What Works

We sat our daughter Eden down to ask what it's really like to have Hyrum as a brother. What we heard back was a lot harder, and a lot more hopeful, than we expected.

Hyrum fixated on a birthday two months away, and by Wednesday we knew we couldn't wait. So we baked a cake at midnight, buried the presents in a sand pile, and threw him a birthday that had nothing to do with his actual birthday.

Years of therapy failed to reach him. A week by a river in northern Idaho did what nothing else could. This is what we've learned about why water regulates our son, and what other families can try.

Our son needs space, quiet, and water, the things a typical RV park doesn't offer. Here's what we look for instead, what boondocking actually costs us, and what it's given our family in return.