Category Archives: Tears

Mom… tell me what I did wrong: Autism and Social Development

In my role as a special educator I often remind others (myself included) to consider that H and others like him who are autistic/have autism are working doubly hard to make their way in the world. The effort my child … Continue reading

Posted in aproximating typical, Aspergers, Autism, Goals, handling discomfort, HFASD, Parent, Social cognition, Tears | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Ladybugs: Autism, Empathy, and Processing Grief

Ladybugs: Autism, Empathy and Processing Grief As a parent of a child with autism and as a teacher I have a difficulty when others report that students with ASD lack empathy. I try to correct this faulty judgment when I … Continue reading

Posted in Aspergers, Autism, Death, empathy, Episodic Memory, Grief, Tears | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The hardest day… a message to a friend

I wrote this post this past summer… for a friend who writes Normal is a Dryer Setting. It was written in response to something she had written. It didn’t feel like the right time to release it then, but I … Continue reading

Posted in Autism, Grief, letting go, Parent, poem, poetry, Resiliency, Tears | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Let the tears come: dealing with grief and letting go

Today I am thinking about another Mom of a child with autism who is facing some very difficult challenges: gut-wrenching, soul-tearing, strength-testing, heart-breaking decisions that will likely make life better for her beautiful son, and her family, and herself. I … Continue reading

Posted in ASD, Aspergers, Autism, Grief, Tears | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Siblings, stress, and love: A big sister’s view of autism

I have a beautiful daughter who will be 18 next week. Nika was almost 6 when H was born. He was like having a real baby doll and she was just awesome with him. Nika was precocious and very social: … Continue reading

Posted in acceptance, Aspergers, Autism, Behaviour, Grief, Indiana Jones, Neurotypical, Parent, relationships, Tears, typical | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Tears and glimpses of the moon

So many parents of children with autism are amazingly strong and resilient. We are skilled in advocacy and educating others. We can be almost psychic in our ability to anticipate behaviours and sensory reactions, or else uncanny in our ability … Continue reading

Posted in Autism, Behaviour, Diagnosis, Grief, Parent, Tears, ToM (Theory of Mind) | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

School Based Teams, IEPs, and a Parent’s Journey with Autism

I have been reflecting over the past week about how important it is to me to share the experiences that I have had parenting a child with Autism.  So many of them have been positive, and although they have challenged … Continue reading

Posted in Autism, Diagnosis, Grief, IEP, Parent, School Based Team Meetings, Special Education, Teacher, Tears | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments