“LIFE IS ABOUT THE JOURNEY. AND AS LONG AS I HAVE MY

FAMILY WITH ME, I AM HAPPY TO BE ON THIS JOURNEY.”

-ASHLEY HUSEMOELLER

MEET THE HUSEMOELLERS!ASHLEY & JAYTYSON-11DANE-8ZOEY-5

TYSON- THE GENTLE GIANT

Tyson is a middle schooler, who loves to keep things clean! He is known for his sweet nature, love of hugging, and deference to his little sister Zoey.

DANE-THE FLASH

Fast, wild, funny, a true middle child! In second grade, Dane can be very quiet, very obnoxious, sometimes devious and a little “bizarre”.

ZOEY-SPONTANEOUSShe is chatty, bossy, in charge and very spontaneous! She likes to keep her brothers in line!

She is the youngest, the only girl… and the only child without Autism.

CHAOS… MANAGEABLE CHAOS…. BEAUTIFUL

CHAOS

Our Life with Autism….

THIS FAMILY LOVES…

• Veggietales

• Their puppy

• Legos

• Family Movie Night

• Superheroes

• Books

“WE DO THE BEST WITH WHAT WE HAVE”

-ASHLEY HUSEMOELLER

Like every family, the Husemoellers

celebrate the little moments… with two

boys who have Autism… their little

moments may look a little different.

A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH!

• The other day, Tyson was Face-Timing with my mom… and he was able to hold a conversation! He could look at her and answer her questions! And it was not a fluke! He did it again later in the day!

TYSON WAS DIAGNOSED AT AGE 3… THERE WERE A LOT OF “NEVERS” THAT HE

HAS OVERCOME.• “He will NEVER say I

Love you”

• “He will NEVER be able to talk”

• “He will NEVER be normal”

•“I still remember the first time he

called ME Mama. It felt

great!” Using the Aristocats, Ashley worked to teach Tyson how to say Mama…. Every time the baby kittens would call “Mama, Mama, Mama… she would respond with a Yes…” Soon, Tyson began to correlate the kittens calling mama, and his ability to call mama….

DANE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM AT ABOUT THE SAME AGE AS TYSON.

• “We just could not believe this was

happening again… with Tyson it was much

easier to accept. But with Dane, we just did

not think it could happen.”

Dane’s diagnosis was initially much harder

to accept.

SOON… ALONG CAME ZOEY!• Zoey has become a huge

supporter and teacher to her brothers.

• Dane is more verbal because of Zoey.

• She keeps her brothers in line even Tyson… who is 3x her size

• She takes care of them!

AUTISM CAN BE TOUGH ON A COUPLE… BUT THEIR MARRIAGE IS STILL STRONG.

“We are good about talking about it.”

“13 Years and no secrets.”

“We support each other, even if we disagree with the

punishment.”

“IN MARRIAGE YOU ARE ON A TEAM. AND YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE. ESPECIALLY

THIS!”

LI

Life is AboutRoutine…

Taking over for the other when things get tough…

FUN

THERE ARE MANY CHALLENGES AND SACRIFICES…

• We have definitely had family members who do not always

understand what we are doing… or why we are doing it… or questioning

our decisions. We have stopped going to church. We need to plan

outings. Taking all the kids together to get ice cream is a major

accomplishment! Especially if they are all happy there at the same

time!

MEDICATION WAS A VERY HARD DECISION TO MAKE. BUT BOTH THE BOYS HAVE HAD IT FOR A FEW YEARS

AND IT HAS REALLY MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR THEM.

There are some tough decisions….

FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE A VITAL PART OF THEIR JOURNEY.

Regular Monday Movie Nights with Good Friends who love and understand their life…

Wonderful Grandparents who help with babysitting…

and provide love and support for their family…

SO WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? JAY AND ASHLEY ARE NOT SURE YET…AS THE BOYS AGE, MOVING TOWARD EASTERN NEBRASKA IS A POSSIBILITY. THERE ARE SERVICES AVAILABLE IN CITIES LIKE LINCOLN AND OMAHA THAT WILL OFFER DANE AND TYSON INDEPENDENCE AS THEY GET OLDER. WHILE THEY HAVEN’T MADE ANY DECISIONS YET… THE FUTURE IS VERY MUCH ON THEIR MINDS.

Our Life is Our Family

It’s Not Easy… but it’s

Definitely WORTH IT!

Autism is our superpower…. What’s yours?