Can you imagine having to prove that you are "disabled enough" to a person you've never met? This is what many of our kids need to do when they turn 18, and are eligible for social security benefits. The following is the story of the day I took Matthew for his appointment: for KQED Perspectives, follow this link. To learn more about other milestones for adults with developmental disabilities, read the following: Conservatorship : Laura … [Read more...]
Voices of Autism : Kerry Magro tells his story
“My 5 year old son was just diagnosed with PDD-NOS and has no speech. Will he ever be able to speak?” While the young mother stood before me in tears, I felt trapped; trapped because I couldn’t tell her that everything was going to be alright. I couldn’t rely on my own experience to give her an answer. There was no answer. Time felt slow for a while. When I look back at my life, that 6 year old boy, going into first grade with so much anger, and so many emotions, it was almost … [Read more...]
Acceptance
An excerpt from A Regular Guy: Growing Up With Autism “Hi Laura. Just giving you a heads-up. There was a program last night on this cable channel about miracle treatments for autism. Something about a hyperbaric chamber, and there was another treatment—chelation, I think they called it. They also mentioned the diet thing, so you might be getting some calls. I’ve already gotten a few. Talk to you soon!” This first phone message, from my brother Scott, was followed by three others, … [Read more...]