Then she told me her sibling had a development disability. And I told her my brother did too. I knew we would be friends.

Here are 12 of the now nearly 100 members of Finding Cooper’s Voice Blog Squad. Daily they inspire, advocate, educate, and give hope to others going through the special needs life. Each of them has started either a blog and/or social media channels to help advocate. It has been amazing watching each of them grow and help others simply by sharing their story. Have a blog or social channels that’s focused on advocacy? Come join us! Here’s how: 1. Join Coop’s Troops: https://www.facebook.com/becomesupporter/772295979579532/ 2. Join Coop’s Troop Blog Squad Remember,…

My child, thank you for being my son and teaching me everything you have. I wouldn't change a thing about you.

You are more than a caregiver, but when your child's needs are high you sometimes lose yourself in the process. Remember, you are not alone.

For years I tried to talk about our world. I tried over a glass of wine at a happy hour or at a birthday party with my other son.

Once it was quiet, we brought him back to the Christmas room, with dimmed lights and no one crowding him. He had a great time. Christmas was saved.

So raise your voice mama bears. Raise them loud and be bold. For change only comes when we don’t do what we’re told.

Throughout our journey to finding your voice I have come to learn the beauty in the simplicity of a whisper.

I have the challenging kid. The one who doesn’t want to cooperate or participate with anything, unless there is something in it for him. Even then it’s hit or miss. And teaching him new things feels impossible, you’re always met with so much resistance. He’s loud and screams—a lot, because he has such big emotions and no way of expressing them. I have the kid who has sensory needs. He spins and goes upside down and refuses textures and adventures. He stims by squealing and dancing and tapping on his…

My son has blessed far more strangers and friends by venturing into their world. It will be the biggest gift you give in your life.

The world needs a little more patience, empathy, and acceptance. It is a vital part of autism awareness and it needs to start now.

‘It’s a wondrous thing how the wild calms the child.’ – unknown There is something about being outside that makes life better. For all of Cooper’s life, we have made being outdoors a priority. And I don’t mean busy parks or commercialized places. I mean the woods. Fields. Lakes. Deserted trails. See, we tried going where the people were when he was younger. When he was first diagnosed with autism. We tried so hard to make it work. But he never quite understood what to do in those places. If…

As a mother to a teenager with autism, I cycled through many emotions during the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis.

If you ask me about my brother, know that I’m watching how you respond. Because to date me, you don’t have to love dogs. You must, however, love autism.

If you have yet to find your tribe, let me know, I’ll direct you and you can join me there and feel whole again. I promise.

So, how did Halloween go? That is the question on everyone’s mind. Cooper rocked it. He wore his costume and went to 10 or so houses. He even grabbed or took candy and even waved to every candy giver when asked. Towards the end he would get in the stroller in between houses but refused to stay in the stroller when his cousins went up to the house. It was pretty damn great. Little stuff like that means a lot to me. Towards the end he started trying to peek by the…

I am grappling with the truth of a life that is far from what I expected. Autism has thrown me a curve ball and I’m still fumbling the catch years later.

Today was the first day that my entire family was able to attend church. I felt victorious. All because the kindness of a stranger.

You were not sure how I would be able to be successful in your graduate program because I used a communication device and had physical limitations.

Some moments will be better than others but, if you look for the silver linings, those slivers of sunshine in your day, it will make all the difference.

Here we are two years later, thriving instead of surviving in a life that is still filled with challenges, roadblocks and some really, really hard days.

Sometimes things are too much for me to handle. Sometimes when I think, I just think of really frustrating things. I don't mean to but my body just does.

This December I am honoring the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family members that make a difference in your special needs world.

This December I am honoring the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family members that make a difference in your special needs world.

Have you ever prayed so hard for something and when God answers your prayer it is the opposite of what you expected. Then when you look back it was the biggest blessing that you ever experienced? I remember the day so clearly. It was a beautiful Friday in August. We were on our way to Green Bay to celebrate Chad’s nephew’s birthday. As our car was pulling out of the driveway, my phone rang. It was Katie, one of the supervisors at WEAP. She was calling to say that they…

I have been writing and thinking about autism for sixteen years now. I have considered it from every angle. Especially my son's.

This November, I want to honor the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family members that make a difference in your special needs world.

Those early years were so tough and seemed to crawl by. You couldn’t talk until you were seven, but now I swear you make up for lost time.

This journey has helped me to realize that all those years ago I wasn’t striving to speak, I was striving to communicate — to connect with the world.

All I could think was I have become the judgemental parent thinking that “my kid’s autism is worse than yours.” I felt sick. What is happening to me.

This December I am honoring the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family members that make a difference in your special needs world.

My brother received his degree but yet because of his diagnosis of autism, he can’t even get an interview for a job in that field.

This December I am honoring the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family members that make a difference in your special needs world.

He's a little boy who is going to have his moments of defiance. No, it is not because he has autism that he’s acting that way.

On Sunday we brought Cooper to see Thomas the Train. Good old Thomas makes a trip to Duluth once a year and it’s a huge day in Cooper’s world. It’s also the cutest thing ever. It’s held at the depot and kids actually get to go on a 20 minutes train ride. Last August when we went and saw Thomas, Cooper was 2.5 and he has just been (mis)diagnosed with a moderate hearing loss in both ears. He was very nonverbal at this point in his life. His breakthroughs didn’t really happen…

You couldn’t tell me for one simple reason—the skills we work the hardest for are the ones we lose first under stress. All of us.

I am blessed with a daughter who has a large vocabulary and clear dictation. She can read fluently and make up complex sentences. She can remember accurate facts about things and repeat these readily. She can make choices, recall events and express her opinion. As a result of all of the above it is assumed (wrongly) that her autism is mild, has limited impact on her life and something to be of little concern about. People are too quick to assume if a child is verbal that everything is fine.…

That’s the thing with raising a child with Autism, there are good days and bad days. Blue skies and grey. All coexisting in acceptance.

Sometimes I have to remind myself to breathe and allow the tears to flow while I mourn the loss of a ‘normal’ life for her.

In the Autism world, the word haircut is a very, very bad word and almost sounds like an insult or cuss word when we hear it leave someone's lips.

This November I want to honor the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family members that make a difference in your special needs world.

Friend, as much as I want to talk to you, I can't. The more I dive into your world, the more I realize how different mine is.

The second I think I’ve grasped each obstacle another one slaps us in the face. I think that’s our new normal. And that has to be okay.

This December I am honoring the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family members that make a difference in your special needs world.

This November I want to honor and thank the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family that make a difference in your special needs world.

While all many kids may have autism, the group that is nonverbal is smaller. Nonverbal past age five, even smaller. At ten, even smaller.

When bittersweet moments creep up on us we may shed a tear at the bitter but hopefully the sweet will be enough to get us through.

I hope one day you see me as a person, not just your Mom. I hope one day you can make sense of why your I was often unavailable to you.

This November I want to honor the doctors, therapists, teachers, friends and family members that make a difference in your special needs world.

When you have a kiddo with autism, or delays of any kind, there's this period of grace. It's the season of life where adults have or gain some knowledge.