Thoughts About My Aging Autistic Son Keep Me Up at Night
Parenting a child with developmental disabilities, including High Functioning Autism (HFA), is no doubt, a challenging but exhausting responsibility which I have struggled with for the past 45 years when my son was diagnosed with what was referred to in the late 1990’s as Asperger’s syndrome. Looking back at my son’s growth and development within […]
Continue readingYou Are an Important Part of The Solution In The Autism Diagnosis
Three years ago, my husband and I were facing very difficult questions. Those questions often didn’t have simple answers, and worse, the professional answers we received didn’t always mesh with other professional answers. How would I navigate this? I can tell you my pediatrician felt that my son was “just a boy.” Had I listened […]
Continue readingThe Amazing Ways Equine Therapy Can Change a Child’s Life
“Mommy, you purple!” The little girl’s big brown eyes were wide with joy as she said the first phrase she had ever spoken. Up to this point, the young girl expressed her “special language” and ironically colors. Today was the first time in her short life of yearning to communicate she was able to utter […]
Continue readingHow to Prepare Now for a Successful IEP for Your Child
Planning your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) can be very stressful for parents. What often causes the most stress having to sit through very long meetings and listen to educators tell you what your child can’t do, instead of focusing on what your child will be doing for the next year. This process can often […]
Continue readingEmployment Matters…Especially for Those on the Spectrum
The job of “raising” a son or daughter significantly impacted by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) does not come to an end when your child reaches the age of majority. It just shifts to a new realm. Indeed, adulthood brings significant new worries and new challenges. Vital concerns for parents of emerging adult children with ASD […]
Continue readingAutism Warrior: Angeline Francis Khoo Luxury Designer Empowers People With Special Needs With Training And Jobs
Angeline Francis Khoo is the founder of Rosie On Fire, a fashion company dedicated to hiring people with autism into roles that play to their strengths. She said was inspired to provide these opportunities after seeing her siblings, who are on the autism spectrum, overlooked in the job market. “We do this by focusing on creating […]
Continue readingHelp: My Child With Autism Is Afraid to Go to the Dentist
Many children struggle with the idea of going to the dentist, but for children with autism, a trip to the dentist office can create anxiety and even panic. Here are some simple suggestions that may ease stress levels and make your dental visit a success. 1. Visual Schedules A visual schedule is a great way […]
Continue readingCritical Reasons to Offer Support to Autism Siblings
When you are little, it’s hard to understand why your sister seems to get upset all the time, why she is impossible to calm down, why she hits and throws things for no reason, why she doesn’t have to finish her dinner (or even sit at the table), why she won’t play with you, why […]
Continue readingFor Better or Worse: How to Overcome the Effects of Autism on Marriage
My marriage almost ended. The daily stress and energy expended to advocate for and raise my active and unusual child on the autism spectrum led to complete exhaustion and meltdown. There was simply nothing left for anyone else, including my spouse. Hyper-focus on my son’s well-being, coupled with differences between my partner and me in […]
Continue readingAn Exclusive Talk With Temple Grandin on the Benefits of ASD Conferences
Over the past few decades, Dr. Temple Grandin has become a respected speaker, author, and prominent advocate for autistic populations. Diagnosed with autism at the age of two and nonverbal until she was four years old, Grandin’s childhood was enriched by one-on-one speech therapy and the extra assistance of a caregiver. With a degree in […]
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