Big Kid
Another Portrait of Senior Year Triumph (or not)
As my youngest barrels through his senior year of high school right after my oldest, I’m reminded of what I love (and don’t) about this time of life.
Big Kid
College Application Time: Should Your Special-Needs Student Disclose?
When it’s time for your special needs child to apply to college, should they disclose? I think you know which side of this debate I’m on.
Big Kid
Senior Year: The Last First Day and The First of Many Lasts
I thought getting my oldest off to college was the hardest transition, but now it’s time for the last everything as her little brother heads into senior year.
Big Kid
The Good, the Bad, and the Dorm
I’ve been focusing so much energy on getting ready to let go of my college freshman, I forgot I was going to have to do a trial run with her brother, first.
Big Kid
Drive, Baby, Drive: Time for my Youngest to Step on the Gas
As we ever-so-gently force my youngest to get behind the wheel, he’s learning he’s more capable than he thought, and I’m delighting in watching him do so.
Big Kid
Surprise: Both My Kids Start College in the Fall
My youngest is about to embark on a new adventure: college (as a dual-enrolled high schooler)! It’s weird and wonderful and scary and awesome.
Big Kid
Life’s Not Fair, Whether I Help My Teens or Not
The knife-edge between encouraging my teens to self-advocate and stepping in while I still can is a precarious one, especially in a world that’s unfair.
Big Kid
To Label Or Not To Label, That Is The Question
A reader wants to know the value of putting a label on a struggling older child, or does it even matter? I have strong opinions on this one.
Big Kid
Autism and Illness: Our Last Frontier?
As my autistic son grows and matures, his awareness and coping skills grow, too. But I’m still grappling with his awareness (or lack thereof) when he’s sick.
Big Kid
The Glass Is Exactly As Full As It Should Be
While trying to balance helping my autistic son’s potential and limitations, I don’t always get it right. The good news is, he does, in spite of me.
Big Kid
The Poor Sensory Sport
A mom needs advice on how to help her sensory-seeking child handle disappointment on the sports field as it’s now starting to affect his relationships.
Big Kid
Dear Teacher: My Disabled Child Is Not Lazy
Having an invisible disability is hard; having an invisible disability as a high school student and being scoffed at by a teacher is worse. Don’t be that teacher.
Young Child
In Hindsight: Child Development & When Should We Worry?
Now that my “different” kids are teens, a reader facing issues with her 5-year-old wants to know if I see similarities in what we experienced.
Big Kid
Letting Go Of Normal
Is normal a real thing? Should I be wishing my special-needs kids were normal? I’m not even sure it’s real, and if it is, well, it’s not for us.
Big Kid
More Than Just A Birthday
Birthdays with teenagers can feel a lot like a timer ticking down, but sometimes they feel like victory, too. For my late bloomer, this birthday feels huge.
Parenting
When Autism Runs in the Family
A woman knows that autism runs in her future husband’s family. She’s thinking about the future already and wants to better understand Asperger’s in children.
Big Kid
(A)synchronicity
Asynchronous development can be worrisome and/or baffling, but it’s simply a difference that brings its own challenges and even joys.
Young Child
Won’t You Be My (ASD) Neighbor?
A mother wants to explain Asperger’s in positive way to her children now that they have a new friend who is on the spectrum.
Big Kid
Finding Awesome
I’m learning that it was never my son’s special needs that made his life more challenging, but his lack of self-esteem. What a difference some self-love makes!
Big Kid
Taking Flight in the Cold
Schools are closed today due to “excessive cold,” and it’s all my fault. Sorry, I’m not sorry—because it hasn’t slowed down my autistic son one bit.