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…
“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…
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…
Sometimes, I get a little panicky, wondering if I am doing all I can to help each of my kids. My third child has special needs which makes his current path blurry in my mind. Will he ever read on grade level? Will he be able to sustain current friendships…
It’s 3:00 pm on a weekend afternoon in Autumn. I drove my three boys to a skateboard park we’ve been to before. As we approach the skateboarding ramps, we notice a 16-year-old boy who happens to be our neighbor. “Carlos!!” Brady shouts out. Carlos looks up, nods but keeps his…
Brady with a kind stranger dressed as Mario. Brady was so happy to meet Mario. "Can I go to your castle home?" “We have got to work on keeping these children engaged with the world.”– Temple Grandin on the importance of connecting autistic children with others and the world around themSurreptitiously,…
“Mom, did you know that other people matter even if we don’t like them?” It’s a Friday evening and he’s carefully slicing his favorite cheddar cheese while seated at the kitchen counter. It’s hard to watch him cut, with a mildly serrated knife, but he’s nearly ten and I suppose…
