Month: April 2017

Filling the Autism Friendship Void

Recently as one of the researchers was interviewing me for my part in the study, she said, “I just wanted to mention that D said that when he doesn’t get his TV time he feels very lonely.” This stopped me in my tracks. I suddenly realized that for him, TV shows and movies were his friends, this is how he experiences friendship because he really doesn’t have any. He knows how to navigate those friendships. He knows what to expect from those friendships as they are the same every time.

Traveling with a Child with Special Needs

As we prepare for the flight I have to be very careful what I promise. Once I promised he would be able to sit next to the window. BIG mistake. We happened to have seats in the only row without a window. No one, and I mean no one, heard the safety instructions on that flight due to the meltdown that ensued.

A Day in the Life: Raising a Child with Autism

A Day in the Life: Raising a Child with Autism

The alarm goes off. I just want to stay in bed. Why can’t it be Saturday yet?? Time to wake the kids up. I wake my daughter, she smiles and jumps out of bed.
My son is a different matter altogether. We will spend the next 2 hours coaxing, bribing, and sometimes physically pulling him out of bed and into the shower, as he has no intention of waking up for several hours, though he’s been in bed for 12 hours, so it’s not lack of sleep.

Autism Awareness

Autism Awareness

I will celebrate my son and the joy and the life that he brings, but I am not going to glorify or celebrate autism. I will be grateful for the things it has taught me and the way it has made me a better person. But Autism… It really stinks.