Economy Changing Your Autism-Related Expenses?

Living in California, I’m frequently asked how I can continue to drive my car and keep my air conditioning on in the face of the current economy while living in an expensive area of the country. (See, I’m one of those ‘bad’ people who drive a monstrosity, a gas guzzler, a boat on wheels…I could [...]

You Know That Face?

You know what I mean, that face. THAT face. The face that says “I’msomadIamshakingandoutofcontrol.” The face that you don’t want to see.
Well, I got to see it today. And so did a boatload of other school children and a handful of teachers.
First, let me preface by saying that I wasn’t sure up until 4-5 minutes [...]

Update!

Long story short, apparently ds was playing with a little girl who took the game further, without his knowledge, and told a group of boys, her friends, boys my son did not know, and told them to ‘chase the bad guy,’ with my son being the ‘bad guy,’ and to ‘put him in jail,’ jail [...]

Group Bullying?

I picked up ds early from school to head to his regularly scheduled neurologist appointment. As we pull onto the carpool lane of the freeway, he begins to tell me a story that made me want to turn around and head back to the school…except I couldn’t, a neuro appt in a land far, far [...]

All’s Fair at the Fair

Another year at the L.A. County Fair, another bundle of  money gone. More tired feet.
Another great visit. But, the stroller, lots of time to wander and not be in a hurry, and money to buy the snacks that keep him happy were the keys to success. If you’re going, stop by an AT&T store and [...]

Tolerance Within the Autism Community

One thing that strikes me as odd, as perplexing and disturbing, is that despite how we parents of autistic children want and expect tolerance everywhere — school, restaurants, airplanes, churches, anywhere — how quickly we turn when our child or our child’s class has a difficult experience with another special needs child.
I use the word [...]

Miracles and Everyday Life

This morning, I saw this story on the Today show. I’m still teary-eyed when I think about it. Grab your tissues, if you are the parent of an autistic child, or even not, you will feel this story. It’s amazing. There are miracles. Non-verbal children are gifted, and stereotypes need to go out the door. To [...]

Mom, I Want My Friends Back!

On the heels of my rant about how rude people can be, my son came home after experiencing it from a different perspective…again.
It’s no surprise that my son has a hard time with friends. Social skills are a huge part of any autism spectrum disorder. It’s a misnomer that all autistic kids don’t want friends [...]

How’s Your Son Doing?

Not a hard thing to say, is it? Judging by how often I hear it though, it must be.
I have a lot of friends with kids, and a few without. All kids get sick, so all parents know what it’s like to worry about your child. When I talk to one with a sick child, [...]