World Autism Day

By Kate Swenson | April 2, 2023

Today is World Autism Day. This is our 12th one. As my son has gotten older, the meaning of the day has morphed for me. It used to be about education. Today, it’s about celebrating. Celebrating differences, celebrating progress, and celebrating a boy who has climbed far more mountains than I have. And ice cream and dancing. I have three boys and a girl. Four crazy, wild, busy, smart kids. Each of them is exactly who they are supposed to be. My oldest is autistic. There are a lot more…

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On Our 10th World Autism Day, We Celebrate

By Kate Swenson | April 6, 2021

Today is World Autism Day. This is our 10th one. As my son has gotten older, the meaning of the day has morphed for me. It used to be about education. Today, it’s about celebrating. Celebrating differences, celebrating progress, and celebrating a boy who has climbed far more mountains than I have. And ice cream and dancing. I have three boys. Three crazy, wild, busy, smart boys. Each of them is exactly who they are supposed to be. My oldest is autistic. There are a lot more words used to…

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I Am Autism

By Kate Swenson | April 2, 2020

I am autism. I am funny loud big. Yet I am quiet. I am a slippery riddle—a puzzle piece upon the bumper of a car, a black sentence upon white paper, a curious phenomenon. I am the month of April, and the color blue. I am a number. A statistic. A stereotype. I am a social story before July fireworks. A schedule fixed to the refrigerator. I am speech, and ABA, and occupational therapy. I am autism. I am a boy. I can be silly. I can be serious. I…

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Coming out

By Kate Swenson | April 2, 2015 |

Today is World Autism Day. Whoops. Dropped the ball on that one.  I didn’t even know there was such a thing. But I probably should know that…MOMMY FAIL. I am staring at Facebook right now and trying to decide if I want to post anything. If I do, then everyone knows that my son has autism. If I don’t, I feel like I am shaming it. Such an odd feeling. What if people look at it and feel bad for me. For our family. I don’t want that. But everyone should know…right? I’m not embarrassed.…

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