What Kind of Autism Does he Have?
+ Signed Copies of Autism Out Loud
‘What kind of autism does he have?’
I get that question a lot lately. It typically comes from someone new to my life.
A fellow sports parent.
A stranger at a party.
A grandparent at the park.
See when I tell people I have four kids, ages 3 to 14, people ask questions.
What schools do they go too?
What sports do they play?
Do you know so and so?
My son is 14 too!
I tell them about each of my kids, with pride and love and humor. I share stories like all moms. The stories are what connect us.
Toddlers who don’t listen. Little brothers who push the limits. Tips to get grass stains out of white baseball pants. The challenges of raising these tiny humans.
And my yellow haired boy who has autism.
‘What kind of autism does he have?’
The question comes from a curious place typically. A kind one too. And sometimes I will hear hope in a person’s question. Hoping it’s the ‘good’ kind.
See I think for so long our society has painted severe nonverbal autism with a dark color. A stain even. The hardest parts of the diagnosis rising to the top.
And most people don’t understand that he is just a boy. He is 13 years old. He is a seventh grader.
He wants to have a pool party with his friends and visit a trampoline park.
He feeds sheep and donkeys at outdoor therapy. And plays Miracle League. A few weeks ago, he went to a school dance with two friends. We bought him a suit jacket, and I cried happy/sad tears when I watched his dad lovingly help him into it.
He is a brother and a son and a grandson. And some day maybe a brother-in-law. And an uncle.
He’s waiting for 5 movies to come in the mail. Each one is about Steam Trains.
He can spell and read and tell time. He’s wants to take a road trip to the I Love Toy Trains Store in Michigan City, Indiana. It’s a six-hour drive. He found the address in Google Maps. He adores birthday parties and pool parties.
He can say 25 or so words. He uses sign language and a speech device and has no trouble getting his point across.
His name is Cooper. He is unapologetically himself.
He is just a boy. A typical, normal, average, everyday boy who happens to have autism. His life is not easy. I won’t lie and say it is. But he’s happy too. We are happy.
He needs help in a lot of areas. Accommodations too. And patience. Kindness. Understanding.
I supposed you could say he has the kind of autism that not a lot of people talk about. But we do.
Because he is so much more. And no one should be reduced to just their hard parts. No one.
Thank you all for being here and learning about him and autism.
Signed copies of Autism Out Loud are the best copies! AND! They are signed by Carrie, Adrian, Kate, Jack, Amos, and Cooper.
They are available ONLY as Ducks Cottage and Downtown Books in North Carolina. She will ship anywhere in the USA!
Reading now! Learning so much. I have a 21 yo grandson on the spectrum, high functioning, but still with a lot of difficulties.
Beautiful response to a complicated question. 💕