You have probably heard the adage, “When you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” This is because individuals with autism are unique in their needs and abilities. However, one common trait is their need for routine and visual schedules to...
Valentine’s Day brings up many feelings of love, care and concern for family, especially when you have a child with autism. My son, Jack, was diagnosed with high functioning autism spectrum disorder when he was five years old. Since then, we’ve had a roller coaster...
“Comparison is the source of all suffering” is a quote that as an autism parent, I need to be reminded of often. I often find myself measuring my child’s progress against other children. This goes for comparing to not only typical children but those on the...
Between ages 1-5, my son Jack was showing signs of development challenges. My mother’s intuition knew something wasn’t quite right, but I didn’t know what exactly. Trying not to compare Jack’s development to that of my daughter, I convinced myself that what he lacked for...
With delays in development, I signed my son, Jack, up for occupational and speech therapy when he was eighteen months old. I wasn’t sure what to expect - at first - but his therapists jumped right in. His first occupational therapy session was to sit...
New school. New teacher. New friends. You know the drill – it’s hard for any kid in kindergarten. Well, this was the start of my son Jack’s journey toward his diagnosis. After months of blaming his kindergarten teacher for lack of teaching ability, I now...
I’m not sure what the ‘typical’ evaluation process is when your child is being assessed for autism. Maybe most parents of special needs children feel this way, but I felt that it took a long time. I questioned the process, the psychiatrist, the results. After...
Hello. My name is Kristal, and I became part of the autism community about six years ago. My story may not be any different from other autism moms, but if you’re curious about your child’s development challenges, maybe you suspect autism and are not sure...
Contrary to the song lyrics “It’s the hap-happiest time of the year,” children with autism experience significant stress with the holidays and often times as a result of that stress the whole family does as well. Between Halloween, my son’s birthday in November, Thanksgiving and...
As autism parents, we often face new challenges along the autism journey. It’s important to celebrate our small victories over these challenges, to realize we can survive the many tests that come our way. I have had many friends whose children experienced seizures and thought we...