Autism Makes the Small Things Feel Big
Cooper's 8th Grade Dance
A diagnosis of autism changes everything.
The big things and the small things too.
I remember when the young doctor said the words out loud for the first time.
Level three nonverbal autism.
Cooper was three years old. And even though we knew in our hearts that she was right…well, it felt almost unbelievable.
Not our son. See, our son was fine.
He was just a late talker. A later bloomer. He beat to his own drum. He was different. He was just Cooper.
My mind screamed every excuse possible. While my heart tried to hold onto the life I had pictured for him when I held him in my arms for the first time.
Baseball games. School dances. Graduation. A driver’s license.
Now he is 14 years old. He still carries the same diagnosis he received all those years ago. And trust me, it’s spot on.
Last night he went to a unified dance with his two best friends.
He wore a suit coat for a minute.
We ate at McDonald’s before.
He danced.
He laughed.
They took photos together.
He sneaky set off the AED alarm case a few times. (Which had me sprinting across the gym!)
He took a group photo.
It was truly wonderful. The best really. Gosh I love these kids, and I feel so truly blessed to belong to them.
This diagnosis has taken so much from us. BUT it’s given us more in return.
I was reminded of that last night.
Autism. It makes the small things feel big.
I still can’t believe the whirlwind of the last 14 days. Autism Out Loud became an instant New York Times Best Seller at spot number 7. I almost couldn’t believe it. In fact, with our publishing team called us, I was frantically buying white tap shoes for Wynnie.
This is the first time EVER that a book with autism in the title has made the list. And only the 4th book on the topic of autism to make the list. This is a big deal. Bigger than us. This is a win for autism.
Thank you all for supporting us.
Kate
Love this discussion!!!!’ It is needed like no other. I will speak for myself as a mother of of a child with severe autism. “I WANT TO KNOW WHY!” I will shout it from the rooftops if I have to. With studies that have been done about vaccines, I don’t think it has been enough , or the right angle. The issue needs to be openly discussed. It’s the things we are Not being told that bother me about the vaccines. This doesn’t mean I’m against Vaccines altogether, just want to expose the truth. I feel we as country have not been told the truth over the past 60 years or more. The same with pesticides and environmental exposures.
I have a child with severe autism who is one of the biggest blessings in my life. I can’t imagine life without him. However, he has a severe disability. The disability does negatively affect him, our family, and our community. With the rising numbers of autism, we will have an epidemic of people who need a caregiver when their parents are gone. Has anyone even thought about that?
So, I’m very happy for the fact that somebody in our government is bringing up the issue. I personally don’t think we will have the answers this fall, but welcome the talk and research. It is about time for this. That’s all I have to say….😬
I’m normally a shy person and do not like to even speak out on any social media for any reason whatsoever. I’m just ready for this. That’s all. I’m sorry if I have offended anyone, but I just had to share my thoughts.
Kate!!! This is wonderful!! It looks like they had a ball and green is his color. Bonus surprise workout with that AED alarm- whew. Fries and dancing with friends- what a great night. So happy for y’all!!