Autism, regardless of age, is challenging on the best of days. The teen years are especially challenging due to hormones, the desire to fit in, etc. even for a typical child. There is hope, however, for helping your autistic teen thrive in their surroundings. You simply need to think outside
He takes being a Civil Air Patrol cadet so seriously. It is a perfect fit for his techie personality and his love of rule-keeping. The funny thing is that he joined CAP three years ago but dropped out. He didn’t feel like he fit in. He was interested, but not
Defining the Non-negotiables When I was a little girl, I begged and begged for my parents to take me to get my ears pierced. I was born in the early 70’s and for us that was a big deal. My Dad said emphatically No for years. When I was ten, he finally
Picture this if you will. An 18 year old wants to get a job but has never filled out a job application before. His mother walks him through every part of the application, telling him what to put in each section. He asks her for references and for what he
It’s hitting me lately in waves. Maybe it’s the fact that I can’t keep ANY snacks in the house for longer than 24 hours. Or it could be that it’s after 8am and my kids are still out cold. It could be that morning showers have become mandatory, rather than
Teenagers give lots of mixed messages, and often it seems like the last person they want to talk to is a parent. Often it seems they want nothing to do with any adults, but if you look around, you may notice there are one or more adults they actually do
James is a CNA like me, and we’d worked together for several months. He was 19, clean cut, and a really NICE kid– the kind you hope your kids will grow up to be. His parents were missionaries and moved all over the US. He was homeschooled K-10th grade and