I don’t remember when – or how – I found out that I was right handed. I happen to have a parent who is left-handed, but I ended up a righty. My wife, likewise, is a righty, but statistically, there’s roughly a 17% chance that either of our kids could still end up a southpaw.
Somehow, along the way, the Monster’s in-school OT has become convinced that he’s a righty, but I’m not so sure. Continue reading
We’re halfway through Passover, and… well, it’s going interestingly.
We knew, coming into the holiday, that it was going to be a challenge with trying to get the kids to increasingly observe the traditions of the holiday. R, of course, doesn’t know any better, being two. The Monster, though, is getting to the point that we can try to teach him about the holiday, and try to find foods that work with his picky eating habits. Continue reading
This week is spring break at the Baltimore City schools. This means that the Monster’s been home without his regular schedule to give him some sort of regulation.
Now, because I’m hardly cruel, I did take off two days this week, and I’ve been working from home when she has both kids awake. Only seems fair to me, really. So we’ve been trying to find things to do, so that the Monster has other things to fill his time besides those things he’s already perseverating on. Continue reading
What I hear a lot from other parents of children with developmental disabilities – and disabilities in general – is about how they’ve had to put so much of their lives on hold for their children. I’m not quite talking just about the usual “well, we have kids so we can’t do X, Y and Z anymore,” and more about the “well, there goes that” kind of attitude.
I think that’s part of the problem and weight that we shoulder with a child who has difficulties. It’s one thing to compromise our own hopes and dreams to concentrate on our kids, it’s another to set them wholly on the wayside. It’s that weight that makes it so hard to bear.
We have to have freedom to pursue our dreams… else you’re just living for your kids. Continue reading
So, it’s April. And if it’s April and Autism Awareness Month, it must be time for major sports franchises to be doing “Autism Awareness Day/Night” at the ballpark.
For some strange reason, the Baltimore Orioles decided to do a night game. I don’t know about you, but the Monster and R don’t cope well after about, oh, 8:30 at night, so 7:35 start times don’t do me much good. On the other hand, Autism Society of Baltimore/Chesapeake arranged for group tickets for the 1:35 PM game today, so we took the kids to the ballpark for today’s rubber match against the Toronto Blue Jays. Continue reading
So I’m going to wade into the whole thing from last night that blew up (yet again), my Tweet feed, but let me come around to it slowly.
Obviously, being a large community (and, if you listen to the CDC prevalence rate, we’re getting larger faster!), there’s a slew of organizations in the Autism space. From local organizations to national ones, there’s a vast spectrum that we can pick from when we’re looking for somewhere to ‘belong’, and indeed, somewhere to give our money. Continue reading
Earlier this weekend, my Twitter blew up with an argument over whether or not we need a “cure” for Autism.
It’s always interesting when you get into what I’d term “religious” arguments within the community. Since getting into the community with the Monster’s diagnosis, I’ve noticed that people get very deeply invested into their points of view, to the point of being unwilling to see any evidence to the contrary at times. Continue reading
Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Of course, for families with Autism, every day is awareness day, but that’s besides the point.
The hard part is really figuring out how to explain to people about what Autism is and what we want them to be aware of. Continue reading
We’re getting close to Passover, which means figuring out how we’re going to handle the holiday, mostly in terms of eating.
Now, ordinarily, I’d not worry so much about it – fruit and vegetables are certainly still Kosher for Passover. It’s the rest, though. Continue reading
Now that it is finally starting to get warmer outside, a lot of kids are finding recreational activities to do.
For the Monster, this is a bit harder – we are sometimes a little stuck for activities for him to be doing, since the developmental delays have really kept him behind in terms of socialization, and there are other factors that just contribute to his being a little more of a, well, couch potato. Continue reading