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.

Turning the Corner
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Posted on March 30, 2017 by

Recently it feels that my daughter and I have turned a corner, crossed some invisible line. Partly this is due to Katie’s placement at Open Mind School (OMS) and partly due to our use of the rapid prompting method (RPM). … Continue reading →

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Poetry in a Test Tube
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Posted on March 23, 2017 by

Kevin Gunn, the current Poet Laureate of Livermore, decided last month he wanted to celebrate science before his term expired. So he created a contest called Poetry in a Test Tube. It was open to any resident regardless of age. … Continue reading →

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Guest Post on A Writer’s March
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Posted on March 19, 2017 by

This year, in addition to participating in A Writer’s March, I’m doing two guest posts. I’ve joked with friends for years that writing is much like online dating. Well, A Writer’s March founder Samantha Tetangco challenged me to prove it in an essay. … Continue reading →

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Sometimes You Just Have to Surrender
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Posted on March 16, 2017 by

I have always been strong-willed and stubborn. A fighter. Not with my fists, but with my intellect and my words. With my heart and soul. With my passion and conviction. With a strategic plan. But sometimes, no matter how much … Continue reading →

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The Great Boot Debate
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Posted on March 9, 2017 by

All winter I searched for two pairs of flat boots: one in brown and one in black. I didn’t think it would be difficult, but everything I found that appealed to me had a heel. Or was knee-high, which I … Continue reading →

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The Writer’s March Challenge 2017
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Posted on March 2, 2017 by

Maybe it’s the lawyer in me, but I’ve always been a sucker for a good challenge. So I’ve decided to particpate once again in A Writer’s March as a way to get myself back into a more consistent (i.e., daily) writing routine. A … Continue reading →

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Sick, Sick, Sick…
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Posted on February 23, 2017 by

Katie and I are sick again! This has been a rough winter for us health-wise. We both caught a nasty bug in late December, and now we can’t seem to get 100% well. I have reluctantly surrendered to this sorry … Continue reading →

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Hope Is a Funny Thing
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Posted on February 16, 2017 by

Hope is a funny thing. Just when you think it’s gone, you find it in the most unlikely place. I’ll give you an example. Back on Election Day 2016, I squeezed into a white pantsuit. Normally I vote with an … Continue reading →

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An Ode to Johnny
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Posted on February 9, 2017 by

Last June I wrote several posts about death. (You can read them here: Death Comes in Threes (Or More), Staring Into the Abyss, and Saying Goodbye.) In short, a friend’s husband died of cancer as did a fellow autism mom. … Continue reading →

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The Myth of “Just Words”
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Posted on February 2, 2017 by

Hate. American chose hate. I am still grappling with this outcome, still feel as if one day I will wake from a bad dream. Except this isn’t a dream. Donald Trump has just been inaugurated so our collective nightmare won’t … Continue reading →

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