Musings and What-not

A visitor to one of my videos on an old channel (unknowingly) prompted me to write this post. She was wondering what she should be doing in order to receive what she was desiring.

As you all know, I was pretty busy the last 10 days globe trottin' around the web all in the name of autism . I had the pleasure of "visiting" several blogs, forums, and organizational sites to not only promote my new book, In My Mind , but also to discuss life with autism. Hosts, from all over, took the virtual book tour as an opportunity to "interview" me and learn more about me.

I don't know about you, but I used to love me some Bangles!

Join author, Adonya Wong, as she trots around the globe for autism , visiting various websites and blogs during her first-ever virtual book tour! She will be sharing her thoughts on living with autism, writing, getting published, and future works.  In addition to these interviews, you can read reviews of In My Mind and listen to an audio interview by Autism Hangout. Adonya's "Globe Trottin' for Autism" VBT begins January 19 and ends January 29. In My Mind creatively explores, through the form of a children’s picture book, the inner world of an autistic child… the world no one else seems to see.   From exciting adventures to silly games and conversations with a range of imaginary friends, the main character of the story, inspired by her son, Nicholas, brings readers into his world to demonstrate how a child with autism sees the world, and, in turn, how the world often sees a child with autism. Additionally, In My Mind isn’t about defining autism by her own experien...

I am humbled... and speechless by the author's review. I received my copy of Adonya Wong 's book In My Mind...The World through the Eyes of Autism in the mail today. The timing couldn't have been better. A rainy day, one child inside... Read on and you'll understand why.

I love perusing the net and discovering new "green" sites! Last night, hub and I were watching Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff on Discovery's Planet Green, and we learned about Enviromom.com and their green efforts. What a pair these two moms are.  Their blog is chocked full of amazing information!  They even offer a Master Recycler course which is worth exploring if you're just starting out. Living in Oklahoma, we lovers of the earth quickly discover that not all plastics are created equal.  A fact that frustrates me every time I put our recycling out. Now, you're probably thinking you're being pretty eco-friendly simply because you switched from petroleum-based plastics to corn-based, right? I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but corn ain't much better. In Enviromom.com 's own words... Corn-based plastics are still disposable products, which is pretty much the main reason neither Renee nor I like them. Here are some other reasons: Creati...

I walked into class, not knowing anyone. Y'know?  The new kid in school. I laid my books on the desk... and waited for someone to say, "Hi."   "Welcome."  "It's nice to meet you." And someone did! It was my first book signing.  And I was beyond excited. Word on the street is if you sell one book, the signing was a success.  After all, books are only sold one at a time. I did better than one, but the quantity of books sold really wasn't important in the end.  I had a really good time meeting other parents, grandparents, aunts, and supporters of our community. When you're passionate about something, talking about it is second-nature. I also had a good time talking about the benefactor of a portion of my proceeds, Tulsa Autism Foundation .  It is unfortunate that not everyone in Tulsa (within the autism community) has heard of them.  It saddens me to hear that people are still out there struggling to find information when there is a wealth o...

Thank you from the bottom of my bottomless heart to EVERYONE who entered, tweeted, and blogged about my lil' giveaway!  Words cannot fully express my gratitude. The video you are about to view is unedited, meaning I did this on one take AND I enlisted the assistance of HRH (His Royal Hiney).  After all, this whole experience was made possible because of him. Oh!  And don't even think of judging me because he's up so late!  {wink} The books will be mailed on Monday because I have another giveaway at my signing tomorrow (WOOT!), and I want to be eco-friendly by making only 1 trip to the post office. Thanks again!  This was an absolute blast! P.S.  It only took me 11 hours to upload the video!  LOL  Hence, the lingo referring to tomorrow which is, of course, today!

Tate Publishing and Enterprises The Lord gave the Word; great was the company of those that published it.” -Psalm 68:11 “In My Mind: The World through the Eyes of Autism ” Book Signing Event December 13, 2008 from 2 PM – 4 PM The Collective Café and Coffeehouse 3148 E. 11 th Street Tulsa Help us support autism awareness & research by joining Adonya for this special event (invite a friend)! If you already have a copy of In My Mind , buy one for a friend! (This book makes a great holiday gift!) Be sure to enter our drawing for a FREE autographed copy of In My Mind . (A drawing will also be held at the signing for (1) lucky winner!) We hope to see you there! For more information, please email the author at adonya@throughtheeyesofautism.com . Can’t make the event? Click here to visit our online bookstore to purchase a copy! **Thank you for supporting autism awareness & research!**

What matters most to me is the blessing of a new day. What matters most to me is to see the smile on my son's face. What matters most to me is the deep friendships I have gained. What matters most to me is the abundance in my life. What matters most to me is my awareness of all things. What matters most to me is the laughter. What matters most to me is the joy I receive in doing something for someone else. What matters most to me are the many blessings I've received... because of autism. I put this video collage together a few years ago.  Today's theme made it the fitting choice to share with you. Enjoy!

