Hanukkah’s ending tonight, but I’m considering it a victory so far.
It’s not that I think that the Monster understands what the holiday is about, or that he looks forward to the holiday coming through. Or that he’s really getting the blessings down in a manner that’s going to survive to next year’s recitation.
No, this year’s victory is that he’s not trying to blow out the candles. Continue reading
So in my last post, I made my comments about MSSNG, Autism Speaks’ new initiative with Google to try to foster more research on the genetic side of the Autism equation, as it were. And then this morning, in my twitter feed, I saw an article that did, at least, clarify for me what folks’ problem (or one problem, at least) is with the whole thing.
It’s the question of the goal of this research. Continue reading
Last week, Autism Speaks announced a new initiative – MSSNG – that’s aimed at throwing more research at Autism in hopes of understanding the disorder better. For those who have checked out the site, they have a snappy video and some links to news about the initiative, as well as a brief explanation of the matter.
Or… you could be listening on Twitter for the folks who are squealing about how evil this whole thing is.
And the latter group is missing the point.
I don’t remember how I found out that I was right-handed.
Then again, I don’t think most of you out there, reading this, quite remember how you found out that you were right- or left-handed. Most of us just seem to accept it as a natural course of how the universe works, and we go on about our lives, adapting as need be. I happen to be right-handed, just as the skip on my curling team is a lefty (which makes for interesting options strategy-wise sometimes. The amazing difference slight changes of angle makes…)
The Monster, though, can’t tell us which hand feels more natural to use. Continue reading
We’re about three weeks away from the winter break here, and we’re trying to figure out what to do with the Monster.
Normally, winter break would be a time for him to just kind of chill at home – at least, that’s what I used to do when I was his age. A nice two weeks away from the classroom and from homework (well, maybe not wholly away from homework) and time to recharge the batteries. And if I was lucky, perhaps to play in the snow as well. Continue reading
So, we’re trying to stem the tide here with the constant influx of pizza.
The Monster, most nights, has a slice of pizza or two for dinner. I know of other kids who work the same way, but it’s a problem honestly when we have to think about whether or not we have any in the house. And it’s not like he doesn’t eat anything else – when we’re out at a restaurant, he’ll have chicken fingers, or the occasional hamburger, or a hotdog… but not at home. Continue reading
Thanksgiving is a holiday that’s full of traditions.
I grew up with all the usual trappings for the holiday, the turkey, dressing, cranberries and the like. And in my own family, we have a few more of our own – of getting up to watch the Macy’s Parade in our pajamas, while we have french toast… Continue reading
It really is my own fault, on some level.
The Monster, like so many other kids and especially ones with Autism, is on something of a routine when it comes to many things. When it comes to bedtime, he hits the bathroom, gets changed, and goes straight to bed. It’s hard to get the routine to change, and he’s not… quite the most open to the nightly ritual of tooth brushing. To date, this hasn’t been a big problem, and he’s not had any tooth issues. Continue reading
Sorry for being quieter than usual – I’ve been a bit distracted with a couple of things in my offline life, and so I’ve not been feeling as urgently about getting blog posts up.
I’ve mentioned in other posts that we have two cats at home. The calico has the common sense God gave, well, a cat to clear out of Dodge when the Monster or R come running for her. Our tom, though, is getting older and just can’t get out of the way in time, so he’s learned to just suffer through it. Continue reading
After a lot of thought about the matter – ever since I heard about Jerry Seinfeld self-identifying as having Autism, I’ve been really avoiding saying anything about the matter. Even more so, really, after I watched folks get all up in arms about the whole thing.
So… after putting some more thought into it, I thought I’d actually say something vis-a-vis my thoughts on the matter. Just a few words on it, really.
And those words are: Continue reading