Transitioning back to school can be scary for all kids. For kids with autism it can feel downright terrifying. Especially after just settling into summer. Here are 4 tips I use to prepare my autistic son for back to school and to make the transition as simple as possible. Visit the School: Drive to your child’s school. Park in the parking lot. Walk around outside. Visit the playground. Get your child used to seeing the building. We have been visiting Cooper’s school daily for nearly a week now to prepare…
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Everyone deserves to be heard. Especially your child. Their thoughts call for respect. And to be able to communicate those thoughts is a fundamental human right. The beauty about communication is that it looks different for everyone. For some, it means verbally speaking; for others, making music. But for those with autism, “speaking” one’s mind takes a form perhaps more beautifully unique than any other. How, then, do we celebrate this in a way that empowers kids with autism to influentially express themselves? With this question in mind, I want…
Read MoreThere are really precious moments in life. Like when your father-in-law comes to find you to say… ‘Cooper and I just walked around the campground. He held my hand the whole entire way. He’s never done that before.’ He just beamed as he said it. Ten years is a long time to wait as a Grandpa. But worth every minute. I’ve never met a more loved or treasured little boy. Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting…
Read MoreLaughter. You know the kind that comes deep from the belly? It’s the best. And when you hear it coming from someone else you immediately smile. Especially when it’s two of your children. Ages 10 and 2. Brothers. One would assume they don’t have a lot in common. Or a lot of time for each other. But they do. See they both really love The Good Dinosaur and Cars. And bull dozers and fire trucks. The older one loves acting out scenes from movies. He will zip around the house…
Read MoreDo you have a sentence that you say a million times a day? You say it so much it could be written on your tombstone. Here lies Kate. She is best known for ‘turn it down buddy’. Or with your last breath you say…’why are you naked?’ Because I do. As a mom to three boys I am forever asking why they don’t have pants on. And for the volume to be lowered. No one complies though. Not ever. What is yours? What sentence do you say every single day?…
Read MoreLet’s talk nicknames. Do you have one for your child? Did you have one growing up? We adore nicknames over here. So much so that we use them more than their actual name. They are a bit silly. And each kid has many. They evolve too. Cooper started as Super Cooper. Then Super Duper. Then the ‘Dupe.’ Snoopy Joe. Joseph. Sloppy Joe. The list goes one. Sawyer. Soybean. Soy burger. Soy nuts. Nuts-a-fuss. And when he wears us down we say we’ve been fussed. It’s a real thing. Harbor. Harbie.…
Read MoreMy son Cooper doesn’t have a lot to say verbally. But he’s always communicating. Sometimes it’s a point or a wave. A sound. A facial expression. A click of a button. A stomp of a foot. He’s always listening too. He hears everything. In fact he’s incredibly nosey. He nods sometimes. Or smiles at something we’ve said. Or even scowls. He adores sounds. The hoot of an owl. The screech of a tire. The whistle of a train. And the roar of a wave. I think he hears things that…
Read MoreFor so long I hoped and prayed that my son would develop a hobby. At age ten, he didn’t appear to be interested in anything besides his iPad. On one hand all that matters is his happiness. But. We also want him to experience bits and pieces of the world around him. I want him to have something he enjoys. I want something me and his dad and brothers could enjoy with him. I also very much want a glimpse inside of his world and the things he cares about.…
Read MoreWhy is it so hard for some people to realize that Kyle isn’t defined by his diagnoses? That’s not all that he is. It’s only a small part of him. He really doesn’t make any more noise than other children. Just because his noises aren’t concrete words, doesn’t make him noisy. He has his own way of communicating with us. It doesn’t make it bad or wrong. He is working on making his sounds something someone can understand. Who says how he talks is wrong? Why are we labeled as…
Read MoreOur family has been visiting Thomas the Train at the Duluth Depot for 7 years. The picture on the lower right is from 2013. We were 2 months out from an autism diagnosis. With or without the appointment we knew. I’d read enough blog posts and taken the M-chat a hundred times and watched enough episodes of Parenthood to know. I knew it was autism. On that visit to Thomas, and many after, our son struggled. Too many people. Too loud. Too much waiting. Not enough patience from strangers. But…
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