Everyday, as you send your special needs child off into the big wide world, consider this: “Contrary to popular opinion, and contrary to the thesis of some anti-bullying programs, bullying is not about anger or conflict. It’s about contempt – a powerful feeling of dislike towards someone considered to be worthless, inferior or undeserving of…
From piano lesson to life lesson
I ask him if I can sit next to him and he says yes, so we sit side- by- side together he and I His fingers touch the keys with conviction while mine graze them timidly as if I’m meeting an old friend who seems less familiar than I had hoped and it’s all…
I Know a Damn Good Parent When I See One
He walked in in the middle of Ian’s haircut, his young daughter clinging to his legs, her eyes locked on the floor of the salon. “Does she need a haircut?” asked one of the stylists, and I cringed a little at the thought of a pair of scissors anywhere near the little girl’s gorgeous, shiny,…
Autism Spectrum Radio: A Parent’s Perspective (Mine!)
So I was on a radio show yesterday (my very first one!) and though I don’t foresee a career in this medium (I hear you have to have a specific face for that and I’m pretty sure I don’t qualify) I really enjoyed myself and would definitely do it again. The show was featured on…
Why I FINALLY Joined the PTA
They’re tucked towards the back of the modest sized campus; four portable classrooms in the left corner, dedicated to the special education students that comprise a healthy chunk of the overall student population at the school. At any given time you can see these K-6th graders walking around campus, assisted by an aide or teacher,…
On Winging It
I swear, if he could he would make a valiant effort at climbing back inside the womb. (But since there’s not a chance in hell that’s ever going to happen, he has to make due with close-knit embraces instead) He squirms and he rolls and he arches his way into my arms burrowing his…
The Special Needs Child and the Working Mom
An article published the other day on reuters.com revealed that moms who parent a child with autism are approximately 6% less likely to have a job, work an average of 7 hours less per week, and earn less than half of their counterparts: working moms without special needs children. It may be news to some,…