• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Join Me On

Love Always, Joann

Stay Connected!

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Disney
    • Recipes
    • Disney Planning
    • Disney Vacation 2019
  • My Story
  • Special Needs Parenting
    • Autism
  • Blog
    • Health & Beauty
    • Sponsored Posts
    • Product recommendations
    • Cooking & Baking
    • Travel
  • Etsy Shop
  • Privacy Policy

on April 2, 2021 ·

World Autism Day 2021 – Answering Your Questions About Autism.

I can’t believe a whole year has passed, but it’s here again today – World Autism Day 2021.  I thought long and hard about what I wanted to write about for this year.  Again, I am so happy to be collaborating with my friend, Jessica Holley, from at @Blessedjess.  This is our third year doing this together and I am so honored to be able to share this very special day for our families with her. 

We weren’t sure what we wanted to share this year but, after thinking about it and tossing around a few ideas, we were able to come up with this year’s theme.  I decided to ask my followers on social media what questions they had about autism.  It could be anything from questions about Michael’s autism diagnosis, his therapy, or being an autism mom.  As always, my friends did not disappoint, and they sent me so many excellent questions.  I’m going to answer those questions here, but coming soon, I’m also going to share on my YouTube channel as well.  In addition to collaborating with Jessica, I also asked some of my autism moms who follow me to share what they would like everyone to know about their child with autism.  I’m grateful that this platform has given us all a voice to be able to express how we feel, educate, spread awareness and hopefully develop more acceptance for our children and our families.  This is so important to us all.  Whether your child’s disability is autism, down’s syndrome or cerebral palsy, all of us want you to know there is so much more to them then their diagnosis.  So, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you all for allowing us to have this day to share our love for our children and have the opportunity to educate and advocate for a more inclusive world for our families. 

Now let’s get to the questions!

How did you feel when he (Michael) was diagnosed?

 It was probably one of the most difficult days of my life.  Hearing the doctor very abruptly blurt out, “Yeah, he has autism,” was awful.  She was very nonchalant, like it was just another day at the office for her.  By her, I mean the Pediatric Neurologist who initially diagnosed Michael.  I also must share that two months before Michael’s diagnosis, I lost my mom to cancer.  I was already very depressed and I’m afraid the autism diagnosis took my mental state down to a whole other level.  The one thing I can say is, I already had a gut feeling that she would say he had autism.  I had friends whose siblings had autism; and, even though I did not know firsthand what their life was like, I was familiar with a few of the hardships.   

I felt very lost in the beginning and even now, the feelings can come back without warning.  I felt alone then and not having my mom to help me during that time made things even harder.  I had way too much to deal with in a very short amount of time.  The process of getting through the diagnosis was and is very slow.  I also wonder if I would have been able to handle it better if my situation were different.  I think my circumstances made it so much more difficult.  I, of course, had my husband’s support.  I would have never made it through that without him.  He is always more optimistic than me and, at the same time, he is a realist.  He has never sugar-coated anything so, with him by my side and by our son’s side, I knew we could get through anything.   

The one thing that I wish I had done differently is not allow myself to get hung up on the doctor’s words and opinions.  Michael’s first Pediatric Neurologist had the audacity to say, “Hopefully, in time, he will grow out of this.”  I will never forget that.  She said or suggested that Michael could actually “grow out” of autism.  I hung onto that, although, knowing deep down, there is no growing out of autism.  Yes, things can improve, but it is not something you grow out of.  The second thing she said, and what really was the deciding factor in finding a new doctor, was when we returned a year later for another visit.  She looked at Michael for a few seconds and said, “Oh my God, he’s still not talking?!  What are you doing?” She really caught me off guard and I left the office annoyed, but knowing that was it for her. 

Although Michael’s initial diagnosis and prognosis was difficult, we have seen progress.  The progress is slow, but it is still progress.  As the years have gone by and Michael has progressed, there is always something else that comes up.  My understanding is this is typical.  Our autism journey will never end, but we are always hopeful that Michael will have a bright future.  

