My son needed new shoes. He didn’t want new shoes. He liked his old ones, but they were too small. Miracle League had a bowling day, and I decided we would bowl for an hour and then shoe shop. Children with autism need to know what is happening and what comes next. For 2 days, I told him the… Read More
I cried all the way home from taking Asher to school. “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” blasted from the stereo. I turned the volume up more as I focused through the tears. A few years ago, Asher was dismissed from (kicked out of) a children’s program. His behavior was too challenging. I was devastated. We left the church. I realized… Read More
retard: a contemptuous term used to refer to a person who is cognitively impaired. Dictionary.com The term “retarded” didn’t appear in the slangy, usually offensive sense until the mid-20th century. Frank Rooney’s 1954 novel “The Courts of Memory” contains an insulting use that should be familiar if not comfortable: “God, you’re simple, Dick. . . . You’ve got an I.Q…. Read More
It was a gorgeous day. Wind was blowing the tall pines shading the playground. I could hear the laughter and smell the aroma of food from the family reunion being held at a gazebo nearby. I hoped for an invitation to eat their fried chicken, potato salad, and casseroles of all kinds. Maybe around 11 years old, a little boy… Read More
Dear State of Alabama Legislators, I am a rule follower. I have never been arrested. I have never had a speeding ticket. I am a rule follower. Careful is the best way to describe how I act and react to most situations. This all changed yesterday. I began to notice the difference between “careful” and “courageous” in the leaders we… Read More
It was inevitable. “Autumn, why does Asher talk so funny?” The little girl who spoke these words was not some stranger’s child. It wasn’t a kid from school or church. The little girl who spoke these words has my heart. She has since before she was born. Cristine (a.k.a Cris) and I met many years ago when my husband and I… Read More
