Category Archives: Commentary

A Slippery Legal Slope
avatar

A California lawsuit is working its way through the Santa Clara County court system that left me pretty much speechless when I learned of it. Two families are suing a third, claiming their autistic son is a public nuisance. At … Continue reading

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

Making a Fuss About Jenny McCarthy–For All the Wrong Reasons
avatar

As you may or may not know, Jenny McCarthy will be replacing Joy Behar on the daytime talk show “The View.” This doesn’t sound like big news to me, but the internet has been ablaze with folks screaming about how … Continue reading

Posted in Autism, Commentary, My Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, Take 2
avatar

Two weeks ago I wrote about a photograph. It’s a standard class photo that shows a boy in a wheelchair seated off to the side, leaning over to get closer to his classmates. In a word, the photo says exclusion. … Continue reading

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

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
avatar

Happy Independence Day! I’ve been thinking a lot about inclusion the past couple of weeks and the main reason has to do with a photo, a photo that isn’t of me, or my daughter Katie, or even of a child … Continue reading

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

Thoughts on “Quiet Hands”
avatar

Despite what the New York Times and other critics say about memoir, I happen to love the genre—and not just because I write it myself. I love memoir because it grants me temporary access into someone else’s head. I learn … Continue reading

Posted in Autism, Commentary, My Life | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

A Bitter Pill
avatar

Even now, more than five years after my daughter’s diagnosis, it’s a bitter pill to swallow. Why is autism still such a mystery? Why don’t we have more answers? Part of the problem is a lack of sufficient funding. In … Continue reading

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