HI, I'M JASON!
I’ve been writing about parenthood and raising two kids with special needs since I became a father in 2008. Jonny has a rare genetic condition called Kabuki syndrome. Jonah was nonverbal when he was diagnosed with autism in 2016. This blog chronicles our family’s journey together, including the challenges, the victories, and everything in between. I share most of my day-to-day thoughts on Facebook, but you’ll find those stories collected here too.
We are an Ausome Family. We run on an abundance of coffee, loads of patience, a lot of love, and a “Touch of Ausome.”
Thank you for coming on this epic journey with us!
LATEST FROM THE BLOG
April 24, 2024
Jonah was completely nonverbal…
Jonah was completely nonverbal when he was diagnosed with autism in 2016. We weren’t sure if he would ever gain meaningful communication. The sky is STILL the limit with this kid. (He’s 10 years old now and wrote this about his spring break.) “My…
A summary of Jonah’s…
March 29, 2017
A summary of Jonah's visit to the dentist today. 😒 Original Facebook Post.
Not my proudest parenting moment…
March 29, 2017
Not my proudest parenting moment with meals, but Jonah kept SAYING "Oreo." We positively reinforce verbalization of…
Jonah said something that was totally appropriate today…
March 28, 2017
Jonah's teachers talked to me today after school. Here's what I heard. "Jonah said something that was totally…
I’m just gonna leave this right here… (video)
March 27, 2017
I'm just gonna leave this right here. This is what VICTORY sounds like in a non-verbal house. #Gemiini Original…
This is a fantastic …
March 26, 2017
This is a fantastic idea our church is rolling out. I know so many parents of special needs kids simply cannot "DO"…
Why do I do it?
March 26, 2017
So I’ve been in this for a few months now. When I started this page, my hope was that I could find support from…
Daniel Tiger and Caffeine.
March 25, 2017
Jonny had a "movie night" at his school last night (about 6pm). I remembered seeing something about it and had agreed…
Friday night fun!
March 24, 2017
Friday night fun! I saw this in an autism forum. "Share some of the happiest moments of your life. It can be a funny…
“UH-OH.” -Jonah.
March 24, 2017
"UH-OH." -Jonah. This is everyday vocab now. Do you have any idea how big this is? 1). This is a word. (yes, it is.).…
Teacher Amy
March 24, 2017
Jonah absolutely adores "teacher Amy." Sometimes I wish I could see a day at Jojo's preschool like a fly on the wall. I…
Facebook: It’s “Like” That
March 23, 2017
When going through pre-marital counselling with my wife years ago, one book we read together was The Five Love…
So Jonah likes lining things up…
March 22, 2017
So Jonah likes lining things up. Russel (our cat) likes batting things off the table. You can imagine what happened…
Night Time — When we do ALL the things — except sleep.
March 21, 2017
We flipped a switch at night time. We ate dinner at 11pm at night time. We learned 3 new words, including "toe,"…
Today, unprompted, Jonah picked…
March 20, 2017
Today, unprompted, Jonah picked up this cross and very clearly said "cross." This is a word they teach in the "shapes"…
A Sesame Street Muppet with Autism
March 20, 2017
Neither of my kids were big sesame street fans, though my oldest was a HUGE Muppet Show fan before he was introduced to…
















