I pulled into the parking lot of my 25 year old son’s home near Santa Cruz, California, where he was waiting impatiently. Matthew has autism and lives at Camphill California, a community for individuals with intellectual disabilities. I was picking him for his routine first-weekend -of –the-month visit home an hour north near San Francisco. When Matthew climbed into the car for our drive home, he launched into his usual tedious discussion about the origins of the song “Pretty … [Read more...]
Two very nice reviews from Autism Speaks
First Day of Kindergarten
An Excerpt from A REGULAR GUY: GROWING UP FROM AUTISM I stood in the dressing room of Gap Kids with Matthew and Andy, clothes heaped all around us, trying to find just the right outfit for Matthew’s first day of kindergarten. Matthew squirmed and laughed as I wrestled shirts and shorts over his busy body. When he dove under the door of the fitting room dressed only in his Batman underpants, I grabbed him by the leg and pulled him back in before he made a scene. But the shopping trip was … [Read more...]
NEIGHBORS
AN EXCERPT FROM A REGULAR GUY: GROWING UP WITH AUTISM I worried about how Matthew would fit into the new neighborhood. I thought about circulating a flyer that would explain him and his behavior, but I was so preoccupied with my mother’s health that I never got around to it. My father would later admit that he’d thought she would die the day he’d taken her to the emergency room from what turned out to be a blood clot in her lung and pulmonary fibrosis. “But with the right … [Read more...]
Autism: Racing through the “window of opportunity”.
An Excerpt from A REGULAR GUY: GROWING UP WITH AUTISM It took me over an hour during a cold December rainstorm to get to Brian Hoffman’s office near Stanford University. Matthew studied the windshield wipers during the drive, and Andy slept. When Dr. Hoffman greeted us in the waiting room that he shared with two other therapists, my eyes filled with tears, and the ordeal of getting there was immediately forgotten. Dr. Hoffman’s redwood-paneled office was tidy but warm with a big … [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...]
A Trip to the Hardware Store
An Excerpt from A Regular Guy: Growing Up With Autism "Mom! I have something very important to tell you," my eighteen-year-old son told me urgently. "We need to go to the hardware store." I took a deep breath. Another adventure with my autistic son was about to begin. When we got to the store, Matthew rushed in and disappeared behind the shovels and the toilet seats. I followed, warily. He reappeared with the orange extension cord he'd had in mind. "Mom, give me the money and let … [Read more...]
16 thoughts that provided clarity for autism parents, “aha” or otherwise
The thing about being the parent of a child with autism is that you are often so overwhelmed by the relentlessness of your job that you can't think straight. A lot of well meaning and unsolicited advice comes your way during these moments of confusion, so much so that it's easy to filter out the good stuff. Once in a while, though, you hear something that resonates with you and fortifies you. For example: I was on my way to pick up Matthew at preschool when a mother, holding the … [Read more...]