PDA PARENTS

Sky at Night We finished reading and she rolled over on her side facing away from me. Sick from a cold, the usual fight in her was gone....

Often, I feel like an imposter writing about neurodiversity, autism, and PDA as a neurotypical woman. Throughout my life, social and...

Two weeks ago Cooper finished kindergarten. After an incredibly unpredictable year of school – the bulk of which was a virtual, peppered...

Neurokin: a word used to describe someone who is the same neurotype as you Lately, Rose has been saying things that reveal her loneliness...

A few weeks ago, during my younger son’s afternoon nap, my sister invited us to join her and her children at the park. Cooper was sitting...

When I reflect on my experience of motherhood before PDA awareness and fully understanding my son’s brain-wiring, the overriding feeling...

You, sitting on the kitchen floor, Your sobbing child’s head in your lap, I praise you. I praise you, on your hands and knees, Scrubbing...

I stopped writing much of anything a few months ago because my heart hurts too often. I suppose a good deal of the world’s best writing...

A few weeks ago, I took Cooper to an appointment to discuss his progress since his Autism evaluation in the fall. He sat in the chair...

I remind myself of the times since the birth of my second child that I have felt like a successful, competent parent. I have given both...

One night she was talking about a show she loves. “It's a good rhyme! ‘Molly of Denali!’... like ... Rose of Ridgemont Road!” “Well,...

CAITIE I was sitting on the edge of Rose’s bed, cutting out paper hearts for Valentine’s Day. Rose was reclined in the pod swing hanging...

This condition, a persistent, inaccurate threat assessment is taking a toll. How exhausting to navigate such an uncertain world. Her...

Throughout my pregnancy with our first child, I would occasionally catch my husband with a pained, anxious expression on his face. I came...

My great-grandmother, Eva Marie, was the first in my maternal line to go to college. She went to Eastern Michigan University and became a...

CASEY The moment a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, Cooper was leaping through the air onto a crash pad at occupational therapy. His...

CASEY On Christmas eve, my mother and stepfather came over, donning masks, to exchange presents with the kids. It was a small gathering,...

CAITIE My daughter is almost six years old. She was diagnosed with Autism two years ago, and I recently came across a specific profile...

When my first son was born six years ago, a deep self-doubt seeded in my heart and sprouted alongside of him. His atypical behavior and...

CAITIE Rose and I had a conversation a few months ago about PDA. It was a profound conversation, but the details of that conversation are...