Holidays have always been a time of great joy and great stress. The joy of having a child experience the wonders of the season; the stress of meeting developmental milestones while battling strep, ear infections, the flu, recurrent meltdowns and night terrors. Happily, most of Connor’s childhood illnesses have subsided, and so has the race for achieving developmental milestones. In that spirit, I’d like to provide a holiday message to new ‘autism moms’ (especially those mothers with children under the age of five):
1. Christmas ornaments are educational tools. At six months of age, my son still wasn’t turning over, so I Continue reading…
In Memory of Holidays Past…a Message to New “Autism Moms”
December 14th, 2009ASD terminology: ‘autistic’ vs ‘individual with autism’
November 21st, 2009What’s in a name? Apparently, everything, if you are a person with an autism or Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis. At issue is whether or not to use ‘autistic’ as an adjective or to keep the traditional PeopleFirst language of an ‘individual with autism.’ The reasoning for both have great merit.
PeopleFirst fans would claim that a person would never call an individual with cancer a ‘cancerous’ person, so why wouldn’t the diagnosis always be listed last? Thus, a person with a cognitive disability or a person with a cold or a person with an autism spectrum disorder deserves the same respect by placing the name Continue reading…
Peer acceptance and autism
November 8th, 2009Many moms go through a tipping point around the time their children reach elementary school. It is the dawning realization that, “It’s not about what I want. It’s about my child having a life of self-determination and fulfillment based upon his own unique talents and preferences.” Slowly, we learn to accept our children for the wonderful people they are, and not the ones we expect them to be from our own narrow set of experiences. For some of us, it can be a hard lesson to learn, and I’m still learning.
As an example, last year I felt the need to apologize to Connor because I Continue reading…
For grandparents, neighbors and extended family…How can you help? Bring dinner!
October 17th, 2009My parents recently confessed that that they always wanted to help out with our son, but weren’t sure what to do. They felt particularly helpless during the early years when Connor was newly diagnosed and we were still trying to find our way with Autism. They are not alone. Many parents, neighbors and friends stand on the sidelines or walk on eggshells fearing that they will say or do the wrong thing. If only these parents and friends knew how much we needed them during that difficult time (and how much we still need them now). Maybe this list of DO’s and DON’Ts will give them the guidelines and the Continue reading…
A mom think tank for autism?
October 2nd, 2009Tackling weighty problems like autism causes, treatments, health care, education and employment is a big job, and thank goodness we have teams of scientists, legislators, economists and the entire autism community to help. But in the meantime, I think we could use a mom think tank to weigh in on issues related to the Everyday Parenting Challenges of Autism (EPCA).
In theory, the EPCA think tank would have its own identity. Maybe we’d even have our own flag. And, we’d align ourselves with key sponsors, preferably those that specialize in skincare and designer handbags! And we’d meet someplace interesting and have a big summit to brainstorm solutions to EPCA challenges. Continue reading…
The Simple Joy of Two Hours of Me-Time
September 22nd, 2009Must get kids off to school. Must get paperwork finished for triennial evaluation. Must learn about assistive technology for screening next week. Must schedule conference call, business trip and finish presentation for consulting client(s). Must blog, vlog, mentor, report. Must get birthday card, work out, participate in subdivision garage sale, do laundry/housework/yard work/grocery shopping, take dog to vet. Must…keep going….
“Don’t Cry, Mom. I’m With You”
September 13th, 2009My husband and I have been trying to engage our son in Cub Scouts for the past two years. Sometimes we think we are making progress, and other times, like today, we ask ourselves What were we thinking? Everyone involved with the den – the scoutmaster, his wife (a parent educator), the scouts and the other parents have bent over backward to support us, so we continue to have high hopes that Connor will find a place to develop friendships with peers.
This afternoon’s festivities were supposed to include a ceremony whereby our son and the other scouts were to graduate to Bear Cub status. Connor had finished his Continue reading…
