“He’s not affectionate. He doesn’t let me cuddle or kiss him. He’s always too busy, too distracted to engage. Last night, I cuddled him while he slept. I smelled his face, heard his beautiful breathing. He didn’t move or push me away. I hope he knows how much I love him.”
‘Last night, I had a dream my non-verbal son said, ‘I love you.’ I awoke in tears. Deep in my heart, I wish I could hear his voice.’: Special needs mom says ‘I hope he knows how much I love him’
‘We went to stores to practice wearing a mask. He fought us hard. We couldn’t even make it out of the parking lot.’: Mom shares autistic son’s inspiring progress amid pandemic
“And then the unthinkable happened. Lots of crying, hitting, and aggression. But I was not ready to quit.”
‘At 18 months old, his friend said, ‘BACKPACK!’ My son was 2 and not talking. I didn’t feel like I was doing a good job.’: Mom runs marathons for Autism awareness, ‘I’ve never been running this race alone’
“I decided, ‘I’ll give him till three to see if he starts saying more words.’ We were having more meltdowns and a difficult time consoling him. Meeting all his needs became tough. I didn’t have a ‘real’ diagnosis. I started to dig.”
‘If something happens, how will he tell me?’ He shouldn’t be ignored. It feels like I’ve failed him.’: Mom of nonverbal, autistic son says ‘it is our job to listen’
“When the day comes you have to take a step back and realize, to others, your child’s speech is unintelligible, and it hurts. Then it hits you hard. Harder than you could imagine. But we can never give up.”
‘I don’t know his favorite color. He can’t tell me. I’ve grieved. Imagine not being able to communicate?’: Autism mom describes highs and lows of parenting, ‘He makes me a better me’
“I was in tears during every evaluation. ‘How dare she put labels on him!’ I’m not sure if I was ignorant or in denial. Maybe both. I’ve watched his brother surpass him, and it stings.”
‘Mama, no! Please no hair wash! Too scary!’ Was I being punished? I dread it just as much as he does.’: Autism mom shares insight into meltdowns, ‘We live a spectrum life’
“I’ll often hear things like, ‘Every kid has tantrums.’ He cried outside in negative degree weather for over 10 minutes because he wasn’t the first person to walk in the house. He started hitting me, throwing things, hysterically crying. I felt like it was my fault.”
‘Something is not right!’ One eye was smaller than the other, but doctors kept telling me he was okay. I knew I was going to have to fight.’: Woman gives birth to son with rare genetic disorder, ‘I have found my purpose’
“I lost over 30 pounds. I also lost my hair. I threw up constantly, even throwing up blood. Something inside me told me to keep fighting. When my son came out, he wasn’t crying. I knew that moment something was wrong with him. Nobody was listening to me.”
‘The bus was the highlight of her day. She would confidently climb the stairs and hop into her seat.’: Couple buys real school bus for Autistic daughter, ‘The look on her face was worth all the struggles’
“We finally arrived at the location. We all got out and began talking over everything and went to get on the bus to get a thorough look at it. Braylee didn’t miss a beat. She hopped right into the bus, fastened herself right into the harness, and began singing loud and proudly, ‘Wheels on the Bus.’”
‘His face lit up. ‘There’s my friend, Max!’ You didn’t hear your son say that. But I did. I looked at my son. He was still crying.’: Mom to special needs son thanks woman in parking lot ‘for answering my prayers’
“As you both passed the side of my car, your son, still trying to catch up with your pace, made contact with mine. My son threw his cup and flung his head back in frustration. He couldn’t tell me what he needed; he is non-verbal. He didn’t know someone had noticed him, someone called him his friend.”
‘What happens to my girl when society realizes it’s not ‘cute’ anymore? How do I make people see the beauty I see?’: Mom to daughter with autism urges us to challenge our idea of beauty
“When she was 2, she didn’t talk. She said one word, ‘Hi,’ over and over. I was worried, but most agreed it was so cute. At 4, she stuffed food in her mouth messily. Gosh, it was cute. At 6, she was diagnosed. Everyone agreed she was still cute, but followed with smiles of pity. Now, she’s 11. She picks her nose, sits with her legs wide open. She has body odor, speech delays, and drools. What happens to my girl when society decides it’s not ‘cute’ anymore?”
