Author Archives: Cynthia J. Patton

About Cynthia J. Patton

Writer, Editor, Advocate, Speaker, Special Needs Attorney, and Autism Mom. Also the Founder and Chairperson of Autism A to Z, a nonprofit providing resources and solutions for life on the spectrum.

Anatomy of a Meltdown, Part 3
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Posted on July 17, 2014 by

After the meltdown, after the sensory binge, after putting the pieces together (read Part 1 and Part 2), my daughter and I checked out Livermore’s labyrinth, hidden in a courtyard behind the Presbyterian Church. It was lovely, ringed in candles. … Continue reading →

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Success, Failure, and the Drive to Keep Creating
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Posted on July 15, 2014 by

Welcome to another Tuesday with TED. Today we have Elizabeth Gilbert, the best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love, as well as five other books and countless publications as a longtime magazine writer — covering music and politics for Spin and GQ. Gilbert also owns and … Continue reading →

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Anatomy of a Meltdown, Part 2
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Posted on July 10, 2014 by

After my daughter’s food throwing meltdown at the Vietnamese restaurant (read Part 1 here), we headed straight for the park. Katie swung hard for 20 minutes, then took off her shoes and practically rolled in the sand. Then her shoes … Continue reading →

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How Sting Started Writing Music Again
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Posted on July 8, 2014 by

Welcome to another Tuesday with TED. Today we have Sting. Does he even need an introduction? Sting is a composer, singer, author, actor, and activist. He has sold more than 100 million albums and earned 16 Grammy Awards, yet Sting … Continue reading →

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Anatomy of a Meltdown, Part 1
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Posted on July 3, 2014 by

While I’ve been busy launching Autism A to Z and the Whistlestop Writers Open Mic, some of my friends have been tackling their own exciting projects. Sharon, for example, has long had a dream to build a labyrinth and lead … Continue reading →

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Three Ways To Speak English
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Posted on July 1, 2014 by

Welcome to another Tuesday with TED. Today we have Jamila Lyiscott who is a self-professed “tri-tongued orator.” She weaves words about language, education, and the African Diaspora. In her powerful spoken-word essay, “Broken English,” she celebrates — and challenges — the … Continue reading →

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Cynthia’s Yearlong 50th Birthday Bash–June Update
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Posted on June 26, 2014 by

As I described back in April (you can read the post here), I’m celebrating my 50th birthday with a year of activities and challenges designed to honor this milestone. I’m calling it Cynthia’s Yearlong 50th Birthday Bash, and so far … Continue reading →

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The Web’s Secret Stories
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Posted on June 24, 2014 by

Welcome to another Tuesday with TED. Today we’re watching Brooklyn-based artist and computer scientist Jonathan Harris who works to make sense of the emotional world of the web. With deep compassion for the human condition, his projects troll the internet … Continue reading →

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Summer Break
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Posted on June 19, 2014 by

It’s summer and my daughter Katie has a week off before summer school starts. So we are off enjoying the warm sand and ocean breezes while we can. We’ll be back tomorrow to sort through the chaos in our garage in … Continue reading →

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Remembering Sasha
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Posted on June 12, 2014 by

The first cat I owned was named Sasha. I adopted her from the Sacramento Animal Shelter in 1986 on what would have been her last day of life. She was the runt of her litter and had already been adopted … Continue reading →

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