Dear Autism, I never wanted you, yet here you are. Over the years we’ve grown to have a love-hate-love relationship. You’re always at the forefront of our lives. You and all your comorbidity friends; ADHD, anxiety, ticks, eating struggles, language delays, epilepsy and intellectu … | Continue reading
“Keep an eye on your brother.” I blurted it out without much consideration, absorbed in the chaos of managing my children on my own. The words were meant for my 5-year-old daughter regarding her 8-year-old brother. Their dynamic is far from typical because my son is autistic. He … | Continue reading
This morning, while drinking my coffee, I saw a commercial. It was for some insurance company. Perfect family, house and kids. The oldest graduating from high school. The tag line said something like…”these are the moments we prepare for. The only moments that matter.” I’ve been … | Continue reading
My daughter, Alyssa has autism. She has severe non verbal autism. This means her autism comes with all the bells and whistles. She has severe anxiety, apraxia, limited diet, OCD like behaviors, weak receptive language, difficulty communicating, regulating emotions, and a hard tim … | Continue reading
My son has been in school for a little over a month now. He is a 7th grader at our local middle school. Except it looks a little different than most. He doesn’t switch classes. Or have a locker combination. And we’ve never had to worry about the cell phone policy. I have no idea … | Continue reading
Last night something monumental happened in our little world. Our middle son Sawyer had a gaggle of friends over playing and as they ran from room to room, crashing and bashing and giggling about farts and butts, our oldest son Cooper ran behind. He was the oldest of the whole gr … | Continue reading
When my son Cooper was first diagnosed with autism, and in the years that followed, I spent a lot of time secretly wondering what our relationship would be like. I was told he would never be able to talk. Or live independently. And a whole lot of other things as well. And I’d won … | Continue reading
For years, I’ve been on a mission to change perceptions about autism as an advocate and professional speaker. From my own experiences during my autism journey, I’ve realized that autistic individuals aren’t just capable of working in traditional jobs but can soar to leadership ro … | Continue reading
My daughter, Olivia, is 14 years old. She is autistic, she has Sensory Processing Disorder, and anxiety. These photos were taken in 2009, during my daughter’s first year of life. Look at her amazing joint attention. She is always looking directly at me with a smile as bright as t … | Continue reading
When my son was two years old his daycare provider told me that he would never speak, make a friend, or ride a bike. She later went on to say he would never hit a baseball. She told me at my car after I had buckled my son into his car seat and closed the door. She had followed me … | Continue reading
“We should start planning for his future?” This is what my husband often says, but neither of us are sure where exactly to start. Should we set up a special needs account? Who will be in charge of his care? Where will he live? Who will explain to him what’s going on and how? I ke … | Continue reading
I will never forget the day I found out I was pregnant with my second child. It was a surprise as they say. Our first born son Cooper had just turned one and terms like ‘speech delay’ and ‘development delay’ were already being discussed. When Sawyer was born 9 months later I was … | Continue reading
Join Anderson’s Bookshop for an in-person event and signing line with author Kate Swenson, to celebrate the release of Forever Boy, on Friday, October 6th at 7pm CT in our Naperville Store. Kate will be in conversation with insert conversation partner. After, they will take audie … | Continue reading
I used to be a different person. Extroverted. Vibrant. People used to say that I bounced when I walked. I had dreams and goals. I knew who I was and what I wanted to have in my life. I knew what I enjoyed and had hobbies. I made time for myself. I laughed a lot, and loudly. I smi … | Continue reading
I often say that dads don’t get enough credit, especially in the special needs parenting world. My husband and I have four kids. 12, 10, 4, and 2. We are busy. That’s actually a wild understatement. We live in chaos. Sometimes we thrive. Sometimes we survive. We have schools and … | Continue reading
Before I had my son Cooper, I knew nothing of autism. Not really. And I can say with absolute certainty that I knew nothing about nonspeakers or nonverbal individuals. I’m sure I had ideas. And I’m sure they were wrong. My son is considered nonverbal on paper. And he has so much … | Continue reading
