Hey! It’s been a minute, but I’m so excited to be back to writing here and sharing the stories of our family with you. So much has happened in the last few years, and I can’t wait to use this platform to continue doing what I love: writing, advocating, educating and storytelling. If you’re new here, welcome! I hope after reading this intro about our family and the post below, you’ll decide to stay. This post has been a long time coming. One of the biggest things to happen to Andrew and our family has been the incredible discovery that he has a rare genetic disorder called Syngap1. We are now p ..read more

I am not paralyzed by sadness anymore  as I roam the toy aisle  at Target I want you to know  it gets better  (and then it gets a little worse, but then  it gets better again.  and that’s just before breakfast.  You get the idea).  on the eve of his 21st birthday I am not buying my firstborn  a six pack or promising  to pick him up  from a bar  with his bleary eyed friends  I am here  instead in this toy aisle I know so well  my eyes scanning rows  of Lightning McQeens  and Maters until I spot a flash of b ..read more

Photo courtesy Cabrillo Marine Aquarium I’m so excited to announce that Autism Awareness Day at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium on Monday, April 2nd, is shaping up to be a wonderful event for special needs families. While my relationship with the aquarium started off on the wrong foot, I’ve since been cultivating a wonderful partnership with Ed Mastro, the Director of Cabrillo, and his team. This man genuinely wants to make this aquarium accessible for all and is so invested in learning more about autism and how he and his staff can make everyone feel welcomed and accommodated. It’s so rare to have s ..read more

If you’re reading this blog post, chances are you’ve read this one, got super fired up, and now you’re here for an update. First of all, I want to thank everyone who supported Andrew and our family. Many of you took the time to make phone calls to the aquarium, send messages via social media, leave reviews, and connect with us personally, and your efforts paid off. After playing phone tag throughout the day, Ed Mastro, the Director of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro was finally able to connect with me this evening. We spent an hour on the phone and the conversation began with a heartfel ..read more

No one knocked on our door yesterday. Every once in a while, I’d stare at it, consumed by its silence, wondering in the stillness of the afternoon if we had done the right thing. For fourteen years, except for weekends, holidays, and the occasional sick day, a therapist has been in our home. Five days a week. Fourteen years. I’m not good at math but I know that adds up to a whole lot of hours spent with people trying to help us help our son. And now it’s quiet. The decision wasn’t made lightly. It wasn’t anything anyone did or didn’t do, though the journey certainly wasn’t without its mistakes ..read more

There’s been a lot of chatter on social media about Julia, the new character on Sesame Street who made her television debut this week, much to the dismay of some families who aren’t feeling like celebrating her appearance on the popular children’s show. Now, Muppets aren’t typically a source of controversy, but Julia happens to have autism, a diagnosis that often leaves its community fractured over disagreements about nearly everything: causes; interventions; to cure or not to cure; person first vs. diagnosis first language; to embrace the puzzle piece or not; the list goes on and on, and Juli ..read more

UPDATE: There is a wonderful update to this story, so once you’re done reading this and you’re all fired up, head over here to hear about the aquarium’s response. My son was kicked out of an aquarium today. My non-verbal son with special needs – who was with his class and support staff on a community outing to a local aquarium – had to leave because he was flapping his arms and making joyful noises while watching water pour into a large tank filled with sea anemones. Because someone complained. How miserable do you have to be to complain about an overjoyed kid marveling at something most of u ..read more