For Parents of Kids on the Autism Spectrum Or Alternate Title… Only Parents of Kids on the Autism Spectrum Will Appreciate This A funny story… But, it is really a story that only a part of a child on the autism spectrum can really relate to and understand. What’s the story? My son likes to put lotion on his hands. (He inherited my issue of dry hands.). He likes a certain brand. He keeps a few small bottles of lotion in his school backpack, and one large bottle in my car. About a month ago, I looked at the bottle in my car and … [Read more...]
02
Dec 2018
Autism and Staying Positive Even though my son is fifteen—the age for LOTS of challenges (autism-related and age-related)—I do believe parents need to try to stay positive as often as possible. Yet, it is challenging for us parents. How do you stay positive? I’ll be honest, it’s not easy when you’re dealing with the attitude of a fifteen-year-old. They can be surly and moody, and they’re different, too. My son has changed more in the last year than I think in all the rest of the years combined. Some of it is great. He does his own laundry … [Read more...]
26
Nov 2018
Autism and Managing Money (Part 2) I touched on this briefly not too long ago, but my son is learning about money. What is he learning? He’s learning that our money is not his money. He’s learning that—in reality—he doesn’t have any money. We have money to buy his food and clothes and school things and lots of other things, but there are times when we have to say “no” due to the money not being an endless pit. He’s learning that he’s not going to get everything he wants because we’re simply not going to pay for everything he wants. And, … [Read more...]
19
Nov 2018
Is Autism Different in a Small Town? I’ve lived in the Los Angeles area for twenty-eight years now. Over half my life. I had my child when I was thirty-six. A year and change later, we were taking him to a regional center for evaluation for autism. We received services soon after, and off we went. Again, this is in the Los Angeles area, a huge city that’s quite spread out. I think this area has three or four regional centers to cover it. (In the State of California, Regional Centers provide services to our kids on the autism spectrum. They … [Read more...]
12
Nov 2018
Autism and Navigating Social Circles Solo There’s huge difference between five and fifteen. What do I mean? I’m discussing a rather typical issue for a teenager, learning how to navigate social circles. And, learning how to do it solo, without mom (or dad) around. At age five, I was much more present, first hand, to navigate my son’s social circles. To assist, to teach, and to protect. I was either present or informed by facilitators of how my son navigated social contacts. Then what happened? He grew up. He’s a teenager now, he’s … [Read more...]
04
Nov 2018
The Fine Line Between a Teenager with Autism and Politics In honor of the upcoming mid-term elections… My fifteen-year-old with mild autism likes to discuss politics. Was this always the case? No. When he was in middle school, his history teacher gave them a homework assignment—watch the debates between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump and report on them. That’s where it all began with my child. What happened? He became interested in politics. Additionally, I listen to NPR in the morning. My son began to tune into the political stories … [Read more...]
29
Oct 2018
Autism and Vacations My son loves to travel. He got that love to travel from his parents. A few years ago, my son and I took a road trip together—just the two of us. We hit some great Western states and tourist stops. We drove a lot in those twelve days. My son was eleven. We had taken many family trips before that age, but I feel that trip really made my son into a vacation-lover. A traveler. A planner of future vacations. What exactly is a planner of future vacations? A bucket list, I suppose you can call it. I had no problem with my … [Read more...]
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