Helping Parents Seek Services for Autism

The Areffi Family

We sat down with NBC Los Angeles to talk about our new book. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/health/navigating-autism-is-a-book-by-parents-for-parents.html The self-published book, “Navigating Autism: The Essential How-To By Parents For Parents,” is the latest in a growing list of titles meant to help families who have loved ones with a developmental disorder.

4th of July fun in the sun

This was a great 4th of July. The weather was warm, but not scorching – and it didn’t rain this year! Funnily enough, it rained last year in So Cal. We went out to Redlands to hang with Andy’s family. The cousins have a trampoline with the net around it, in an attempt to avoid … Read more

Boy Scouts bridging

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

Manners matter with autism

Manners?

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

School’s Out—Now what should we do?

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

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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

Five Life Savers for Dining Out

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