I will never forget the day I became a mother. It changed everything for me. My son was my miracle baby. And I wasn’t supposed to be able to have kids. But I had prayed for this day with all the energy of my soul. For my husband and I, it was a joyful time. My miracle baby arrived two weeks before Christmas. So every year I feel a great sisterhood for Mary as I think of her and... Read more
We have recently begun homeschooling. And it has opened my eyes to how much time is wasted in a public school day. But one thing was always so rigidly adhered to that you’d think the school day was so full of rich activities that there wasn’t room for one more thing. That is the lunch period. Did you know most elementary aged kids get 15 minutes to eat their lunch and then they are expected to play for 15... Read more
Life is harder for a person on the spectrum. Did you know that? If we were to compare a neurotypical (NT) brain and a high functioning autistic spectrum (HFASD) brain to two computers, the NT would be a PC and the HFASD brain would be an Apple. They both function wonderfully well in their own circles. They are simply two different operating systems. But the world is built on the PC’s model. So while you and I are doing the basic calculations... Read more
This article was previously published on LDSblogs.com. My grandmother was mentally ill. Nobody knew exactly what was wrong with her, just that she was very strange. Back then people didn’t talk about mental illness. Recently my aunts have discussed Grandma, and they think she had schizophrenia. But there was never a real diagnosis. And her brother, my great uncle, spent a majority of his life in an institution after he tried to kill their whole family. I really wish... Read more
My son has always been a “clockwork kid”. From the time he was an infant he kept the same schedule. He would eat every three hours, almost to the minute. He woke and slept at the same times every day. And without fail he would wake up at 1 am and want to play until 2:30 am every morning. It made being his mom very easy. I knew exactly what to expect and when. Structure That same sense... Read more
Did you know that Autism gives you superpowers? It’s true! My son is an Asperger’s kid. He has high functioning Autism. And boy, does he have superpowers! He is so smart. If he has a special interest in something, he will study it until he knows everything there is to know about it. It’s work to keep up with him. But it’s really fun too. But before I get into the superpowers, I need to tell you a little... Read more
I am a planner. Before my son was born I planned for him to be popular and smart and funny. I did not plan the Autism. But he sure is smart! And funny. But the other day he came home from school and told me that nobody liked him. I know that isn’t true because he is always invited to play dates. And when we walk to school a lot of kids are saying hi to him by name. But he... Read more
When my son was younger, he was overly emotional. I used to joke that he was my little drama queen. We would come home from a long day where he was reasonably well behaved, but the moment we got home he would throw himself on the floor and have a royal tantrum. Sometimes he didn’t even make it home before this started. He would start screaming in the car and I didn’t know why. I’ll never forget one time... Read more
I have friends from another state that moved here recently. As they rolled into town, I invited them over to get out and stretch their legs before going to their final destination. I had been following them on Facebook and enjoyed the pictures of their children at every rest stop from here to there. And it was a several day long drive. Unfortunately, it’s easy for people to gloss over what’s really going on when they post online. This time my... Read more
Attending church can be stressful for everyone. But when you have a special needs child, the stress levels go up. One of the most beautiful things I’ve learned recently, as a special needs mom, is the power of letting your child be himself. My son has High Functioning Autism. But I’ve been trying to fit my son into a box, figuratively, for a long time. And I’ve been so frustrated as he has popped out of that box time and... Read more
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