I hear him whisper-talking to himself as I pause by his bedroom door. It’s a couple of hours before school time and although I can’t see him, I know exactly what he’s doing as I listen intently to the soft sounds emanating from his room. “Yes, that’s okay. The We4…
Sometimes, I get a little panicky, wondering if I am doing all I can to help each of my kids. My third child has special needs which makes his current path blurry in my mind. Will he ever read on grade level? Will he be able to sustain current friendships…
It’s 3:00 pm on a weekend afternoon in Autumn. I drove my three boys to a skateboard park we’ve been to before. As we approach the skateboarding ramps, we notice a 16-year-old boy who happens to be our neighbor. “Carlos!!” Brady shouts out. Carlos looks up, nods but keeps his…
“He jumps down the stairs. He never walks or prances down our stairs. No. He thumps and jumps down the last few stairs every time,” I tell the pediatrician who has asked me what Brady does for fun inside our home. I’m sure the doctor wasn’t expecting my candid response. …
I’m climbing into the back of my minivan so I can help my four children get buckled. I have a four-year-old, a three-year-old, an almost 2-year-old and a newborn. I tell myself you can do this. Indeed, we are almost ready to go. Before this car buckling scene, I’m helping…
The door leading out to the garage opens. I know who is coming in. It’s Brady, my beautifully unique and incredibly challenging autistic child. At times, he moves like a reckless elephant. I can tell you if it is Brady coming down the stairs or not. He moves with speed…
My son with autism is verbal, but sometimes I find myself wondering:Are we stuck? Are we self-soothing? Are we trying to process what we are currently seeing, hearing or thinking about? What’s going on in that unique brain of yours, Brady? Daddy wanted a group picture after a long walk…
Imagine being born blind. You can’t really imagine what that would be like and neither can I. But let’s pretend you are born completely blind and then at some point during your early childhood a diagnosis of autism is confirmed by the specialists. What is it like for you to…
It all starts in the pediatrician's office, shortly after your baby is born. Questions like: “How many ounces are you getting into him?” make you feel like there is a perfect ounces-per-day number and you can only hope you’re close with your answer. Those are the standard questions every mother…
I used to think that parents were solely to blame for a child’s behavior. Before becoming a mother, I’d observe a child having a meltdown and think: Can’t you get your child to be QUIET? Come on, do something! Once when I was given a mock interview in college, I…
