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.

Taking the Poetry Plunge
avatar

Posted on June 1, 2017 by

After a great deal of thought, I decided to apply for the City’s Poet Laureate position. I did it in part because I didn’t want the program to end. But mostly I did it because there were things I’d hoped … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, My Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chaos and Change, Part 2
avatar

Posted on May 25, 2017 by

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. Welcome to the cut-throat world … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, My Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Special Olympics Are Truly Special
avatar

Posted on May 18, 2017 by

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up my daughter for the Tri-Valley Special Olympics track team (aka the Tri-Valley Rockets). As I told my father at the first practice, I would have been happy if Katie managed … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, My Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chaos and Change, Part 1
avatar

Posted on May 11, 2017 by

In addition to the Brownie star party and finally securing ABA services for my daughter Katie after nearly 18 months, two other things happened last week. First, my school district finally got around to visiting Open Mind School (OMS). They … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, My Life | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Viewing the Moon with Brownies
avatar

Posted on May 4, 2017 by

If I needed further proof that chaos and change was my new normal, than I need look no further than yesterday. While I was helping Nate and other Eastbay Astronomical Society (EAS) members set up for a “girls only” star … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, My Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Next Poet Laureate?
avatar

Posted on April 27, 2017 by

Back in early March, I attended the Ravenswood Poetry Series. After listening to D. A. Powell read his beautiful, lyric work, we broke for a brief intermission. Kay Speaks, a local poet, greeted me as I nibbled on a cookie. … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, My Life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Reflection on Gratitude
avatar

Posted on April 20, 2017 by

Lately I’ve been feeling tremendously grateful for the many amazing people and programs in my and my daughter’s lives. People and programs such as: Barb (reading tutor/educational consultant/mentor/friend); Melissa and Jennifer (sitters extraordinaire); Bella, Audrina, Jonah, and the other kids … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, My Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What I Want in My Life
avatar

Posted on April 13, 2017 by

Ever since I wrote the post “A Question of Settling,” back in October 2016, I’ve been thinking about how I wanted the next phase of my life to look. I had intended to focus on this question over the holidays, … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, My Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Writer’s March Challenge 2017–An Update
avatar

Posted on April 6, 2017 by

On March 31st, A Writer’s March 2017 ended. A guest blogger, Bob Sabatini, wrote the final post entitled, “It’s Over! (Whew!).” Bob’s post nicely sums up my feelings on this year’s writing challenge. You can read it here. Afterwards, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, My Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Second Guest Post on A Writer’s March
avatar

Posted on April 2, 2017 by

This year, in addition to participating in A Writer’s March, I contributed two guest posts. Here is the second of my posts: Fallow Fields The writers who have participated in A Writer’s March over the years are an amazing bunch. I’m honored … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, My Life, News, Publications | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment