Happy Independence Day to our readers in the United States of America! I am very thankful to be an American and grateful for the freedoms I have enjoyed throughout my life thanks to the sacrifices of all those who fought for our independence (so long ago) and those who have fought to maintain it since that time. I don’t take freedom or independence for granted.
Like so many families raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), I frequently wonder what the future will hold for Ethan in terms of independence…and when I stop to ponder, I wonder about the future – not just for Ethan, but other children of Ethan’s generation, especially those affected by ASD.
On this journey, I’ve come to meet so many families working day-and-night just to help their child with ASD gain independence in areas families with typical children may never even give a second thought to…
For all families raising children with ASD, today I’m sending prayers and wishes for the children’s independence this Independence Day specifically concerning:

During a recent trip to visit family in another state, Ethan and I encountered a critical, impatient and rude waitress. Surprisingly, the restaurant is a sweet little family-owned joint that we frequent during our trips to this state. It is a family-oriented restaurant (on the nicer side – with cloth napkins) and has an amazing gluten-free menu. The wait staff in the past has been tremendous and highly accommodating (even when we’ve visited with four busy, talkative kids and twice as many adults); but this time was different. This time, Ethan was the only child in the group.
First, before diving into the dining experience, let me preface it by sharing that our flight out of Dallas had been delayed by an hour due to a fire in the control tower just before we were scheduled to pull away from the gate and depart. Without a control tower, like the rest of the planes leaving at that time, we were stuck. And not just stuck…but stuck on a full flight (every single seat filled), buckled into our seats on an airplane that was growing ever hotter (in the June Texas heat) with every passing minute. To minimize the heat, everyone was asked to pull the window shades and wait patiently…um, okay.

In the coming months here at AutismSpot, we’re going to be shining the spotlight on parents raising kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders. To kick off our “Spotlight” series, we’re starting with mothers featured in The Autism File Autism Mother Unite Worldwide 2011 Calendar.
AutismSpot’s CEO and Founder, Kent Potter, took a tremendous group photo of several women in Texas this past summer. That photo was chosen for January 2012, but is included in the 2011 calendar as a “sneak peek.” Always a visionary, Kent seized the opportunity to shoot each mother individually with plans to share personal stories here. It is my pleasure to share my family’s story first…
Spotlight: Leigh Attaway Wilcox
Mother to Ethan, age 8
From tending to baby dolls’ needs to babysitting neighborhood kids… working at drop-in childcare facilities throughout college to teaching early elementary students, I have always adored children and knew from an early age I wanted to be a mother. I’ve also had a fascination with pencils, pens, paper and words from the tender age of 4. While teaching as an elementary school teacher and later as a literacy specialist, I began to pursue a dream of writing and publishing books for children. When my son, Ethan, was born several years later, I took a hiatus from teaching to focus on raising Ethan, and in my “free time,” on the work of writing, editing, revising, submitting and publishing.

Tonight I ran away from home. Literally.

“Check with your infectious disease department before using these procedures.”
That was the first thing I read on the instructions. I was thinking, “Maybe I shouldn’t be using these procedures after all… I may be wrong, but I don’t think I even have an infectious disease department!”
I’ll back up a bit. We were about to try a new OT thing with Isabella. It’s one of those circular inflated cushions that you sit on. The idea is that it does some sensory magic with kids when they give it a sit.