The Puzzle Piece

 Summertime has finally arrived! With it comes a flurry of fun and memorable activities such as swimming pools and barbeques. This year, we have the opportunity to take a short vacation. So, we are taking a short road trip to relax for a few days. Solon has never been very far from home, and this will be the first time he's ever left the state. In preparation for our trip, I started researching tips on how to help an autistic child travel. Whether we are flying or driving, it's a good idea to be ready for anything and capable of handling any situation that may arise. Here are a few tips I have found.  Mark the Day on your Calendar Many children are visual learners and can more easily relate with something they can see. Calendars are a good way to show your child when you are leaving and start counting down to that day. This gives a visual picture of when you are due to head off on your adventure. It's also a great way to start a new countdown for when you go back home.  I h

 Recently, we had a death in our family. Dealing with the passing of a loved one can be a difficult time for anyone, but particularly for an autistic individual who may not understand the concept of death. In my never ending quest for knowledge about the autistic community, I thought it would be useful to discuss a few different ways to help your autistic child heal from the death of a loved one.  Be Direct Most people will avoid talking about death with their autistic child until they absolutely have to deal with it. While I understand why, this may not be the best idea. For an autistic child, the concept of death may be more difficult to recognize than that of a typical child. This difficult subject needs to be discussed in depth and often in order to help them gain a small understanding. Because death can be painful for anyone, it might be more traumatic to everyone involved waiting to have this talk after a death occurs. It's better to be direct about it and honest. Let them kn

 As parents of autistic or special needs children, we are all familiar with the feelings of doubt or guilt that might be associated with your child's diagnosis. We all have our own unique stories to share about what happened when we discovered our child had special needs and I thought it might be helpful to share some of those stories. Some time ago, I asked for some parents to come forward if they were willing and share what happened when they found their child was autistic. Two very wonderful women responded and have given me permission to share their stories and I will share my own personal experience as well. As always, feel free to comment if you have any thoughts to include or if you would like to share your own personal story. I am interested and intrigued to discover all the many way different ways of handling an autistic diagnosis.  Nancy Nancy has a son who is on the spectrum. She said that she couldn't help but compare him to his sixteen month older sister and notice

 If you are like me, there must have been some apprehension upon finding your child was diagnosed with autism. There were many questions that went through my head. How do I help my child? Will my child ever be able to function as an independent adult? Will I always have to care for my child? These questions can be daunting and concerning. Since we already know that the spectrum for autism is so expansive, I thought it might be helpful to discuss some successful individuals who are on the spectrum.  Amadeus Mozart Mozart was an Austrian composer born January 27, 1756 and was probably the most prolific composer of the classical period. He was a child prodigy with music, possessing a perfect musical memory and an amazing gift for reading music. Mozart was so sensitive to sound that loud noises could make him feel physically sick.  Mozart suffered from multiple social disorders. He had problems with self control and oftentimes engaged in dangerous behavior. Even his music demonstrated a di

It's Autism Awareness Month! And you know what that means! It's time to pull out everything blue and get those creative juices flowing on ways that you can help spread awareness about autism and advocate! In the past, Solon and I have had some creative ideas on how to support the autistic community. Here are a few ways you can show your support to the autistic people you care most about.  The Color Blue As many of you know, blue is the color that has been adopted to represent autism. Showing off your blue clothing is one way to go to show off your passion toward autism. Every year, stores display t shirts with some clever or touching saying about autism. Wearing blue during the month of April is an easy way help do your part to spread awareness.  In the past, Solon and I have dyed our hair blue. Dying my hair was my idea, however Solon expressed his interest in putting the color in his own hair to show off at school. I had my doubts about putting the dye in Solon's hair. Ba

 In some people, autism can cause other issues that may not have presented themselves had the person not been autistic. I thought it might be helpful to tackle some of these issues one at a time. Sometimes, dealing with extra issues can seem overwhelming and they might cause us to become a little frustrated in how we handle things. Let's turn those frustrations into creativity as we learn to deal with those little extra things. Scripting Recently, I learned from Solon's speech therapist that he exhibits a behavior called Scripting. Scripting is a repetition of words, phrases or sounds of the speech of others. It can be taken from movies, commercials, books or something that someone has said. It's called scripting because the person has literally memorized a script to repeat and it doesn't usually require a response.  No one really knows why scripting exists. Some specialists theorize that it only happens due to stress or anxiety. Others say it is just a way of learning