Are nurses, doctors, radiologists, and other hospital staff familiar with Autism? I wish the answer was, yes, but sometimes they don’t know enough to make a visit to the hospital or ER a pleasurable experience for our children who have Autism. Wait a minute. Did I say “pleasurable”? Whose visit to the hospital is a…
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Supporting adoptive and foster families and families living with autism.
what a relationship from a movie can teach us about adoption and foster care
In the movie, Blood Diamond, I witnessed a relationship that I thought resembled what should take place in adoptive and foster families. The movie, Blood Diamond, is based in Africa, during the Civil War in Sierra Leone. During the war, Solomon’s young son, Dia, is captured by the rebel army. He’s forced to perform terrible…
Read Morewhere the abuse of Autistic people begins
You may have seen it in the news, a teen was talked into the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, but, instead of ice, peers doused him with urine, feces, cigarette butts, and spit. This enrages me. Part of me can’t believe people would behave this way, but then I have not lived the secluded, naive life,…
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how to help your adopted/foster child sleep (sleep issues part 2)
Sleep issues are a hot topic in the adoption and foster care community. Last week I highlighted why hurting children have problems sleeping in my post, Why Adopted and Foster Children Have Sleep Issues, and as I promised, I’m back this week to give you ideas on how to help your kids sleep. If you…
Read MoreAutism Birthdays
Jeremiah turned five today. So, here’s the birthday deal. Jeremiah doesn’t like many foods (like, um, two at the moment) and doesn’t like cake, but this year I wanted cake. (I apologize to my sweet boy for the piddly cupcake, it’s your Dads fault.) I get tired of not being able to celebrate my sons…
Read Morelife before and after seizures (Autism)
Autism + seizures = parents on edge, constant concern, and questions, questions, questions. When Jeremiah was an infant he had seizures, he’s adopted and after he came to us we never saw more evidence of seizure activity. That was until he was about two-years-old. One night we woke up to this frightened cry, when we…
Read Morewhy adopted and foster children have sleep issues (sleep issues part 1)
A big obstacle adoptive and foster parents face is their child’s lack of sleep (aka: refusal to sleep or rest, inability to sleep). Many adopted and foster children have a difficult time falling and staying asleep. Sleep issues can wreak havoc on the whole family, and when everyone’s tired, everyone’s grouchy (at least in our…
Read Moremy adopted/foster child is never satisfied. what can I do?
Caleb was never satisfied, it didn’t matter what his parents did for him. They took him to Chuck-E-Cheese on Friday night, just because, not for a special event. After they left, he asked, “What are we doing tomorrow?” It happened every time, whether it was an amusement park, a golf game with dad, or simply…
Read Moredo vaccines cause Autism? the debate returns
The ongoing debate…Do vaccines cause Autism? I think parents are scared to admit that vaccines affected their child because they’ll be ostracized. I think parents are afraid if they consider that vaccines cause Autism then their faith in our government and medical professionals would fall to pieces. Before continuing, I must tell you that both…
Read Moreevery child is worth it: adopting an older child
I came across this heartwarming video on Facebook and just had to share it with you. It’s a must see. The girl in this video breaks my heart. She’s overwhelmed by the news that this family’s adopting her. She’s waited years, and now she has a forever family. I can’t imagine being a teen and…
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lovin' adoptin' & autism 