Image credit: Photo by ...-Wink-... on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons "How did you know?" my son Austen asked. "Know what, buddy?" I asked. We had been talking about how a particular connector fit into a particular slot. This, along with batteries and speakers, is a particular fascination of Austen's lately. When we were watching [...]
Posts under ‘autism’
A Different World
Image credit: Photo by evilnick on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Our family keeps a pretty rigorous schedule, with nearly every night of the week blocked out for some activity or another, but rather than shuttling between soccer games and dance practice, like many parents in our social group, we're shuttling between different 12 Step [...]
If You Only Knew
"What am I going to say to people? I mean, they're going to ask, 'What are you doing these days?' and what am I supposed to do? I don't know how to make small talk anymore, let alone tell them what's been going on," I told my friend Jess after she met me at the [...]
When Yelling Works
Image credit: Photo by Scream 101 on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons There's a reason I'm not a journalist. It's one of those jobs you always think about, if you're one of those people (like me) who has considered careers in writing. But I always saw two problems with it: 1) I need to let [...]
Lullaby
Image credit: Photo by Big Grey Mare on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons "Honey?" Mark has been putting the kids to sleep. I thought he'd fallen asleep with them, but now he pops his head into the living room. "Austen says his stomach hurts and he can't get to sleep. Can you come take a [...]
A Teacher Can Make All the Difference
Image credit: Photo by Temari 09 on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons A year and a half ago, I posted a story about an autistic boy named Alex Barton, whose teacher had asked the other students to vote him out of his kindergarten class. Periodically, people write and ask what's up with Alex and how [...]
Nightmares
Image credit: Photo by samzie2006 on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons I woke up this morning, muscles clenched like a fist and throat tight with anxiety, wanting to grab my son and never let him go. I crept to where he was sleeping and ran my fingers through his curls, reassuring myself he was there [...]
Tallying up my Self-Worth
Image credit: Photo by boxercab on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Last Monday I walked through the grocery store feeling like a weight was crushing my chest, a tight lump in my throat the only thing between me and tears. And part of me wanted to self-indulgently sit there on the linoleum floor under the [...]
Beware of the 8-Year-Old
Image credit: Photo by codepo8 on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Most kids (at least those who grow up in safe, middle class, American neighborhoods) don't see every new face at the front door (from evangelists to pizza delivery guys) as a potential threat. But Austen is not most kids. Unless they come bearing an [...]
Conspiracy Theories
Image credit: Photo by CowGummy on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons It started off innocently enough years ago. She would forward me the usual stories warning me that I should watch out for snakes in McDonald's ball pits or people out to steal my kidneys or serial killers who would lure me out of the [...]
