Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy

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Reading this is like living my life my son is 8 and we live in the locked up house the throwing hitting bear hugs to regulate the triggers the sadness it brings the grief the hardships along the way the fighting to be heard the mama bear this is our life Kate wrote a book that has given me hope that there is light coming and that I need to look for the joy more important lesson I took I need to change myself in acceptance of ASD and the way I deal with him thank you for this book it has helped me in my dark days. They were like special education parents who wanted everything handed to them and everything just easy for their kids. When a child isn't speaking, parents are often reassured that all children develop at their own pace. Autism is usually portrayed as a checklist of deficits, including difficulties interacting socially, problems in communicating, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. Now, Kate shares her inspiring story in this powerful memoir about motherhood and unconditional love.

I didn’t connect the dots to who you were until I saw and remembered the blog “Finding Cooper’s Voice”. I think you know, I know our listeners like appreciating your writing and like every excerpt I've heard, is just more amazing than the first. In Forever Boy, Kate Swenson eloquently takes us with her on her journey into a joyful life with her son Cooper. If that name sounds familiar, it may be because I shared an article of mine this past Christmas that Kate was gracious enough to share with her audience. So I've changed the way I speak about autism in a sense, but I really do try to stay true to myself.Most families have no idea what it’s like to raise a child of special needs; however, it’s like anything else. They threw terms at me like high functioning, low functioning, severe, moderate and mild even levels one, two and three. Also, we are in 2022, its about time even Mom’s with Autistic children…STOP saying “My child with Autism”! So because I lost myself to autism for a lot of years and it took its toll on my career and my marriage and how I raised my other son, I still have a lot of guilt about my other son's early years, even though I'm sure was an exceptional mother to him. But through hard work, resilience and personal growth, she would come to learn that Cooper wasn’t the one who needed to change.

But you know what I've learned over the years, like I did a video blog on can you tell how a two year old's going to do an eight or 18? I’ve seen him achieve so many things with the support of his family and his growth goes to show that our children are lifelong learners and capable of so much more than we give them credit for. It is hard to think about all the kids who could communicate with an iPad if only they had the opportunity to have one at school. I did one on our video blog on intellectual disability, which Lucas also has intellectual disability.

After sharing her struggles with her son’s invisible, yet severe disability online and in her book, “Forever Boy,” Swenson hopes to create a supportive community for other families with autistic children.

Written by Kate Swenson, a mum of four who has blogged and shared her family's experience of autism much like I do, this book is an honest, emotional and thought-provoking account of what goes on in the life and mind of a mum who finds herself with a child who is 'different'. Her memoir describes her emotions and feelings on the diagnosis process to the disappointment and huge levity that was placed on her discovering her child would have special needs. It’s frustrating being neurodiverse and having to deal with medical professionals who act like authorities they aren’t. When I first started seeing the reviews come in and people saying that they suddenly felt seen and heard, and this is exactly their life, I had a hard time believing it. There is so much valuable information and insight in it— especially for those with newly diagnosed children or loved ones.It was apparently just a little too heavy and scary because I outlined the death threats and kidnapping of my child, and I had to go to my kids' schools and show pictures and some very scary things. So here's the question: part of my podcast goals are for parents and professionals to be less stressed and lead happier lives, not just to help the kids, but for themselves. From noticing something different right in the hospital the day of his birth, to feeling at a loss during the toddler years, to having concerns and fears minimized by others for far too long, to fighting for a diagnosis that you know he needs, but you wish he didn’t… Kate’s story is my story, and every Autism parent’s story. And maybe when you are done, you will understand our life and journey just a little bit more than you used to. You don’t have to be on the same journey as a parent to appreciate this story and the exceptional woman and child behind it.