It took me a long time to get where I am now with his diagnosis.  I am not going to say it does not really bother me at times.  It is difficult, but there are some beautiful moments along the way.  I love to see Michael communicating, learning a new skill, or just seeing him happy.  His biggest accomplishment this year is a leisure activity we’ve been working to teach him for quite a while.  He will now sit independently and watch a TV show.

How did you know something was wrong?  

Michael was hitting all his milestones up until a little after a year old.  Michael has a twin brother and I could tell the differences between each of them.  Although Michael started to walk first at 14 months, it seems after that he slowly started to change.  I could not really pinpoint what was different and that was frustrating to try to explain to his pediatrician.  As the months went by, I just had a gut feeling that something was not right.  He did have eye contact; he was not a toe walker.  He was babbling and starting to say a few words.  By October of 2013, I knew for certain that something was not right.  After talking again to his pediatrician, even though she insisted every child’s development was different, she gave me the information to have him evaluated. 

I had both boys evaluated at the same time and the results proved that Michael was very behind and that Alex could also use a little assistance.  When the evaluation was completed and presented to us, I was extremely overwhelmed.  I remember asking from the very beginning, did they think Michael had autism?  No one would answer me directly.  I know now that they were not able to share their opinions.  The Early Intervention Team suggested Michael would need EI twice a week and Alex once a week.  About a month into EI with Michael, his therapist asked if it would be okay for a Behaviorist to come and observe Michael.  We agreed not knowing exactly what he was observing.  After he spent some time with Michael, he very nicely said, “I would like to suggest taking Michael for an evaluation with a Developmental Pediatrician.”  He told us it could take several months to get an appointment, but felt it was necessary.  To everyone’s surprise we found a doctor to take him right away.  The wonderful (not!) doctor I spoke about previously had an opening, so we took it.  At 21 months old, Michael was diagnosed with Autism.  Even though, I knew deep down that he had autism, it was still very upsetting to hear. 

Is Michael able to socialize with anyone other than close family? 

Yes, Michael is very social.  He loves to be around people and interact with them.  He is a big hugger and, although he may not be able to communicate with words, he is able to interact.  It can be difficult to understand what he wants if you are not familiar with Michael.  He does use his AAC device (Augmentative & Alternative Communication device) while at school and he is able to communicate effectively with it.  We will occasionally use it at home but, for the most part, we already know what he is asking for.  He also loves to be with the kids in his class.  This past year has been very difficult for him with virtual learning.  He loves to be with people and, hopefully, that will change soon. 

How do you cope with the unknown?

To be honest, this is something I am consistently working on.  This past year, I made a conscious decision to try and focus on the here and now; but occasionally, the worries of the future come creeping back.   Whereas most parents’ responsibilities of taking care of their children end when they turn 18, a special needs parent must think beyond that and even when they are no longer living.  It is a lot to think about.    As the years go by, you will have to address these issues.  If you are just starting your autism journey with your child, my suggestion is to focus on what you can do right now to help your child.  You will, no doubt, be inundated with doctor and therapist appointments.  It is important to get them set up as soon as you receive their diagnosis.  Once you have that in place and things are moving along, you can try to start thinking about the future.  The beginning, it is so overwhelming; so just remember – one day at a time. 

This concludes the questions that you all asked.  Thank you so much!

Now, as I said above, I am featuring some personal stories from other autism moms.  There is a saying that if you meet one child with autism, you met one child with autism.  This is so true.  Although, they may have similar characteristics, every child with autism is very different.  I thought hearing the autism journeys of other families would be helpful to understand autism. 

