Last weekend I had the honor of delivering the keynote at the Rising Moms Caregiver Retreat and I left that room feeling incredibly inspired. When you gather a room full of caregiving moms together, you quickly realize something powerful: these are women who carry more than most people ever see. The sleepless nights, the appointments,…
One of the hardest balances caregivers walk is managing expectations while still holding hope for a safe and meaningful future. My nonverbal, profoundly autistic 22-year-old son, Skyler, is enjoying his adult day program and opportunities to be out in the community. But during a recent outing, he became dysregulated — smacking a few employees and…
When we moved to Colorado 6 months ago, we did so with intention and purpose. We uprooted our lives for adult services, programs, and opportunities for our 22-year-old, nonverbal autistic son, Skyler — with a future in mind that felt supported and possible. We arrived with concrete ideas of what Skyler needed to be successful….
I like to step into each new year with a heart full of gratitude for everything that brought me to this moment—and with genuine eagerness for what is still unfolding. Not because the road behind us has been easy, but because it has shaped me in ways I never could have imagined. As I reflect,…
There’s a phrase people use so casually when raising children: “You have to let go.” But when your child is an adult with profound autism—nonverbal, vulnerable, and dependent in ways the world doesn’t fully understand—letting go doesn’t feel casual. It feels terrifying. We moved to Colorado intentionally, guided by the promise of robust adult services,…
As a parent of a nonverbal autistic adult, I’ve learned not to expect my family’s reality to show up on television. Most shows simply don’t go there—at least not in a way that feels honest, nuanced, or grounded in lived experience. So when I started watching the Peacock series ‘All Her Fault,’ I didn’t anticipate…
Author: Brooke Hasch, WHAS 11 News Reporter Published: 12:43 PM EDT April 30, 2025 Families in Kentucky and Indiana struggle with autism services due to age restrictions and lack of facilities, forcing some to move for better care. CHARLESTOWN, Ind. — Families who rely on Autism services are facing a crisis across Kentucky and Indiana. There’s a…
I’ve been absent from this page for several months and the truth is, it’s because we are really struggling, and I wasn’t sure what to say. I’ve wrestled with sharing my raw feelings and not diminishing the ‘hard’ we are experiencing through a silver lining filter out of fear of being labeled a complainer. But…
When I became a mother to my son, Skyler, I had many dreams and plans. Even at the age of 3 when he was diagnosed with autism and the landscape & process for when and how he would achieve those dreams changed, I held on tight. With each visit to the various medical providers throughout…
It never gets easier. The wondering, the worrying and ultimately the sadness of never knowing the cause or scenario behind new injuries. My 21-year-old, nonverbal autistic son came home from his autism center with this shiner and he’s unable to tell us how it happened. And it’s not just the bumps & bruises randomly appearing…