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…

“There is this myth that children with autism don’t have empathy. I’ve found the exact opposite to be true: children with autism are instead the most highly sensitive individuals I have ever had the privilege to know,” Elaine Hall When traditional therapies didn’t help my son Neal, who …

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…

My hope is that this blog serves as a cautionary tale to other young helping professionals that come in to the autism field. I hope that others may avoid some of these early career inadequacies because they affect real people. By Jenny Palmiotto Everyone has had those moments where they look back …

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…

“I’ve noticed as Eric has aged, he is seen less and less as an actual person. Which is why he is no longer pitied. To them, he’s no longer a sentient human being. He is seen more and more as a thing. Eric IS a person. “ By Lori Pollard As a young child, my son Eric was quie…

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…

So stop wondering what you did wrong and how you can fix him. He’s not broken. He’s a gift from God. You just don’t see it yet. Open your eyes and see the good that you have passed on to him and focus on passing on to him the other good things that you have learned in life.  By Jen Dubois Dear rattl…

Written on Kevin’s 21st birthday. By Debra Muzikar Dear Younger Me, It’s 1997. As you sit in the neurologist’s office watching 3-year old Kevin lining up toy trains, the doctor will inform you Kevin’s not interacting like “normal” children. You will hear the “A” word and you will feel sad. You wil…

By Debra Muzikar The holiday season can be stressful time. Routines are broken and expectations are high. While for some people, the homemade smell of a cooking Turkey and stuffing can be inviting, for others with sensitivities to smells the aroma can be nauseating! I don’t want to recreate th…