Just after bedtime, I laid the orange folder on the table as I took a deep breathe. I had prepared for this moment, calming myself all day. I worked up the courage to make sure my voice still made sound and said, “thanks for being willing to talk.” Earlier that day, during an arg … | Continue reading
This single concept of truly breaking down the components and supports for ensuring we honor the person’s quality of life may be the most impactful thing I’ve ever experienced. Quality of life focuses on a person’s strengths and interests, not their disability. The “QOL” or quali … | Continue reading
I can count on one hand the number of times my son has initiated a hug with me. While I hug and kiss him as many times as he will let me, always have and always will, he isn’t one to give them out freely. He’s quite choosy. And even if I request one, he typically does this thing … | Continue reading
My son Cooper, Last night was one of those special nights. I was outside in the backyard pushing your younger siblings on the swings when I heard you come outside. Slow at first. You wandered to a deck chair and sat down. Then to the stairs leading down the deck. I think you foun … | Continue reading
You think the big things are the most important. The ones that will make the most impact. I used too. Speaking. Joining a group or team. Driving a car. Graduating. First job, first love, first house. Those are the milestones we work towards. Right? And yes, of course they are imp … | Continue reading
This morning my son Cooper had his first day of 7th grade. He was ready early. I dressed him. I packed his lunch. I put his speech device in his bag. And I wrote his name on his things. He posed for a picture in front of the fireplace holding two train guidebooks and a whiteboard … | Continue reading
‘I’m sorry I’m crying…this is so unlike me. This has just never happened before.’ Those were the words I said to a fellow mom today. I didn’t know her. I just knew it was her children on the raft that my son Cooper was swimming out too. It took me a second to catch my breath. My … | Continue reading
‘Mom! Did you know that my brother doesn’t talk?’ I’ll be honest when he said it to me I burst out laughing. It caught me off guard. The innocence of it. He had just come up from downstairs. Four years old. Spikey blonde hair. A dimple on his left cheek. A red and blue Spiderman … | Continue reading
My son Cooper doesn’t have a lot to say verbally. But he’s always communicating. Sometimes it’s a point or a wave. A sound. A facial expression. A click of a button. A stomp of a foot. He’s always listening too. He hears everything. In fact he’s incredibly nosey. He nods sometime … | Continue reading
One of the things I adore the most about my son Cooper is the way he gets excited over things. Things that most people may not think are all that big of a deal. Like a cow in a field. Or when it rains. The wind in his hair. A tractor. When we drive by Target. A train t-shirt. A c … | Continue reading
Dear Moms of Autistic Children, This screenshot I took last year showed up in my memories today. It was in reply to a story I posted on my blog page of a video of my son. He was looping the same question over and over again in bed. I still remember how bad the message made me fee … | Continue reading
Autism has been an ever changing experience in our life. It has had different meanings to us as it’s evolved through the different seasons of our lives. My daughter was diagnosed with Autism in January of 2012. She was just shy of three years old at the time. My oldest daughter … | Continue reading
‘Will his autism go away?’ That’s what the woman asked me. In front of 200 people. Honestly, you could have heard a pin drop as the heads in the room snapped from her to me. And I practiced the pause. I was presenting at a conference down south to a large group of folks who work … | Continue reading
When my son Cooper was diagnosed with autism at age three they told me he was nonverbal. I didn’t even know that was a thing. At age five they told me he might never speak. I didn’t know that was a possibility. At age six the silence was deafening. So we dove into alternate forms … | Continue reading
I was recently in Target without my kids wandering as moms do when they have an opportunity to take in the magic of the red circle. As I walked up to the register, I saw a Mom with two daughters, one in the cart sitting quietly and one becoming upset. As we both waited to check o … | Continue reading
My son, I want to tell you how proud I am of you. When some people think of progress and success, they think of big, huge things. Like winning an award or crossing a finish line first. But as I stood behind you taking this photo, watching you sit calmly staring at the water, I se … | Continue reading
