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Autism and Dental Visits

Last Monday, Rob pointed to his cheek and said, “Hurts!” I was worried because he has such a high tolerance for pain that if he says something hurts, a typical person probably would […]

Self-Care and an Autism Parent

Repeat after me… “I have to take care of me so I can take care of my child.” How many times have I said that to you? How many times have I admitted that I’m not very good at […]

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms…

who are waiting to hear their child’s voice for the first timewho are scared of their child’s future when they are gonewho are still bathing and changing their adult […]

Autism and the Love of Simple Things

I’ve been struggling with what to write about for a few days.  I found my topic with the last ten minutes by talking to Casey and Rob about what they would like to do this […]

Autism and Amazing Bravery

I’m sure I’ve shared before that Casey loves to sing in our county board of DD talent show each year. This year, the talent show included a visual arts part, too. (The talent show […]

Autism and a Week of Little Things

When you are a parent, sometimes, you forget about all of the little things your child is learning every day. You think about the big things – first steps, first words, […]

Autism and Birthday Surprises

A few days ago, we celebrated Casey’s birthday and, as always, it’s a time that reminds me just how far she has come in her journey with autism. She was evaluated at a children’s […]

Autism and Tips From First Responders (part 3)

Over the last few weeks, I’ve shared tips from a sheriff’s deputy and firemen about keeping our children with autism safe during emergencies. Today, I’m going to […]

Autism and Tips from First Responders (part 2)

Last week, I shared tips from a deputy sheriff to help first responders keep your family member safe in emergencies. This week, I’m going to share what a fire […]

Autism and Tips from First Responders (part 1)

Last week, our autism support group (ASK Autism) was excited to have four first responders from our county join us to share their tips for helping them keep our […]

Autism and the Here and Now

One of the worst things an autism parent can do is focus too much on the future. By that, I mean that you get yourself too scared of the “what ifs” to really see the small steps […]

Autism and Teaching Life Skills

When you have a child with autism, life skills need to be high on the list for what needs to be taught. I’m not saying that typical school subjects aren’t important, but life […]

Autism and the Art of Letting Go

When you have a child with autism, fear is never far from your mind. Fear for their safety. Fear they will need something and not be able to communicate that need. Fear they […]

Autism, Big Steps, Little Steps and Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I realize I’m about a week late wishing that for all of you, but the last several weeks, have been busy and fun and full of family time. […]

Autism, Holidays and Growing a Thick Skin

At our last autism support group meeting, one topic that came up was how to deal with the comments – the stares – the outright rudeness of some people when our […]

Autism and Making New Christmas Traditions

So many wonderful Christmas traditions involve large, loud gatherings or crowds at stores. When you have someone with autism, those are definitely not places you […]

Autism and the Wild and Wonderful Holiday Season

The holiday season is full of so many fun and amazing events, but for those of us with a special needs family member, it might not be the kind of excitement you […]