In So Many Words

I recently received a review copy of Cowboy & Wills: A Remarkable Little Boy and the Puppy That Changed His Life by Monica Holloway, which is the story of her son Wills’ diagnosis with autism and the journey she embarked on to find answers and the help that he needed. Amazingly enough, one of the best answers she found was in Cowboy, the golden retriever puppy who made the biggest difference of all.

As I read this book, I could really identify with Monica’s struggles to deal with all of the emotions that come along with having a child with autism, accepting the diagnosis and finding your way through the maze of therapies and programs that are out there.

Although my husband was not living apart from us, as Monica’s was due to his job, I definitely took on the burden of researching and filling out forms and making appointments for my son, as I think most moms do. (My husband is more than willing to take time off work for whatever meetings and other needs Michael has, but my schedule and organizational strengths made it natural for me to take the lead in that area.)

It is always difficult to see your child not fit in to a typical recreational or educational setting, and even harder when the professionals in those settings aren’t willing to do what it takes to make inclusion successful for everyone involved. I cried along with Monica when the director of Wills’ private kindergarten says they will deal with it:

Maybe we’d found a place where we belonged. I broke down into embarrassing sobs.
Neal was sympathetic. “I know this is difficult, Monica.”
I shook my head, rifling through my purse for a Kleenex or a Starbucks napkin. “I’m not crying because it’s difficult, it’s always difficult. I’m crying because you care so much. I’m crying because you aren’t giving up on Wills.”
“CCS is a community,” Neal explained. “It’s good for other students to see that someone can struggle and still be accepted.”

Monica seeks out many different resources for Wills’, but it is when they get him a puppy that they really see him start to come out of his shell. Cowboy is a natural draw for adults and children alike, and Wills begins to gain confidence and interact more with the world around him through her. Although she only lives for 2 1/2 years due to illness, she truly changes his life.

If you are interested in reading an excerpt from Cowboy & Wills, simply click on the link to download it. (Please let me know if you have any trouble with this, as it is the first time I have tried to link to a Word document on my blog.) You can also view the trailer below – here’s the link to the source if it’s not coming through on here.

Don’t Forget the Giveaway!
I am excited to be able to offer a free copy of this book to one of my readers with a US mailing address. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post and include a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. Comments will be closed at midnight on August 7th, and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

This week’s topic for Try This Tuesday is Helping A “New” Special Needs Parent.

What would you say to someone who has just learned that their child has special needs? What do you wish someone had said to you?

If you have any thoughts to share on this topic, please leave your comment either here or on the official post. Or if you want to write a post that addresses this topic (or already have one in your archives), add your link to the Mr. Linky at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

On a side note, I realized that at some point I stopped posting a link to Try This Tuesday here lately, so here are the ones you may have missed:

Disciplining Your Child (March 17th)
Teaching the Value of Money (March 10th)
Communicating with Non-verbal Children (March 3rd)
What Should I Try? (February 24th)
Birthday Parties (February 17th)
Teaching the Why and How of Hygiene (February 10th)

I am always brainstorming for new topics to use for this column and would love to hear any and all of your suggestions. (I’m begging here – a girl can only think of so many ideas all on her own!!) So shoot them at me, either here or by my contact form. I greatly appreciate the help.

Does accepting something mean resigning yourself to believe that it will always be the way it is now and that it is wrong to hope for something different or better? Or might there be another way to look at it?

For more, visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

Photo courtesy of *Micky.