With much of my life and the majority of my social media posts revolving around autism, the impact that diagnosis has on each member of our family – particularly my daughter, often goes unaddressed. Parenting neurotypical children while simultaneously managing the ups and downs and countless unknowns of a special needs child is extremely hard….
I’m going to be completely honest and vulnerable here. I’ve been struggling with my emotions the last few weeks and haven’t really felt much like writing, talking or doing much of anything. I don’t usually let my feelings thoroughly overtake me, but this is a really momentous year for our family – one that seemed…
A life partner or soulmate is a person who accepts you for exactly who you are without the desire to change or fix you. There is a deep and unspoken respect between both partners. Your strengths compliment theirs and you hold each other tightly during challenging times. The healthiest relationships are rooted in open and…
Until I became the mother to an incredible son with autism, I had always associated courage with someone who exudes great bravery, like running into a burning building or pulling an injured motorist from their mangled car to safety. Being courageous is actually having the moral strength and quality of spirit to face difficulty and…
From the minute you become a parent, the overwhelming fear and concern sets in. You constantly question whether every choice or decision you make on your child’s behalf is the right one. When your child has special-needs, the endless self-doubt triples. The options for schooling seldom are plentiful or a perfect fit, so when an…
A person’s upbringing can explain a lot about their views, values and perspectives regarding every situation or difficulty they encounter. We each gather various life lessons and personality traits along the way which impacts every decision we make and how we choose to parent our children. When I reflect back on my own childhood experiences,…
Have you ever purchased a very challenging jigsaw puzzle just for the sheer joy and feeling of accomplishment you’ll get once you’ve successfully assembled it? The larger the quantity of pieces the better right? As I stare at those 5,000 pieces dumped onto my counter top and begin sorting and flipping them over, it becomes…
As an obsessive rule follower and box checker, I took great pride in following that life cycle and enjoying the anticipated rites of passage into adulthood – specifically motherhood. However, we are never truly prepared for the curve balls thrown directly at our heads the force us to figure out how to cope with an…
Whether currently, or at one time or another in our lives, I think most of us have experienced the feeling of not having control in a situation, or not knowing what to do, or what is the best decision to make. Perhaps you’ve felt helpless, emotionally overwhelmed or as if you just couldn’t stand one…
In a world in which siblings are typically our first playmates and our best friends, siblings of special-needs children are destined for a different childhood from what most kids experience. During their toddler years, I remember watching my neurotypical daughter, Kendall, attempt to initiate playtime with her older brother, Skyler, who has severe autism. It…