“Sometimes, people start to treat me differently, because they think I’m not paying attention,” she said. “Or [they don’t] understand some of the things that I do, like hand-flapping, when I’m overwhelmed.” --Xolie Morra Cogley, age 37, and owner of a dog grooming business who describes herself as “an autistic woman…
It can be easy – too easy—to assume that people on the spectrum prefer not to engage that much, if at all, with others. This is a very false assumption. Children and adults with autism want to connect and engage with others. They desire social relationships just as much as…
Autism PonderingsHe is a flighty bird.This bird of mine.He doesn’t seem to know how to copeEven when he’s not caged. Go, I say.This is your free time to fly. My bird shoots up to the ceiling,And then takes a sharp left,Squawking as he darts down,Dangerously low. Please Stop, my sweet bird.This isn’t safe.Why…
“You’ll miss this, one day,” says the grocery store clerk as she looks in my eyes with compassion and seriousness. “He’s been very hard lately,” I reply as I look into her eyes, and then at Brady as he makes his loud stimming sounds. “MOOOOMMMMMMEEEEEE,” he squeals with a smile…
What is autism?Explaining autism takes more than a sentence or two. It feels complicated. How does one explain it in a way that truly encapsulates the symptoms and varied external behaviors associated with this spectrum disorder?Will the reader or listener be able to understand what it is like to have…
In 2018, I was in my then 10-year-old daughter’s room sorting laundry when I noticed a piece of paper on the floor near her bed. It was a drawing of a heart and beneath the heart, my daughter had written: “My brother has specials needs. I am special too.” Reading…
Middle school. A gigantic new environment – outside the boundaries of our school pyramid - so that he will get the support he needs to learn. Alarm sounding at 6am, getting dressed and out of the house to sit on a bus for 50 minutes. “Mr. Bonkin (bus driver) lets…
In times of uncertainty, life becomes like a 1,000-piece puzzle where sections I had carefully placed together suddenly jump out of place in a rippling fashion, causing other parts to dismantle. For reasons beyond my control, they cannot be simply put back together. What began as a dramatic change in…
“Does the tooth fairy collect dog teeth?” Brady asks me as I help direct our 5-month-old goldendoodle, Obie, up the hill towards the elementary school. As we stroll together, we walk closer to the “in-person” classroom where Brady will spend the day learning virtually. The reality is that he is…
“You have to keep the mask on,” I say calmly to my 11-year-old son, Brady. My heart is heavy, my eyes water slightly, and my mind shouts: How can anyone think this is going to work for Brady? How is this fair to any of the children with special needs?…
