”What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” ~Pericles
For the past two years it has been a tremendous pleasure to share, learn and grow alongside this wonderful AutismSpot community; first as a Feature Blogger, later as Assistant Editor and finally as Editor in Charge of AutismSpot. I have sincerely valued the countless connections I have made with our readers, fans, and friends here on the website and via our Facebook and Twitter accounts. It is with utmost respect and gratitude that I am resigning from my Editorial duties. As I take the next step forward on my journey, I thank you for the kind and thoughtful words of encouragement, notes of thanks and cherished validation I have received over the past couple of years. I wish each and every one of you (and your sweet children) the very best in your lives and endeavors.
In a fond farewell, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes – an Irish Blessing:
“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”
♥

Over the past couple years as Ethan has made progress, we have slowly scaled back on our weekly therapies (think: Speech, OT, Neurotherapy, Craniosacral, social groups, etc.) and gradually added in some activities and sports that Ethan has shown interest in (think: soccer, basketball, piano lessons and cub scouts; things Ethan’s neurotypical neighbors and classmates are often interested in, too.
Don’t get me wrong…we haven’t just thrown him out into open water with no life vest! Each of these more “typical” activities he’s chosen have been carefully crafted with supports and surroundings that would give him the best chance at success.

I attended the AutismOne/Generation Rescue 2012 Conference over Memorial Day weekend, so I’ve been home for a full week now. Many people have asked me (in person and via private messages) how the event was…it was…in one word – INTENSE. With so many tremendous presenters, vendors, and opportunities to network and connect with other registrants; both years I have attended A1, I’ve left feeling completely exhausted. Good exhausted, though!
Traveling with a dear friend (made along this journey) made the time spent en-route and in the conference hotel that much sweeter. We found countless reasons to laugh, several reasons to cry and many reasons to celebrate as we reconnected with old friends and met new ones along the way. We arrived after the culinary day had already taken place, but dove in head first the next morning ready to learn, learn and learn some more!

Last year I attended my first AutismOne/Generation Rescue conference in Chicago. It. Was. Amazing. So much great information…so many amazing speakers…so many tremendous vendors – all in one place. That’s why I’m looking forward to attending this year’s AutismOne/Generation Rescue conference again this year being held May 23-27th.
The line up of speakers is nothing short of stellar. (Think: Jenny McCarthy, Virgina Breen, Dan Burns, Andrew Wakefiled, Jeff Bradstreet, Mayer Eisenstein, Martha Herbert, Kerri Rivera, Michael Linden, Mark Blaxill & Dan Olmstead and so, so many more.)
Now, if you’re unable to take off of work or leave your child(ren) at home with someone else, fear not – the entire conference will be streamed live HERE!

Summer Camp for My Son and Yours: New Beginning for Teens and Adults with Autism
By Angela Day
”Unteachable.” That’s the label our school district put on my son, Mason Day, when he was three years old. They anchored him behind a desk and had him do the same task over and over…then wondered why, halfway through the year, he stopped doing it correctly.
Possibly because he was bored?
That never occurred to the school. When he was four years old, I started teaching him at home using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a teaching style targeted to children with autism. Within three months he went from completely non-verbal to a vocabulary of 123 words. By age seven he was promoted, with supports, to a regular classroom.
Speed forward a decade. Mason is in 11th grade and is 18 years old. He has worked at Hobby Lobby, the Lutheran Church, and TJ Max. He also volunteers at the Recycling Plant, one of the best unpaid helpers they’ve had. Mason works hard, stays on task, and strives for perfection, but recycling is not really satisfying to him. He feels unchallenged because he’s not working in his field of interest.

In her second guest blog post for us, Stacy Baugh tackles the topic of shopping for new clothes with her precious daughter who lives with Sensory Processing Disorder and Asperger's Syndrome. How many parents out there raising kids with ASD and/or SPD can relate to this?
NEW SEASON, NEW CLOTHES
By Stacy Baugh
Each year I enjoy looking forward to Spring – new leaves on the trees, flowers blooming, weather just right for leaving the windows open. Unfortunately this change of season also brings a need for new clothes for my daughter, Emily. Time to put away the blue jeans & long sleeve shirts and bring out the shorts & t-shirts. Not only that, but it usually means getting an entire wardrobe of brand new clothes since she’s usually grown a couple inches since the previous year. For some people this might be something to look forward to, but for my daughter this twice-a-year excursion is something we dread and try to put off as long as possible.

