April 19, 2015 – Autism Awareness Month, Autism Truths #19 I’ve seen my fair share of hijab (headscarf) “fat suit” stories – you know, the ones where a woman decides she’ll wear a hijab for a month to see what it feels like to be a Muslim woman. (The 2015 version of the woman who dons a “fat suit” to feel what it’s like to be overweight.) The first one or two such articles I read impressed me. I mean... Read more
April 18, 2015 – Autism Awareness Month, Autism Truths #18 We are winding down our Saturday, me sitting on my bed banging this post out, and D chilling and winding down on the chaise lounge in my room, twirling his beads on an especially long piece of plastic. I’ll be asking him to relinquish his beads soon, as the final lapse toward sleepy time will be hard to come by if he keeps stimulating himself with the beads. Between two... Read more
April 17, 2015 – Autism Awareness Month, Autism Truths #17 His brief seven years on this earth is littered with the best exchanges with his big brother, D. Driving home from school the other day: D bhai, do you know that you have a mustache? He says to his 14-year-old brother. Ya! His brother answers back. I stifle my laughter as I drive the car. Or, a few months earlier: Mamma, will you come downstairs with me? (He wants to... Read more
April 16, 2015 – Autism Awareness Month, Autism Truths #16 My daughter came home after school today and told me she had changed her mind after talking to her friends. Of course. After talking to her friends. There is some after-school spring festival happening tomorrow, and I asked her twice earlier in the week if she wanted to go, because a yes answer would require some planning from me — you know, picking the boys up, who would watch them,... Read more
April 15, 2015 – Autism Awareness Month, Autism Truths #15 The truth of it is, it’s very hard to tell a true story when the one who is the central person in that tale has no say in the matter. Is it fair, then, to share D’s story when he cannot share it himself? Am I getting it right? Am I writing things he would want to have written or shared? Am I guarding his privacy the way it should be guarded,... Read more
April 14, 2015 – Autism Awareness Month, Ali Family Autism Truths #14 Perseveration, according to Merriam-Webster.com, is a “continuation of something (as repetition of a word) usually to an exceptional degree or beyond a desired point.” According to good old Wikipedia, “in psychology and psychiatry, perseveration is the repetition of a particular response, such as a word, phrase, or gesture, despite the absence or cessation of a stimulus, usually caused by brain injury or other organic disorder.” Surprisingly, neither Merriam-Webster nor Oxforddictionaries.com have... Read more
April 13, 2015, Autism Awareness Month, Autism Truths #13 When D was seven years old, he proved to me that miracles do indeed happen. I saw it with my own eyes in a way that was clearly obvious, like a bright beam of light being shown down on him. After several attempts to toilet train D as a toddler, I was growing a bit desperate with the idea that it would never happen. His school and after-school therapy program didn’t... Read more
April 12, 2015 – Autism Awareness Month, Ali Family Autism Truths #12 Sunday night and we’re in the homestretch. Another spring break under our belt – seven days off from the school/home therapy routine. I’m pretty proud of D for rolling with the punches and trying new things. We began the week going in different directions, with the rest of the family headed out of town to a big wedding, and D and I hanging back at home. And, it was... Read more
April 11, 2015, Autism Awareness Month, Autism Truths #11 There is a lot going on today, and sometimes the business of living gets in the way of documenting that living. So the truth for today is this: Sometimes we make decisions regarding D and his autism that are not ones we want to make. But he is not the only one in our family. There is 11-year-old A, seven-year-old H, their Baba and me. There are obligations and needs and wants... Read more
April 10, 2015 – Autism Awareness Month, Autism Truths #10 We trust. We trust the bus driver to transport him safely. The bus aides to make sure he is comfortable, not upset and not injuring himself. And after nine years of trying and trusting, we say enough. And we drive him ourselves. We trust. We trust the teachers and therapists in his school to teach him, make sure he is safe, look out for his wellbeing, see that his clothes... Read more
Muslimah Next Door
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In