We flew 8 hours with 4 kids and umpteen bags across the country to visit Grandma. Within 2 minutes they’d already hurt her feelings. It’s always been stressful to balance the expectations of extended family and the needs of my two older girls, adopted as toddlers from foster care. Both their difficult history and their…
Category Archives: Advocacy
Gourmet baby from the getgo…
Do you cook seperate for someone in the family? Do they have special dietary restrictions or needs? My son has a dairy allergy. I say an allergy because it appears that if we avoid it all together we have a sweeter life. We’ve never had an official test, but doctor’s have said why test you…
Irony and Autism
You know what’s awesome? When your kid does something LEAST expected. For example, when Luke was 3 and was having some behavioral issues in preschool? He kicked a kid for wearing a red shirt because RED FOOD IS EVIL and then months later, red was suddenly his favorite color. Hmmm. How about them apples? And…
Awake
You’ve already heard that April is Autism Awareness month. I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently… Thanks to my affiliation with 5 Minutes for Special Needs I was asked to review a documentary called Loving Lampposts. It is a beautiful movie, and it is due out on DVD yesterday. You can read my extensive…
Are Autism Adocates Doing It Right?
Is it possible that many parents NOT involved with Autism know that April is Autism Awareness? Do the circles run so wide as to pass ramblings of projects, awareness, the push for understanding and acceptance for those living with Autism or the discontent with influential sources’ lack of attention to the month trickle into groups…
At last! There is HOPE.
“There is hope for your child.” “And for your family.” Before you throw your computer across the room, bear with me for a moment. Because I’ve oft wanted to throw the computer (or throw up…) when people band-aided my heartbreak with platitudes over the years. So I understand. But today, after another hours-long appointment with…
The Worth of a Soul: The Story of Kirill
According to a judge in Russia, a little boy with Down syndrome is better off in an institution than with a family wanting nothing more but to love and cherish him. In other words, that extra chromosome to this judge is worthy of only one thing. A death sentence. My friend Veronica holds dual citizenship…
Autism Superpowers
When Luke was first learning to understand his autism (and his, brother’s) he came up with his own explanation of how it worked. We explained to him that everyone had sensory issues, or had something they were afraid of or something that bothered them. He decided that everyone had autism, except that some people had…
Eradicate the “disease”?
A while back there was an article about a new test that would identify if your child had Down syndrome earlier in the pregnancy in a less invasive way. Dr. Patsalis was excited about this new test because it could help the medical community “slowly eradicate the disease” that is Down syndrome. I could go into…
Newborn Screening Saves Lives
What once was a nationally-mandated test of newborns for six inherited diseases has now expanded to include as many as 100 disorders thanks to new technology. Yet not every state tests for every disorder. Early detection and treatment saves lives.