Posts Tagged ‘Autism Awareness’
Autism and Nutrition: “They Will Eat When They’re Hungry”
Oh vey, if it only were that easy. Has anyone made a comment when you were trying to feed your child and said, “Oh, don’t worry so much. They’ll eat when they’re hungry?” I can relate to this all too well. Growing up, I was obsessed with bologna sandwiches. Nothing else would compare to the positive feeling I’d get whenever I’d be presented with another bologna sandwich. It wouldn’t matter if it was breakfast, lunch or dinner. That easily became one of my norms around the time I was diagnosed with autism at 4. This is a common…
Read MoreWorld Autism Day
Today is World Autism Day. This is our 12th one. As my son has gotten older, the meaning of the day has morphed for me. It used to be about education. Today, it’s about celebrating. Celebrating differences, celebrating progress, and celebrating a boy who has climbed far more mountains than I have. And ice cream and dancing. I have three boys and a girl. Four crazy, wild, busy, smart kids. Each of them is exactly who they are supposed to be. My oldest is autistic. There are a lot more…
Read MoreHow to Help Someone With Invisible Disabilities
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 park. Or in the paper…
Read MoreA Story of Hope-Pre-order Forever Boy Today
An excerpt from chapter 9 of Forever Boy: When the professionals first told me about autism, they described it to me as a spectrum. I immediately thought of a spectrum of light, like a rainbow through a prism. But it wasn’t that kind of spectrum. Or at least the experts didn’t explain it that way. They described it as a long line, with one end being the most severely affected and the other end being less affected. They threw terms at me like high-functioning, low-functioning, severe, moderate, and mild, even…
Read MorePlease Acknowledge People With Disabilities
People get really nervous around individuals who are non speaking. Or folks who use a wheelchair. Or who look different. I didn’t know that before I had my son Cooper. Before he led me wide eyed into the world of disability. Without knowing he showed me how a person can be invisible. A person standing front and center. Some of it’s subtle. The overlooking of a person. Some is not. And it’s hard to see. It’s hard to not get mad and sad and frustrated. Because I cannot think of…
Read MoreJust See Him
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 park. Or in the paper…
Read More‘The Reason I Jump’ Film Gives a Platform to Discuss Nonverbal Autism
Have you watched this film yet? When I heard that they were turning the best-selling book ‘The Reason I Jump’ into a full-length documentary film I was SO excited. For those who haven’t read the book, yet, it was written in 2007 from the perspective of a nonspeaking 13-year-old boy, Naoki Higashida. The book was later translated to English which made it rise in popularity even further! I gave it a read after seeing Jon Stewart mention it when he was the host of The Daily Show. The 82-minute documentary…
Read MoreDoing Our Best
Tonight, my middle son and husband had their first baseball game of the season. It was a big night for both of them. Jamie coach pitched and Sawyer was the catcher. Double trouble if you ask me! At 39 weeks pregnant I knew if I wanted to see our team play I was going to need some help. My oldest and my youngest keep me on my very swollen toes. Thankfully I was able to call in some help. On the way to the game, Cooper began playing an episode…
Read MoreMore Than a Caregiver
I am so excited to share with you that Finding Cooper’s Voice is launching a brand new initiative to help caregivers! We are partnering with a counseling agency to bring counseling services to caregivers in need. And we are offering it FREE OF CHARGE for the caregiver. Finding Cooper’s Voice, along with donations and support, will pay for up to 3 counseling sessions per caregiver. We are also going to remove the barriers to getting counseling. So often, as parents, we struggle to help ourselves. It can all feel like…
Read MoreI See You Mama, But Do You See Me?
Dear mama with normal children, “Normal? What is normal?” you might be asking. “Is that even politically correct?” Honestly, I’m not sure because I’m tired. And I don’t spend my free time on political jargon. And I definitely don’t sleep well. And most of my waking hours, I’m caring for someone else or finding resources that will hopefully make our life a little bit easier someday. Someday…a day that feels more and more like a unicorn lately. You see, I’m a special needs mama to a 16-year-old son. And no,…
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