A Thank You Letter to My Kids, the “Typical” Siblings I know having a sibling with special needs has not been easy on any of you. Autism is like a kaleidoscope. While it certainly brings a lot of color to our life, each piece is different from the rest. Every twist gives a different view, and the effect is different for everyone. Autism has not only altered your sister’s life but the lives of all of us who love her and walk beside her. It is overlooked how much the…

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My son Cooper has always reached for a hand to hold when we are in the community. But not just any hand. Typically only mom or dad. He likes the comfort of us walking alongside him. Usually we lead. Or we walk side-by-side. And as he’s gotten older, he’s even started to lead more. But he’s always only an arms length away. We are his safe spot. His translator. His buffer. His armor. We help him decipher. We explain. We protect. We walk. We often refer to him as a…

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‘Dad! Is everything alright?’ That’s what I said when ‘Dad Cell’ flashed on my phone. I half expected it to be someone else. A relative. A nurse. Someone telling me something happened. My stomach felt sick as I waited the few seconds for a voice to respond. ‘Katie. Did you catch the game today?’ I gasped. See my dad hasn’t called me in a really long time. He used to call me weekly and then he had a stroke and it changed him. It changed the way he walks and…

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