When you open your eyes this morning, you’ll be excited. You will lick the sweet anticipation from your fingertips and rejoice at the sound of shredded paper, the singing voices of those who love you… The flicker of candles will dance in your eyes: seven, this year.
But for me, today will always be the sun throwing shadows on trees. Falling leaves and a packed duffel bag. A queasy stomach, and a blue car winding through the countryside to the hospital.
Like many parents, Hayden Desser was in the dark about what it means to have a child with special needs – until he became a father. It’s a journey that the Toronto-based singer-songwriter admits “can often feel solitary.” He and his wife, Christie Greyerbiehl, feel lucky to have found a community of resources and support at their daughter's school on Beverley Street, and want to help families like theirs.
It's not at all surprising that envy is one of the seven deadly sins. When you become a parent, your capacity for envy doesn't disappear overnight because you've magically become this selfless, beatific human being. No, that capacity for envy is still there; it just changes focus. Instead of coveting another woman's hair, clothes, thighs or boyfriend, you move on to her children. Her lifestyle.
Michael McCreary has always been funny - both funny peculiar and funny ha-ha.
The 19 year-old from Orangeville, Ontario makes no secret that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, at the tender age of five. In fact, he has launched a comedy career poking fun of his quirks, his constant need for attention, and - his words - his inability to shut up.
Telling a parent not to worry is a lot like telling a swimmer not to hold his breath underwater. You could be the most easygoing person in the world up until the precise moment you become a parent. Suddenly a giant sinkhole of awful possibilities appears out of nowhere. One day you need only concern yourself with the roof over your head and the food in your belly. The next, you are charged with meeting the physical and emotional needs of a defenseless HUMAN BEING. And you can't afford to screw it up. Yeah, no pressure...
It's no surprise that the word advocate comes from the French avocat which, in my rusty bilingual brain, translates as "lawyer." There are times in your child's life when you have to step up to the bench and become their defense attorney.
From an early age, we show kids how to write their names and how to brush their teeth. But can we teach them how to relate to others in a meaningful way?
That's the big question for kids with social challenges like my son. At six, he loves board games, and it's not hard to see why. After all, unlike imaginary play which confuses him, games have a set structure and clearly defined rules. Yet even so, there are limitations. When we get ready to play Pop and Hop, he'll announce that he's the red game piece and "Mommy, you're blue."
Friends come and friends go. And if friendships change when you become a mom, then they change even more radically when your child has special needs.
A strange thing happened when my son was diagnosed with autism a few years ago. Some of my friends dove for the hills. They didn't all disappear, but some just gradually dropped off. This post isn't about finger-pointing. I get how hard it is. You don't know what to say without feeling awkward or guilty. And for a while I didn't know what to say, either.
Finding the right toys for kids with autism can pose a challenge. After all, kids with autism don't always play with toys in the most functional way, and yet some toys help develop crucial skills—whether social, communicative, or motor-based.
Kodette LaBarbara is not your average hockey wife. Though she happens to be married to NHL superstar Jason LaBarbara, she is a mom first and foremost, and is already sacrificing greatly for the sake of her children.
After their son Ryder was diagnosed with autism at three years-old, the couple made the difficult decision to part ways for the hockey season. While Jason plays for the Anaheim Ducks in California, Kodette flies solo in Calgary. Like many kids with autism, Ryder struggles with change and transitions.
Street smarts are a vital tool for all children, but especially so for those with neurological differences like autism. Every time I read a headline about a kid disappearing, my heart hurts because maybe some of these tragic events could have been avoided with more awareness and education.
I feel for Suzanne and Bob Wright, the heads of Autism Speaks. I really do. Like so many of us, this thing called autism came along and blindsided their family. But unlike many of us, it seems they've chosen to view their grandson's diagnosis as nothing short of a curse.
It's that time of year again—bells are jingling and everyone's supposed to be jolly. But if you're a parent of a child with special needs like autism and sensory processing disorder, the approaching holidays are enough to make you want to hide under the nearest table until the New Year.
How will my child cope with the big turkey dinner and all those family gatherings?
Ever since they brought autism to the front page (literally) with their awareness project, I've been smitten. Few major media players have deigned to talk openly about what individuals and families affected by autism experience every day, so I laud the Star for boldly going where no paper had gone before.
There are lots of stories floating around out there. You may have read about autism being touted as "the new ADHD"—over-diagnosed and curable. But as your mama probably told you, be careful what you read.
