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.

A Leap of Faith
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Posted on November 14, 2013 by

I’ve been online dating—or perhaps what could be more accurately described as attempting to online date—for a couple of years now. When I began to tentatively consider dating, back in 2010, my biggest fear was that I would meet (and … Continue reading →

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The Voices in My Head
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Posted on November 12, 2013 by

Welcome to another Tuesday with TED. This week we are watching psychologist Eleanor Longden describe her experience with mental illness. To all appearances, Longden was just like every other student, heading to college full of promise and without a care in … Continue reading →

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Story Published in Special Needs Anthology
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Posted on November 10, 2013 by

Yesterday was the release party for the new anthology entitled, Monday Coffee and Other Stories of Mothering Children with Special Needs. It contains my story, “Waiting, Still Waiting, For Words.” InWords Press published the anthology which was the vision of … Continue reading →

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The Story of a Name
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Posted on November 7, 2013 by

Several people have asked how I arrived at Katie’s name. The short answer is I’ve always loved the name Katie, as well as Kate. You can do a lot with a name like Kathryn, and I like that versatility. I … Continue reading →

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Harnessing the Wind
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Posted on November 5, 2013 by

Welcome to another Tuesday with TED. This week we are listening to William Kamkwamba. At age 14, living in poverty and famine in Malawi, he built a windmill from spare parts and scrap to power his family’s home. Now in his … Continue reading →

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Reflections on a Harvest Moon
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Posted on October 31, 2013 by

Several weeks ago we had a string of beautiful nights with a harvest moon hanging low and ripe in the early evening sky. I’d take Katie to the park after dinner for a bout of high-intensity swinging to help regulate … Continue reading →

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Finding The Story Inside The Painting
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Posted on October 29, 2013 by

Welcome to another Tuesday with TED. This week we are listening to novelist Tracy Chevalier. When Tracy looks at paintings, she imagines the stories behind them: How did the painter meet his model? What would explain that look in her … Continue reading →

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Separation Anxiety–An Update
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Posted on October 24, 2013 by

I will admit that when I first thought about starting a blog, my thinking was more along the lines of “I should write a blog” than “wow, I can’t wait to do this!” I knew I needed a blog to … Continue reading →

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What is Home?
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Posted on October 22, 2013 by

Welcome to another Tuesday with TED. This week we have California-based writer Pico Iyer asking what is home? Increasing numbers of people worldwide are living in countries not considered their own. Iyer  — who himself has three or four “origins” … Continue reading →

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Structure’s Slippery Slope, Part 2
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Posted on October 17, 2013 by

Every so often Katie manages to surprise the hell out of me. The past few weeks were one such time. Two weeks ago, I discussed how Katie’s in-home therapy team and I had decided to break up some areas of … Continue reading →

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