When my son was born in November 1979, I jumped for joy. When he was diagnosed with autism 4 years later, I thought my head was going to explode. I couldn’t get the word autism out of my mouth for months.

Over the past several days I have been learning and connecting with other parents and professionals at the National Autism Conference in Florida. I was blessed to attend this tremendous conference last year as well and have walked away both years feeling better informed and rejuvenated.
Hearing Dr. Julie Buckley speak about Caring for the Caregiver both years has proven to be one of the highlights of the event in my eyes two years running. Dr. Buckley is not only a physician who works for our children. She is also the mother of a smart, funny daughter with ASD and Dr. Buckely is a cancer survivor. I appreciate Dr. Buckley's unique perspective.

How to explain the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Twin Towers to an 8-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome is something that has been on my mind for several weeks. I knew that they would be discussing the events, to some extent, in school and Ethan would likely hear his peers talking about it otherwise, too. Comprehending such atrocities is challenging for adults, so I have been very anxious about how this would affect my sweet, smart, impressionable young son with Autism.
Unless he specifically brought up the topic, I chose to wait until the 10th Anniversary to discuss the historical events with Ethan. I didn’t want to inadvertently instill a sense of dread or anxiety in him by bringing it up before he was ready or “needed” to know more. We purposefully didn’t expose Ethan to news footage with videos of the fateful day a decade ago; Ethan has such a visual memory (like so many other individuals with Autism); I have great concern about these images haunting him. As I waited and planned my talking points in my head, I wondered how he would react…

Sometimes dads feel left out of many of the important aspects of raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. They may not get to attend all of the doctor/therapy appointments and teacher conferences they’d like or go to workshops and conferences as frequently as moms do…and sometimes because of this they may not have many opportunities to network with other dads who “get it.”
That’s why the National Autism Association of North Texas is hosting a Dads Panel with AutismSpot’s own Founder, Kent Potter, on Sept. 6th at 7pm in Plano, Texas. Kent has participated in the Dads Panel at the Autism Society of America National Conference, so he's a pro! This event is for dads only; men are welcome to come, share experiences with other dads (or listen quietly) and learn from each other.

Many kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) function in their daily environments on a Gluten-Free Casein-Free (GFCF) diet…but they’re not the only ones. More and more adults and children without ASD are finding that they, too, feel better and function better with no gluten and no casein in their diets. As one of those adults, I am here to tell you that foods can greatly impact not only our stomachs, but so much more!
While I’ve been on a 100% GF diet for about 12 years, anytime I inadvertently get cross-contaminated foods (from restaurants or items sold at the store) I get Grumpy with a capital “G”! I notice that it really affects my state of mind; I am much less patient, feel significantly more negative about life in general and find that I’m more likely to lose my cool with both Ethan and my husband. I am opposed to yelling as a parent (or spouse), but sometimes when I’ve had gluten, I am so much easier to anger and yes...sometimes I yell. I literally feel less in-control of my actions – such a miserable feeling!

My In-laws are celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary this week. My parents will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary in December. This seems to be the year of big anniversaries for our family. As I’ve been working to plan a party to include my In-laws’ friends, neighbors and our close family this weekend, I find myself thinking about marriage – and what makes it the kind that will last multiple decades – a lot lately. (And to be honest, the breaking news of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver’s split only compounded my ponderings on marriage this week.)
Like most couples raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, my husband and I have had some really tough times. I wouldn’t blame all of our problems on “Autism,” because we certainly had our issues long before Ethan was born. We both brought our own issues into the marriage and we’ve done our best to work through them. Additionally, when Ethan was still very small, I realized that my husband and I have very different – sometimes even conflicting – parenting styles and approaches. All those things considered though, the “D-word” rarely seriously came up prior to Ethan’s diagnosis.

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.

If you only knew how difficult the road was to get here.
If you only knew the many tears that have been shed, the countless hours of therapy, the tests he has undergone, the fear that he has experienced, the ridicule he has endured, the times he has been laughed at, the frustration he has learned to live with. If you only knew.
If you only knew the hours a mother and a father have spent trying to piece together the past and plan for the future.
If you only knew the amount of money, the friendships that have been lost, and the toll it has taken to get here.

It didn't take long before Luke and Sam caught on to the fact that our family loves new adventures. Whether it is hiking in the mountains, exploring a beach town, or finding the next perfect photography shoot location in our home town, we like exploring the new and the old. Olivia is quickly catching on and the boys love when she joins in the fun.