I am pleased to announce a major leadership promotion here at AutismSpot.com. Leigh Attaway Wilcox is now Editor in Charge of AutismSpot.com and content creation across the site. Leigh will assume leadership of content development, oversee writers and featured bloggers, and advancement of AutismSpot into the 170+ countries we currently serve. Leigh has been a strategic friend and member of the AutismSpot team for many years and most recently held the role of Assistant Editor.

Last week marked a milestone for our family. Sam is ten years old and in the fourth grade in public school. The last time Sam went to public school was when he participated in the PPCD Program (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities). That was many years ago. Since that time we have been fortunate to find loving, nurturing private schools that could meet Sam's unique learning needs. We made the decision that it would be in Sam's best social interest to stay back in the fourth grade as he enters public school rather than move forward into fifth grade.

Growing up in special education, I endured what felt like endless years of bullying. I've been called names, tossed in lockers and closets, and had my head shoved in toilets. I've been kicked, tripped, spat on, and had gum slapped on my head I can't tell you how many times, only for my friend to cut it out with a pocket knife. And, yes, that hurt.

Pumpkin Littles is an educational and therapeutic center in North Dallas using some amazing techniques and revolutionary therapies to individualize programs for children with special needs. Every time I spend time with Michelle Beck, the founder of Pumpkin Littles, I’m encouraged and inspired by all that she and her staff are doing with the little pumpkins at the therapy center. So, recently I asked Michelle to share a little about Pumpkin Littles, their tremendous iPad Communication classes and other individualized programs to share with our AutismSpot readers! Big thanks to Pumpkin Littles (and the little pumpkins’ parents) for sharing the adorable photo of their two precious iPad Pals [to the left].

Over the past few months, I have been blessed to attend several conferences and workshops related to Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger’s Syndrome. I’m always eager to learn more, meet new people and return home with a renewed sense of encouragement, stamina and hope.
Late last fall, I attended a tremendous event hosted by the NAA (National Autism Association). Holly Robinson Peete keynoted the conference and there were countless amazing speakers on hand to discuss treatment options for our kids. On Monday, I helped to organize a presentation and book signing with Mark Blaxill and Dan Olmsted, authors of THE AGE OF AUTISM. This week I am attending a local conference hosted by the FEAT-NT (Families for Effective Autism Treatment – North Texas).

Shock + Fear = News?
A few weeks ago I was honored to play a role on a Fatherhood Panel at the 41st National ASA Conference. The gentlemen that participated were extraordinary. Fathers. Sons. Fathers and Sons. It was a very special time for all of us. Each panel member had the floor for a short bit and shared their personal story about the relationship with their father, what is was like raising a child on the Autism Spectrum, and what it was like having Autism. Each participant played one or multiple of those roles and this gave the panel a great deal of depth in my opinion.

The Potter family recently went through some renovations. An expansion has been underway for the past nine months and was completed with the birth of Olivia on May 18th.
Am I glowing? Can you see the rays of sunshine coming from your computer screen? Put on some sunscreen because we are all beaming with excitement. Olivia is perfection wrapped in a bundle of pink. Her brothers shower her with kisses, they fight over who will hold her, she is loved beyond all imagination. It's probably totally absurd how much she is loved and I like it that way.

It's July 4th, 2009 and in the United States that means we are celebrating Independence Day. As I watch my boys play this morning and think of the soldiers who have bravely served our country throughout the years it gives me pause. Many of our friends (including many of you) live in a country where the idea of freedom, and the benefits we often take for granted in the United States, is a distant dream. You face hardships and struggles that we (in much of the free world) only imagine and see in the movies.