Posts by Kate Swenson

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 wonder. And worry. Would we ever have a conversation? Would we ever go grab dinner together at a restaurant? Go to his first concert? And so on. I’d wonder while driving and studying him in the rear…

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 out. She was determined to tell me her predictions. In the ten years that have since passed I have replayed that conversation a million times in my head. It broke…

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 scared to say the least. A diagnosis of autism was being discussed. But it was more than that. I felt like a failure as a mom to my first born. How would I be able to give…

Pictures are funny. You can look at a seemingly ordinary one and think nothing of it. Like this photo. A mom. Two kids. An older boy. A younger girl. A baby doll. They appear to be at a place with model trains. What you don’t see is the hard work. The years of practice. The relentless journey of hope. The prayers. The picture doesn’t tell you that the older boy has a diagnosis of severe nonverbal autism. And for nearly all of his life going into the community was incredibly…

People ask me all the time how they can help. Kind people. Loving people. Strangers. Friends. Family. People on this page. I speak about that out of control feeling that happens when my son starts struggling. When his big feelings about waiting or sitting overwhelm him. Or when the noise is too much, and the lights are too bright, or he smells something in the air that you and I can’t make out. Maybe we are in line at the grocery store. Or at a hockey rink watching his younger…

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 audience questions, have a signing line and take photos with attendees, if they wish! This event will be held in our Naperville store location (123 West Jefferson Ave), and pre-registration is required as space is limited.   REGISTER HERE: Author Event with Kate Swenson/Forever Boy | Eventcombo More about Forever Boy: With her popular…

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 to tell us. At 12 years old he has 20 or so words. He has some sign language. He loves sounds and gestures. He can spell and read and type when he chooses too. He uses a speech…

Someone once said to me…’siblings to children with disabilities are not special. And they shouldn’t be treated as such.’ I’ll tell you this…in all my years of sharing on social media, very few statements have bothered me as much as that one. I adamantly disagree. These two. Siblings. Brothers. Two years between them. Roles of older and younger often reversed. Sawyer. Holding his brother’s life jacket when we go fast. He doesn’t need too. But he does. Life is different for him. Not bad by any means. Just…different. And it’s…