Rock bottom for me is when I find myself sitting in my car eating a Cinnabon. I am likely wearing jeans that I have not washed in two weeks to keep up the facade that I have not gained the holiday weight, and I am drinking a Diet Coke, of course.
It is time for me to get serious about eating healthy again, which means no more sweets and no more Diet Coke. It has been 525,600 minutes, exactly one year, since I had this same conversation with myself. I guess I will add it to my list of New Year’s Resolutions again.
Having the same goal over and over each year can become demoralizing at the very least. Whether it is a small issue like losing a few pounds, or an enormous issue like a goal that my child with autism never masters, it takes all the willpower I have to not throw in the towel and just accept life as “good enough.”

Today I was welcomed into my son’s 3rd grade class (in public school) to read a picture book called “Understanding Sam and Asperger Syndrome” (by van Niekerk and Venter) and share some important information with the students. My husband and I requested this opportunity about a month ago because Ethan has been having some pretty huge challenges with classmates regarding friendship and social issues and we want to do everything possible to give Ethan (and his classmates) the tools they need to be successful in working through these complications. We are very open with Ethan about his diagnosis and the reason for many of his struggles and as a result he is also very open with others in his life so we felt this was a natural next step. During the pre-planning meeting with school staff held to discuss today’s visit, I was also told that we could send a letter home with the kids to help inform parents! I’ve been really excited as I have prepared for this opportunity and I absolutely loved spending 20 minutes with the children today.
For reasons not conveyed to me, the school staff chose not to send my full letter home with the students and decided instead to send an abbreviated version. While the abbreviated version listed some important information (and is of course a good start – for which I am appreciative), it didn’t convey a large portion of what we felt was significantly important...
With that stated, I hope that my letter in its entirety might help some of our readers here. It is printed below.

Happy New Year! Over the past 12 months, Craig Gibson and I have had several discussions about education – especially as it pertains to individuals with special needs – and how educators are prepared and trained to be successful in a diverse classroom setting. With Craig’s background (personal: growing up with a learning disability and now raising a child with a disability and professional: working as seasoned educator and evaluator) and mine (professional: working as a teacher/reading specialist and personal: raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder), we’ve found we’re both passionate about how important it is to set the stage appropriately, as early as possible, for children with learning differences. As we’ve discussed these beliefs and ideas, the idea for this “Feature Article” – a story about a new preschool teacher and a student with autism – was born…a piece we would work on together, to share some ideas, thoughts and beliefs about how even a teacher lacking the proper tools could learn, grow and make a positive difference in a child’s life. Craig and I decided it would be fun to kick off 2012 with our first feature article! Let us know what you think…

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2011 this week, we at AutismSpot wanted to re-share a few of our favorite blog posts from the year as a means of recollection. As I carefully sifted through AutismSpot’s Founder – Kent Potter’s – posts, I was touched again by so many of his pieces. Kent has a beautiful way with words and often tackles subjects regarding autism and Asperger’s Syndrome which beg to be addressed, but he does it with candid grace. Kent and Angie Potter (and their amazing family) inspire me in many ways but I can never thank them enough for sharing their insights (and those of others) with everyone at AutismSpot over the years. I am so thankful to call Kent both colleague and friend. It is my pleasure to repost Kent Potter’s post entitled “One More Step” which originally ran back in September. Thanks for the powerful reminder and lovely illustration that small wins count BIG, Kent! I couldn’t agree more.