A Gift I Will Never Take For Granted

I will never get over the gift of communication. Something so many take for granted.

My newly two year old just told me he had an owie on his foot. He sat down. Took his sock off. And pointed to his injury.

To so many outside the world of autism, this may sound so simple. His older brother is 9, nearly 10, and we work nonstop on communication of pain.

For years, my sweet boy had ear infections that we didn’t know about. We didn’t know if his shoe was too tight or if his head hurt. He wasn’t able to share it with us verbally or even nonverbally. Instead, his pain came out in other ways. Ways that don’t often make sense to people outside of his world.

Identifying and communicating pain is vital. We use charts of his body to identify the different parts. We practice on his speech device. We check his body during every bath. We do the best we can. But it’s a work in progress.

So today, I was a bit shocked at how easy it was for my toddler to tell me he stubbed his toe.

Communication. It continues to amaze me. We will never stop striving for it with Cooper.

As for the toe, after contemplating amputation, we decided to keep it attached. Also, he kept the bandaid on for a total of three minutes. I call that a double win.

Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.