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How do you do it? People often ask me, “how do you do it,” with regard to raising a severely autistic child. And, “how do you stay happy? Or, “how…
Browsing Tag
autistic
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Wandering and autism If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I went through a difficult moment this weekend. Charlie ran away when we were downtown. He was doing fine,…
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“Why are you doing this to your son?” “Are you trying to turn him gay?” Boys and princess dresses Jude is a boy. He loves cars, dinosaurs, soccer, and superheroes.…
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Anxiety has a way of ruining good things that happen to me. Even when I’m happy, it comes creeping on me like dark overcast clouds over my sunny day. I convince…
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Autism success stories in the media The media like to portray heart-warming autism success stories, but the reality for many autistics and their loved-ones is often quite different. While it makes…
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This is the continuation of a post I first published in 2016 that you can read here. Parents of autistic children are my heroes. This is your reminder that you are…
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This is an excerpt from my book, All Across The Spectrum. You can pre-order here. Autism: A balancing act With autism, I always feel like I’m playing a balancing act, trying…
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To parents of autistic children, you are not alone! To the mom running her child to ABA therapy while her friends are driving their children to soccer practice, you’re not alone.…
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This is a snippet from my book, All Across The Spectrum. You can pre-order here. Autism: It’s okay to grieve When my therapist said those words, “It’s okay to grieve,” I…
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This is an excerpt from my book, All Across the Spectrum, that you can pre-order here. Autism and functioning labels As I kept sharing about autism on my blog, the #ActuallyAutistic doubled…
![[ad] Have I reached Pinterest-Mom status with these delicious turkey and cheese pinwheels, or what?? Okay, that, I don’t know, but I do know that the boys are crazy about these yummy pinwheels! They’re super-easy to make and perfect for packing in lunchboxes. I made them with @sargentocheese that’s real, natural cheese. Apparently it tastes so good that after you make the pinwheels, Jude will eat the rest of the pack if you leave it out. 😂
I’m a resourceful mom, though, so I’ve learned to use @sargentocheese as bait in fun recipes with other foods I want him to eat... hint-hint... protein and veggies 😜 These cute little turkey and cheese pinwheels have become an instant favorite at our house, and that makes my mama-heart happy.
Head to the blog for directions and more! #realcheesepeople](http://scontent-frx5-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/d54ece78473dae3d91979140395f308f/5E1C0698/t51.2885-15/e35/c0.180.1440.1440/s320x320/69848285_511554739633399_6424792240559414510_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frx5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=107 "[ad] Have I reached Pinterest-Mom status with these delicious turkey and cheese pinwheels, or what?? Okay, that, I don’t know, but I do know that the boys are crazy about these yummy pinwheels! They’re super-easy to make and perfect for packing in lunchboxes. I made them with @sargentocheese that’s real, natural cheese. Apparently it tastes so good that after you make the pinwheels, Jude will eat the rest of the pack if you leave it out. 😂
I’m a resourceful mom, though, so I’ve learned to use @sargentocheese as bait in fun recipes with other foods I want him to eat... hint-hint... protein and veggies 😜 These cute little turkey and cheese pinwheels have become an instant favorite at our house, and that makes my mama-heart happy.
Head to the blog for directions and more! #realcheesepeople")
![[excerpt from my book, All Across The Spectrum, about autism and regressions]
With autism, I always feel like I’m playing a balancing act, trying to find a happy medium with everything. The balance between espousing autism acceptance and also making sure that people realize that autism is a disability. There are beautiful moments of sincere hope and more sobering moments reminding you to be realistic with your expectations. I remember some initial feelings of pure happiness and hope after Charlie spoke for the first time. I wanted to believe we had turned a corner. This was finally it, Charlie was going to start communicating and the past five years would just become a distant memory of an old lifetime. A struggle that was no longer mine. I imagined myself looking back on tougher times with a smile, knowing they had been put to bed. I could almost see it. Almost feel it.
But I also remember the nagging doubt, the feeling that this was too good to be true and that his breakthrough could just be another blip on the radar, not to resurface for a long time to come. That’s what autism does. It gives you what you want for a few days, weeks, maybe months, and then it takes it away. Cruel. Heartless. It gives just so it can take.
I try not to hang my happiness on those moments of progress anymore. I feel it, try to let it warm every fiber of my body for a day; two if I’m lucky, and then let go. I let it go. Experience has taught me that progress with Charlie has an expiration date, like a hot summer camp romance. It’s the best thing in the entire world in that moment and you relish every fleeting second because you know it will come to an end and you’ll be left heartbroken.
[...]
Swipe for bts/I vacuumed the field afterwards. I’m a good girl 💁🏻♀️](http://scontent-frx5-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/15e0a8174eb07f23083a0c2ed78bd136/5E08616D/t51.2885-15/e35/c0.9.1440.1440a/s320x320/69896430_375159733138085_1108492367200420611_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frx5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=105 "[excerpt from my book, All Across The Spectrum, about autism and regressions]
With autism, I always feel like I’m playing a balancing act, trying to find a happy medium with everything. The balance between espousing autism acceptance and also making sure that people realize that autism is a disability. There are beautiful moments of sincere hope and more sobering moments reminding you to be realistic with your expectations. I remember some initial feelings of pure happiness and hope after Charlie spoke for the first time. I wanted to believe we had turned a corner. This was finally it, Charlie was going to start communicating and the past five years would just become a distant memory of an old lifetime. A struggle that was no longer mine. I imagined myself looking back on tougher times with a smile, knowing they had been put to bed. I could almost see it. Almost feel it.
But I also remember the nagging doubt, the feeling that this was too good to be true and that his breakthrough could just be another blip on the radar, not to resurface for a long time to come. That’s what autism does. It gives you what you want for a few days, weeks, maybe months, and then it takes it away. Cruel. Heartless. It gives just so it can take.
I try not to hang my happiness on those moments of progress anymore. I feel it, try to let it warm every fiber of my body for a day; two if I’m lucky, and then let go. I let it go. Experience has taught me that progress with Charlie has an expiration date, like a hot summer camp romance. It’s the best thing in the entire world in that moment and you relish every fleeting second because you know it will come to an end and you’ll be left heartbroken.
[...]
Swipe for bts/I vacuumed the field afterwards. I’m a good girl 💁🏻♀️")
