“Without our traditions we are as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” -Fiddler On The Roof, 1964 Tradition = Regulation I’ve been thinking a lot about traditions lately (both religious and otherwise); observing them, creating them and seeing them through the eyes of my kids. It occurred to me that traditions and rituals are [...]
Lee Ridley is a unique talent. He is a stand up comic with no voice. That’s right he can’t talk. So how does he perform? Watch this video below to see how Lee otherwise known as Lost Voice Guy works the crowd (can’t see the video? click here). As you saw in the video Lee has [...]
Once upon a time, someone googled “I Wish I Didn’t Have Aspergers.” The autism community noticed. #AutismPositivity2012 Today, April 30, 2012, bloggers around the world are sharing their positive messages about autism in response to that google search. The next time someone does a search on “I Wish I Didn’t Have Aspergers,” he or she [...]
I am an advocate for children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I didn’t seek the job. I didn’t even know it existed until our twenty-six-year-old son was diagnosed with PTSD one week and successfully treated for it the next. The adventure began the Monday after Thanksgiving in 2008 when our son Allen called. “Mom,” he asked, “will [...]
As I began the process of preparing for my oldest daughter’s graduation party, I found myself in the basement – cleaning the storage room that had not been touched since the day we moved in to our home over ten years ago. As I went through box after box of memories, I stumbled across preschool [...]
Have you considered having your child with disabilities fully included in a typical classroom (with their supports and services)? A Tale of Two Parents This month I met two mothers within minutes of each other that shared different experiences. As an author and presenter I meet many parents working to raise children with disabilities. Usually [...]
One of my all-time favorite TED talks is Approaching Autism Theatrically in which the totally brilliant Stephen Volan discusses how his experiences in an improv theatre troop helped him to learn the social language of neurotypicals. While Volan discuss the productive uncertainty of improv, theater (as a more general framework) has all the necessary components to [...]
Three times in the past two weeks I’ve been asked, “How do you remain so strong? How do you cope day-to-day?” The Process of Grieving That’s a big question for many parents of children with disabilities or medical needs. The famous “five stages of grief” aren’t necessarily predictable when a parent is dealing with a [...]
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Caroline McGraw at A Wish Come Clear This year, I made a resolution to make this year the year of wishful thinking I’m determined to be upfront about the things I hope for, as straightforward as my brother Willie when it comes to expressing what I truly [...]
Friendship is one of those intangible words we throw around a lot. But what is a true friend anyway? Just recently, I witnessed a great discovery in the classroom I work in. The sixth graders were asked to write a poem about friendship. I work part-time as an aide to my nephew Leo, who has [...]
