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Do They Know?

This weekend as we got out of the car in a busy grocery store parking lot, and I immediately reminded my son who has autism to “hold my hand we are in a parking lot”. I thought to myself…. Do people know? When they see my seven year old son, who is nearly taller thanContinue reading “Do They Know?”

Come walk a day in our shoes.

Spend the time walking beside us and understand how hard he works to access our world each and every day. I hope you see that he brushes my shoulder each morning to wake me before the sun. That I gently dress him, brush his hair, his teeth and am working on teaching him to doContinue reading “Come walk a day in our shoes.”

Owning your role as a P.A.R.E.N.T at the IEP Table

I can’t even begin to count the number of times someone has said to me “I’m just mom, I don’t know my rights at the IEP meetings.” It’s time for that to change! I want you to own your seat at the IEP table as a parent. YOU are the only team member who isContinue reading “Owning your role as a P.A.R.E.N.T at the IEP Table”

21 Lessons From Autism in 2021

21 Lessons From Autism in 2021: 1. In their own time, in their own way. 2. People are curious and want to understand how to help, asking questions is just often uncomfortable. 3. It has brought some of the strongest, and most genuine women I know into my life. 4. Your behavior, as a parent,Continue reading “21 Lessons From Autism in 2021”

Is Your Child’s IEP Helping Them G.R.O.W?

Your child’s IEP document should always be helping them to G.R.O.W. G- Generalization. We need to make sure the skills being taught within the goals of the IEP are also being generalized. This means they need to be successful across various people, environments, and presented with multiple materials before we consider a goal mastered. R-Continue reading “Is Your Child’s IEP Helping Them G.R.O.W?”

Lessons I’ve learned about marriage while raising a child with special needs.

“We’ve spent so much of our time and marriage teaching our son how to communicate somewhere along the way my husband and I forgot how to effectively do that with each other.”

Four Tips for a Better IEP Meeting

.As a special needs parent I think we can all agree the panic we have felt before heading into these meetings. Even though I’ve sat through plenty for my own child, and many for clients as well these meetings always bring up nerves and jitters for parents. Here are some of my top tips forContinue reading “Four Tips for a Better IEP Meeting”

A love letter to my fellow autism mom.

The love language for a special needs parent to feel seen, accepted, and understood is as simple as a head nod, and a “me too” on a zoom call or a quick chat on the phone. Or maybe even in the grocery store where your child is having a hard time. If you’ve ever beenContinue reading “A love letter to my fellow autism mom.”

A letter to the struggling autism mom.

Mama, I see you, and I feel your heartache. I understand that every single day is a back and forth balance of finding the joy and grieving the life you thought your child would have. Your days are now filled with therapy appointments, IEP meetings, arguments with insurance and sleep deprivation. You are now leadingContinue reading “A letter to the struggling autism mom.”

This season is a season of hard

As I lay here with silent tears streaming down my face, Jackson is vocal stimming (manic laughter), with a body that just can’t find a calm state, evenings have been hard lately, he just can’t wind himself down anymore. Even as we lay here and he’s drifting off to sleep he’s moaning to keep theContinue reading “This season is a season of hard”