Instagram story viewer> @thmsupport> Posts

Support Group for Special Needs Parents💙

@thmsupport

1.1K

followers

441

following

Coming back soon! Sign up to be on mailing list for online autism parent support group. Dm your email to be on the mailing list. 💙

POSTS STORIES REELS

I’ve been attending IEP meetings for years and I’m STILL learning! Today I learned what SELPA stands for. 😂 A reminder that you don’t have to know everything to advocate for your child. Ask questions, get familiar with the terminology, and never be afraid to speak up. We’re learning as we go! 💙 #thehippymom #iepmeetings #autismadvocate #parentadvocate #specialeducationadvocate by @thmsupport

One thing I will never do is underestimate my son. Jude has significant support needs, but that doesn’t mean he lacks understanding, intelligence, or the ability to learn. I don’t assume what he can or cannot do. I introduce him to new things, pay attention to his strengths, and let him show me what’s possible. Sometimes he surprises me, and sometimes he reminds me just how much there is still to discover about him. Being completely nonverbal does not mean he has nothing to say. I will always give him the opportunity to show me who he is. 💙 #thehippymom #autismcommunity #profoundautism #nonverbalautism #autismmom by @thmsupport

I took a lil break from Instagram because the internet is not a safe place. I’m realizing I don’t want to share so much of Jude’s life with strangers anymore. I can still talk about my experience as his mother without giving the internet access to every part of our lives. #advocate #autismmom #internetsafety by @thmsupport

Starting over in California with my son has been one of the most challenging experiences of my life. We have no support system here. It’s just Jude and me, figuring out a new city together. As a single mother raising a nonverbal child with Level 3 autism, even something as simple as taking public transportation requires planning. I’ve been navigating my own anxiety around exploring LA because I’m the only person there to help him if things become overwhelming. Today, I decided we were going to try the Metro for the first time. I used ChatGPT to create a visual schedule, printed it out, and walked Jude through what our day would look like. And he did AMAZING. No meltdown, just a little boy enjoying his train ride. 🥹🚆 I’ve spent so much time worrying about what could go wrong that sometimes I forget what could go right. We’re both learning how to navigate this new chapter of our lives, and I’m realizing that building a life here means allowing ourselves to actually experience it. One adventure at a time. 💙 #thehippymom #nonverbalautism #profoundautism #visualschedule by @thmsupport

After nearly 10 years of advocating for my nonverbal son, I no longer walk into IEP meetings feeling intimidated. I walk in prepared, confident, and knowing exactly who I’m advocating for. Parents, please stop feeling guilty for asking questions, requesting accommodations, or challenging goals that don’t reflect your child’s potential. You are not being difficult. You are participating in decisions that directly impact your child’s future. Nobody knows your child the way you do. Take up space in those rooms. You belong at that table just as much as anyone else. ❤️
#thehippymom #autismadvocate #iepmeeting by @thmsupport

I’ve learned to take the emotions out of IEP meetings. Not because I don’t care, but because I know the real learning happens outside of those classroom walls. It happens at home when it’s just me and my son, exposing him to new environments, learning his special interests, understanding his triggers, and helping him build the skills to cope with them through gradual exposure. I’m preparing him for a world that doesn’t operate around an IEP. One day he’ll age out of the school system, and I want him to have as many tools as possible to navigate life beyond it. I still advocate, ask questions, and hold the school accountable, but I also understand that an IEP is a document that helps us access resources and support. It is not a reflection of my son’s full potential. I know he’s capable of so much more than what’s written on those pages, and I refuse to let anyone put a ceiling on what he can learn or become. #iep #autismmom #autismcommunity #specialneedsparenting #thehippymom by @thmsupport

