05
Mar 2018

Autism and the Long-Awaited Bullying at School

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Autism and the Long-Awaited Bullying at School

Autism and the Long-Awaited Bullying at School Why did I create that particular title? Well, because I was convinced that something like this was going to happen to my child when he was in middle school. It didn’t. He’s now a freshman in high school. And, my son is being bullied. What is happening? This bullying has apparently been going on since October, according to my son. We didn’t find out about, however, until a week ago. Why not? Two reasons: First, our son was trying to handle this situation on his own. He told us that the … [Read more...]

18
Dec 2017

Autism and Just Being a Teenager

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Autism and Just Being a Teenager

Autism and Just Being a Teenager The title has two meanings because sometimes my child has autism and other times, well, he’s just being a rather typical teenager. How so? Testing and pushing boundaries is one way. With attitude. It’s a lot of fun for parents! Another way is when he recently changed from headphones to earbuds. My son has always had an affinity for listening to stuff on his iPad with headphones (encouraged, of course, by his parents so that it’s less noisy, especially in the car) Earbuds are “cooler.” So, the headphones are … [Read more...]

10
Dec 2017

Autism and Public Speaking

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Autism and Public Speaking For a child with autism, my son really doesn’t have a problem speaking in public. Why not? Good question. When he was younger and had to do an oral presentation at school, he did them. We didn’t go to the teacher and say, “Well, he has autism so…” Instead, we had him practice. We helped prepare him. I remember having him sit at a chair in the kitchen (as if he were sitting in his seat at school), stand up, face me and my husband, introduce himself, and launch into the topic. I tried to recreate what it was going … [Read more...]

27
Aug 2017

Autism and Learning a Foreign Language

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Autism and Learning a Foreign Language

Autism and Learning a Foreign Language Big time advice coming… A few times, when my son with autism was younger, I said to myself, “I should really get him into some kind of foreign language instruction soon.” But, I never followed through. Now, my son has just started high school and is finally taking a foreign language, Spanish. I wish he had started when he was younger. Why? Even with a typical kid, the earlier you start a foreign language instruction, the better. Now, add autism into the mix. What happened? Well, my son began his … [Read more...]

07
Aug 2017

How Sensory Gyms Help Kids on the Autism Spectrum

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We Rock the Spectrum Photo

Guest Blogger Dina Kimmel writes this week... How Sensory Gyms Help Kids on the Autism Spectrum A trampoline, a zip line, and a climbing structure — these may sound like typical pieces of equipment at any regular kids gym. In actuality, they help foster an inclusive learning and play environment. They are some of the necessary pieces of equipment found in a sensory gym. A sensory gym is designed to serve and accommodate the sensory needs of children with sensory processing disorders, such as autism. Unique, specially-designed equipment helps … [Read more...]

09
Jul 2017

Autism and a Canadian Trip

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Autism and a Canadian Trip

Autism and a Canadian Trip   I seem to think that my son should experience as much as reasonably (and financially) possible, even knowing that autism is going to tag along. What experience did he have this time? Well, some experiences are good (positive) and some are not so good. A year ago last winter my brother died suddenly. It was a difficult time for my family and the first family death that my son was really aware of. (His paternal grandfather died when he was six, but he didn’t really remember it.) He had enjoyed the time he … [Read more...]

22
May 2017

Revisiting Autism and Gaming

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Revisiting Autism and Gaming

Revisiting Autism and Gaming   My son played in his first gaming tournament on Saturday. What was the experience like? On the one hand, I was rooting for him and wanted him to do well. He’s new at this type of competition. He loves playing the game and wants to compete. But, he’s going up against very experienced, world class players. This tournament boasted the top five players in the Smash Bros. universe. And, honestly, I’m conflicted about how good I want him to become at gaming. To become this “world class” type of competitor … [Read more...]

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