Posts by Kate Swenson

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 eleven years that have since passed I have replayed that conversation a million times in my head. It broke…

I just encountered a gentlemen with a disability in the airport. I would say he was in his fifties. I heard him coming. He was saying the most cheerful ‘hi’ to every person he passed. I noticed he was mostly being ignored. Which I guess isn’t all that uncommon. When a stranger says hi it’s probably common to ignore. When he said hi to me I gave him the most cheerful hi I could give. He stopped walking and asked if I was flying somewhere today. I smiled and said…

When my son was diagnosed with autism eleven years ago, I knew nothing of the diagnosis. Not a thing. I researched of course. I found Rain Man. And dark grainy videos on YouTube of individuals on the spectrum struggling. I wondered where my son would land. The savant side? The hard to watch side from those videos? Or somewhere in between? As time went on Hollywood brought us Love on the Spectrum and The Good Doctor. Eventually other shows too. Our autism looked nothing like those shows. I worried and…

‘The best feeling is watching things finally fall into place after watching them fall apart for so long.’ The beginning was so hard. Before the diagnosis. The unknown. The hating myself for suspecting something was wrong. The watching all of his peers and even younger kids pass him by. The fighting with my husband because I saw something he refused to see. The hoping it was anything but autism. Late bloomer. Boys will be boys. Then the diagnosis. The praying it was wrong. Praying it wasn’t severe. Telling myself I…

I am watching my three year old daughter dance right now. She is tapping. And twirling. Sitting when needed. And following directions. This morning she asked to brush her teeth. And clip her nails too. She quacked like a duck. Last night she pointed to a star and said ‘mama, look at the wishing star.’ She puts her own shoes on. She dresses herself when she adamantly wants to wear something. She walked with me and her brother Cooper to the bus the other day and said ‘bye Pooper on…

To the mama whose baby isn’t starting school today. To the parent who is wondering if they should take the picture. And wondering if they should celebrate just another day. To the dad whose sending some kids back to school but not the others. To the parent feeling a twinge of sadness today. Or a lot. I understand. Your child doesn’t go to a typical school. They go to therapy. There are no grade levels. Just continuous time. Or maybe they do but they aren’t really in a grade. On…

Something beautiful happened today with my oldest son, Cooper. He is 13 years old and has a disability. He was three years old when they told me he had autism. Severe nonverbal autism they said. What followed was a list of all the things he would supposedly never do. Brick by brick the predictions were made. Each one crushed me. I’ll tell you at age 13 he amazes me every single day. I won’t say it’s easy. For him. For us. But it’s good. Amazing even. Today I was upset.…

I often say having a son with nonverbal autism has given me the gift of sight. Before him I didn’t truly see people or the world. Now I do. I see the good and the kindness. He’s also taught me that there is more than one way to live. To enjoy. To experience. To be joyful. Cooper has been asking us, nonverbally of course, for weeks, maybe even months, to sleep in his grandparent’s camper. He showed me videos on YouTube of camping. He used his speech device to present…

Today, after nearly ten years of sharing about autism, hoping to shatter stigmas and lessen fears around those who are different, it finally happened. I lost faith in the internet. And let me tell you, prior to today, I’ve seen some stuff. Stuff you probably wouldn’t believe. Awful, demoralizing stuff. But today, I saw the worst. And as a disclaimer, please know this is not a political post. Anyone who knows me knows I’d rather start my eyelashes on fire than post about politics. This is a post about humanity.…

Sometimes, parenting kids in all of their typicalness confuses me. The curiosity. The independence. The ease. My first baby made me a mama 13 years ago. Then, together, we crashed into what I call the secret world of autism. I’ve never known a second of parenting without factoring in disability. The hyper vigilance. The worry. The fear. The hope. It’s just different. It’s climbing play structures and always getting into the pool and holding hands and heads during a meltdown in a busy street. It’s explaining and asking for accommodations…