Our Heroes & Temper Tantrums
By Julie Hornok
I was watching a Dallas Cowboys game with my husband while scrapbooking, and I happened to glance up at the TV just in time to witness the most bizarre event.
Something had happened in the football game that had caused the football player to have a temper tantrum right there on the field over a call the ref made. Not only was I shocked that his behavior was unprofessional, but I was shocked that the crowd seemed to think his actions were justified! I could not believe this man was considered an American hero.
Just imagine you are sitting with friends around the kitchen table playing a deeply competitive game of Monopoly. Your friend, Tom, rolls the dice. It is an 8, but he needed a 10 to get onto Boardwalk. He goes ballistic! He jumps up from the table, throws the dice across the room and slams his Monopoly money to the floor. “It’s not fair!” he screams. “It was a bad roll! Those dice have been making bad rolls against me the whole game!!!”

Every now and then I appreciate a good surprise. Not a “Surprise! Happy Birthday!” with-20-of-your-closest-friends kind of surprise…I prefer more simple, organic surprises. This week I read a compelling chapter book written from the perspective of a girl with Asperger’s Syndrome. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is a refreshingly well-written and powerful award-winning book that caught me by surprise, simply because I had no idea it existed.
As a children’s book author I like to stay dialed in to what is happening in the children’s literature market, especially when it pertains to a topic so near and dear to my heart, but life has been so hectic over the past year that I haven’t stayed as closely tuned-in to the market as I like. So until I came across the title (and blurb) in Ethan’s Scholastic Book Order earlier this month, I didn’t know that this tremendous book…this character…this story...were all waiting patiently out there for me to find them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mockingbird.

During the big Autism One conference last week in Chicago, an announcement was made regarding the launch of a new American political push – The Canary Party.
The tagline: “Sick and tired of…being sick and tired. We have had enough. It is time to end the corruption that is destroying the health of Americans.”
I was in the room during the announcement and can tell you that there was a visceral buzz of excitement. And throughout the remainder of the conference, the momentum continued to build as attendees purchased yellow “Canary” t-shirts, bags, bumper stickers and other various items.
What is The Canary Party?
You can read more at the website, but as an overview, The Canary Party is “a group of citizens disturbed by the increasingly failing health of those in our society.” Their position is that it is “time to stop asking the medical establishment to pay attention to the epidemic of illness, and demand that they do, or replace them” with professionals who will.

Part 1 and Part 2 of this series have received a great deal of feedback and we are grateful to our readers for taking the time to share comments, thoughts and concerns. Bullying most certainly affects most, if not all, of our families and it truly “takes a village” to keep our kids safe. While my initial three-part interview with Dr. Elliott finishes below, one of our readers made an excellent point after reading Part 1 (see comment “Adults Bullying Kids”) that we plan to address this week. AutismSpot Featured Blogger Craig Gibson has graciously agreed to prepare a post addressing this topic (watch for it on Tuesday); I value the unique perspective Craig brings to the topic as an educator, the parent of a child with special needs and as an individual who was bullied as a child. Dr. Elliott is also preparing some comments about adults as bullies (watch for those on Thursday). Until then, let us know what you think about the information below!
LAW: Please share some suggestions of what parents should do when they determine that their child is being bullied. Conversely, what should parents NOT do when they realize their child is being bullied?
Dr. Elliott: Parents should encourage their child to share their feelings. And it is ok to directly ask your child if they feel they are being bullied. It is important to listen and then validate your child’s feelings. Do not rationalize or minimize the bully’s behavior.