Hi! my name is Lauren Petersen.  I am a Mom to an amazing kiddo, Aiden, who has ASD.  Aiden was diagnosed with ASD at 3 years old.  Looking back, I had always known that something just did not seem ‘right’ when it came to his development.  He met all his ‘marks’ at his visits, up until his 18-month well child visit.  After his 18-month-old visit he suffered a seizure.  His body shut down after spiking a fever of over 107.0 degrees.  My husband, who is a firefighter, was on shift that day.  I was home alone with Aiden and our 3.5-year-old daughter.  We called 911 and, by the time the firefighters got there, the seizure happened and his body regulated his temp (praise God).  From that day on, he just was not the same kiddo.  He went into what we now know as, “Regressive Autism”.  He stopped speaking; he stopped looking us in the eye.  He would just lay on the floor and stare.  Loud noises would trigger him into severe anxiety.  He became aggressive and would hit and yell; echolalia was all the time.  ‘Stemming’ and rigid behaviors began. 

We asked our PCP for a referral for speech therapy.  The speech therapist who performed the consult was, unfortunately, not trained in spotting ASD and misdiagnosed him with just a “speech delay”.  The typical, “He is a boy and just learning slowly.”  Well, as a ‘Mama Bear’, I refused to just accept what she was saying after almost a year.  I sought out a referral from our PCP for a consult at Seattle Children’s Hospitals, Pediatric Behavioral Health.  At that appointment, they called a “combative code” on us because he was so aggressive in the waiting room over the juice box not being ‘correct’.  At that appointment, they gave us a referral to the Autism Center for a consult.  They said the waitlist was one year long.  I refused to wait, so I contacted a family friend who had worked at the Children’s Hospital, trying to see if she could get us in sooner.  No go.  I asked her if there was ANYTHING she could do.  She then gave me the name of a friend of hers who worked at the Autism Center, but also had a private practice as Child Psychologist.  She was able to get us in within one week for an evaluation, but insurance would not cover the visit and it was going to be $1,500.  We made the appointment and Aiden received a diagnosis of Autism three weeks later.  We were handed a packet of the assessment and recommended treatment plan.  I remember sitting in the office, looking over the recommended therapies and said to her, “Wait, this is over 50 hours of therapies a week.  I would have to quit my job in ordered to do this.”  Her response was, “Yes, it is a lot of therapies.”  That is all she said.  Being professional, she of course could not tell a parent what to do or tell them to quit their job.  But, she did not have to say anything else.  I just knew.  The look on her face said it all.  I called my work that afternoon, quit my full-time job, and started calling every single therapist on the list and vetting all the clinics in the area.

Three months after Aiden’s diagnosis, he was in ABA therapy 5 days a week, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy, and Developmental Preschool.  We drove 200 miles a day, 5 days a week, 5 hours a day, traveling in the car to therapies.  We did this for three years and honestly, it was one of the most difficult times in our lives.  It was truly a dark time for our WHOLE family.  Aiden worked SO hard for years and after those three years, he was talking, his eye contact was improving, aggressive behaviors were going down, etc. 

In addition to traditional therapies, we left the standard western medicine world and tried numerous holistic treatments, which were amazingly successful for him.  We learned that Aiden had severe levels of toxic metals in his blood.  His gut was depleted of ALL good and bad bacteria.  He had numerous food sensitivities.  He had genetic ‘snips’ that made his body unable to detox and use B vitamins correctly, among many other issues.  We were lucky enough to have a doctor that specialized in Special Needs individuals and helped us use a holistic approach to help healing Aiden.  She is truly a miracle for him and our whole family. 

Having a child on the Spectrum is one of the most challenging, yet one of the most rewarding experiences.  I can honestly say that I would not have been able to say that just two years ago. It has taken a lot of mindset changes (on my part) to be able to see the gratefulness of this experience.  Aiden is one the most kind and loving kiddos I have ever met.  He absolutely lights up a room when he walks into it.  He brings a smile to anyone’s face.  He is the loudest person in the room, but he brings the most joy.  I am so grateful to be his Mom!  xoxo 

It is important to all special needs families for others to learn about our children.  The more you learn about autism, our life, our difficult times and the beautiful ones too, the more our children will be accepted.

If you would like more information or have additional questions about autism, please comment below.  I would love to share more info with you. Please share my information if there is someone you know who can benefit.   

