This guest post comes from a colleague who is a blast from my past! Adina Rich and I worked together in an Elementary School well over a decade ago, just as I was starting out in education, actually. While we lost touch for quite some time, we crossed paths again recently thanks to our shared interest in helping children with special needs. Adina is now the mother of three and is the Chief Education Officer at Rich Educational Consulting. I think you’re going to enjoy this post about school program options from Adina. And, I encourage you to watch for upcoming guest blog pieces from her as well; she is our newest Guest Blogger! After reading, I encourage you to leave a comment below or reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter with your thoughts. Thank you for helping me welcome Adina!
EXPLORING AUTISM PROGRAMMING OPTIONS FOR YOUR CHILD IN THE SCHOOL SETTING
By Adina Rich
My child is not like yours. There are probably similarities. My child has brown hair, hazel eyes, a wide toothed grin. However, there are probably differences as well. My child wears glasses, SMO leg braces, and was non-verbal until he was 4 ½. He does not always know how to ask to play with other children and does not always get social cues. But he has a wicked sense of humor and a heart so pure he will melt away anyone’s misgivings.

Many parents come into my office and know that a gluten free diet can help their child but understanding how this affects the body is often unknown. An allergy and sensitivity are different, some people experience distress when eating gluten products and show improvements when these are taken out of the diet. There is a range of reactions one can have from behavior, sleep, appetite, weight loss/gain and bowel movements. The sensitivities get worse with time and are dependent on the sources many times. Not every gluten item will give the same symptom, some more than others.

While I was away in Chicago for the Autism One Conference, mothers in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex enjoyed a special day of relaxation and rejuvenation thanks to Julie Hornok, the National Autism Association of North Texas (NAA-NT) and countless sponsors. AutismSpot’s Kent & Angie Potter compiled a touching video with local families which was shown at the event luncheon; you can watch Sharing Hope HERE. The event was a tremendous success and Julie Hornok graciously offered to share the experience with our readers via this guest blog.
I’d love to see Julie’s idea take flight in communities and cities across the world!
NAA-NT AUTISM MOMS’ DAY OUT!
Guest Blog by Julie Hornok
“Make sure to take some time for yourself,” seems to be a phase well-meaning people flippantly say to moms with children with autism. I smile politely and nod my head, but inside I am mocking them because they don’t have the slightest clue. As if a day off would be easy; I wish I could declare a “me day” and go to the nearest spa without a care in the world.

Raising a child with Asperger’s Syndrome, I’ve learned to take nothing for granted and I’ve found myself grateful for experiences which might be commonplace for my friends raising neurotypical kids.
This past weekend, my niece was in town playing in a volleyball tournament at the Dallas Convention Center. Ethan was thrilled to have an excuse to ride the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) Train into downtown. I was excited, but also a little hesitant, because we would be in a new environment with potentially challenging sensory input and no car to “escape” to if things took a turn for the worse.
As it turns out, Ethan did beautifully during our day trip into Dallas and even made a new friend!

In the three short days since posting Part 1 of this series – I’ve received a lot of private feedback and a few public comments; there is no doubt that bullying is a major issue and concern for all for American families, but especially families raising children with special needs. Please feel encouraged to leave a comment or question below, chances are – someone else has the same question or is feeling the same emotions. Look for Part 3, the final post in this series, on Monday. Again, I’d like to extend my thanks to Dr. Lisa M. Elliott for sharing her knowledge and expertise here with us.
LAW: Are there certain populations of kids, (for instance our children living with Autism Spectrum Disorders), who may be more at risk of being targeted by bullies?
Dr. Elliott: Unfortunately there appears to be several populations of children that are more of a target for bullying than others. A broad overall way to answer that question is that any child who “appears different” than the bully is often a target.

Dismount from your high horse, soapbox, and personal-political platform for a few minutes and accept reality. Every minute, every month, every year that ticks by is either an opportunity to grow or a missed opportunity. For every one of the schools throughout the United States that get it right for the special needs community, there are many times more who get it wrong. We talk about advocacy and promoting awareness while school districts across the United States continue to get it wrong every day.

We had a great experience a few weeks ago that needs to be shared. Last month I was doing some exploring of websites that come up when I google "autism" and I found an ad for a nonprofit called Challenge Air.
Challenge Air is a group that organizes events where children with disabilities of any kind can experience flying in- and sometimes piloting!- a small airplane.