Grieving An Autism Diagnosis
During pregnancy, I spent 9 months anxiously awaiting Brantley's arrival. While stubbornness and a passion for riding four-wheelers...
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WELCOME!
We are the Smith Family. We get a lot of questions on what life with Brantley, our 8 year old who has complex behaviors and developmental disabilities is like. So why not take you on our parenting adventure?
We invite you to come along with us as we tackle the trials and triumphs of special needs parenting. We hope that you will join us as we laugh a lot, cry a little, pull our hair out sometimes and love on our wild little man.
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Challenging Conversations: Navigating Developmental Disabilities and the Need for Understanding
I have debated posting this. However, I am stepping out to discuss a common behavior in the developmental disabilities community. It is...
From Challenging Times to Reaching New Heights
“I wanted to let you know how well Brantley has been doing! He is so happy! He is working so hard! He is keeping his shoes on! And doing...
Navigating the Autism Journey: The Emotional Toll of Paperwork on Parents
There is a common saying in the Autism community that Autism doesn’t come with a manual it comes with a parent who doesn’t give up. That...
Brantley's Toilet Training Surprise: Breaking the 5-Year Dry Spell
“I wanted to reach out and see your thoughts on exploring toilet training with Brantley.” I must have read that sentence 5 times before I...
DSP’s, a job with a side of hair pulling, biting and poop smearing
The day we received Brantley’s diagnosis, the psychologist who evaluated him recommended I quit my job. I didn’t heed their advice. I...
Nonverbal does not mean non-intelligent
Envision being trapped in a situation where you could hear and understand everything being said around you, but you could not respond. It...
Ups, Downs and Anticipatory Grief
This month has been the best month that Brantley has had in years. I am ecstatic about his successes and have enjoyed watching him ...
Project Lifesaver: My Only Peace of Mind with Elopement
I have never heard my husband sound so scared as he did when he said “honey, Brantley got away, the authorities are on their way”. The...
Halloween: A Sensory Nightmare
Halloween can conjure some scary thoughts for nearly everyone. But for those parenting children with sensory issues the holiday delivers...
The Recipe For Success
When I loaded up and left our house this morning I was terrified for what was to come. Our monotonous schedule was different because...
The Pain of SIB
As a parent it is our natural instinct to protect our children. Before our babies are even born, we put so much time and energy into baby...
Love Needs No Words
If I am being brutally honest, I struggled with the thought of going my entire life without hearing my child say “I love you”. I can...
God doesn’t think I am special
A comment we get a lot is “God only gives special kids to special parents”. I know they mean well by this statement, but my gut instinct...
The brutally honest but difficult truth of pica
Imagine a world where if you turn your eyes away from your 8 year for the 1 minute it takes to change a load of laundry you return to...
I know he is handsome but ask the questions
Brantley flaps his hands, thrusts his tongue, makes squeals and grunts, pulls my hair, eats everything non edible. Things that people...
Autism and sleep difficulties
Like many with Autism, Brantley has struggled with sleep since he was three years old. Some nights he doesn’t sleep at all, but rather...
When regressions took hold
I once read that one third of children with Autism lose skills during their preschool ages. While the regressions usually centered...
Happiness and squeals
I certainly don’t view our situation through rose colored glasses because we have some really hard times. But in those hard times, I try...
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