A Decade of Autism
Evan turns 10 this weekend. I clearly remember my 10th birthday. My parents made a big deal about “double digits.” Now that it’s Evan’s turn to enter the second decade of his life, his birthday is a really big deal….
Read more
Autism
Helping all Kids Feel Included this Halloween
If you knew my neighbors in the white house, you could ask them about the Halloween when a kid dressed as a construction barrel waltzed through their front door, refused a handful of Tootsie Rolls, and demanded to know where…
Read more
The Advocate
I’m a relatively quiet person, but after Evan was born, I became an advocate in ways I could never have imagined. I’ve advocated for his bus drivers, his teachers, his school social worker, his friends and their families and most…
Read more
Our Special Kids: the Common Denominator
Parenting is tough stuff. Really tough at times. And it doesn’t matter if you have one kid or seven of them. It doesn’t matter if your child is embracing his terrible twos or acting like a moody teenager (and she’s…
Read more
I Want My Kids to Talk, But Not if They’re Going to Start a Conversation Like This
Autism doesn’t take a vacation. Ever. But I’m taking a break from writing about autism to talk about the things I hate hearing from my kids. . Getting our kids to talk to us is something we parents constantly strive…
Read more
Presenting Louie
Presenting: Louie, king of the monkeys!” This was Evan’s line last week in a camp performance of “The Jungle Book.” Six words. Evan’s six words in his first play ever. But this is more than a story about a boy…
Read more
One Tough Interview
As a journalist, I’ve met and interviewed hundreds of people. A good interview flows like a conversation, and because I love talking to people and hearing their stories, the interview is often my favorite part of being a writer. Some…
Read more
Seven Reasons I Wish I Could Be More Like My Son With Autism
I just made a hotel reservation in Chicago. It’s one of my favorite places. Evan isn’t crazy about the Windy City – or any city – because there are too many sirens. During the call I informed the reservation specialist…
Read more
Our Seven Autism Myths
We were warned, and we pretty much listened. When Evan got his diagnosis in 2007, we didn’t Google autism. Our most relied-on sources of information included doctors, books and other parents. When friends said they had an uncle’s brother’s…
Read more