What Autism Progress Really Looks Like: A Twelve-Year Journey from Bittersweet to Hope
Twelve years ago today, I wrote a blog post titled “Bittersweet and Autism”—a reflection on parenting twin boys, one neurotypical, one on the autism spectrum, and the small victories and silent aches that come with the territory. Today, I’m sharing that post again—and reflecting on how far we’ve come. Twelve Years After Bittersweet Twelve years ago, […]
If Special Olympics Parents Could Rule the World
This morning, I stood at the edge of a small indoor pool at the Special Olympics Regional Swim Meet, watching Stone get ready for his events. And I felt it. That unmistakable, overwhelming feeling I’ve come to recognize at these gatherings. It’s not just pride. It’s not just joy. It’s what the world is supposed […]
The Dignity of Risk: Lessons from Life, Business, and Parenting a Non-Speaker
I wasn’t always a risk-taker. In fact, for much of my early life, I gravitated toward safety, structure, and predictability. But sometime in my twenties, I came across a book that changed how I viewed risk entirely. I don’t even remember the title now, but its message hit me square in the chest: without risk, […]
Building Bridges: Stone’s Journey from Student to Advocate
Sometimes, life takes you in a direction you never imagined. And in those moments, you realize just how much is possible. This past fall, Stone and I participated in a webinar hosted by the Northwest Augmentative Communication Society titled “Thoughtful Inquiry: Spelling for Communication.” Its purpose was to give SLPs an opportunity to hear directly […]
