When your son was diagnosed with cancer my daughter had long been diagnosed with autism. They were in the two’s together and every day my little girl showed up with a Birth to Three therapist. I’m sure you saw us. She was the only one who needed a therapist to get through the day. To put a cup to her lips and push her chin up. The girl who had meltdowns and ran down the hall spinning, tumbling laughing maniacally. I remember when I heard about your son. I went…
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As so many of us parents prepare to send our kids back to school, or even to school for the first time, I know emotions are running high. Especially if you have a child with additional needs. The fear is real. I asked the teachers, aides, and paras in my audience to tell me what they wanted parents to know. Here are ten of my favorites. Click HERE to read the rest. As a special education teacher, I say to my students and parents that I love them like my…
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After my son was diagnosed with autism, I had all these different thoughts running through my head. Almost manically. I needed to help my kid. I needed to make this okay. I thought about moving away. I felt like this label had been tattooed on his forehead, destined to follow him everywhere. So, if we went to a new place, a new city, a new school district even, then they wouldn’t know. And it would be fine. He would be fine. Because no one would know he was autistic. Right?…
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This kid played one heck of a baseball game tonight. He hit the ball twice WITHOUT mom’s help. He ran the bases and didn’t need my help to stay calm! He clapped, cheered and perfected the double high five-down low-up high-chest bump with mom. Grandma and Grandpa were there cheering so he brought his best game! He even stopped mid-base to wave at them and request they clap. In the field he snagged a few balls, ran them back to the coach and took in a few minutes of Thomas…
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I don’t know how you do it. Those seven words grate on my very last nerve. What do you mean how do I do it? Isn’t that what a parent is supposed to do? Isn’t that our #1 job? When I entered this parental world, I never imagined it would be like this. I never knew such a deep love and sadness all wrapped in to one. I never knew Autism. Autism knows no bounds. It ravishes your life piece by piece. Autism takes away so much. It takes away…
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Many emotions arise each time we start a new chapter with our son Benton. I hope for understanding in a world that speaks only with our mouth and so seldom our hearts. Benton was given the ability to speak only with his heart. Watch him with more than your eyes. Look beneath the supposed behavior and imagine what he may be saying to you by his movements and sounds. Conclusions must not be rushed to with our children. Think first what could have caused him to cry, or run…
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I don’t think I will ever be able to put into words how hard autism hit me. And I don’t mean the word. Or the years up to getting the diagnosis. Yes, that was all hard. There is no doubt about that. The realizing something was off. The no sleep. Struggles to get him to eat. Or play. Or be content. Or go anywhere. Or acknowledge people. Well-child visits to the doctor where I could see milestones slipping away. The realization he was nothing like other kids his age. Or…
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Dear parents, I guess emotions are running high at this time of year; excited for back to school and some peace and quiet, but nervous about how your child is going to settle back into routine, what will his new teacher be like, will her SNAs be kind, will they understand him, will they manage if he has a meltdown? I imagine some of these questions are going around in your head at the moment and as a teacher I can tell you that we understand. We understand that these…
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I remember when my son and I turned invisible. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t overnight. It happened slow at first. And then one day, I felt like we were gone. There were no playdates. No conversations at Kindergarten drop off or pick up. He wasn’t involved in sports or clubs. His interests never changed. No new hobbies. No hobbies at all actually. He’s never had a birthday party invitation. Time was a continuum. No start or stop. No new grade levels. No spring, summer or fall activities. If we went…
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I know you can’t believe that we are here already, we are sending our precious babies to kindergarten. This may be your first time to send a kid into the big scary and exciting school world, or maybe you are a veteran to the whole process, but here we are. As you are spending your days find all the school supplies, pack the lunches, pick out the new backpacks, I want to share a little bit about my son and what our preparation for school looks like. While you are…
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