“You’ll miss this, one day,” says the grocery store clerk as she looks in my eyes with compassion and seriousness. “He’s been very hard lately,” I reply as I look into her eyes, and then at Brady as he makes his loud stimming sounds. “MOOOOMMMMMMEEEEEE,” he squeals with a smile…
In 2018, I was in my then 10-year-old daughter’s room sorting laundry when I noticed a piece of paper on the floor near her bed. It was a drawing of a heart and beneath the heart, my daughter had written: “My brother has specials needs. I am special too.” Reading…
“You have to keep the mask on,” I say calmly to my 11-year-old son, Brady. My heart is heavy, my eyes water slightly, and my mind shouts: How can anyone think this is going to work for Brady? How is this fair to any of the children with special needs?…
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…
Brady was a fireman in 2017; after that Halloween, he became creative with his costume designs. “What are you going to be for Halloween this year, Brady?” his psychiatrist asks at the very end of his appointment on a mid-October day.He doesn’t answer. He’s squatted on the floor creating a…
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…