Tweet
Pin4
Share
4 Shares

Filed Under: Autism, Special Needs Parenting Tagged With: Autism, Autism Awareness, autismacceptance, autismfamily, worldautismday

Previous Post: « Let’s Make A Recipe from Epcot’s France Pavilion!
Next Post: Let’s Make Disneyland’s Nostalgic S’mores Bake At Home! »

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our mailing list

Recent Comments

  • Joann on 5 Kitchen Tools You Need In Your Kitchen Today!
  • Joann on 5 Kitchen Tools You Need In Your Kitchen Today!
  • Jamieadstories on 5 Kitchen Tools You Need In Your Kitchen Today!
  • Lisa | Mind and Body Intertwined on 5 Kitchen Tools You Need In Your Kitchen Today!
  • Joanne on Let’s Make Disney’s Churros at Home!

Recent Posts

  • Cook With Me…. Live!
  • What I’m Taking To Disney!
  • We’re Going Back To Disney!

Archives

  • March 2023
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018

Categories

  • Autism
  • Beauty
  • Cooking & Baking
  • Disney
  • Disney Planning
  • Disney Vacation 2019
  • Disney Vacation Planning 2022
  • My Story
  • Product recommendations
  • Recipes
  • Special Needs Parenting
  • Sponsored Posts
  • The Little Things….Monthly Favorites
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

