“I realized that parents are caring for their children 24 hours a day, but who is caring for them?” LisaMarie Bernardo, CLC Ron Sandison interviews Life Coach LisaMarie Bernardo who is the mom of a son on the autism spectrum. What has been your greatest challenge as a mom of a child…

“…while it might seem that my son is in his own world, he is actually in two worlds, theirs and his, aware, conscious, and observant of both simultaneously.” by Erik Raschke and K. Kristiaan (instagram.com/K.Kristiaan) My ten year-old son cannot read, nor write, nor count higher th…

“We meet children where they are in order to get them where they need to be, ” Kristine Barnett By Ron Sandison On June 26, Kristen Barnett came to my parent’s house in Rochester Hills, Michigan, for the filming of  the new Laurence Becker documentary Fierce Love and Art. I was …

It is you who has taught me genuine, profound, compassionate love that knows no boundaries; an unconditional love that envelopes, accepts, hopes, and perseveres through unpredictable challenges. By Lora Charles My heart is breaking, aching, falling into pieces, cascading downward, landing softly, i…

By Tina Fletcher The hallmarks of the holiday season — holiday twinkle lights, carolers, the aroma of a large home-cooked meal — can be an overwhelming experience for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. As families with children on the autism spectrum plan their holidays, here are so…

A Christmas Tale about the gift of music by Lori Jagow From my small apartment, the tune of “Good King Wenceslas” blared from my son’s shiny brass trumpet. My eight year old son, Jimmy, practiced for his first Christmas concert in the school orchestra. Jimmy is autistic and his music teacher recomme…

Makayla having me as her dad is in for a fun journey. By Ron Sandison On March 20, 2016 at 3:13 am my beautiful daughter Makayla Marie arrived. Eight days late and weighing 8.5 pounds. After performing the C section the surgeon asked me, “How does it feel to be a dad at 3:13 am?” I smiled and havin…

Tell me about the colors only you can see. Scarlett was diagnosed with autism today. They say a diagnosis of autism is given every 20 minutes… By Alyssa Adamson Sweet child, light of my life, I promise to never allow any fear to stop me from unlocking all of the universes that exist in your br…

Ten tips that can help parents, teachers and caregivers By Samantha Craft Thinking about three autistics, my middle son (age 17), my adult partner, and myself, the following things assist us: 1.Having things out in the open When items are out in the open and I can see them and know there is ‘enoug…

By Ron Sandison Stephen Mark Shore said, “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” Every person who has autism is unique in his or her own ways. When I was eight years old I was diagnosed with autism. The educational specialists and doctors warned my parents that I w…

What’s most important is that you begin a dialog of understanding and acceptance of your child’s differences early. If you don’t lay the foundation for your child’s positive awareness of his or her differences, you leave room for others to fill the gap with undesirable and potentially damaging imag…

By Debra Muzikar When Kevin was three years old he was part of an early intervention program funded by Santa Barbara County Education Office. The preschool program was part of an inclusive school called Discoveries Preschool in Santa Barbara. At 7:10 AM for three years a short yellow bus rounded our…

Meltdowns are a child’s (or an adult’s) way of communicating they are in a situation that is too much for them or they have reached their limits.  By Planet Autism There seems to be an overwhelming desire in all areas of life, to make people with autism fit into a neuro-typical (NT) way of being. Ap…

I believe much of my misery was rooted in my perceived inability to make thoughtful, empowered and meaningful choices in my life—choices about my thoughts, my attitude, my perspective, and my behavior. By Emily Grey Berman The Vision I always wanted to be a mother. I had this vision of raisin…