Seeking treatment for a child with autism and co-morbid diagnoses has its challenges. Until recently, our insurance refused to pay for ABA therapy, the gold standard for autism treatment, forcing us to skimp on ABA and use CBT. CBT is a good therapy, but it assumes that the person has the functioning ability to change… Continue reading How Much is Enough?
A little more than a year ago, our doctor suggested that my son, Bobby, had not only autism, ADHD, and oppositional defiant disorder but also a mood disorder. Mood disorders are slippery things, with symptoms overlapping and small differences contributing to the different diagnoses. His mood disorder was left uncharacterized and unnamed until this year,… Continue reading Children’s Mental Health, or Homeschooling High School
The one thing that has helped my writing significantly over the last few years is being involved with a writers’ group. Although my preference had been for an in-person group, between working and having to be home with my son, I wasn’t able to fit a local group into my schedule. Then I found… Continue reading Online Writers’ Groups
My online writing group has the genre vs. literary debate several times a year. It seems that those who write “non-genre” novels, like women’s, mainstream, upmarket, or literary fiction, can’t get along with those who write science fiction, fantasy, romance, or paranormal, and vice versa. Yet, it’s all just labels, isn’t it? Labels are designed… Continue reading The Genre / Literary Debate
What’s a parent to do when their child won’t eat many or most foods? Children with autism and other developmental disabilities tend to have more restricted diets than their neurotypical counterparts due to sensory sensitivities. These sensitivities can continue into adulthood, especially for a child who never learns to eat a more varied diet.… Continue reading On the Subject of Food and Sensory Defensiveness …
I decided to bake pork chops tonight, and serve it with rice and a sauce. Pork chops are really good with fruit, so I found a great apple-sage sauce that went so well with the chops. The recipe is below. Meat is one of those things that give Matthew the most sensory difficulty. It has… Continue reading Mmm … Pork Chops and Apples
My son and I went to the zoo today. At nearly fourteen, he’s bigger than me but still loves things like brushing the goats in the petting zoo and identifying the animals in the different exhibits. It was fun just in itself, but it also brought back many memories, both good and bad. Bobby has… Continue reading Parenting Autism
Last week, a man committed suicide in a public park where I’d taken my son to play. We were playing on the swings when a man came out of the men’s room yelling that another man had hung himself in the bathroom. The other people around me seemed worried but were milling around, looking lost.… Continue reading Thoughts on Suicide
Superman Autism by Sircle on Deviant Art __________________________________ My name is Susan, and I am a parent of a child with autism. That’s not all I am, but most days, it seems like that’s my primary identity. I love my son, fully and completely. But while being a parent is a tough job, and not… Continue reading On Clark Kent and Raising a Child with Autism
When I’m done with a book, I always worry that I won’t find another story to tell. The world is full of stories. There’s always something new, something newsworthy. The trick is to find the interesting ones, the fresh ones, and tell those in a way that makes people want more. I read several stories… Continue reading Writing the Next One
pearls and parchment 