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Or the importance of setting up an example for our children When it comes to parenting, I try to remember that how I act affects how my children behave. It…
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How did you know you had autism? For my entire life, I’ve watched the world through a porthole. Disconnected, alone. Before Charlie was even two, he was diagnosed with autism. At…
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You need to listen to autistic adults If you’re the neurotypical parent of an autistic child and have the audacity to speak about your child’s autism, you’ve probably been told by…
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I often worry about how Charlie’s autism affects Jude. Charlie gets rewarded for things that Jude has been able to do since he was a baby, and that’s hard for Jude…
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We can’t smile through it all It’s not reasonable for us parents to be optimists all the time. To smile through it all. To experience no moments of disappointment when faced…
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“How is he doing?” I often get asked how Charlie is doing, and the truth is I’m not sure how to answer. I wish I could just ask Charlie. Such a…
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Listen up. Autism isn’t a gift for everyone. Autism isn’t always a superpower. Celebrating differences is great, but it’s important to remember that many on the spectrum do not see their…
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Autism, mistakes, ABA therapy and CPS I debated sharing this for obvious reasons, but I believe this will be helpful for many parents. I also know a lot of you follow…
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Charlie, I can’t promise that I’ll be the perfect mother at all times, but I promise I’ll do my best. I can’t promise to always make the right decisions for how…
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How to help autistic children with sleep? Sleep is an issue for so many kiddos on the spectrum. Charlie’s been struggling with sleep, on and off, for years and years now.…
![You often hear about insurance companies being hard to deal with, and covering therapy for autistic kids is no exception. We’ve had to jump through a few holes in the past, but this latest one takes the cake. We switched insurance companies on February 1st and they wouldn’t cover Charlie’s therapy unless he got another autism diagnosis! Apparently his previous diagnosis of the lifelong autism spectrum disorder wasn’t recent enough for them.
Anyway, we got lucky and were able to switch his existing check-up for a testing appointment on the 13th. Without that, Charlie could’ve been left without the therapy he needs for months while we waited for an appointment.
It’s not ideal, and I’m upset, but it could have been a lot worse. We got extremely lucky. So thank you to his developmental pediatrician and the therapy center who worked that out for us.
To everyone who’s been through this, you’re not alone. It sucks—I get it. something you can always do is tell the doctor that you were literally on call anytime, any day, and you’ll come in at the drop of a hat to take the place of a cancellation. I hope y’all as fortunate as we are when figuring out a way around insurance hurdles. 💕 [more in stories]](http://scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/e35/c98.0.1244.1244a/s320x320/84336408_620539495375207_7136195876578906094_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=107&_nc_ohc=nC5FR1frXO8AX84B_CY&oh=0361c2fb979e0a47ba5bfcaa51c0b217&oe=5EC83489 "You often hear about insurance companies being hard to deal with, and covering therapy for autistic kids is no exception. We’ve had to jump through a few holes in the past, but this latest one takes the cake. We switched insurance companies on February 1st and they wouldn’t cover Charlie’s therapy unless he got another autism diagnosis! Apparently his previous diagnosis of the lifelong autism spectrum disorder wasn’t recent enough for them.
Anyway, we got lucky and were able to switch his existing check-up for a testing appointment on the 13th. Without that, Charlie could’ve been left without the therapy he needs for months while we waited for an appointment.
It’s not ideal, and I’m upset, but it could have been a lot worse. We got extremely lucky. So thank you to his developmental pediatrician and the therapy center who worked that out for us.
To everyone who’s been through this, you’re not alone. It sucks—I get it. something you can always do is tell the doctor that you were literally on call anytime, any day, and you’ll come in at the drop of a hat to take the place of a cancellation. I hope y’all as fortunate as we are when figuring out a way around insurance hurdles. 💕 [more in stories]")
![When did we know Charlie was autistic?
At Charlie’s 18-month checkup, we filled out a questionnaire we filled out at his 15-month checkup too. Same old questions, same old answers. Pointing? No. Eye contact? No. Clapping? No. Brings you a rock when he sees one on the ground? No. Points to a plane in the sky? No. Greets you when you come home? Answers to his name? Follows directions? No, no, and hell no. We handed our responses to his pediatrician, but yet again, she told us not to worry because these were routine questions and they were only asking because these behaviors are early signs of autism. And then she said it. She said not to worry because “Charlie is obviously not autistic.” She had known Charlie for over a year. She had given him his check-ups. She was an expert. So we went home, satisfied.
I wish I had known then what I know now. How could this Doctor know so little about autism? After all, 1 in 59 children has autism. You’d think pediatricians would be better trained, particularly because early intervention is key and the earlier the diagnosis, the better chance the child will have to learn key skills and progress. “Obviously not autistic.” What did she see in Charlie that made her think he didn’t have autism? Or what did she expect to see that she didn’t? [...]
And then it all happened fast. Over the course of a few weeks, Charlie started losing the few words he had until he stopped speaking altogether. I wasn’t hearing his sweet little voice ask me for “de l’eau” or saying “thank you” after I gave him a cookie. Charlie became completely nonverbal and it seemed as if our connection was loosening. He didn’t like to be touched. He avoided people, even us, his parents. Something switched and while occasionally, before, he would sit with us, he now only seemed to want to be alone. He wouldn’t even look at us anymore, and I was scared. I didn’t recognize my child. This is when I started to understand that Charlie was really different, Charlie needed help.
[Excerpt from my book/ link in bio ✨]](http://scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/e35/c212.0.1016.1016a/s320x320/83774023_601247050725915_4108519515038410824_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=103&_nc_ohc=u4TmQWn5P68AX8xkRPn&oh=3389132edd052210d2ab6910e5395cfe&oe=5EE7B7DD "When did we know Charlie was autistic?
At Charlie’s 18-month checkup, we filled out a questionnaire we filled out at his 15-month checkup too. Same old questions, same old answers. Pointing? No. Eye contact? No. Clapping? No. Brings you a rock when he sees one on the ground? No. Points to a plane in the sky? No. Greets you when you come home? Answers to his name? Follows directions? No, no, and hell no. We handed our responses to his pediatrician, but yet again, she told us not to worry because these were routine questions and they were only asking because these behaviors are early signs of autism. And then she said it. She said not to worry because “Charlie is obviously not autistic.” She had known Charlie for over a year. She had given him his check-ups. She was an expert. So we went home, satisfied.
I wish I had known then what I know now. How could this Doctor know so little about autism? After all, 1 in 59 children has autism. You’d think pediatricians would be better trained, particularly because early intervention is key and the earlier the diagnosis, the better chance the child will have to learn key skills and progress. “Obviously not autistic.” What did she see in Charlie that made her think he didn’t have autism? Or what did she expect to see that she didn’t? [...]
And then it all happened fast. Over the course of a few weeks, Charlie started losing the few words he had until he stopped speaking altogether. I wasn’t hearing his sweet little voice ask me for “de l’eau” or saying “thank you” after I gave him a cookie. Charlie became completely nonverbal and it seemed as if our connection was loosening. He didn’t like to be touched. He avoided people, even us, his parents. Something switched and while occasionally, before, he would sit with us, he now only seemed to want to be alone. He wouldn’t even look at us anymore, and I was scared. I didn’t recognize my child. This is when I started to understand that Charlie was really different, Charlie needed help.
[Excerpt from my book/ link in bio ✨]")