(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Amy Herbert and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I want to honor and thank my daughter Isabelle Rose Herbert: Our son Ben’s smallest (yet biggest) advocate. Our daughter Isabelle was our first born. She was speaking in full sentences by 18 months and was (and is) such a rule follower. Just as perfect as a baby and toddler could get! She is just an all around amazing, smart, kind, and compassionate human. There was a reason God…
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Visits to the Dentist can be very stressful when you have an autistic child. And not just for the child! Parents feel the stress as well. They know how their kid is most likely going to react and then add in other unknowns like a new place, hygienists and dentists touching their kiddo, inability to follow directions, other people at the dentist office, screaming, kicking, sensory processing disorder, anxiety…eek. It’s a lot to prepare for and think about. I brought my autistic son to his first dentist appointment last month.…
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Raising a kiddo with an unknown future is tough. It takes a toll on a parent’s sanity and emotions. I have fears for my autistic son that I would never have for my typical son. And, I think it is important to say these fears out loud. When my son was diagnosed I just wanted to find someone that talked about autism realistically. I needed someone to say they were scared and that they were tired and worried. But I couldn’t find that person which in turn, made me feel…
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(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Katie McGregory and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November, I want to honor my mom Julie. She’s my number one partner in this autism journey. Yes, I have a husband, but he works and is not as involved in the autism/therapy/insurance stuff on a daily basis. My mom is the first person I usually call about Addie’s accomplishments, about ABA, speech, etc. She’s been to many important appointments and evaluations with me. She’s read books and educated herself…
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(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Melissa Stone and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) When I think about who I am thankful for this November, I hardly know where to begin. I cannot restrict all of my thanks to one specific person. Rather, I am thankful for “Jackson’s Jedis” (our “village” which is comprised of many individuals who support us where we reside in California). Together, we love and advocate for awareness and acceptance. The first and foremost member of this village is Jackson, our…
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“When you can’t look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark.” Alice in Wonderland Hearing that your child has autism, or any neurological disorder, is so unbelievably scary. Maybe you knew deep down. Or maybe you were oblivious. It honestly doesn’t matter because in an instant everything is different. Same kid…different future. Different path. And not just for your kiddo. But for your whole family. For me I felt like a label was tattooed on my son’s forehead. And ultimately mine. I thought the label…
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(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Amy Vipond and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November, I am so thankful for my daughter Olivia, who is 4 1/2 who is literally my son, Jace’s, best friend. She doesn’t see him as different, she only sees him as her brother, or ”baby” as she still calls him! When Olivia was younger, she had a speech delay. She could only say a handful of words, but everything else was right on track for her development. So we…
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Hi all! I haven’t done a video in a few days! Cooper has a lot to tell you! And it’s just as adorable as you can imagine. Because I know you are going to ask, Cooper’s speech device is an iPad loaded with proloquo2go. He’s had it for three years but only really started using it fluently in the last six months. You can also hear that Cooper is still very vocal. He loves communicating in his own way. We are always working on sounds and modeling in our house.…
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(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Sydney and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) My name is Sydney Sorkin, and I live in Leawood, Kansas. My 14 year old son, Noah, was diagnosed with autism at age two and with ADHD at age seven. Noah’s autism-related issues were more severe when he was younger, but over time, thanks to a combination of therapies, medication, behavior modeling, and a very supportive village, Noah has progressed a great deal, and I’d like to offer up one of the…
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My son is six year’s old and on the severe end of the autism spectrum. When he was diagnosed, I had heard about stimming. I think we’ve all heard that word. To be perfectly honest though, I didn’t even know what stimming was. The definition is interesting: ‘Stim, stims or stimming is short for “self-stimulation”. Almost everyone does it (tapping feet, cracking knuckles, twiddling thumbs), but in autistic people these behaviors are more pronounced and may seem downright strange. Autistic people often engage in stimming when they are stressed, to…
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