I am totally THAT mom. Each year when I send my daughter off to her first day of school, it hurts. Like physically, in my gut, hurts. My breathing feels shallow. My heart seems to skip beats. My cheeks are hot and tingly. Waves of nausea pass through my belly like the ocean when … | Continue reading
Dear Special Needs Mommas, As the school year begins, I want to offer words of encouragement and motivation. Your role as advocates and supporters is crucial. Embrace the first weeks with optimism, knowing that you have the power to shape your child’s educational journey. Trust y … | Continue reading
My son Logan has been in public school since the beginning of his autism diagnosis. Something I wasn’t always sure of doing with a special needs child. Because the truth is that sending your nonverbal child to public school is terrifying. I’ve read the stories. I’ve seen the n … | Continue reading
A letter to my son Cooper: My son, you matter. I feel the need to say that today. Loudly. To all of these people who read about you. Who love you and want to learn about you. Not to remind myself. Or you. Because I know you are amazing. I know that you work harder than anyone I k … | Continue reading
When you have a child diagnosed with autism, it’s not about you as the parent. At least that’s what we are told. Your sole focus becomes helping your child. Getting them the help they need. Services. Supports. Therapies. Education. And so on. That’s the role of a parent. And that … | Continue reading
If you are the parent to a child who receives special education services, have you started to prepare their back to school transition plan? My son will be entering third grade in just a few short weeks! Every day we talk about the first day of school, the number on the calendar, … | Continue reading
Sometimes something small will remind me how far we both have come on this journey. My autistic daughter loves getting a mani/pedi. She comes with me to every appointment. She looks forward to it and she loves going on IG looking at nail colours for her upcoming visit. It wasn’t … | Continue reading
Our family has settled into life with autism. We know that when we go on an outing we need to be prepared for all scenarios. Honestly it has become second nature. It is how we operate. We accept it. Last night I was watching a TV show. It was featuring a family of four who were p … | Continue reading
Nobody ever told me that when I brought children into this world that there was a possibility that I may have a “forever child”. Of course, all three of my children are forever mine. However, one will forever be with me until I can no longer care for her on my own. Nobody ever t … | Continue reading
Cooper, Last night you were upstairs with your brother. It was long past your bedtime…which for Sawyer isn’t strange. That kid would stay up all night long. But not you typically. You have an internal alarm that tells you when it’s 9 pm and it’s game over. Up to bed you go with 7 … | Continue reading
I don’t know if my son has anyone who considers him their friend, besides his cousin. If you ask Jesse who his best friend is, he says, “Lukas.” It’s not always mutual though. Although, it used to be. My son is autistic and eight years old. He is 18 months older than his cousin. … | Continue reading
Every night I lay with my son until he falls asleep. I’ve done this since he was a baby. I sneak out of his room and reset our home for the next morning. Tonight while we were laying down he said to me. “You cried in the month of June, on a Thursday, you ran away to the sun room, … | Continue reading
Love is expressed in many ways. When you have a child with limited verbal abilities, it doesn’t always come out in those three little words either. A gentle tap on the shoulder. A glimmer in the eye when you walk into the room. A little bounce in the step or rocking back and fort … | Continue reading
Did you know that July is Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the achievements and strengths of people with disabilities? It’s also a month to remind people of the spectrum; to educate them that some with disabilities face lifelong difficulties and need support. This was … | Continue reading
From the very beginning of it all, you have been mine. My heart outside my chest. And I’d have given anything to be your person. For so long I prayed to be given a glimpse into your world. I just wanted to sit next to you, and you not shy away. I wanted to play next to you with b … | Continue reading
Let me tell you about a boy. A boy who at twelve years old shows more bravery than most adults I know. But his bravery looks different so most overlook it. He has very few words. Not much for conversation. But his eyes…they tell a story. If you listen to him. Patiently. If you do … | Continue reading