Take the challenge: Find one word that describes your ideal life

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Mom and advocate Renee Carleson knew she needed support in raising her amazing special needs kids. So she created the village she wanted in A Sensory Bee. Magic has ensued.

A Note from Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, BeInkandescent Health & Wellness magazine — I am a huge fan of Renee Carleson, a coach for special needs families. Her organization, A Sensory Bee, has launched a fabulous campaign that can be useful to anyone looking to define the life of their dreams by participating in the one-word campaign.

Below, you’ll learn about Renee’s campaign that invites members of the special needs community to define autism.

At BeInkandescent, we invite you to take the challenge yourself to define your life. What’s the one word you’d use to describe what you are hoping to accomplish today, this month, this year — for your entire life! Send us your words. 

A Sensory Bee’s One-Word Campaign

By Renee Carleson, founder, A Sensory Bee

February 14, 2021 — If you have a child on the Autism spectrum, A Sensory Bee is looking for parents to share one word that describes autism through the One-Word Campaign that launches today (deadline: March 17).

“Our kiddos are special, and yet the world sometimes doesn’t know them as we do,” explains Renee, author of A Bee Like Me, which she wrote with her daughter about her experience as an autistic child. “With this campaign, we are reaching out to our community to share one word that will help us define autism for others.”

The clinical definition of autism: au·tism /ˈôˌtizəm/ noun: A developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior.

Renee believes this definition is sterile and doesn’t give credit to the children and their families, which are full of life and see the world in unique ways.

“We have to throw away the status quo and focus on the little things that make life sweet. We celebrate every small victory instead of life’s big moments.  We have learned to stop and smell the roses and cherish each and every skill that is achieved.  We have put away the yardstick and learned to be grateful for every step that leads to independence. I want to give autistic families the ability to change this definition in a meaningful way.

Bring it home: Renee was inspired to create the campaign when she a friend suggested she come up with one word to express the experience of living with two autistic kids, a husband who is also on the autism spectrum, and her own case of ADHD. She felt empowered as she began making a list of nouns, verbs, and adjectives that would encapsulate her life. So she took the idea of creating a campaign to her board of directors — The Bee Hive.

“Immediately, they began developing a book of ideas to help others find their words,” Renee shares. “This campaign provides a great opportunity to redefine the word autism. There is so much emotion, the trials, and tribulations that come with this diagnosis. Now we get a chance to define our journey.”

Words to get you started: 

  • Tenacity our children with autism have such tenacity when it comes to things that they are interested in.
  • Resilience is their ability to overcome life’s setbacks and find the joy in each moment is such a gift.
  • Unconditional we have unconditional love, compassion, and understanding to help our children cope in any capacity.
  • Battle because this diagnosis is like climbing up a steep hill every day; parents are constantly advocating for the services that our children need, for keeping the household calm and balanced, and for helping our children prepare to be independent as possible.

Take the challenge: If you could add just one word to the autism diagnosis, what would it be, and why? If your word is chosen, we will send you a bracelet with your word engraved on it as a token of appreciation. We hope this will serve as a reminder of how you helped change the meaning of the word autism in a heartfelt way.

Details:

  • Campaign launch: Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2021
  • Email your word: renee@asensorybee.com
  • Deadline: St. Patrick’s Day, March 17
  • The winner will be announced: April 15

About Renee Carleson and A Sensory Bee

“A Sensory Bee was born out of the heart and desperation of my personal challenges to deal with my own special needs family’s ever-changing needs,” explains Renee, whose company is based in Southern California. “With two special needs teens and sensory issues of my own, I have spent a lifetime learning how to take care of others in holistic ways.”

Renee’s career began as a medical assistant using Western medicine as a base of my practice. She realized that form of medicine was managing and treating the symptoms. Her desire to heal herself and others holistically led her to become a massage therapist.

“I believe that to achieve effective healing, you have to heal from the inside out,” insists Renee, who has created programs to teach families how to effectively calm the body, mind and reduce negative behaviors while creating positive, purposeful interactions with their special needs loved ones. I’m proud to offer the highest quality and most unique merchandise on the market today.”

A Sensory Bee’s product line allows families to shift their focus to positive parenting and productive play through organizational and routine-building tools to help your family thrive.