When I get together with friends who have children on the spectrum, we realize that no child with autism is the same. All autistic children have different things that they like and dislike. One thing my friends and I do share is the overall set of challenges we face raising a child on the spectrum. But more importantly, we all love to share the strengths of our children and the beauty that they bring into our lives and the lives of others. April is Autism awareness month. Although autism presents very differently with every child, autistic children all bring some wonderful things to our lives. I want to share all the positive things that Kayla has brought to our lives. Visual Memory Kayla has always taken in the world visually. She can remember events in full detail that occurred years earlier that I completely have forgotten. Although her executive functioning skills are not the best, she will be able to recall where … [Read more...]
The Power of a Team
As most of you know, Kayla became a member of the UVM Women’s Hockey team last year through Team Impact. Team Impact takes children with illnesses and places them on a local sports team. Kayla’s involvement with the UVM hockey players and being part of their team has been life changing. As we sat in Walter Brown Arena a couple of weeks ago and watched her team play an unbelievable game against BC, I reminded her that her team might lose and that means the season will be over. As BC scored during the second overtime, I looked over and saw Kayla sobbing. She truly felt what her team was feeling -- pure sadness. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be a parent of a team member and see your child’s heart break because they lost. All the women on that team played with so much strength and dignity! To lose was heartbreaking. And then to look at Kayla and see her sadness was devastating. Kayla loves life and is so happy. She … [Read more...]
Accessibility for the Burlington Waterfront
Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting with Erik Oliver, Directory of Development and Communications at the Echo, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. We were meeting to discuss how Kayla’s Directory was interested in getting an adaptive stroller for the Echo Center. With an adaptive stroller, families that have children with special needs would be able to access the beautiful Burlington waterfront. When I sat down with Eric, I explained to him the reason we wanted a stroller on the waterfront. A wonderful family recently lost a mother and grandmother. In memory of this amazing woman, the family asked that donations be made to Kayla’s Directory. When we asked the family where they wanted the money to be spent, they immediately responded that they’d like it used to purchase an adaptive stroller, and specifically asked to see whether the Echo Center would partner with this idea. The reasoning behind the stroller is simple; this … [Read more...]
Cochran’s & Community
Many families I know that have children with special needs are eager to get their children out skiing. There are many wonderful programs that are well-known in the Vermont area: Vermont Adaptive, Bart Adaptive Sports, Stowe Adaptive Sports, and Smugglers Notch Adaptive Ski. All of these programs are wonderful at working with children with special needs and accommodating their needs. For the past two years, Kayla has skied through Vermont Adaptive, but at the start of this season, still hadn’t mastered independence. This year she really wanted to master some independence. I decided to try a different program with Kayla and see if we could get some improvement. Due to Kayla’s muscle fatigue, she needed someone to work with her for 30-45 minutes at the most. I contacted a local ski area and asked if they would be able to provide private ski lesson to a child who has neuromuscular difficulties and is on the autism spectrum. … [Read more...]
#17
The UVM women’s hockey team has taken Kayla under their wing. All the players are eager to give her high fives during each home game. Many of them will talk to her before the game, give her piggyback rides, or even sit with her during a game. Every one of the players has a connection with her, but there are several that Kayla loves to pieces. #17 from the women’s hockey team came to UVM from Bensenville, Illinois. She has played hockey since she was five years old. But there is much more to this player than hockey. I was fortunate enough to meet her mother this past week and get a glimpse of what her life has been like. Not only did I learn quirky facts like she likes her things in her room to match, goes crazy when her brother will go into her bed when she is not home, and has an upscale style of clothing, but I also learned that family is extremely important to her. From her grandmother to her brothers, family comes … [Read more...]