lovealwaysjoann

Lovealways,Joann
Good evening friends. I hope you all had a great Good evening friends.  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Yesterday we went To my sister’s house to celebrate her birthday.  It was nice to be with my family and a nice distraction from a week of grieving. Today is one week since Maggie passed away and it’s been hard getting use to her not being here.  One day at a time. 
Today, we went to lunch at one of our favorite Cuban restaurants and it was delicious. I couldn’t let the day go by without picking up a  St. Joseph’s Day pastry.  It reminds of spending the day with my grandparents and family celebrating this day together. 
Tonight Alex and I finished the final chapter in the book we’ve been reading as part of our town’s Read across America series.  It’s such a cute book called, “The World According to Humphrey.” I highly recommend it to read with your kids. 
Thank you to everyone who voted in my polls for my cook with me live youtube video.  Looks like we are making a Disney dinner recipe.  I will have to research this a little more.  More info coming soon! How was your weekend? Have a great evening! #weekendupdate #birthdaycelebration #family #stjosephsday #readacrossamerica
Good evening friends. I’m trying to get back in Good evening friends.  I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. It hasn’t been easy, but I’m going to jump right back into it and hope for the best. I’ve been working on my Cook With Me Live video on my YouTube channel.  I have a few recipes ideas but first I wanted to ask you all a few questions.  I’m going to start posting some questions in my stories.  This will help me plan the best experience for you! Thank you for your help! Also, please feel free to check out the link in my bio for updated information as we move forward. Have a good evening.  #cookwithme #livecooking #youtube #youtuber #letscooktogether
It is with a heavy heart that I share that my beau It is with a heavy heart that I share that my beautiful Maggie has crossed the rainbow bridge.  I feel completely devastated. 💔  I knew it was coming,  but it doesn’t make it any easier.  It’s hard for me to imagine a world without my Maggie in it. But I imagine heaven is even more beautiful with her in it. 
This has been really difficult for Alex.  Maggie was his first dog and this is the first time he is experiencing grief.  Although Michael doesn’t understand completely what has happened, he is very aware that Alex is very upset and we are doing our best to help him understand that we will all get through this difficult time.  I’m going to need a little time to get through this.  Please be patient with me as I try to help my family learn to live without Maggie.  Thank you all so much for all your thoughts and prayers.  It means so much to me to know that you all care about me and my family. ❤️#rainbowbridge #petloss #petlosshurts
Asking you all to keep us in your thoughts and pra Asking you all to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We had a rough night with our Maggie and I think it’s getting close for us to say goodbye.  I will be absolutely heartbroken and probably take some time away. 🙏💔 #heartbroken
I hope you all had a nice weekend! Yesterday we we I hope you all had a nice weekend! Yesterday we went to Alex’s basketball game and once again they won! Next week is the last game of the season.  It’s been great watching Alex improve every week.  He’s grown so much and I can tell he’s a little more confident. 
Today we did some errands and back home to relax. 
Thank you to everyone who voted yes to cooking live with me.  I’m working on a plan and will share all the information with you soon.  Right now I’m looking at scheduling this for sometime in April.  If you voted yes, please DM your email address to me so I can email the recipe and ingredient list.  If you decided you rather just watch, I thank you as well.  I hope you will join us that day and come chat with us.  I’m really looking forward to this.  If you haven’t subscribed to my YouTube channel, this is a good time to do so.  Over the next few days, I am getting back in the kitchen filming my next collab coming up this week, as well as some Holiday themed treats.  Stay tuned! Have a wonderful evening. #weekendupdate #basketballmom #autismmom #sundayevening
Happy #nationalsonsday to my handsome boys! You fi Happy #nationalsonsday to my handsome boys! You fill my heart with love and happiness and I wish the same for both of you. ❤️ I love you both! Love always, mom xoxo #twinboys #boymom #nationalsonday
Happy Friday friends! I’ve been thinking about a Happy Friday friends! I’ve been thinking about an idea I had for my YouTube channel and I wanted to see if I can get a little feedback. 
I’ve been thinking about going live with a “Cook with Me” video.  I would give you the recipe and all the ingredients you would need to cook a long with me.  Ahead of time of course! It would be very simple and easy to make, I promise! 😀 If you think you would consider joining me please let me know in the poll in my stories, comment below or send me a DM. 
Thank you and have a nice evening.  #cookwithme #livecooking #youtube #youtuber #letscooktogether
Do you homeschool your kids? If you’re a special Do you homeschool your kids? If you’re a special needs mom like me it might be difficult to imagine homeschooling your child especially if they are nonverbal.  To be quiet honest, I’m not sure I could do it even if Michael could talk.  Sharing this makes me feel vulnerable and at the same time absolutely at peace with this.  It’s important to know your strengths and weaknesses, and over the years of being a special needs mom, I know where I stand. 
If you homeschool your children whether neurotypical or special needs, I have nothing but deep admiration for your commitment and dedication to your children.  You are an awesome mom ( or dad)! 
I wanted to share my friend Whitney’s new account here on Instagram @especiallyhomeschool.  She is a special needs mom to two adorable children of her own and is sharing her homeschooling journey.  Whitney felt that God had put it in her heart to share their homeschool experience with others in the hopes of encouraging other special needs families.  If you’re looking for someone to share and support your homeschool journey, please give her a follow.  #homeschoolingspecialneeds #homeschooling #autism #autismmom #autismfamily
Happy #throwbackthursday I can’t believe how lit Happy #throwbackthursday I can’t believe how little my boys look! Time flies! #animalkindom #disneyanimalkingdom #chipanddale #wdw #vacationmemories #disneyvacation2019
Good morning and happy March! We had a rough four Good morning and happy March! We had a rough four day of a stomach virus that took us all down! Thankfully feeling a little better today! I’m looking forward to March and the Spring weather! Have a great day! #wednesdaymorning #march #goodmorning #welcomemarch
