I answered my very first question as an expert, on Dr. Oz's Sharecare website. For the record, I'm so incredibly honored to be recognized in this fashion for my work in the Autism Community and I hope that this new opportunity allows me to reach out to even more people. The question that was asked was Should Autism be cured? First off all, this is a loaded question. Answering it is akin to playing Russian Roulette. No matter how you answer, there's a bullet in every chamber that has your name written all over it. With that in mind, I wanted to share my answer and get your thoughts on the subject of  whether or not we should cure Autism.   Should Autism be cured? This is a really tough question to answer. As a…

We got report cards for the 3rd quarter in the mail today.  Elliott got straight A's once again and we are super duper proud of him.  Gavin did awesome as well,  however he dropped a full letter in most of his classes.  He went from straight A's to mostly B's. This is a concern because I don't know why this is. We aren't upset with Gavin at all but we are worried that this may be part of cognitive regression that he's experiencing.  Slipping grades across the board are definitely a cause for concern and warrant a meeting with his teachers.  To be honest, I'm really trying not to overreact because this is a huge fear of mine.  I'm so worried that Gavin is slowly slipping away. We have been…

One of the things I always encourage Autism parents to do is give their kids on the spectrum as much hands on experience as they safely and appropriately can. My kids absolutely love to help with just about anything that I happen to be doing.  Today, I was cleaning our TV trays and had to scrape something off with a putty knife.  A putty knife, at least this one, isn't sharp but still requires supervision. Anyway, Emmett wanted to help me clean the table and so I showed him how to use the putty knife safely and correctly.  He picked up on it really quick and was very proud of himself for using a tool correctly.  I should mention that the boys understand that they are never to touch Daddy's…

I'm honored and beyond humbled to announce that I have been name to the Sharecare Top 10 Autism Bloggers list. Check out the Sharecare site for more about the individuals on this list. Here is a link to the official Press Release More information below:   Methodology: Sharecare Social HealthMakers (formerly SharecareNow Online Influencers) are among the most influential people in health and wellness on the Web, literally driving "conversations on the leading edge." They address a wide range of issues within specific topic areas while demonstrating consistent impact across multiple interactive channels--such as Twitter, Facebook, video and blogs. This impact is measured through a proprietary algorithm based on more than 100 individual metrics developed and powered by WCG, the marketing-leading digital communications agency, quantifying topic relevance, syndication, presence and…

I was wondering if anyone else out there gets resentful? I don't necessarily mean anything about our kids.  Perhaps frustrated is a better word to use.  I find myself frustrated and even a bit resentful because while my family is struggling to survive, it seems like life just goes on, all around us.  I'm the oldest of 6 kids and everyone lives within 30 minutes of each other, some just a few minutes down the road. You know what, I never hear from any of them. No one seems to have a clue how bad things are going for us. I mean, it's not like I keep it a friggin  secret. Jesus Christ, I have almost 1,000,000 hits every single month. Do you know how many of them are from…

Elliott and Emmett got into another fight this morning. Elliott got shoved and was coming downstairs to get help.  Emmett was afraid and was doing everything he could to stop Elliott from telling me what happened, including putting his hands around Elliott's throat.  When Elliott got downstairs, Emmett ran down the steps, completely freaking out and punching himself in the face.  I know kids will be kids but this doesn't feel right to me and I'm concerned.  Elliott’s fine but Emmett bent his glasses by hitting himself in the face and that scares me.  I don't know how to pull everyone out of this and into a better place. Everyone is beyond stressed out and life doesn't seem to want to cut us any slack or take a break from…

I just wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter.  I hope I don't offend anyone by doing so.  To me, Easter is about a fresh start and doesn't have to necessarily have a religious undertone. Spring is here and the world is coming back to life.  There's a fresh sense of hope for the future. I wish you all the very best.  You deserve the very best.  :-) Have peaceful Sunday and enjoy the time with your families and friends.  :-) This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-) Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-) For…