I was thrilled that Feda and I had “friended” each other on social media. To me, she was an autism advocate superhero doing incredible work for the severe autism community and I wanted to connect with her.  My heart sunk weeks later when I read about her death. Feda Almaliti died after running back into her burning home to try and rescue her autistic son, Muhammed.  She was found embracing him. I didn’t know her personally, but I wept like a baby. Feda escaped the fire with her sister Maysoon and niece Anais, but then they realized Muhammed was still inside an upstairs bedroom. Alma ..read more

New school years can trigger anxiety and stress for many parents of children with autism.  However, if approached with the right knowledge, the beginning of the school year can also be an opportunity for peace of mind and and opportunity for improved programming.  If I had to choose just one thing for parents to understand, that’s right just ONE, it would be the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP). Understanding the PLAAFP, or the PLOP (Present Levels of Performance) is like knowing how to build a house and the foundation it’s built on.  T ..read more

We would like to think that our children with autism and other developmental disabilities are always safe at school. Unfortunately, we’ve all heard stories about students who have gone missing. In fact, nearly half of children with autism wander or ‘bolt’ from safe places. According to researchers from the Interactive Autism Network (IAN): 49% of children with ASD attempted to elope at least once after age 4. Of those who attempted to elope, 53% of children with ASD went missing long enough to cause concern.   In addition to these facts, here are six other reasons to consider prote ..read more

As parents and caregivers of children with autism, we often overlook one of the most important skills that our children need to succeed in life – health and safety. As one of the ten life skills areas, health and safety is defined as the skills needed for staying healthy, protecting one’s health, and responding to illness or injury in an appropriate manner.  That includes using medicine, following safety rules, staying out of physical danger, and showing caution. Health and safety is just as vital as any other that we teach our children, and here’s why. 1). Safety First  Healthy and ..read more

My son Alex has autism and has been terrified of medical procedures involving needles since he was a little guy.  The sight of a needle triggered him to become dysregulated and physically aggressive. This made getting a shot impossible and we were forced to physically hold him still.  This was  easy to do when he was small, but as he got bigger and stronger we had to restrain him. Believe me, restraint is never what a parent wants to do.  I would be in a puddle of tears seeing Alex so upset.  I knew something had to change because restraint was simply not a long term s ..read more

Secure hotel reservation that takes dogs for a week - Check Pack garage with outside furniture and other things that can take flight - Check Throw away food in freezer and Refridgerator - Check Pack what food you can for hotel room - Check Pack DVD player and Disney DVD's - Check Pack clothes for a week - Check Pack dog food / bowls / dog toys - Check Pack computer / phone / cords / client work Do laundry - Check Tidy house - Check Exhausted yet?   Max waiting patiently near some of the packed bags while we got ready to leave the house for Hurricane Henri. Thanks to H ..read more

Have you ever tried to open a jar with all of your might, but you just can’t twist it open? Then you remember that you have this thingy in the drawer that’s supposed to do the job, and presto magic, voila it opens with ease! The right tools for the job matter!   Tools that make tasks easier for students with a disabilities are called assistive technology devices, or AT.  Assistive technology enables students to participate more fully in all aspects of their education, including at school, home and the community.    Assistive technology can be especially helpful ..read more

  One third of students with autism without intellectual disability earn a driver’s license. Yet, many of these students will never have Transition IEP goals to address all of the life skills needed around driving. Wonder what some of the skills are? How to interact with a police officer. Due to impaired communication abilities, some students with autism may have a difficult time , understanding directions or responding to questions. Additionally, some students can become agitated. All of these behaviors have the potential of being misinterpreted by an officer and their behavior can seem ..read more

My dad is nearing 98 years old. He doesn’t get out and about as much as he used to, but he still gets dressed every day as if he had some place important to go. After showering, he puts on his socks followed by his khakis or corduroys. No jeans for this guy, he hasn’t owned a pair in his life. Then comes the belt, button down shirt and last, his watch. My dad’s eye sight isn’t what it used to be. We have oversized digital clocks for him to tell time. I was recently visiting him when he brought his wrist up to his face inches from his eyes trying to tell the time. This was immediately followed ..read more

I am proof that we can reinvent ourselves when change comes our way. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of growing up to be a singer, just like my mom. My mom never became famous, but her love for performing lasted her lifetime and brought her tremendous joy. It was her passion. I grew up singing and performing. It was my dream to make a living singing. I know, not a terribly realistic goal. Performing was a part of my identity. I was also interested in television production, so when I went off to college I majored in journalism and broadcasting in case the singing thing didn’t work out ..read more