I’m Leasa Hoogerwerf. I am married to a wonderfully sensitive man whose name is Scott. We have two sons Justin 25 and Cody 22.

Our family lives in Southern California.

I love yoga, coffee and writing about everything but mostly the hard.

Motherhood was not something I thought I’d be good at honestly. I never thought I’d have a child let alone one with different abilities. Just never crossed my mind.

My son Cody was diagnosed at 17 months with severe autism and ID. Cody is now 22. He has taught me so much.

Cody was nonverbal until age 9. He’s now reading.

I started Cody Speaks out of sheer desperation to find others like our family.

One late night in my office I sat and wrote. It was a very dark time and when I started sharing my pieces it helped me so much.

Social media is truly a gift to connect with others around the globe — without it the possibility unlikely.

It’s my hope that by sharing our life in turn this will create more understanding and provide a safer place for Cody and others that need support.

Come follow us https://www.facebook.com/cody.codyspeaks

https://www.youtube.com/@codyspeaks7

https://www.instagram.com/codyspeaks