Good evening friends! How was your weekend? If you Good evening friends! How was your weekend? If you read my post yesterday, we had a really great day at Alex’s basketball game.  Unfortunately, Michael has come down with some kind of stomach virus and it’s been a long day here. Actually, we are pretty much ready to go to bed after very little sleep last night.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a goodnight! #weekendupdate #sleepdeprivedmama #autismmom #autismfamily
Today was such a great day! Alex made his first ba Today was such a great day! Alex made his first basket of the season and they won the game! Alex was nervous about playing today because his whole family was coming to watch him play.  He was also lacking some confidence in being good enough to play on the team.  I’m so happy he did so well today, I was balling my eyes out when he made that shot! But I really lost it when his team cheered around him celebrating along side him.  It was heartwarming to see and I know he will sleep with a smile on his face tonight.  And this is the first time we brought Michael with us and he did excellent! Perhaps he was the lucky charm that was needed! Twin power!! #twinpower #boymom #kidsbasketball #proudmom #greatday #family #blessed
Get to know someone on the spectrum! I promise you Get to know someone on the spectrum! I promise you won’t regret it.  Meet my son Michael 🥰❤️#autismspectrumdisorder #autismmom #autismlife #autismfamily 
#specialneedsreallife #autismheros #autismadvocates #autismeducation #specialneedsmomlife 
#autismacceptance #autismstars 
#specialneeds #ourautismjourney #specialneedsfamily #littlecornerofmyworld #littlestoriesofmylife
It’s 44 days until Easter! New in my shop and cu It’s 44 days until Easter! New in my shop and currently on sale! You get 6 designs and all you have to do is download, print and add your child’s handprint using a non toxic paint.  I suggest trying @crayola washable kids paint.  You can give it as a gift or save for a keepsake. #easter #spring #handprintart #handprintartwork
#etsy #digitaldownload #instantdownload #eastercrafts #eastercraftsforkids #easterhandprint #handprintart #artsandcrafts #artsandcraftsforkids
The lenten season started yesterday for Christians The lenten season started yesterday for Christians and it always amazes me how Gods timing is always right there when you need it the most.  I just came off of three very difficult behavioral days for Michael.  Yesterday morning I found myself going back down the rabbit hole in feeling the same way I did when Michael was first diagnosed.  It was a place I had worked so hard to get out of and I thought I had passed that point in my life where I no longer asked the question, “Why God, why?” It can be hard  as an autism parent when your child is having challenging moments.  I do my best to get him through it but often feel like I’m not really helping at all.  All day yesterday I had no intention of going to church because I felt defeated and far from having any faith left. 
I ended up going to church with Alex so we can receive our ashes.  It was probably one of the best last minute decisions I made and I left church feeling closer to my mom knowing that she guided me there. I think she knew it was what I needed in that 
For lent this year I wanted to do something with more meaning and intentional.  My friend and fellow autism mom shared a post about praying for our children and how she has been setting a prayer alarm on her phone to a set time ( her kids birthday) to do so.  I thought that was such a wonderful idea and decided to do the same.  There are moments when my faith is tested but I try to remember what my mom always said to me.  With God by your side, anything is possible. 🙏❤️
#autismmom #lent #lentenseason #faithoverfear
In February 2014, we took Michael to see his first In February 2014, we took Michael to see his first pediatric neurologist.  It was one of the worse experiences of my life with a doctor who obviously wasn’t interested in giving me nothing but orders.  She very nonchalantly blurted out, “Yeah, he’s autistic.” She then proceeded to tell us what we needed to do and offer her expert opinion on how Michael could “grow” out of autism if we followed her every command.  I left that office sickened by her lack of professionalism and her cruel disregard for telling parents their child had autism in a more compassionate way.  Having been around a few people with autism I had never heard of anyone “growing” out of it.  On our 6 month follow up, she came in and asked Michael a simple question that any neurotypical child at his age could answer.  He didn’t acknowledge or answer her.  At that point she turned to us and said,”Oh my God, what have you been doing? There’s no change at all.  You better get him more therapy.” I believe my husband gave her a few choice words and we left.  There was no way in hell I would continue with her.  We have finally found our forever doctor.  She’s warm, compassionate and goes above and beyond to help us.  Don’t ever feel like you or your child doesn’t deserve to have the best care regardless of their disability.  The right doctor is out there.  When I think back on that experience, I remember how much my anger drove me to step it up as an autism mom.  I knew it was just the beginning of my journey and fighting was probably going to be a huge part of it.  Thankfully, they have been far and few.  So go ahead my autism moms! Advocate for your child when you need to! I’ll be over cheering you on. ❤️ #advocatelikeamother #autism #autismmom #autismfamily #autismawareness #autismlife #autismlife #autismheros #autismadvocates #autismeducation #specialneedsmomlife 
#autismacceptance #autismstars 
#specialneeds #ourautismjourney #specialneedsfamily #littlecornerofmyworld #littlestoriesofmylife
How was your weekend? I’m so happy to have off t How was your weekend? I’m so happy to have off tomorrow.  Three day weekends so rarely happen for me, so I’m excited to do nothing 😂 Although, if I’m being honest I didn’t do much this weekend and you know what? That’s fine by me. 🤣 This week on my YouTube channel I’m sharing favorites….but they are not mine.  I’m sharing Michael’s! I know it’s hard sometimes to find toys, games, puzzles or just things in general for kids on the spectrum.  I’m hoping sharing some of what Michael is currently interested in can help another special needs family.  I say “currently” because that can all change in a blink of an eye! There’s no reason why some of these things wouldn’t be appealing to neurotypical kids too, so I hope it helps! 
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Have a good evening! 
#weekendupdate 

