Reflections on being the father of a boy with autism.
Unfortuantely, my plans to develop a simple Web- and app-based autism evaluation tool for concerned parents has hit a snag: the American Psychiatric Association denied my request to use their DSM criteria for autism as the basis for the tool. … Continue reading
Today I took C to a sensory gym. His favorite activity, by far, was rolling around in the ball pit. It was truly joyous to see him so happy.
What do you envision when someone says, “autism spectrum”? Like most people, you probably imagine a line going from mild to severe, or good to bad, or something similar. At one end would be neurotypical (non-ASD), at the other severely … Continue reading
C’s biggest obsession is letters and numbers: he sees them everywhere, and even though he just turned 3, he’s already starting to spell words. (Some people have suggested he might have hyperlexia; I’m not convinced, though his interest and abilities … Continue reading
Sunday isn’t a day of rest for C: he had four hours of ABA therapy, including a two-hour session with a brand new therapist; later, we went to the park and the big playground, where he ran around disconnected from … Continue reading
Last Sunday I took C to an indoor soccer clinic for ASD children. Walking into the large room where the clinic was being held, something struck me: although the kids were generally having a good time, each was mostly in … Continue reading
I’m so glad to be playing racquetball again, if only one or two times a week. I walk through the glass doors, into the large empty court, and for sixty minutes I’ll think only about the game: serve, return, volley, … Continue reading
During tonight’s bath, I put the foam letters “C-O-W” on the side of the tub and said, “Cow.” A few minutes later, when I was scrubbing his back, C filtered through the whole alphabet floating atop the water, placed “C-O-W” … Continue reading
At dusk tonight my wife pointed up and said, “What a beautiful moon!” It was just a sliver, but it was indeed beautiful. C, seeing it too, summed it up best with his expression.
I love you, son.
I saw this bumper sticker today, and it made me smile:
My Autistic Kid Will Lick Your Honor Student
After reading this post, several people wrote to tell me they found it amazing how much C looks like me at the same age. Here’s a photo of me and M (C’s twin) when we were both about two years … Continue reading
An update to yesterday’s post: after this morning’s three-hour ABA session and one hour off O2, C’s oxygen level was 80%. This is very low (read: not good). So, while his progress is positive overall, it’s clear that any extra … Continue reading
On the advice of our pulmonologist, we’ve been taking C off oxygen for short periods every day, gradually increasing the duration of these O2-free periods. We’re currently up to 60 minutes, after which we measure C’s oxygen levels using a … Continue reading
Though I only knew my younger brother for a very short time, I feel his presence in my life even now, nearly four decades later.
After months of searching, C has finally been accepted into a school for children with autism. This comes after being turned down by other schools that couldn’t or wouldn’t deal with his oxygen. (Yes, this is probably discrimination, especially since … Continue reading
Tonight something magical happened, something that has never occurred before: C played with another little boy.
I feel so fortunate that C is a happy boy.
The dream of every parent of twins is that their children will be best friends, lifelong companions. We saw that dream evaporate when C began to regress. Lately, though, we’ve been encouraging M to take charge, to be C’s protector … Continue reading
Google “autism denial” and you’ll see there are a lot of parents of ASD kids being told by well-meaning if ill-informed friends and family that their children are just “going through a phase.” To those people I’d just like to … Continue reading