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Tag Archives: Sensory Integration
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
My friend Nate and I recently went to see the movie, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? If you haven’t heard of the film, it’s a documentary on Fred Rogers (aka Mr. Rogers). Nate and I both grew up watching Mr. … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Acceptance, Adoption, Authenticity, Autism, Fred Rogers, Gratitude, Inclusion, Love, Mr. Rogers, Respect, Sensory Integration, Shame, Social skills, Special Needs, Truth, Unplanned Life, Won't You Be My Neighbor?
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Katie Graduates
Tomorrow my daughter Katie graduates from 8th grade. I honestly have no idea where the time went. It’s such a cliche, and yet, utterly on point. My brain keeps shouting: How did this happen? It’s simply not possible. You have … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Autism, Gratitude, Milestones, Open Mind School, Rapid Prompting Method, RPM, Sensory Integration, Soma RPM, Special Education, Unplanned Life
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Pot or Not?
After I conducted my research on the various medications used to treat (or not treat) autism, I asked our Regional Center case manager for her opinion. We were sitting at my kitchen table, having our annual meeting to discuss my … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Anxiety, Autism, Behavioral Issues, Cannabis, Marijuana, Medications, Puberty, Sensory Integration, Side Effects, Unplanned Life
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Medicate or Not?
Somehow in my long journey dealing with autism, I became comfortable with the concept of treating my daughter like a guinea pig of sorts. Comfortable might not be the correct word. I’ve accepted that neither Katie nor I have any … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Abilify, Acceptance, Advocacy, Autism, Behavioral Issues, Guinea Pig, Medications, Rapid Prompting Method, Risperdal, RPM, Sensory Integration, Side Effects, Soma RPM, Unplanned Life
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More Cha…cha…changes, Part 1
While Christopher and I were settling into our new relationship, I had a tough decision to make. After fighting for 18 months to secure applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy for my daughter, Katie, I was now struggling with how to … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged ABA, Advocacy, Anxiety, Applied Behavioral Analysis, Autism, Behavioral Issues, Puberty, Sensory Integration, Social skills, Unplanned Life
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Turning the Corner
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
School Update #1
Four weeks ago, my daughter started at Open Mind School. So far, it’s been terrific, and every day I am more convinced that I made the correct decision when I placed Katie there. Here’s the message that I received after … Continue reading
What’s the Problem?
Sometimes I wonder, is the problem me? Other parents have special education horror stories, but no one has twisted tales of terror like mine and my daughter’s. Am I a bad parent? A poor advocate? But no, I have moved … Continue reading
Waiting
We are in limbo. Everything is on hold as we wait to see what happens with my daughter’s placement. School started in our district on Monday, August 22nd, and the following week, on August 29th, at Open Mind School (OMS). … Continue reading
Playing Chicken
The school district and I are playing a high stakes (at least for my daughter) game of chicken. They want me to sign an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)—read annual contract—committing my daughter Katie to the generic, for-profit, non-public school (NPS) … Continue reading
