21 Comments

  1. So cool reading this!
    My 4 yr old son gets so frustrated not being able to communicate so he uses pictures when he can. I am going to get some letters out to see what/if he can spell!
    Thankyou!

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  3. Thank you for sharing! Our 3.5 year old ASD son has ALWAYS loved letters….he spells words, he reads, and has a true obsession with anything letter related. We had him in the school special ed preschool for 2 months and pulled him out! He is non verbal (only in the functional communication sort of way, because his vocabulary far exceeds any adult that I know). We are getting way more progress through our ABA therapies, than anything right now. We know whats best for our kiddos! And in our case too, school, right now, or maybe never, just isn’t what’s best! Thank you for sharing. We can very much relate!!

  4. The disapproval was palpable whenever I talked about homeschooling my Afon. It makes me angry to this day to think of it. He will be five in February, and he is in school. In the end, it became too much for me. I’m pretty sure he has ADHD as well as autism, and the dangerous situations he puts himself in + damage to the household goods is exhausting. I realized it was better to send him off to the care of qualified people (and he really likes it school!) than to exhaust myself and become a screaming, raging mess.

    Afon’s thing is drawing. He’s not as interested in letters. He sort of writes hieroglyphs, some of the letters which you can decipher, but he’s not interested in spelling out things. He is an amazing artist, though. All. Over. The walls. AHEM.

    Is Emmet still nonverbal, or is he getting better? Afon seems to learn words and then lose them. He’s horrified of the toilet as well. I’d love to hear how you eventually get E to use the potty. ;)

  5. Carolyn, Glad I found your blog. I am a nanny for a family of 3. Their son, age 3, is in my opinion, autistic. I am trying to muster up the knowledge and courage to speak with them about it. I heard a good story on NPR one day you might like.

    http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/05/27/suskind-disney-autistic

    We are Catholic and have 3 grown children of our own who we homeschooled. One is married and a social worker. She has been helping me with my list of ASD symptoms to talk with the parents about.

    I think parents have so much to offer their children by homeschooling. It’s difficult at times, but the family bond is so different. I wouldn’t trade that for the world. Keep doing what you’re doing and I wish you and your family many blessings.

    Warmly, Patty L.

  6. School has been mostly a positive for us, but if it weren’t, we’d pull him. It’s just too scary otherwise. It’s one of those things that I don’t think that a lot of people think about when it comes to SN kids, but I honestly fear for his safety. He is just such a target, and you can’t really even trust the staff 100%.

    Also, I almost started clapping when I saw your pictures.

    My son at 4:
    https://www.instagram.com/p/KVmmurEVx7/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/bA4fNzEVwU/

    1. Oh my goodness I LOVE those pictures! Amazing. Thank you for visiting! It’s wonderful to meet other SN parents with hyperlexia in the mix. <3

  7. When you repeat back “help” to him after he typed it in that video, I love how his face just lights up!! Thank you for sharing this story. You are doing an amazing job.

  8. That is fantastic that he loves letters! I tried to put my 3 year old into preschool but I could tell he was just different from the other kids. He was with 5 year olds who didn’t know their letters and my son was bored as he’d learned them at 18 months.
    So we took him out of preschool and are just letting him be 3.
    Moms know better all the time! :)

  9. You’re doing such a great job, Carolyn! I’m so inspired by your devotion, and smarts, and care of your wonderful son – he’s amazing!

  10. I applaud your efforts. What a beautiful boy! Your instincts will lead you where you need to go next. I have no experience with autism….only loving children and seeing them as wonderful creations of God, each unique. Follow the clues, take care of yourself in the process, because an exhausted Mommy likely will not be able to see the clues. It is wonderful that you found others that share some of your unique challenges. God bless you, Emmett, Daddy and siblings and your extended family in this family journey with Emmett.

  11. I’ve been waiting for this ever since you wrote the first one. I don’t have a child with autism. But your sharing is not just teaching me about autism, but about parenting the whole person. I am a parent and a homeschooler and marvel at the unique brilliance and challenges of each child. I hope that we would all parent the way you are… sensitively tuned in to personhood, not just to diagnosis or the standard of mainstream “normal.” And with life-giving sacrificial love. I hope you continue to write and to share as you are able. Your son, and your family, are a gift to the world.

  12. I applaud your decision to keep this amazing boy home, at least for now. Autism is SUCH a broad spectrum of behaviors, and some kids with it thrive in school and others don’t. Administrators aren’t always open to admitting that a child does not fit in a school, whether the mainstream classroom setting or inclusive setting for students with special needs…and teachers can’t really legally say it, even though they may desperately want to. I’m a middle school teacher and have witnessed this firsthand in my short 3.5 year career. So until you’re comfortable and confident that he could adjust and possible thrive, do your thing. ??????????

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