The Essential how-to by parents—for parents
Autistic kids aren’t big on communication, usually. But a lot of them like to write, or be on the computer. Kennedy really needed to work on her writing skills – and assumes that even cartoon characters will respond. So she started a letter writing campaign. First, it was just letters to us, pushed under the … Read more
Alex just bridged to Webelos in Cub Scouts last week. It was very cool. His den had kinda dissolved last year, leaving him the lone Bear Cub. He was undaunted, and wanted to press on. The Webelos – the boys a year ahead of him, and the older Boy Scout troop took him in. They … Read more
When Kennedy, Alex and Bella first started down the road of all the applied behavioral analysis therapy for autism, one of the first things they tried to teach were greetings. One thing struck me, though. The only words Kennedy spoke at the time were “please” and “thank you.” But no one seemed to think it … Read more
Summer is finally almost here, and thank God we seem to be avoiding the June gloom Southern California generally gets. No kidding, usually every June it gets flipping cold and rainy, and clears out around the 4th of July, where we bake until November. Go fig. That means it’s time to pull out the old … Read more
It used to be summer school was kind of an automatic for special ed. Of course, budget cuts have kinda taken that out of the mix. It’s now primarily for more severe kids – which I get. They need it more. But that still leaves me with the “What the heck do I do with … Read more
So, we go to Disneyland. A lot. Why? Because they are truly autism-friendly, we have annual passes and frankly, it’s fun. I never thought I would be a person that would go to Disneyland all the time, but I suppose it goes to show life leads you in unusual ways. People think I’m nuts to … Read more
Over spring break we visited my parents in Houston. It turned out better than I thought it would. I always worry about traveling with three autistic kids. You never know what you’re going to get. But I took my own advice – I called the airline a few days beforehand as well as TSA to … Read more
We took a trip to NASA in Houston over spring break. I have to say, the tour isn’t fabulous for kids with autism. Don’t get me wrong, it’s informative and cool stuff to look at, but the way it’s paced isn’t really conducive for them. They have a large group, and it’s a lot of … Read more
Call the restaurant, ask questions. When are their busy times? Try to avoid that like the plague. After all, if the service is slow and the wait is terribly long, you’re setting your kid up for failure and you a migraine. Try to arrange seating, even if it means you have to wait longer. We … Read more