Autism Is a Family Story - Finding Cooper's Voice

Autism has been in the news a lot the last few days.

More than I’ve ever seen in my fourteen years of being a mama to a child with severe nonverbal autism.

I thought it’s what I wanted. To be seen. To be understood. To finally have people take notice of this complicated, mysterious, magical life alongside autism.

Reading and hearing about my son’s disability, mostly being shared by people who don’t live it, has been unsettling.

So much fighting. A lot of us verses them. Finger pointing. Blame. Name calling.

I feel like, as the mom, once again I’m being silenced.

No one is listening. They are talking over us and around us.

The loudest voices seem to forget that this is a family diagnosis. And I don’t mean that in a genetic way. I mean that autism affects every person in our family. And differently.

Autism is a person.

A family.

A mom and dad.

Brothers and sisters.

I find myself longing for this news cycle to pass. Waiting to be forgotten again.

It’s easier to live this life without the peanut gallery chiming in. This I know.

In the meantime though, I thought I’d share with you all that my son had the hugest win today.

He went to the doctor.

He walked in.

He waited for us to check in.

He asked me to open the blinds in the waiting room.

He walked with the nurse when she called his name.

And he sat perfectly still while he had his blood drawn twice. Yes, twice.

His dad held one hand. He had me cover his eyes. We counted to 20. And then 30. And then 10.

He was terrified. But he did it.

I didn’t think it would ever be possible without a fight.

He asked for two cookies after. I would have honestly given him a cookie factory.

He is growing up in so many ways.

We keep going. We keep living. And fighting and advocating for autism. For him. For us. For our family.

Thank you for being here with us. And for believing in his story.

Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook.

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