Musings and What-not

This is a story about autism... on Broadway! I follow a  page that recently shared a post about a mother who brought her beautiful Prince to one of your shows.. and the near mutiny that followed when he was deemed unworthy of being in the presence of the other patrons.  The author's words moved me beyond measure, and w hile reading his post, I became overcome with emotion. I felt anger; I felt sadness; and in the end, I felt pure, unadulterated love. As you read the following, I invite you to step into the shoes of the mother and child... from their vantage point, how would you feel?

First, there was Ice Cube joking about autism . Now, there's Amy. In the video below , one of the dog owner's states that she followed Jenny McCartney's advice about not vaccinating her pet because doing so would cause “pawtism".  #disgusted

This is the response Mother Teresa once gave when someone asked her what they could do to help. As a species, we are living in a state of being that is centered around "me", or "I", and we have steadily morphed into a consciousness that has become extremely self-serving. But times are pressing us to expand our way of doing things, and the pressure is at its boiling point. We are no longer receiving a gentle nudging from the Universe to change. Paradigms are shifting at a rapid pace, and many are scrambling to keep up. The old way... can no longer be sustained if we are to shift to the next stage of our evolution.

Barring any glandular problems, solving this major "issue", whose stats have tripled in the last 30 years, isn't as challenging as most people think. Back in my day, watching television was a treat. Chores had to be done, and I had to entertain myself  outside before I was even permitted to plop my hindparts on the sofa and veg out on whatever was happening on the boob tube. I was also only permitted an hour or two, if that. But times have changed...

Labels, labels, labels! As a species, we label everything. We label people, things, and experiences. Maybe (or maybe not) that's just how life is in a world of polarities . But, labeling people can often cause pain, frustration, anger, and even, resentment.

Facebook has become a wonderful place for me to meet some really awesome folks, and most of the time, these lovelies have me in stitches with the things they post. I recently had the pleasure of viewing the Ryan Gosling, Hey Girl (Special Needs) edition, courtesy of Sunday Stilwell , and man! Is this stuff funny!

I have cried enough tears to fill an ocean, sending myself into the deepest abyss, pondering... Will he be okay when I'm gone? I've spent so much time worrying and stressing about what will happen to him tomorrow that, at times, I have allowed precious moments of my today slip carelessly slip through my hands. Germany has its Autobahn... the road I travel has a beautiful yet mysterious companion that is Autism. My journey has been one of great fascination... and frustration. There have been many twists, turns, bumps, and detours along the way. One moment, I am cruising along at a comfortable speed, letting the wind caress my face, and in a flash, I encounter a pot hole that rattles me to the core.

Most of us on this path, the path of Autism, are quite familiar with the poem having to do with Holland.  Many of us may not have planned to give birth to Autism, but for reasons we may never fully know, Autism had plans for us. As parents to these children, are we to look at ourselves as being uber special in some way? Are we truly the Chosen Ones? Are we the only ones who were somehow more prepared than others to handle a life that would be altered in unimaginable ways?

A play on words from a popular movie... yet, there's a lot of  truth  to them.

Change  is inevitable. Every day, we change our minds; change lanes, and hopefully, our underwear too! But what matters most is how  present  and  ready  we are when these changes come about. Do we use these reminders as a means to appreciate where we are, or are we too caught up with no thoughts toward our actions?

As I read story after story of people performing and supporting genetic testing to eradicate autism... prenatal style, I can't help but feel sick to my stomach. This continued intolerance of a community that only wants to love, be loved and accepted, seems to be at the forefront of possible extinction . Why the fear ? I'd like to think that being in the midst of centuries old civil unrest and living in communities where mass genocide at the hands of those who have overstepped their boundaries and have become power hungry to be a significantly worse "fate".

Well, it is obvious that I have been hiding under a rock for several months because I can't believe I've missed a lot of what's been slinging around the autism community lately. There's been much talk about Dr. Wakefield , and now some Danish doctor, Poul Thorsen , is under seige. The wars never cease! While so not minding my own business , I was browsing through the autism news headlines on the blog, Left Brain Right Brain . This blog hosts some interesting stuff that often makes me go, "hmmmmmmm".

As children, the strength of our voices is determined by our parents. If you were raised in a household where children were supposed to be seen and not heard , then speaking out and standing up for your needs would have been a difficult task that would inevitably worsen the older you got. This was my upbringing. Too often, I was told that I wasn't to air our dirty laundry in public or discuss family business with strangers . I was also told to just be quiet, particularly, during those times when my parents were tired and didn't want to be bothered.

To say I have learned more than I could have every imagined on this journey would be a gross understatement. It has been 5 years since I received my son's diagnosis, and as I look back over those years, I am awestruck by how amazing this precious boy is. Every time I look into his eyes, I see so much love... unconditional love . At times, this love seemed too overwhelming for me to embrace because I had limiting beliefs that I was unworthy and undeserving of something so pure.

I'm not a fan of doing laundry. Quite frankly, the only reason I do it at all is because I'm a pretty big fan of clean undies. But this post isn't about my underwear, and for shame on me for sharing something that intimate. ;) This post is about allergies. It's about why most people on the spectrum seem to have a ridiculously long list of the what-nots in their lives. It's about my son, and oh, it's about me too! ;)

It is hard to find someone who is not familiar with the catchy, foot stompin', butt shakin', '90s tune by Right Said Fred .  You know the one... where the megalomaniac lead singer is prancing about the video talking about how he's too sexy for this and that? Well, the catwalk's got a new gig, and it is "shakin' its little tushy" for autism.

It is common for a person with autism to have certain food allergies.  And it is also common, within the community, for those individuals to be on very restrictive diets; the more popular being GFCF (Gluten-free Casein-free). Although, precautionary measures are taken to ensure one does not consume foods containing any triggers, some thought may not be given to whether or not the allergen-free foods are manufactured by companies who do not use genetically modified ingredients.

According to a recent article , 70% of doctors and nurses and 62% of health care workers do NOT receive this annual vaccination.  What's even more surprising is their reasons for not doing so: They didn't believe the vaccine would work They believed their immune systems were strong enough to withstand exposure to the flu They were concerned about side effects My son has never received the vaccine, and it's not because of the vaccine-autism "link".  I just never

With so many people and organizations trying to rid the world of autism, those of us who are do not think along these lines feel a sense of urgency for the greater need to raise positive awareness. While others are seeking for acceptance in how they were born, others simply want to ensure that autism is no longer part of their lives. To eradicate something that defines, in many ways, who a person is and how they interact with the world is what some scientists, researchers, and parents are attempting to do at an alarming rate.

Like autism, ADHD has become a common diagnosis among youth.  There are currently 5 million children in America living with the disorder, and the "symptoms" can be exacerbated due to lack of treatment (i.e. medication, dietary restrictions, behavioral therapy, etc.). And like autism, ADHD also affects boys more often then girls. What is ADHD? Almost all children have behavior issues from time to time. But, for children with ADHD, behavior problems are persistent and occur over a long period of time. For a child with ADHD, their symptoms can create challenges all day, every day.