In this very brief, last-minute episode, I share my thoughts on Autism Speaks “Light It Up Blue” campaign. I talk about how Autism Awareness month has lost its meaning and I give you some ideas on how you can help raise awareness in ways that make a difference in peoples lives. Autism Awareness Month should be about people and not money.
It's Autism Awareness month once again. I see the Blue lights going up, the Memes spreading across the Internet but I want to make a suggestion to all of you out there. I believe Autism Awareness month has been around since 1970 and it seems that each year we pretty much do the same things. Autism organizations use the month to raise funds for whatever they actually do, some people protest these organizations and others do whatever they feel is right. It's not perfect but the world's still spinning. This year I want to issue a challenge to you and the rest of the Autism community. I want to challenge you to focus on self-care. I know that focusing on yourself can be very difficult, especially if you're a single…
Autism Awareness month is upon us and I wanted to start things off with a few important reminders. The Autism community consists of people with many different opinions, experiences, beliefs and approaches to life. Many of these differences can be polarizing in nature and often seems to draw a line in the sand. This invisible line is a problem, and has been for a very long time, the biggest of which is that it divides us. It makes our efforts to promote awareness, acceptance and understanding, ineffective at best. As we enter into Autism Awareness Month 2017, we have the ability to make a real difference. We can rise above the things we don't agree on and even learn from each others experiences. Please don't let our differences divide us.…
With Autism Awareness month just around the corner, there are a few things I would like to see happen this time around. Obviously, there needs to be a focus on people who are Autistic. That should go without saying and even in 2017, that's sorely lacking. However, one of the things that I believe needs a larger focus, is the parents raising these kids with Autism. I realize that most parents of kids with Autism are neuro-typical, but we/they play an absolutely critical role in the lives and futures of our children with Autism. Without resources, funding and support, we can't be what our kids need. Without support, we can give our kids what they need to reach their full potential. Speaking for myself, I'm very, very human. There's only…
As one ages through life, one tends to gain wisdom and insight that they were previously lacking. What I mean by wisdom is learning from one's past and gaining insights into different ways of thinking. I'm absolutely no exception to this, and I want to share something that I've recently had a change of heart about. We all know that April is Autism Awareness month. This is the one time of year where the world's eyes and ears are pointed in our direction (the Autism community). In the past, I've taken a pretty hardline stance on the Autism Speaks Light it up Blue campaign. I've been very vocal about how I feel that buying a blue light bulb is more about padding the bottom line than raising Autism Awareness. While…
In this followup post, I talk about all the positives I've experienced as a result of Autism being in my life.
Its time to cut out the bullshit. It's time to get to the truth and real life challenges I face as an Autism parent.. Perhaps some of you will be able to relate.
"......There's a great deal of division based on things that really shouldn't matter. Rather than working together for a common goal, all too often, we allow things like semantics, stances on vaccines, whether or not we should cure Autism, educational choices, dietary beliefs and general intolerance to create cracks in the foundation of our community......"