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New Diagnoses are Hard, How to Find Peace in the Storm
New diagnoses are downright scary. Finally getting answers to all our questions shouldn’t be. Finding answers should be reassuring and bring some measure of peace. But it rarely does. I learned this the hard way, as one child after another gained new diagnoses over the years. I was sure nothing could scare me anymore. But…
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Autism: Unique is Awesome – Expressions of PosAutivity: #AutismPositivity2014
Let’s Mold Different Perceptions of Autism and Autistic People When Suzanne Wright penned her opinion piece for Autism Speaks last November, she didn’t inspire me to action, she didn’t help anyone understand the spectrum of Autism, she didn’t help autistic people (adults or children) feel valued and respected. If you haven’t read the letter you…
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Autistic, Schmautistic – People First or People First Language?
Don’t Look Here for People First Language People-first language used to be a big deal to me. I remember, as a parent new to my kids’ varied diagnoses, looking around wild-eyed and desperate for information and encountering the idea. It seemed to make sense at first, but after a while (and a few more diagnoses)…
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Not a Stranger Anymore
A Week of Hope: Comforting Avonte’s Family On October 4, 2013, Avonte Oquendo, a 14 year old, non-verbal student with autism, went missing from his school in Long Island City, New York. Surveillance cameras provided images of Avonte running through an empty hallway and then on a sidewalk outside of the school. He has not…
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Free or Low-cost Autism Resource – NAA’s Big Red Safety Box
Link: Big Red Safety Box | FOUND – National Autism Association We received one of these Big Red Safety boxes last year from the National Autism Association and it was a blessing to have the additional resources to help make our house safer. While we have three boys with autism, Logan has been known to…
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Why “Curing” Autism is a Ridiculous Headline
Autism isn’t a Disease, People! Our local news is all excited about a potential “new cure” for autism! It seems, *gasp*, that children who have intense behavioral therapy can be “cured” from their autism. To this I have one response – I laugh. First, this is hardly news – studies have been around for years…
