A single father shares how being shaped by his nonverbal son and teenage daughter reframed what strength, love, and success really mean — Featured in HuffPost, Autism Speaks, Yahoo, The Mighty, Autism Parenting Magazine, and Jubilee.

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JG on Love What Matters

My Baby Has a Mustache… And I'm Still Saying "Potty"
45 Pieces Of Dad Advice For The Children
How My Child With Autism Stopped Hating Haircuts
I Had A Dream My Non-Verbal Child Was Speaking
Why My Non-Verbal Son Keeps Holding My Face...And Why I Let Him
Divorced Dad On "Staying Together For The Kids"
Fear Over My Special Needs Son's Inappropriate Behaviors As He Grows
Gifts For The Kid Who Doesn't Want Anything
No, My Non-Verbal Son Doesn’t "Miss" Me In The Traditional Sense
Sloppy Wet Kisses

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Past Blog Posts

Previous 150 Posts:

My Baby Has a Mustache… And I’m Still Saying “Potty”
My Nonverbal Son Never Pretends
Autism Appreciation Is Really About Me, Not My Son
My Nonverbal Son Isn’t All or Nothing
My Son Doesn’t Need Fixing. He Needs to Be Accepted.
Why I Taught My Nonverbal Son to Put On Deodorant Before He Needed It
Why Trust Matters More Than Understanding With My Nonverbal Son
It’s 4:30AM, and I Just Learned Something About Autism Appreciation
I Kept Talking to My Nonverbal Son Even When I Didn’t Know It Mattered
When Loving My Son With Autism Isn’t Enough
I Was Fixing a Problem My Son Wasn’t Having
I Stopped Trying to Teach My Non-Verbal Son to Talk. That’s When Communication Started.
The Holiday Spirit, According to My Nonverbal Son
Letting Someone In Means Letting Them See It All
No, My Nonverbal Son Doesn’t Understand Everything I Say…And That’s OK
When My Son With Autism Reminds Me to Slow Down
When a Child With Autism Melts Down, Don’t Hit Record
The Things I Never Understood About My Nonverbal Son Until Years Later
The Christmas Tradition That Taught Me How My Son Really Learns
My Nonverbal Son Dressed Himself and I Almost Missed It
Why My Teen With Severe Autism Isn’t Violent (And Why It’s Not Just Luck)
How I Knew My Nonverbal Son Was Asking for Help
When My Non-Verbal Son Didn’t Seem to Care, I Still Did
What Raising a Nonverbal Son Taught Me About Trust
Turns Out I Wasn’t Raising a Tragedy
The Parking Lot Showdown: A True Story of NonVerbal Miscommunication
I Thought Autism Would Break Us. I Was Wrong.
Heart Surgery Changed My Life, My Son With Autism Changed My Perspective
Parenting Severe Autism: The Hard Parts Go Without Saying
Why This IHOP Breakfast With My Nonverbal Teen Matters
Why I Let My Non-Verbal Son Make Mistakes
My Non-Verbal Son Measures Me by My Actions, Not My Words
It Wasn’t My Nonverbal Son Who Struggled At First. It Was Me.
My Son With Autism Doesn’t Fight Back. He Shouldn’t Have To.
My Non-Verbal Son’s Silent Protest, and Why I Join Him
I Used to Roll My Eyes at the Word “Special”, Then I Had a Son With Autism
Why My Teenager Still Has a Baby Gate
No One Is to Blame for My Son
The Cause Of My Son’s Autism
The Word I Once Feared Was Autism
Why My Non-Verbal Son Keeps Holding My Face…And Why I Let Him
I Imagined a Different Child. I Got Someone Even Better.
The Screen That Once Controlled My Non-Verbal Son Doesn’t Anymore
No Meltdowns. No iPad. Just Trust.
Raising an Autism Sibling Bond Built on Love, Not Obligation
What a Duck Joke Taught Me About My Non-Verbal Son
Why My Son With Autism Is Perfect Exactly As He Is
How My Non-Verbal Son Learned to Trust Me (and How I Learned to Understand Him)
Inside Jokes With My Non-Verbal Son Are Easier Than You Think
Runner to Roadblock: How My Son with Autism Flipped the Script on My Fears
The Surgery, the Diagnosis, and the Life I Never Expected
How I Helped My Non-Verbal Son With Autism Relearn a Forgotten Skill
My Non-Verbal Son Lives in the Moment, I Handle Everything Else
I Used to Fear People Mocking My Non-Verbal Son. Now I Pity Them.
I Know Why My Non-Verbal Son Rewatches That Spanish Sesame Street Clip
My Son With Autism Isn’t Lacking Emotion. He’s Overflowing With It.
I Grieved My Non-Verbal Son’s Future, But Then I Got to Know Him
Did Having a Child With Autism Cause My Divorce?
My Daughter Is the Masterpiece I Leave to the World
The Unfiltered Truth About Getting To Know My Non-Verbal Son
Some Will Never Understand My Non-Verbal Son – That’s On Them
I’ll Teach My Non-Verbal Son the Basics Forever, If I Have To
Hugs, Eye Contact, and Autism: My Son Changed What I Thought I Knew
My Non-Verbal Son’s Maturity Spoke Without a Word
Lucas Is My Silver Lininig
He Doesn’t Ask for Anything – That’s Why I Want to Give Him Everything
The Words My Son Never Said – and the Peace That Followed
He Never Says “I Love You”, But I’ve Never Been More Sure
Why I Still Feel the Urge to Do More for My Non-Verbal Son
Teaching My Son That What’s Cute at Five Doesn’t Work at Fourteen
His Feelings Are Loud. His Life Is Honest. His Love Is Clear.
