Almost exactly four years ago, I wrote a blog titled The 40 year journey. I would like to continue telling my story in the mini series of our ’40 year’ journey. Today’s is a blog of celebration, of praise, because I witnessed the sovereign grace of God with our personal parting of the sea. Jack graduated from high school where 48 hours before the final grade cut off date, that possibility was hanging on the line. After twelve years of blood, sweat and tears, right when he was almost at the finish line, he was not able to fulfill a part of a class requirement due to his anxiety disorder. He was ..read more

Honestly, there is nothing good about autism. Wherever one might be on the spectrum, even those considered ‘high functioning’. We try to put a pretty label on it, search for strengths, single out a few success stories, and be effusive about how good it is when in truth, every mom raising an ASD child knows that’s a lie.  It is a nightmare from which you never wake up because the problems your child struggles with don’t go away with age. It is like no other illness because it is many illness bundled into one. Psychologists call it co-morbid. Being autistic is like having diabetes, stroke, cance ..read more

My son finally graduated with a high school diploma, with the A-G requirements.  These are 15 specific high school classes that are College Prep classes, to be eligible for a CSU (California State University) or UC (University of California) school. If you read my “journey” blog, you will understand why I shamelessly believe that I have earned the right to consider myself somewhat of an expert on the subject of what parents need to know to get their student through high school. These lessons would apply to all parents whose child has autism or is dealing with mental health issues. Jack has bo ..read more

So, I think I had the best news from my son’s psychiatrist- he “discharged” us! Four doctors and six years later, my son’s doctor has deemed him medically untreatable. My husband wants to go doctor shopping so we can get some prescription, any prescription to treat just one, any one of his disorders. Dr Aldous is the first and only doctor who has the integrity and honesty to tell us there is no magic pill to treat my son’s myriad complex problems.  Jack had his first prescription – Fluoxetine (generic name Prozac) when he was about ten. It was to treat his anxiety which was preventi ..read more

Moses probably has as much name recognition as Taylor Swift, across all continents and varying demographics.  That’s where the similarity ends.  He does not command her stratospheric popularity, fortune, and beauty, though some 3,000 years after his death movies are still made about his life.  The story of Moses’ life saved my life.  The drama, forces of good versus evil, fight for liberty all make for box office movie material.  But it is the one about God’s resounding goodness and greatness that speaks to me deeply. It is hard to think about God’s goodness when raising a child on the autism ..read more

It was my son’s psychotherapist who first identified Anxiety as Jack’s biggest problem when he was in second grade.  He disagreed with the teachers that Jack was ADHD, explaining that one of the reasons he couldn’t focus in school and was acting out when the smallest, seemingly inconsequential thing went wrong was that he is constantly living on the edge, his mind filled with fear. In Kindergarten we should’ve seen the early signs when he was afraid to get up from the automated flush toilet because the noise frightened him.  In first grade, he was punished for constantly munching on some ce ..read more

I am 17 years old, and a junior in high school. I live with my brother, Andrew, who is 21 years old. Andrew is autistic.  Watching him grow up has been great because I have seen him grow physically and mentally. There are times where you think the situation will not change, such as occasional fits, then he grows out of it. I was inspired to make this video because of the person Andrew is. He is a good person, Autism or not. He is who he is partially because of his Autism, It should be motivational to others because you can see his growth, and that should give hope to those who have a loved on ..read more

There is so much information about autism that it’s often overwhelming, so I try to post content that I think are differentiated, and not likely found on other autism websites.  This presentation made by Dr Wendy Chung at a recent TED 2014 conference, offers the clearest, best explanation yet on a complex subject : What Causes Autism? Dr Chung, pediatrician, geneticist and researcher, is Director of the Clinical Genetics Program at Columbia University Medical Center in New York as well as the university’s fellowship program in clinical and molecular genetics. She is the principal investigator ..read more

Welcome to wiki This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging! The post Hello world appeared first on Raising Autistic Kids ..read more