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Gracefully Leaving a Job: A New Skill to Learn
After a year at the cash register, Daughter Dearest is quitting her job at Kohl's. And it'll be okay. I haven't written about DD's exploits in awhile, mostly because she's doing fairly well. For the...
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The Transition Checklist for Change
Quoting Gilbert and Sullivan, "I've got a little list. I've got a little list." (Works better if you sing it or at least hum along.) Check marks this past couple of weeks decorated the following...
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Taking a New Look at Medications in the Transition Years
What a difference a med makes--even in transition.DD holding the information insert to one of FF's medications.Okay, let's stop right there for a moment. I know there's a group of fellow autism parents...
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Hired!
This past Monday, son Fickle Fan put on his new khakis, his two-toned blue polo shirt, and his size 16 Sketchers, and headed off to work. Yes, work! Employment, labor, a job, the daily grind. The place...
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Shearing the Sheep: A Guy Haircut
The testosteronish magazine collection at Big League haircuts--the only place FF will go for a follicle overhaul. It's one of those places drenched in sports, with a television blaring the game of...
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The Silver Lining Shuffle and Ten Tips to Prevent Epic Meltdowns
Two steps forward, one step back. Once again, it's the dance we all love: the Spectrum Shuffle. But this one comes with a Silver Lining.Okay, so let me preface this by saying that our holidays have...
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T in T: The Facebook Version
Thank you, readers! Last week my blog climbed past 3,000 page views, which is a nice thing. Why? I don't really know. Clueless blogger here. Something about stat reporting or reaching a certain...
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Dragon, Dysgraphia and Dictated Discourse
This is a little like walking when you're used to flying. Yikes. Today, I'm dictating this post with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the speech-to-text software that doctors and lawyers use and that more...
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BMV Revisited: A Driving Desire to Drive
Son Fickle Fan just flunked the written driver's ed test. And he's okay with that. So are we. For months, FF and I have been wending our way through the Indiana Rules of the Road manual in preparation...
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Independent Living for Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum
Son Fickle Fan doesn't want to live with us. This isn't a shattering new revelation. He began delivering that message in the clearest possible terms as early as 8th grade. It's not that he doesn't love...
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Now We're Getting Somewhere
The hubs and I were looking over the roller coaster path of the last couple of months, and I gotta say we're actually climbing. Sure, there've been a few dips along the way (an odd calculus course at...
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Step Back, Mom! Or How I Became a Rhinoceras
A few weeks ago, I received an early Mother's Day present from 22-year-old Daughter Dearest. She sat me down and after a deep breath, oh-so politely told me to back off. I think the actual exchange...
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Change Is Not a 6-Letter Expletive
In the autism world, "change" is a dirty word. If this were Hogwarts, wizards would be whispering the ch-word as if it were He Who Must Not Be Named. But if we expect the secondary transition years to...
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Fired: Another Lesson Learned
Son Fickle Fan lost his job a month ago. He was fired. I've been trying to figure out how to share that with all of you--this is my umpteenth attempt--without pointing fingers or giving you the wrong...
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An Asperger's Diagnosis in College: Girl Interrupted
We pretty much knew that son Fickle Fan, diagnosed with mild-to-moderate autism at the age of 3 1/2, would need some long-term supports and parental paving-of-the-way to successfully, safely progress...
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My Shrinking Boy: The Challenges of Maintaining a Healthy Weight on the ASD...
299.6! That's the celebrated number of the day. It's what appeared on the scale after son Fickle Fan's latest workout at the gym. And, yes, that's a GOOD number. It's what we're calling his sub-goal,...
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Suggestion Box Issue No. 573: It's Time to Separate Medicaid from Medicaid...
Cindy MannDeputy Administrator and DirectorCenter for Medicaid and CHIP ServicesCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services7500 Security Blvd. Baltimore, MD 21244Dear Director Mann:I know you probably...
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Accommodate or Modify?
There's usually a big leap, content- and testing-wise, between middle school and high school. Not a big surprise. However, when students with disabilities have been working with a modified curriculum,...
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Planning and Chunking a Writing Assignment: How It's Done
Assignment: short research paper--1,000 words, on an election issue in the U.S. and incorporating information about current election issues from your choice one of the four selected international...
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Acceptance and the Dark Cloud of Doom
FF and I had one of those car discussions this morning about his autism. He's sick of it. He would get rid of it in a minute if he could. It makes him different and that's what's so painful about it,...
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