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Author Archives: Cynthia J. Patton
Transportation Woes, Part 1
Open Mind School (OMS), the wonderful, magical place that embraced my daughter Katie last fall after years of struggle to find her an appropriate educational placement, is MOVING! The long awaited move to Menlo Park is finally happening—or will once … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Advocacy, Autism, Behavioral Issues, Change, Open Mind School, Special Education, Special Needs, Transitions, Transportation, Unplanned Life
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Summer Vacation Redux
It’s August, and while many kids are going back to school this week or next, my daughter just finished summer session. (Open Mind School operates year-round.) Katie has a three-week break before school starts up again. I’m embracing this out-of-sync-ness. … Continue reading
Posted in My Life
Tagged Open Mind School, Out-of-Sync, Summer School, Summer Vacation, Unplanned Life, Writing Life
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What Happens at Camp Arroyo, Stays at Camp Arroyo, Year 3
Last week, my daughter Katie attended Camp Arroyo, which is where the Exceptional Needs Network (ENN) holds its summer camp for special needs children in conjunction with the Taylor Family Foundation. This was her third year. The camp may be … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Ashley Angeles, Autism, Camp Arroyo, Exceptional Needs Network, Gratitude, Letting Go, Puberty, Single Parent, Special Needs, Summer Camp, Unplanned Life
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Katie’s at Camp Arroyo (Again)!
Yesterday I dropped Katie off at Camp Arroyo. This is her third time at the Exceptional Needs Network’s summer camp for children with special needs. To say she was excited would be an understatement. I was pretty excited too. (Still … Continue reading
Gratitude for Attitude (School Update #2)
As part of our effort to save the new building in Menlo Park for my daughter’s fabulous school, many of the parents wrote testimonials. After I helped Marina Vaserman, Director of Open Mind School, write a killer advocacy letter to … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Acceptance, Autism, Gratitude, Marina Vaserman, Open Mind School, Special Education, Special Needs, Tolerance, Unplanned Life
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Summer Vacation
It’s summer and my daughter Katie has a two-week break before summer school starts. (Actually Open Mind School is a year-round school, so it’s just regular school that happens in the summer months.) So we are off enjoying the warm … Continue reading
Posted in My Life
Tagged Gratitude, Poet Laureate, Relax, Unplanned Life, Unplugging, Writing Life
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It’s Official! I’m Poet Laureate
On Monday, June 26th, I was sworn in as the City of Livermore’s fourth Poet Laureate. The Commission for the Arts notified me of its selection a few weeks ago, but I wanted to wait to make the announcement until … Continue reading
Posted in My Life, News, Other Writers
Tagged "A Place to Call Home", City of Livermore, Cowboy Poetry, Creativity, Expectations, Gratitude, Hagemann Ranch, Home, Hometown, Lauren DeVore, Livermore Commission for the Arts, Livermore Heritage Guild, Lynn R. Owens, Poet Lariat, Poet Laureate, Poetry, Time, Unplanned Life, Writing Life
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Small But Mighty
As I wrote before, Open Mind School (OMS), my daughter’s fantastic new school in Redwood City, was being kicked out of its current location by Oracle’s childcare provider and then lost its new location in Menlo Park to Facebook. We … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Autism, Change, Facebook, Gratitude, Marina Vaserman, Menlo Park, Open Mind School, Oracle, Special Education, Transitions, Unplanned Life
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The Path Forward
“The path forward begins with a question.” That’s what the shaman said during her ceremony. I already knew the answer to her first question, which was “what is your process?” Based on her examples, I knew I tackled issues with … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Authenticity, Autism, Fear, Life Vision, Planning, Plans, Question, Rapid Prompting Method, RPM, Single Parent, Soma RPM, Unplanned Life
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Chaos and Change, Part 3
As I wrote before, Open Mind School (OMS), my daughter’s fantastic new school in Redwood City, was being kicked out of its current location by Oracle’s childcare provider and then lost its new location in Menlo Park to Facebook. We … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Autism, Change, Marina Vaserman, Open Mind School, Special Education, Special Needs, Unplanned Life
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