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 [...]
Posts under ‘sensory issues’
What Autism Is Supposed to Look Like
Image credit: Photo by cproppe on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons We took the kids to a pool party at the home of some friends of mine recently. The hosts, as well as several guests, moved a fair drive away from us several years ago, and several more guests were visiting from out of town. [...]
Handling Things Differently Haikus
Two wet plastic balls: Small neurotypical hand grips both of them tight. The summer sun shines and cool water soothes her palms, a welcome delight. One wet plastic ball: Autistic child's fingertips touch it so lightly. Water, tiny drops, like so many small pin pricks, are kept from his skin.
If My Son Ruled the World
Image credit: Photo by go to /theworldsaddress/ instead on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons I was looking through Austen's school papers this week and found an exercise he had done describing what things would be like if he ruled the world. He had filled in blanks to complete several sentences, one of which read: "If [...]
Confessions of a Bad Mother
Image credit: Photo by Jill Greenseth on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons I have a secret. I have been grieving over my children since, at times, before they were even born. Now that's not the way it's supposed to be, is it? I'm a mama, and mamas are supposed to be joy and love and [...]
Shelter from the Storm
Image credit: Photo by max_thinks_sees on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Mark and I were at a beach one day, years ago. It was autumn and the wind was blowing the chill salt air around us. I felt invigorated and happy, the way I always do when I can hear and smell the ocean, and [...]
A Tale of Two Mothers
Image credit: Photo by Omar Eduardo on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons As featured in the New York Times blog Motherlode I A mother and her son are in line at a grocery store. They boy looks like he’s about nine or ten. The mother looks a little tense as the boy starts to fidget [...]
Snapshots
Image credit: Photo by LarimdaME on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons This week a woman I knew in high school shared snapshots of her family at Halloween; she and her husband and a few other couples had gathered to take the kids out trick-or-treating. The adults were all smiling, dressed in matching thematic costumes, and [...]
Whew! It’s Over!
Image credit: Photo byAnthony Cain on FlickrLicensed under Creative Commons I'm glad the election here is over. I'm feeling a bit wiped out today. (Note to self: elections are exhausting, even when all you're doing is voting. This must be why the inauguration isn't until January; it makes for more effective government. If I were [...]
Sensing Something Different
Image credit: Photo by Thomas Hawk on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons I was feeling blah this morning and wondering what to write about when I read on Marla's blog that it's Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) Awareness Month. If you are like our family, every month is SPD awareness month. In fact, we are actually [...]