Have you read about MMS treatment for ASD? Guest blogger, Nicole Wallace, has penned an informative post with some great information about how many families in Latin America are witnessing recovery from autism via Master Mineral Solution. Nicole also shares information about how MMS treatments began and how to learn more about MMS & autism from Kerri Rivera next month in Chicago at AutismOne. Read more below and let us know what you think!
Master Mineral Solution (MMS) Treatment for Autism
By Nicole Wallace
MMS, the miracle cure for autism. Is it hype or hope? Thirty-nine children recovered from autism on one protocol, using MMS. Sound too good to be true? Is that really possible? Ask Kerri Rivera who is slated as a speaker for this year's AutismOne conference in May. Rivera is the founder of Autism02, a DAN! based non-profit autism clinic in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. At AutismOne Rivera will explain how MMS - or chlorine dioxide - is the missing piece for so many of the families she works with and how it has reduced the ATEC (Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist) score of so many kids.

Throughout the month of April, in honor of Autism Awareness Month, Maureen Bordelon has shared some guest blog posts from her website and blog, My Autism Hat Rack. On this journey as parents of children with autism, we do have to learn to wear many new hats. In this post, Maureen writes about wearing a running sweatband to chase (and keep safe) her little runner. As this is a common and frightening issue many families face, I I hope find Maureen's post - with details about what worked in their home - interesting and helpful! ~Leigh
The "Runner Sweatband"- Only Green Lights Here!
By Maureen Bordelon
I gave birth to Jonathan when I was 34 years young and as most new Mamas, I wanted to lose the “baby” weight. Of course, it was the bagel sandwiches, Tex-Mex and stuffed jalapenos that put on the “baby” weight - not really the baby, but it sounds better - right? Little did I know, I would drop the baby weight when Jonathan started walking…correction running at 14 months old.
Yep - we had a Runner! This might sound “advanced, cool, active” to most people, but if you have a child on the spectrum – RUNNING was a very scary “characteristic” of autism in our home.

Tonight, my son Ethan will join several other students from his school district to speak on a panel to teachers, administrators, parents and other members of our community. I am very excited, proud (and just a slight bit nervous) about the event. Ethan loves the spotlight, so I know that he will enjoy speaking to everyone about how Asperger’s Syndrome impacts his life. This panel is the brainchild of our school district’s lead In-Home/Parent Trainer. I love that she asked herself, “Who better to learn about 'Autism Awareness' than from the students who live with it every day?” Simply brilliant! I shared an invitation with friends, family, neighbors, therapists, Ethan’s teachers & doctors and other local parents raising children with ASD. I’ve been very touched by the interest level and number of people taking time out of their evening to come learn more from Ethan and his panel mates.
Ethan and I have worked together over the past several days to review a set of prepared questions (for which Ethan dictated answers and I typed as quickly as I could). Most of his answers were just about what I expected them to be. Further, most of them were painfully short (so I gently prodded for additional details). However, I was surprised when Ethan more or less chose (respectfully) not to answer a question; he said it was “too personal.” Wow. Too personal? This from my little guy who has been such an open book with teachers and classmates (strangers in the grocery store even) about how autism and Asperger’s affect him?

Ever wondered what Interactive Metronome (IM) therapy is or how it might benefit your child or client with an Autism Spectrum Disorder? This guest blog, written by Mary Jones, shares the story of a boy named Ryan who experienced great progress through the help of IM in a private therapy setting and within the home. Our thanks to Mary for sharing Ryan’s story.
RYAN’S JOURNEY THROUGH ASD
By Mary Jones
Ryan is an 8-year-old boy with an energetic, all-encompassing, endearing personality paired with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Raised by his grandmother, Ryan had been seeing me for conventional Occupational Therapy sessions for several years. He loved, craved, sought out and engaged in movement activities at every given opportunity and playing freely within a Sensory Gym was the highlight of his week. He could spin and not get dizzy, climb with never a sign of fear, crash with no sense of danger and his ‘engine’ continued apace from dawn to dusk. I had tried, using all of the clinical management and traditional therapy tools to influence Ryan’s control of his regulation and behavioral skills, with limited to inconsistent results.