As promised, I am over guest posting today on Amy Julia Becker's blog Thin Places about autism, invisible disability and acceptance. And here's your teaser... My son Austen* looks like most nine-year-olds, except perhaps a bit taller, with long legs that carry him swiftly across the ground as he races you to the car or [...]
Posts under ‘autism’
Happy Independence Day
I have been meaning to write a post about why I haven't been writing many posts lately, but go figure, for all the reasons I haven't written about yet, I haven't finished it. So, I'm going to take the excellent suggestion offered by Wendy of Renewing Ruined Cities, who said I should consider re-posting some [...]
Haiku Reviews
Hand Wash Cold let me sit with uncomfortable and beautiful truths. Slip transported me to a time when my son was newly diagnosed. Karen and Tanya, thank you for sharing yourselves, for sharing your truths.
Carry that Weight
Image credit: Photo by Nena B. on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons A few months ago, Mark and I took the kids to a "sensory friendly" movie showing. Autistic individuals, and others with sensory processing difficulties, can find a typical movie going experience overwhelming. Movies are loud. Theaters are dark and often crowded. The screen [...]
The Ups and Downs of an Autistic 3rd Grader’s Education
"Austen can repeat whole paragraphs verbatim from his memory." "But he's unable to recall faces and names when shown a picture." "Vocabulary tests at a high school level, as does his reading." "However, he can't answer some simple questions on what he has read." "I've never seen scores like this in math -- not ever [...]
Routines
Image credit: Photo by Bob.Fornal on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons If you had asked me, before Austen was born, if nearly every detail of my life was fixed in routine, I would have said no, and I would have thought that was quite true. After all, I had free will and all that. If [...]
I Don’t Love You
Image credit: Photo by jessica.garro on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Most parents hear it at one time or another. Some variation on the universal theme of parent awfulness: "I hate you. I wish you were dead. I don't like you. I'm not going to be your child anymore. I want a new Mommy/Daddy. You're the [...]
Set Apart
Image credit: Photo by timabbott on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons A recent NY Times opinion piece on toxins and autism has been making the rounds lately, and well, frankly, the piece bugs the crap out of me, and I can't quite figure out why. After all, it seems like, not just an excellent idea, [...]
Help! Bill Gates Is Coming!
Image credit: Photo by Stuck in Customs on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Periodically, news stories send me into a panic. Do I need to order a truck load of face masks before that flu pandemic hits? Is that TSA security person going to have to strip search me now that some guy tried to [...]
A Spoon Is Not a Spoon
Image credit: Photo by skinnylaminx on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons As I write this, I have a cup of tea beside me, and I am trying to get myself to drink it. I'm not hesitating because I don't like tea or because I think it will be unpleasant. I'm hesitating because I'm trying to [...]
