Coping with Autism

And we're back... I moved everything over to WordPress but then our desktop had severe issues, Peter broke a brand new laptop (insert crying, tears, and lamentations here) and I couldn't really update anything for almost a year. In the process, I somehow lost my rights to the copingwithautism.com URL and now if I want it, I'll have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for it. No, thank you. I'm back to Blogger. A number of things have happened in the last year. Last year, our daughter graduated from high school and we have discovered since that she really should be looked at again by a professional. There are suggestions that she may have mild Asperger's (which I have always suspected but didn't think was necessary to diagnose). It has been an issue since graduation (and her attempt at college last semester) and just "adulting" in general. The boys are doing well. Peter is now in high school and Nathan is set to finish this year mainstreamed and en...

I thank God daily for the little things we have been blessed with. Yes, both boys are on the autism spectrum but things could be so much worse. I feel blessed that both of them have rudimentary communication skills, that they show no regression and that we are seeing progress. As I've mentioned before, a positive attitude is everything. No matter how many times Peter floods the bathroom or Nathan's slight obsession over drawing has resulted in Sharpies on the sofa, ink on the walls and crayon on the cabinets and floor, I still thank God for the things they can do. A friend of mine has a daughter who has Down syndrome, she also has moya-moya which caused a series of strokes when she was a toddler and has left her paraplegic. She has also been in regression for a year after ending chemotherapy for a leukemia diagnosis three years ago. Her mother has a marvelous positive attitude and thanks God for the good things. She has been an inspiration to me. I have no complaints and ...

Peter is a climber. And Nathan has learned much from his brother. Peter is upstairs right now climbing in and out of his dresser drawers to reach the top-- although it's naptime and he is supposed to be sleeping. Earlier, Nathan was "performing" his new trick which he concocted only earlier this week. Nathan's big trick is to climb on the chest behind the loveseat, hoist himself onto the back of the loveseat, lie down and then roll down the front of the loveseat until he is lying on the seat cushions. He thinks it's great fun. What strikes me as so odd, or maybe sadly indicative of the grip autism has on our family, is how blase I am about the boys behavior. Five years ago, I would have been all over Gabrielle saying things like "be careful" and "don't do that" or removing temptation from her line of sight. Now, the boys' behavior can often be so "out there" that minor things like climbing to sit on the dresser or rolling onto...