Category Archives: Autism Lessons

Life lessons learned through parenting a kid with autism

Special Needs Need Special Summer Camps

We have 19 years of experience with summer camps, 14 of them with N.  My husband and I work for a living and we have had to find a program  of suitable length and duration for our kids when school … Continue reading

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Uniforms – Modified for Autistic Kid

It’s High School time for N. At our high school the kids wear uniforms.  It is a light tan bottom with a white polo style top– and while I love the idea of uniforms, those colours, for N, translate into “potential … Continue reading

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Swimming Lessons with Autism

We enrolled N in swimming lessons for the first time when N was 4. The community swimming program for special needs kids was called “Aquadapt”. As I saw it at the time, it was just another thing N could not … Continue reading

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Autism Appearances……are Deceiving

There are 2 stories that I want to tell. About appearances, and how they are not necessarily reflective of reality. One is about autism, the other is not. In both cases the families live on the edge, at the extreme … Continue reading

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Personal Hygiene tips and tricks for parenting severely autistic boys

If you have a kid with autism, especially on the moderate – severe end of the spectrum, you probably have experienced difficulties teaching your child basic personal hygiene. I believe that the challenge relates to relevance: if something is not … Continue reading

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Autism Enlightenment… while Shopping!

Just before Christmas N and I had gone to Walmart to buy a few last minute gifts. We were waiting, in a very busy store, in a very long line. This is the very stuff of autism shopping nightmares of … Continue reading

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Christmas from the eyes of autism

I received this letter a few days ago. It is Christmas from the perspective of a child with autism. I felt when reading it that if my son could speak, or write, this is what he would say. Dear Family … Continue reading

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Autistic Kid Gets Lost (at Marineland)

A child gets lost.  It is one of the greatest fears of every mom.  It is the stuff of nightmares.  We all wonder – what if my child and I get separated in an unfamiliar environment?  How will I find … Continue reading

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My Autistic Kid – Nick Noise

How do you get a noisy autistic kid to become a quiet autistic kid?  Where is the “off button”? N is a walking one man band.  Or perhaps  a “one man choir”  is a more apt description.  He is constantly making … Continue reading

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Services for Autistic Kids

I have “autism awareness” in my header on the front page of this blog, because autism awareness and understanding is key to the development of sufficient and appropriate services in support of autism.  Happy face!  While currently autism awareness is growing,  the growth … Continue reading

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