And I don’t know if he will ever learn to speak. I dread when people ask. I don’t know what to tell them. Throughout every step of the last four years all I have ever wanted is…
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