Blog
All the clinical knowledge in the world can’t compare to the experience of living through something
Do You Think People With Autism Can Lie?
Do you think people with autism can lie? While being a "rule-follower" is often part of the personality and character make up of an individual on the spectrum, sometimes to the extreme that we might feel like they are policing a situation, that doesn't necessarily...
Meet Them Where They Are
Does a person with autism have to be like the rest of us to be okay? Trying to force someone with autism to do it “right,” or like the rest of us, is like trying to force a left-handed person to function in a right-handed way. It can be done, and some people with...
The Times 10 Intensity Rule of Thumb
For those of us who are neurotypical, how can we understand what people who have autism experience on a daily basis? Are there things that irritate you? Does the smell of coffee in the morning make you nauseous? Imagine if it were 10 times worse. When you are trying...
Suit Up And Show Up
What is expected of parents of children with ASD? One of the best pieces of advice I ever got, was “Suit up and show up.” Woody Allen once said “80 percent of success is showing up.” And so it is... Certainly, if you don’t show up, your likelihood of success in any...
One Day a Time
As a parent, do you worry about the future? When we project into the future we risk giving up in frustration or overwhelm because of our fear that we will never have enough resources or never be enough to manage the long haul. I know that feeling of overwhelm...
Do you have a PhD in autism?
Does having a PhD in psychology mean you understand autism? I don’t have a university issued PhD, although I often wish I did; sometimes I even beat myself up for not knowing more. Yet in many ways, I know so much more than those educated PhD’s, who have no idea (ok...
Coming to Terms with Life with Autism (Part 2)
Why does autistic behavior sometimes seem offensive? As our understanding of autism grows, we adapt our methods of relating and communicating to better suit our autistic loved one’s understanding of the world. Because those individuals with autism are not receiving...
Coming to Terms with Life with Autism (Part 1)
Does the general public understand autism? Autism takes many forms, and is very misunderstood in the general population. The old stereotype of a child, rocking in a corner, unable to speak or function still comes to mind for many. I see this in the faces of people...