Throughout April, we are going to bring you some select guest blog posts from Warrior Mom Maureen Bordelon’s “Autism Hat Rack.” Maureen is one of the most positive and giving fellow parents I’ve met on this journey. Her three kids are amazing and inspirational…and I know where they get it! Enjoy Maureen’s first guest blog for us this month, watch for another next week; and in the meanwhile feel free to check out My Autism Hat Rack for posts about other hats (like the “hard hat”) worn by Maureen on her autism journey!
The Good Luck Hat
By Maureen Bordelon
My Hat Rack of autism was officially a permanent piece of furniture in my life when our third child, Jonathan, was diagnosed by our Pediatrician in the Fall of 2001.
I remember having all 3 kids in the doctor’s office and the nurse was going over the checklist of milestones for each child. I was really good at trying to knock out all 3 kid’s well visits in one punch.
So when the nurse asked me, “So Jonathan is 16 months, right?” and I answered, “Yes.”
Then the Nurse, who honestly looked like she was 12, asked me in a disapproving tone, “Why didn’t you come in at his 12 month check up?”

This guest blog is the third in a series from my friend and colleague Dan E. Burns. Dan asks the tough questions to find answers related to young adults living with autism. Dan’s last guest post Touch, See, Feel, Move explored The Brookwood Community, the brain in relation to movement and exercise. In today's post, Dan interviews one of the founders of nonPareil Institute in Plano, Texas, to learn how the Institute his helping adults with autism find job success.
The Pinocchio Syndrome: nonPareil Institute and Jobs for Adults with Autism
by Dan E. Burns
Months before he graduated high school, Ben carried around his picture book, Jobs People Do, as if a diploma would transform him into a scuba diver, waiter, photographer, or nurse. “I believe,” his eyes said as he waited, capped and gowned, to cross the stage. Ben is pre-verbal and severely impaired. Like Geppetto, Pinocchio’s father, I awaited his transformation from a wooden puppet to a real boy with worth, autonomy, and a future.

Sometimes living life with Autism is like living life inside a pressure cooker. It takes every crack or instability in your life and bursts it wide open. The pressure it puts on a family physically, mentally and financially can leave even the strongest person emotionally standing on a ledge, wondering if she should jump.
Right about the time I was emotionally on that ledge, Lizzie decided to put herself physically on top of a ledge. This ledge was about 8 feet long, 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall of solid concrete. It was not enclosed because it was actually the corner of a balcony. The size of the ledge wasn’t the problem. The problem was that the balcony was 15 stories high.

*Note: The event venue had to be changed unexpectedly, so an update was made to this post on 3/27/2012 to include the new details.* In this hope-filled guest blog today, read one mother’s story about her son who was diagnosed with autism at age 3 but is now a successful, happy and fulfilled young adult. Geri McNiece shares tidbits about Kyle’s early years through present day. In honor of Kyle’s success at nonPareil Institute in Plano, Texas, Geri is hosting a unique event in Arlington on April 5th. I think you’ll enjoy reading Geri & Kyle’s encouraging story and hope you’ll make plans to attend SPiN Out Autism: A Night of Hooping & Helping if you’re able!
Spin Out Autism: A Night of Hooping & Helping
By Geri McNiece
If you randomly met me on the street, you’d never know I was the mother of a child with autism. You see, my child, Kyle, is a grown adult. He’s living and working on his own, with very minimal assistance, pretty much independently. He loves what he’s doing and is passionate about his work, his studies, his hobbies and his friends. He’s successful, too. Amazingly, all of these things are blended beautifully in his life today.
Now, if you would have asked me twenty years ago if I thought Kyle would be living on his own as an adult, my answer would have been “no.” So, how did he get to this point? That is why I am writing this blog today. Well, that’s partially true…because I am also going to explain more about the reason I am sharing our story in the first place.

When it comes to rumors, I typically ignore them. But, last week a piece of “news” (if you can call it that) popped up in one of my Google Alerts and caught my attention. The "news" involved information about a high-profile actress, her daughter and the word “autism.” I was intrigued enough to click and read more.

The newsletter from my oldest son's pre-school came home. Sure, the newsletter was a happy color of yellow with cute little pictures of smiling kids on it, but what was typed in dark black letters had the potential to ruin our lives forever! It read, “Due to the increasing number of allergies amongst children, for the safety of our pre-schoolers, we are going peanut free.”
What?????!!!!! How were we ever going to survive? Andrew was the pickiest of picky eaters, and the only sandwich he would eat was peanut butter and jelly. And those delicious mini-Ritz crackers with peanut butter in the middle, how could we possibly go a whole five hours without those? Then there are the mouth-watering Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and the endless delight that peanut M&M’s could bring. My son was going to starve, I was sure of it. I could already picture him running out to the car after pre-school, and I would need to immediately hook him up to a peanut butter IV.
I mean, are severe allergies even real? We never had allergies like this when I was growing up. Was this a case of crazy, over-bearing parents that had nothing better to worry about? How is it even possible for a little peanut to cause so much harm? It is just food.
I was sure my concerns were justified. And then it happened to me.

Over the last several weeks, I’ve been making some very basic observations about human nature in regard to patience and kindness. I guess that sometimes I get too busy or too bogged down with life to really spend time noticing or thinking about other people’s behaviors, because we have enough “behavior” on our plates to deal with any given day, but lately I’ve been noticing that some people are patient and kind and some are NOT – at least they are not with Ethan.