Maria Kennedy hosts Jeremy and Leah Cohen on the current episode of Crucial Conversations about Cognitive Diversity, starting today, beginning at noon, Wednesday, November 15.
Link to the webcast here.
The Cohens are a unique family living in Los Angeles. All three of their children have been diagnosed with exceptionalities. One son attends Bridges Academy, while their other son has also been identified with ADHD and dyslexia. The Cohens have a daughter as well, who has been diagnosed with non-verbal autism.
There are many challenges, of course, but the Cohens have also found that there are great benefits that come with their situation. “It is one thing to meet children with challenges, it is another to raise them,” says Jeremy, an executive at The Walt Disney Company. “But every day can present a new opportunity to learn and to find a way to support them.” He’s discovered the value of patience and of understanding. “It isn’t an easy journey,” he says, “but we’ve found ways to just take a deep breath and work through all of it together. To be honest, uniting as parents to assist our children has also brought us closer together as a couple. It has helped us to communicate better, compromise and ultimately, align to tackle every situation.”
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The best thing we can do is to ask questions, learn from our experiences, and most importantly, support our children.[/perfectpullquote]
Jeremy and Leah will talk to Maria about that journey, what they’ve learned, how they’ve risen to the challenges, the skills of negotiating with the school community, and, most importantly, how they keep their family together.
“Don’t fear the unknown, embrace it,” says Jeremy when asked about what advice he would give other families dealing with exceptionalities. “At every turn, we’ve noticed new behaviors and wondered what the future would hold. At this point, we realize that the best thing we can do is to ask questions, learn from our experiences, and most importantly, support our children. In the case of our two boys, they know they are different from other kids and didn’t understand why they were bullied for just being themselves. Fortunately, we asked questions of them, other parents, their past teachers, and any experts we could find. We now have them in schools where they feel supported and have the self-confidence to succeed. In the case of our daughter, long ago, we had to come to the understanding that she didn’t choose to be autistic, doesn’t know she is, and it isn’t our ‘fault.’ She is who she is, and we love her for it and want to get her whatever she needs to be the best version of herself. In the end, the most important thing to do is ask for help. There are a lot of services and support systems everywhere that we never knew about. It was only after we found the courage to ask others that we were able to change our lives.”
