back and-forth communication is a struggle, so early on Stephanie commandeered a speech device for Lily, and she’s done the same for other children. “I see families all the time underestimate the capabilities of their child,” said Stephanie. “There is often more going on behind the scenes than they can sound out. Lily likes to utism isn’t about intelligence — it’s about social and communication skills, and they often can’t communicate everything they know. ” Stephanie Mott A“
Living with autism Stephanie, who is a licensed professional counselor with trauma-based experience prior to becoming a mom, says she knew something was off with Lily from a very young age but hearing an official diagnosis of autism was still a shock. Stephanie felt an extensive amount of pressure, both as a mom and as a professional, to help Lily and their family navigate the diagnosis to the best of her abilities. All of Stephanie’s research on autism and personal experiences with Lily led her to become a special needs counselor, and she’s now able to walk other families through their journeys, providing resources, support and expertise to the special needs community, which has become one of her most treasured life lines. Today, Lily, and many other children who’ve benefited from Stephanie’s expertise, are making positive strides, thanks to early intervention and advocacy. Lily is no longer considered nonverbal but her speech is primarily memorized. Relational
spell, so we started her on a speech device pretty early. It’s been really nice to give her a voice. These kids are in there, they just can’t always express themselves in a typical way.” While Stephanie’s instinct as a mom is to anticipate and meet all of Lily’s needs, she has learned that she has to put her daughter in situations to use language to get what she wants. Once Lily mastered her speech device, the family moved on to visual aids for support and reinforcement when Lily uses her words, helping her gain speech over time. In public school, Lily wasn’t challenged to her academic abilities, so Stephanie and dad Robert began homeschooling their daughter. The family often works in 20-minute increments throughout their mornings, with Lily especially adept at math and anything involving technology. “Autism is so hard because a lot of the kids look completely typical,” explained Stepha- nie. “[And] they are often so much smarter than people give them credit for. Autism isn’t about intelligence — it’s about social and communication skills, and they often can’t communicate everything they know.”
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