What’s in a name? If you really ponder it, there’s a heck of a lot, especially for someone who’s owned their name for a while. I think this is what we have to realize as adoptive and foster parents, our child owns their name, it’s theirs, it’s the ONE THING they didn’t have to give…
Read Morewhy you should teach the autistic person the word NO
Are children allowed to say no? Think about a non-autistic child, are they allowed to say no? Think about the autistic child, are they allowed to say no? Usually not. They almost always have to comply. Autistic children don’t get a choice, don’t get to express how they feel, nor do they get to say no.…
Read Morewhy the adoptive parent’s opinions matter
Everyone has opinions, and when you adopt or foster, you get ideas on how you should raise your kids from every which way. Birth mothers want to be called “mom,” or “mother,” but you want to refer to her as “birth mom.” Your son would like to call her, “tummy mommy,” but his birth mom…
Read Moreautism’s siblings: what a 7-year-old has to say about autism and her brother
After reading an article on Huffington Post titled, “My Sons Love Their Sister but Not Autism,” I decided to ask my non-autistic daughter a question. I thought Payton would have a different perspective so I asked, “Payton, do you like autism?” Payton answered, “Yes.” Then I shared with her what I’d told the nursing staff at…
Read More15 tips on how to be an awesome foster and adoptive parent
I came across this amazing article by a former foster child. It has excellent tips on what makes a good foster parent, but I also feel it’s without a doubt useful for adoptive parents as well. I’ll give you a snippet of LT’s post, but you’ll have to click the link for more. 1. Caring…
Read Morehow Autism Speaks spreads awareness: it’s not what you think
*You can listen to a recording of this post, just scroll to the end. Autism Awareness Month needs some work. A large portion of awareness is propelled by Autism Speaks, but what is Autism Speaks saying about autism and what is their awareness doing? I thought I’d give you a glimpse at how Autism Awareness needs…
Read Morewhen parents accept autism, the world will too
April is Autism Awareness Month and there are many autistic individuals and some autism advocate parents who would love to see that changed to Autism Acceptance Month. So as part of Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month, I want to ask what we’re doing to accept autism. Accepting autism begins in the home of the autistic person, it…
Read Moresensory processing disorder and the classroom
Does your child sit still in class? Does the teacher complain that your child isn’t focused? Does your child come home and act like a monkey that’s been let out of its cage? Last week I was chatting with a friend whose daughter, Alexa, is having some issues in school. Not big issues, some of…
Read Moredon’t quit – why you want to quit and why you shouldn’t (adoption & foster)
It’s normal, it’s our society. We want things fast, and if it’s not bread and butter, we don’t want to stick it out. We live in a fast, at our fingertips kind of world. Drive-thrus, instant books, t.v. and movies on demand, we can record any show we want and watch it any time, learn…
Read Moregive your autistic child ways to “talk” about the past
*Even if your child doesn’t have autism I encourage you to keep reading if you would like ways to reach your child in a deeper way. Occasionally we are given gems of knowledge that I love to pass on to those who are raising children with autism. One such gem came from Michael Emmons*, who…
Read More
lovin' adoptin' & autism 