Disabled children and adults deserve to be included in events too. Just because something is advertised as family-friendly doesn’t mean it’s accessible. We deserve more than overcrowded spaces, sensory overload, and limited accessibility. I refuse to keep my son isolated from the world because spaces weren’t designed with children like him in mind. Inclusion means making sure everyone has the opportunity to participate, not just those who can comfortably navigate the environment.
#thehippymom #nonverbalautism #profoundautism #autisminclusion #specialneedsfamily by @thmsupport

Motherhood, especially as a caregiver, can make you forget that you exist outside of being needed. That you’re still a woman with desires, sensuality, and a body that deserves tenderness. Some nights, my ritual is simply making a cup of my Sex MAGICK herbal blend, slowing down, and remembering that I belong to myself, too. I created this blend as an invitation to reconnect with the parts of ourselves that often get buried beneath responsibility. Pleasure doesn’t always have to be sexual. Sometimes it’s the luxury of being present in your own body. 🌹🌿

DM to order your Sex MAGICK blend. 💌
#thehippymom #autismmom #caregiversupport #nervoussystemhealing #adaptogens by @thmsupport

I’m currently going through another round of endless paperwork to prove Jude’s disability so he can continue receiving SSI. Another lifeline for our family, especially because his medical coverage and our overall livelihood are tied to these programs.

And I think what people fail to understand is that for many families raising children with disabilities, these programs are not supplemental income. They are how we survive. They are how we keep a roof over our children’s heads, access medical care, and provide the level of support our children need.

So when these programs are threatened, it’s terrifying. Because the stability you’ve worked so hard to create can feel like it’s one letter, one assessment, or one decision away from being taken from you.

Being a full-time caregiver IS A FULL-TIME JOB. The paperwork, the doctors’ appointments, the insurance companies, the constant advocacy. Having to explain your child’s disability over and over again to people who will never see what your life actually looks like outside of those forms.

And that’s what makes this so exhausting. I spend every single day caring for my son, only to sit down and fill out paperwork explaining why he still needs care.

Families raising children with disabilities should not have to live in constant fear of losing the resources that keep their families afloat. We should be able to focus on caring for our children without having to constantly fight for the stability of our homes.

Our children deserve support without us having to repeatedly prove they’re worthy of receiving it.
#thehippymom #medicaid #autismparenting #specialneedsfamily #specialneedsparenting by @thmsupport

Your rituals don’t have to be elaborate to be sacred. Sometimes mine is just sitting on the couch after getting Jude on the bus, drinking water, burning incense and letting my nervous system come back down after a loud morning. I used to think ritual had to be something I made time for. Now I realize it can just be the way I care for myself inside the life I already have. 🌀 #thehippymom #autismcommunity #morningrituals by @thmsupport

For a long time, crowds meant we stayed home. Not because I didn’t want Jude to experience the world, but because sometimes the thought of managing a meltdown in public felt harder than just not going at all. But somewhere along the way I realized staying home wasn’t making crowds any easier for him, and it wasn’t the childhood I wanted for him either. So we started small. One outing at a time. Sometimes we stay an hour, sometimes we make it 15 minutes and go home. I pack everything that helps him regulate, I follow his cues, and we try again. Every time we go somewhere new, he gets another chance to learn that the world outside our house can be safe too. I’m not trying to make Jude tolerate environments that hurt him. I’m trying to give him the tools and opportunities to experience as much of life as he can, in a way that works for him. My baby deserves memories, adventures, community and a childhood bigger than the four walls of our house. So we outside. However long we can be. ❤️

#thehippymom #profoundautism #autismoeinclusão #nonverbalautism #autismmom by @thmsupport

We’ve done something every weekend since August. I refuse to be stuck in the house!!! No more hiding. No more being scared of a meltdown. I pack ALL the reinforcements and we go. My baby will have an amazing childhood. WE OUTSIDE 😂 Go ahead mama, take that baby outside and enjoy yourselves, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. Gotta build their tolerance for new environments and crowds little by little. It won’t get any better hiding in the house. 🥹❤️
#thehippymom #autismcommunity #autismmom #autismparents #nonverbalautism by @thmsupport