I’m Thankful For You: My Daughter’s Village

(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Cynthia Beneteau and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to nominate and honor my daughter’s little village. Hi Kate, my name is Cynthia and I have an almost three year old daughter on the spectrum. My husband and I live in Michigan and have been married for nearly 20 years. We have two adult neuro-typcial sons who are 19 and almost 21. Ellyana, our princess, was a complete and total unplanned miracle baby. I conceived her…

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Dear Friends and Family Outside of Our Autism World

Dear friends and family outside of autism world, I want to thank you for loving my son. And no, this isn’t another letter about my little superhero Cooper. It’s a letter about my other son. My son Sawyer. He is my wild, adventurous, exhausting, never-stop-talking, little angel. The one who doesn’t understand autism and all of its constraints. The one who doesn’t understand why it feels like our world revolves around his brother. I Want To Thank You I simply want to thank you for loving him and for stepping…

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8 Ways to Prepare Now for Your Autistic Child’s Future

A few months ago my autistic, but otherwise extremely healthy child was denied life insurance. I was shocked and confused. When Cooper was born, in preparation for college, Jamie and I started a savings plan for the him that could be converted into dollars for college tuition. Smart right?! Recently, I received a letter in the mail that notified us that Cooper was denied coverage. I was irate. Autism is not a death sentence. My son is healthy. He has no medical conditions. An At-Risk Life After following up I…

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Dear Mom, I Read Your Letter Today

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…

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