To Anyone who Questions Why Awareness Days are So Important
Why are awareness days so important? What makes them so special? Why do we put the spotlight on a particular group of people? I'll tell you why... The only way to successfully eliminate ignorance, discrimination and inequality is through education. Awareness days are opportunities to discuss, teach and learn about others who may look, speak, walk or learn differently from us. As a society, we have been conditioned to take notice of other people's differences. For individuals
When the 'Basics' are Difficult for my Son with Autism
My son showed me exactly how he planned to install a CPU into his computer yesterday. If you don't know what that is, don't worry. You are in good company. He walked me through it step by step, explaining in painstaking detail how to install it, and how the actual device functions. The way it communicates, what one set of cords does vs. the other, why the motherboard goes in this spot, and so many more things that I did not understand. I sat there in awe, so proud of the man
20 Things this Dad Wants You to Know for Autism Awareness Month
It's Autism Awareness Month! Social media is full of people lighting it up blue, posting multi-colored memes, having tattoos or taking part in fundraisers. This is all great, I'm a big supporter. Awareness is a fantastic start, but this needs to be the first step. It's easy to be aware of something without really understanding it, and understanding and acceptance has to be the bigger goal. Back in 2009 I had no real idea of what autism was. I'd seen "Rain Man," that was it. I
Train Ugly Manifesto [Inspirational Video]]
[Video available to view at the link below.] BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. YOU ARE A LEARNING MACHINE. WITH TIME AND HARD WORK YOU CAN GET BETTER AT ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT. TAKE RISKS. TRY NEW THINGS. - - - - - - - - - - - To finish reading the list and watch the corresponding video, visit the Train Ugly: Manifesto website: http://trainugly.com/manifesto/ and video: http://bit.ly/1TvgUBJ.
When Other Parents Stop Making Play Dates with My Son with Autism
The first time it was a shock. Casual "we're too busy" replies to invitations, the realization that it had been weeks since we'd seen our friends, and then months. I went over it in my head -- had I said something wrong? Were they just really busy? I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but eventually the conclusion kind of jumped on me, like a rush of cold water. It may be my son. They didn't want their kid hanging out with my kid. My kid, who hoarded toys and already had the
One Mom Explains what it's like to be a Parent with Autism
[Video available to view at the link below.] For Dena Gassner, a mother of two, being diagnosed with autism at 38 years old was a game-changer. "It doesn't define me, but it explains me...I've been able to see how my autism affects me, and I've been able to adapt for it," she says. Gassner explains the challenges of parenting with autism and also reassures HuffPost Rise host Cat Greenleaf that her diagnosis does not limit what she's able to achieve. - - - - - - - - - - To fin
For Parents of Autistic Children, Education and Empowerment Key to Erasing Stigmas
As we begin Autism Awareness Month, it's important to appreciate how far we've come in understanding autism and helping autistic children lead productive lives. Yet challenges in combatting stigmas remain, particularly in communities of color. Broaching the subject of autism can be a difficult one for African American, Latino, South Asian and other Asian American communities, and among faith groups like Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs, because it's not discussed as much in the ope
Drugs You Don't Need for Disorders You Don't Have
One evening in the late summer of 2015, Lisa Schwartz was watching television at her Vermont home when an ad for a sleeping pill called Belsomra appeared on the screen. Schwartz, a longtime professor at Dartmouth Medical College, usually muted commercials, but she watched this one closely: a 90-second spot featuring a young woman and two slightly cute, slightly creepy fuzzy animals in the shape of the words "sleep" and "wake." Schwartz had a reason to be curious about this pa
What I Want More Than Awareness for my Autistic Sons
Do you know that World Autism Awareness Day is on April 2? On that day, you'll be asked to "Light It Up Blue" or "Color the World" to help raise awareness for autism. How important is World Autism Awareness Day to me? I booked my boys' birthday party on that day. I looked at my calendar and there wasn't a rainbow of appointments staring back at me on that day so it meant it was open. Then my girlfriend texted, "Oh, you're so awesome having their party on that day. I bet you'r