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.

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.

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.

In her first guest blog for us, Stacy Baugh shares about her daughter's very first sleepover. So many parts of Stacy's post ring very true for me; I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have and find many things with which you can relate, too. Please help me in welcoming Stacy as our newest Guest Blogger! ~Leigh
TO PREPARE, OR NOT TO PREPARE
By Stacy Baugh
Recently our 7 1/2 year old daughter, Emily, had an opportunity to have a sleepover with a friend. It would be her first one ever. I have to say that I’m not a huge fan of the idea of sleepovers that are held away from our own house, but this was with some very dear friends who we knew well and who we completely trusted with our precious child. I wasn’t nervous about her safety, but I was incredibly nervous about how she would handle such a new and different situation. Emily has Asperger’s & Sensory Processing Disorder and is a true creature of habit. She likes to do things a certain way and do them the same way every time. She’s not a fan of unexpected changes, and when she’s out of sync her SPD is more pronounced. It’s one thing to go to someone’s house to play for a few hours, but to spend the night?

Today I'm pleased to share a fun and humorous yet informative and helpful guest post from Maureen Bordelon, who, througout the month of April is sharing installments from her Autism Hat Rack about rasing a child with autism. Last week's post - The Siblings' Hat - and her first post with us, The Good Luck Hat are well worth reading if you haven't yet. I hope you enjoy reading Maureen's post today about how and why her Wonder Woman "hat" has been a vital part of her wardrobe since she became an autism Mama! Leave us a comment to let us know which part of Wonder Woman's uniform YOU most use (or could use) in your day-to-day adventures with autism. ~Leigh
THE "WONDER WOMAN HEADBAND" - Cuffs, Lasso, Boots, Airplane - It Takes the Whole Outfit!
By Maureen Bordelon
Technically, Wonder Woman wears a metal headband/crown on her head, but since I find myself transforming into Wonder Woman to play an occasional Super Hero for all 3 of our kids…it is a definite “Hat” on My Autism Hat Rack.
Wonder Woman uses her pair of indestructible bracelet cuffs, an invisible airplane, a Lasso of Truth (which forces those bound by it to tell the truth), Rockin’ Red Boots, and a Golden Headband which serves as a tiara.

This guest blog, written by Nicole Wallace, shares information about autism as a complex medical issue as viewed by the Stop Calling It Autism! (SCIA) organization. SCIA believes that children with ASD can recover and offer a treatment protocol for parents and doctors to utilize!
STOP CALLING IT AUTISM
By Nicole Wallace
Autism is diagnosed based on a set of symptoms. It is considered a mental illness caused by moms being too fat, dads being too old, both parents being geeks, having kids too close together, living too close to a freeway, or watching too much TV. At least that what you'd assume if you read the latest studies. There is no blood test to determine if a child has autism. The Stop Calling It Autism! (SCIA) organization wants to change the way the public and doctors look at autism.

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.

*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.