Why My Husband and I High-Fived when our Autistic Son Started Lying to his Teacher
(As appeared on the Fatherly website, pulled from syndication on the Medium website, a community of parents and influencers with insights about work, family, and life) My husband and I recently received a note home from the school teacher of our 8-year-old son, Casey. She wanted to inform us that Casey had been caught lying about a misdeed, and that this wasn’t the first time. Our response? We whooped and high-fived. Yes, that’s right — we gave each other a high-5. Why? Becau
"How" is What Matters Most and Here's Why
There are those that refer to autism as a mystery, a sort of puzzle that needs to be solved, hence the puzzle piece as the autism logo. I was one of those people. I felt like there were so many clues along the way during Ryan's development. I believed if I followed the clues, they would lead me to all the answers I had been searching for, but, the clues did not help me solve the puzzle. Just when I thought I had autism figured out, some new behavior would come our way and it
Toddler having a Tantrum in Viral Video Proves No One should Judge Anyone's Parenting Skills
[Video available to view at the link below.] A video of a toddler having a tantrum in a car park is proof no one should judge a parent for the way they discipline their children. In the video, Amie Carter’s son Jayden, who was two at the time it was filmed, was refusing to get in the car because he was upset a game had gone wrong. Jayden was screaming and crying while his mum had to try and pull him into the car. Shortly after this video was filmed, Carter learned her son had
'But She's Too Social to be Autistic'
We have been blessed with two daughters on the autistic spectrum who have pretty opposite struggles when it comes to socialization. For many years before Sno was diagnosed I was told she was “just shy” or “very serious.” She would often struggle in large groups, noisy crowds would scare her, and she has always taken a while to warm to new people. She’s definitely regarded as an introvert and isn’t really affectionate at all.. but when she is, oh – it’s heart-meltingly gorgeo
The Impact a Positive Attitude has had on my Life on the Autism Spectrum
One of the greatest lessons I ever learned in college was the ability to lead through, “The Power of a Positive Attitude.” When I was growing up it was always difficult for me to commit to things, always hard for me to get to that next level. A big part of that was based on my attitude. I didn’t know it back then, but I was blind from how my attitude was leading the direction of my life. As a kid, it was always tough for me to focus on what was needed to overcome my obstacles