.
#autism #autismmom #autismfamily #autismawareness #autismlife #autismlife #autismheros #autismadvocates #autismeducation #specialneedsmomlife 
#autismacceptance #autismstars 
#specialneeds #ourautismjourney #specialneedsfamily #littlecornerofmyworld #littlestoriesofmylife
One of my favorite Valentine Day memories is when One of my favorite Valentine Day memories is when my husband arranged for my son Alex to take me on a date.  He took me to Applebee’s and said, “Mom order whatever you want off the menu, it’s on me.” 😂 After dinner he took me to see a movie.  Once again he said, “Mom order whatever snack you want, it’s on me.” He was such a little sweet little boy, he was only 5 years old at the time.  My husband bought him a shirt and tie to wear and I will never forget how happy he was all dressed up.  I will always cherish that day and today I was reminded how quickly they grow up.  He showed me a Valentine note from one of the girls in his class, oh boy its starting already. 😂😩. 
My Michael has been very loving giving me endless kisses until he’s ready to be done with me. 🤣 I’ll take whatever I can get! 
My Maggie Moo, my first baby is as sweet as ever even though lately she loves to get me up at 4 am to eat. 🐾 
My husband and I usually don’t go overboard on Valentine’s Day but he always makes sure he has something for me to wake up every year.  He is my forever Valentine. ❤️
Happy Valentine’s Day my friends.  I hope your hearts are filled with love and happiness. 
#valentinesday #love #family #friends
New on my YouTube channel! Today I’m sharing how New on my YouTube channel! Today I’m sharing how Michael has been doing in his new school and how attending the parent support group has been helping me.  Thank you for watching and please consider subscribing if you haven’t already. 

.
#autism #autismmom #autismfamily #autismawareness #autismlife #autismlife #autismheros #autismadvocates #autismeducation #specialneedsmomlife 
#autismacceptance #autismstars 
#specialneeds #ourautismjourney #specialneedsfamily #littlecornerofmyworld #littlestoriesofmylife
Good evening my friends! I hope you all had a wond Good evening my friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Except for a quick Target pickup, I never left my house.  I concentrated on decluttering, organizing and reading of course. 
I’m almost done with my third book of the year! This book is quite long, but I’m really enjoying it. 

Today, I filmed one of my Super Bowl appetizers that will go up on my YouTube channel sometime this week.  Please keep an eye out for it! In case you missed last year’s, I’ll put a link in my story. 

I just finished my last declutter of the day and I’m planning my content for March! I love using my new planner, it’s really been helping me stay on track.  Have a wonderful evening and let me know what have you been up to this weekend in the comments below. ⬇️😃👍 #weekendupdate #weekendathome #autismmom #autismfamily #youtuber #sundaynight
Load More... Follow on Instagram

© Joann Salas and LovealwaysJoann.com, 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material (including photos and videos) without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Joann Salas and LovealwaysJoann.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

lovealwaysjoann · Copyright © 2023