We recently took a trip to Philadelphia with Brian. It was just Brian, myself and Isaac. After driving 12 hours, we landed in the heart of the city. It is always a challenge to travel with Isaac. It is a challenge to try and control the environment enough to mitigate potential overwhelm—the noises, the smells,…

About a year ago, our boy began experiencing intense bouts of dysregulation climaxing in extreme, irrational violence toward himself and others attempting to keep him safe. Even though we had consulted with medical professionals and behavioral professionals, we were not offered the information, guidance, or tools we needed to deal with the extreme rage and…

Yesterday I was sitting with Isaac on squishy seats in the spacious YMCA lobby. Isaac enjoys sitting there, and through the glass wall separating the lobby area from the large pool, he loves watching people swim. On this particular day, he was working on a “paint-by-sticker” page on his clipboard in addition to people watching.…

Our family moved last summer. It was quite the ordeal. What made it almost unmanageable was the effect all of this sudden change had on Isaac’s autistic brain—not just the change itself, which is hard enough on anyone… It was this life altering transition without having the ability to ask questions, express opinions, share concerns,…

Motherhood has become an integral part of my identity. It is changing me. Some of that carving and shaping has been deeply joyous. Some of it has been incredibly painful. And my kids. They delight me to my core. They teach me about living in the moment; about loving the joys found in ordinary days.…

Spring. I love the burst of newness in the air. The colors that pop in patient places that have waited in brown silence for their time. I love the sounds of life—all the little creatures waking up and being born. We recently moved to the woods. It is a sacred spot of earth to me…

There are many verbal autistic people or people who are caregivers to autistic individuals who feel strongly that autism is inherent to the makeup of self—to the essence of who one is now and forever. I hear this song often, and I believe it is true to some extent. I believe God knew exactly what…

Lately, Isaac’s sleep schedule has been crazy. It’s always been crazy….just not this crazy. After hours of playing in his dark room, he finally will drift off anywhere between the hours of 3am-8am. This kid loves to be awake at night and sleep during the day. He is nocturnal at heart. Ironically, things got much…

The call came after my quiet prayer that Brian would be able to protect Isaac’s head. I had felt that something would go terribly wrong that night, and I had been right. Brian had taken Isaac to Walmart to “play with the toys” as was part of his daily routine. Isaac loves going to the…