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Forever Boy

A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy

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Forever Boy

By: Kate Swenson
Narrated by: Kate Swenson
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About this listen

An honest and inspiring memoir of autism, motherhood, and love from the creator of Finding Cooper’s Voice.


When Kate Swenson’s son Cooper was diagnosed with severe, nonverbal autism, her world stopped. She had always dreamed of having the perfect family life — watching her boy play at baseball games, walking him down the aisle. She hadn’t signed up for life as a mother raising a child with a disability.

At first, Kate experienced the grief of broken dreams. Then she felt the frustration and exhaustion that comes with having to fight for your child in a world that is stacked against them. But through hard work, resilience and personal growth, she would come to learn that Cooper wasn’t the one who needed to change. She was. And it was this transformation that led Kate to acceptance — and ultimately joy. Because of Cooper, and autism, she became the person and the mother she was truly meant to be.

Now Kate offers comfort and connection to other parents through her blog and Facebook community, Finding Cooper’s Voice. In Forever Boy, she shares her inspiring journey through autism with honesty and compassion, offering solace and hope to others on this path and illuminating the strength and unconditional love of mothers.

 Children's Health Motherhood Parenting & Families Relationships Autism Special Need Memoir Health
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amazing book!
i was constantly brought to tears from feeling understood, heard and validated as a mother raising a autistic child.

an autism mums validation

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This book was so relatable and written with so much heart and soul that I found myself crying tears and also smiling with joy. I loved this so much I have also ordered a hard copy!

Beautiful, raw, relatable and full of heart

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My children are autistic, but they are speaking and have no intellectual delay. I wasn’t sure how this book would resonate. Let me tell you, the similarities between my son and Cooper astonished me. I want to thank Kate for opening up my eyes to Cooper’s ‘version’ of autism, and for allowing me to understand my son’s aggression and rigidity in a different way. Bravo Kate!
(This is Sally from ND Renegade)

Beautifully written, full of insight

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I loved every moment of this book. I have followed Kate for years and still learnt so much. Cooper is an amazing human and his family can teach us all so much.

bring tissues.

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Thank-you for sharing your story of a way our family could all understand this has been a part of our journey

Being a mother of an autistic child

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