Posts Tagged ‘verbal autism’
Hi, I’m Ben and I’m Autistic
This story was shared with me by one of the women in my Supporter group. Grab a tissue. Just a little story from yesterday. I’m an Area Manager for a cleaning company and am always hiring. I had an interview yesterday with a young man named Ben. His Mom had called me before hand to tell me a little about him. He’s autistic and was nonverbal until age 12. He’s now 19 and she said she really didn’t want to waste my time but if I could just interview him…
Read MoreAm I Doing the Right Things?
You know those moments as a parent where you question if you are doing the right things? I have them with all three of my kids. But with my son Cooper it’s times a hundred. The stakes are higher. The decisions are monumental. I want to help him as much as I possibly can. And in a way I often feel like it’s a race against time. But often, the things that will help him, the therapies especially, cause him so much stress. He also works so hard every single…
Read MoreFriend, Don’t Ever Downplay your Child’s Wins for Me
The other day I ran into an old friend at Target. I hadn’t seen her in ages. It was the same old story. Kids, jobs, chaos and time just slipped away. Before we knew it a year had past since we last spoke. We decided to stretch our time at Target and grab a coffee and chat. One of the reasons that this friend and I initially bonded is because we both have kids on the spectrum. We met at an advocacy event and connected immediately. Both our boys were…
Read MoreBut She Doesn’t Look Like She Has Autism
I hear these words so many times when I relate to someone that Alana is autistic. I’m so glad she can speak; she has no problem with that. She was able to read any book given her by age 6. We never really sounded out letters too much; just what Kindergarten taught her. But one day she magically just started to read and loves it. But there are behavior issues that will wear me down. Anywhere we go, I constantly watch her. I don’t leave her alone. I did take…
Read MoreThe Child Before the Diagnosis
We were standing on our patio and a plane flew close above us. It was loud and very easy to spot. “Look guys, a plane!” My 20 month old son followed my finger and he pointed too and smiled, “Ah, plann,” he said. I smiled with him. It looked nice against the crisp sky with everything around us covered in snow. I looked over at my daughter who had her back to us and was smiling too. She was still looking opposite us into the sky searching for a plane.…
Read MoreAnother Adventure in Motherhood
To my wonderful son, When you were born, I knew I was going on another adventure in motherhood. I didn’t know that you would make me a much different person than I was then. You learned how to talk at 15 months, gave the best hugs and kisses ever, and started getting into everything you could. By the time you were four, you had already broken your right foot and left arm, had stitches and a small concussion. Your pediatrician called it the “trifecta of childhood”. Along with the adventures…
Read MoreVerbal Autism Does Not Mean Easy Autism
I am blessed with a daughter who has a large vocabulary and clear dictation. She can read fluently and make up complex sentences. She can remember accurate facts about things and repeat these readily. She can make choices, recall events and express her opinion. As a result of all of the above it is assumed (wrongly) that her autism is mild, has limited impact on her life and something to be of little concern about. People are too quick to assume if a child is verbal that everything is fine.…
Read MoreWhy Did God Make Me This Way?
It was totally unexpected when it happened. June 23rd. The night my six year-old son realized he has autism. He didn’t know the exact word yet, but he knew viscerally what it meant to be “different.” It was the first weekend of summer break, and my two boys and I were visiting my best friend and her two boys. It was bedtime, and he was tired. As I was trying to convince him to go brush his teeth, he suddenly collapsed in bed beside me, groaning, his body convulsing. His…
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