I Was Ready to Fight the World for My Son
I Don’t Measure My Non-Verbal Son by Milestones
What My Son Can’t Do Doesn’t Define What He Can
Parenting My Growing Son With Autism Takes More Than Strength
Why I Take My Non-Verbal Son Out, Even When Neither of Us Wants To
“Severe Autism”: Awareness, Acceptance, and Saying the Words
If You Don’t Know My Son, You Don’t Know What’s Best
Why I Needed My Non-Verbal Son As Much As He Needed Me
My Son’s Autism Is Profound… And I Still Don’t Want to Cure Him
Read My Latest Essay in HuffPost: “I Don’t Want a Cure for My Son’s Autism”
The Most Accepting Person I Know Has Autism
The Hardest Thing I Do for My Non-Verbal Son Is Step Back
The Future I Dreaded Is the Life I Love
My Non-Verbal Son Is the Purest Reflection of My Values
Autism Awareness Starts With Seeing My Son, Not Labeling Him
Why Autism Acceptance Month Hits Different for Our Family
The Checklist Said “No” – But My Son With Autism Said “Watch Me”
The Birthday Boy Who Never Asked for a Party
My Son Has Never Spoken, But I’ve Learned To Hear Him Loud and Clear
I Sit With My Son During Meltdowns So One Day, He’ll Stand On His Own
I Never Thought My Non-Verbal Son Would Understand Gratitude – But Now He Does
Hi World! I’m Dad – Now Available!
The Hardest Part of Raising My Non-Verbal Son Is the Opposite of What People Assume
The Parenting Fears That Vanished As My Non-Verbal Son Grew Up
No Trophies, No Words – Just Lucas: Why I Love My Son for Who He Is
The Small Victories That Prepare My Son for a Life Without Me
Building a Bond With My Non-Verbal Son Meant Meeting Him Where He Is
My Non-Verbal Son Might Never Drive – And That’s OK
Lucas Can’t Tell a Lie: The Beautiful Honesty of My Non-Verbal Son
Why I Never Push Away My Son With Autism’s Inconvenient Hugs
A Therapist Told Me to Take Away My Son’s “Autism Toys” – And I Wish I Hadn’t
The Moment I Knew My Non-Verbal Son Misses Me When I’m Not Around
Making Sure Lucas Knows He’s a Main Character in Our Family
Am I Doing Enough for My Non-Verbal Son? The Question That Never Leaves Me
Guided Into His World: What Lucas Taught Me About Autism
My Child With Autism Isn’t Like Other Kids – Even Those With Autism
How My Non-Verbal Teenager with Autism Is Growing in Ways I Almost Missed
My Non-Verbal Son is 13, Not “Mentally 6” – Here’s Why That Matters
Parenting a Growing Giant: Handling My Non-Verbal Son’s Physical Growth
The Year My Non-Verbal Son Will Speak His First Word – Or Not, And That’s Okay
Why My Son With Autism Doesn’t Care About Gifts And What It Taught Me About Giving
Understanding and Supporting My Child With Autism’s Stimming Behaviors
The Misconceptions I Had About Special Needs Parenting Before Lucas
Protecting Lucas: What I’ve Learned About Love and Advocacy
From His Needs To Ours: Teaching My Non-Verbal Son The Meaning of Urgency
Life Skills, One Macaroni at a Time
Early Lessons About Behavior Made All the Difference for My Non-Verbal Son
Finding Calm in the Chaos: My Non-Verbal Son’s Journey Without His iPad
Communication Struggles With My Non-Verbal Son You’d Never Guess
How High Expectations and Positivity Help My Son with Autism Thrive
Loving Lucas for Who He Is, Not Who I Feared He’d Be
It’s Not the Spilled Cheerios That Keep Me Up at Night
Why Imperfect Halloweens Created Perfect Memories with My Non-Verbal Son
Rethinking Non-Verbal: A Look into Life with My Son
How My Non-Verbal Son Helped Me Become The Father He Needed
Learning What My Non-Verbal Son Has Learned
Raising A Non-Verbal Son Taught Me That Success Is Beyond Words
Believing in My Son’s Growth One Question at a Time
The Unspoken Humor Only My Non-Verbal Son and I Share
Learning to Forgive Myself: The Guilt and Growth of Raising My Non-Verbal Son
How Autism Taught Me to Appreciate My Son’s Unique Personality
Why My Non-Verbal Son’s Emotions Are a Lesson for Us All
Why Reflecting on My Non-Verbal Son’s Autism Journey Gives Me Hope
My Non-Verbal Son Can’t Fake A Smile
How My Son With Autism Faces Life’s Transitions Without My Pep Talks
Money Can’t Buy My Non-Verbal Son’s Happiness
How I Got My Special Needs Son To Wear Jeans
Why I Thought I Was the Cause of My Son’s Delays – and What His Journey Taught Me
I Shave My Baby’s Mustache
Lucas vs. The Lighthouse: My Non-Verbal Son’s Unexpected Victory
My 13-Year-Old Non-Verbal Son Is A Big Drinker
The Non-Verbal Boy I Know Might Be Different Outside My Walls
Why I Buy My Non-Verbal Son Things He Doesn’t Care About
Letting Go to Grow: Why I Stop Myself From Doing Everything for My Son with Autism
How My Non-Verbal Son With Autism Gave Me The Gift of Peace
Treating My Non-Verbal Son Like He Understands Everything, Even When I Feared He Wouldn’t
The Unseen Responsibilities of Caring for a Non-Verbal Child with Autism
What I Learned About My Non-Verbal Son’s Need for Routine
No Shame, Just Love: Why I’m Never Embarrassed by My Special Needs Child

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