My daily dose of The Daily Show featured Denis Leary as the special guest tonight. Hub wanted to turn the channel, but I wanted to hear what he had to say . Leary's book released today, and he's still looking for any available outlet to deny what he said against autism in it. Unfortunately, The Daily Show gave him some air time. After listening to a bunch of nonsense/absurdity/irrationality/crap about why he's using the professional title of Dr., Jon got down to why Leary was there to begin with. Jon opened by saying Leary got into a lot of trouble over the chapter, Autism Shmautism , and Leary jokingly feigned ignorance.  He eventually agreed that his book caused a lot of controversy. Y'think? Of course, he's still blaming The New York Post for taking the following paragraph of his book "out of context". There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumbass kids can't comp...

I married a man who's never had children. Interesting way to start a post, but I figured it was just the appetizer I needed to have you wanting to know where that statement was going. After I joined the Navy, I learned that the letters actually stood for N ever A gain V olunteer Y ourself.  Yet, volunteering is something I do as often as possible . My son is almost 8, and I had literally written off having any more children.  I figured 37.5 hours of back labor was enough for me. The thought of being pregnant again was mind-numbing, to say the least.  Actually, I would have preferred a frontal lobotomy while conscious over another pregnancy. Now, I find myself looking at him, thinking, "One more won't kill me." In 51 days, I'll celebrate my 41st year on this wonderful planet... and it'll more than likely be the year I give birth to my 2nd child. What will be different the second time around ? A lot, actually. I'm married and won't be taking the "...

According to Dictionary.com, the definitions for schizophrenia and autism are as follows.  There are other sites that offer more in-depth definitions, but I don't want to lose you which is why I chose shorter ones.: Schizophrenia Psychiatry . Also called dementia praecox. a severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations. Autism Psychiatry . a pervasive developmental disorder of children, characterized by impaired communication, excessive rigidity, and emotional detachment. Allow me to examine some of the words provided in each definition. Schizophrenia: Blunting: Slow to understand or perceive; dull. Deterioration: a gradual decline, as in quality, serviceability, or vigor. Isolation: to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone. Disorganized: functioning without adequate order, systemi...

In an announcement released earlier today, the University of Illinois at Chicago will be joining the international research effort to study autism. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are taking part in an international effort to gather DNA samples from 2,000 autism patients and their families over the next three years. The initiative, called the Simons Simplex Collection, is the first coordinated effort to create a database of information about families with only one autistic child. Families eligible to participate in the study include those with only one child with an autism spectrum disorder, age four or older; one or more siblings without an autism spectrum disorder, age four or older; and unaffected biological parents who are willing to participate. Eligible children with an autism spectrum disorder will receive a behavioral assessment and all family members will donate blood, a source of DNA. A small number of families with no siblings or siblings under the age ...

Good Morning America is doing a great job raising awareness for autism.  I've already mentioned their OnCall+Autism series. Today, the released a report about how the government is now examining the link between vaccines and autism.  It also appears that this examination may be looking at mitochondrial disorders as the "culprit". Government health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health, met in Indianapolis Sunday to discuss whether cellular diseases known as mitochondrial disorders should be considered in research on autism. At the heart of the issue for many specialists and concerned parents is whether vaccines -- suspected by some people as being a cause of autism -- might trigger mitochondrial disorders, which lead to autism. One of the people at the meeting in Indianapolis was Jon Poling, father of 9-year old Hannah Poling, who was diagnosed with autism after receivin...

I don't use Twitter so I can obsess over the number of followers I have... or don't have. I don't use Twitter so I can obsess over my grade . I don't use Twitter so I can obsess over my Twitterank . I don't use Twitter so I can obsess over my Twinfluence . I don't use Twitter so I can freak out over my latest Qwitter . I don't use Twitter because I want to be part of the Twitter Elite . In a nutshell, I don't invest a lot of my time obsessing over my TwitterStats . So, why do I use Twitter ? I use Twitter because I can quickly broadcast the URL to my latest blog post, the URL to an interesting article (usually about autism), or the URL to a great site I want folks to check out. With a 140-character limit, I can't afford to be long-winded which is why Twitter works for me. One of the things I don't understand about my fellow Twitters is how touchy some of them are.  If you don't follow them back, you receive a Qwitter notice tellin...

[et_pb_section fb_built="1" admin_label="section" _builder_version="3.22" custom_padding="7px|||||"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" _builder_version="3.25" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="3.25" custom_padding="|||" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" _builder_version="3.27.4" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat"] Something's amiss down under. One news report spoke of over-diagnosis, now another speaks of misdiagnosis. What is going on? According to ABC Local Radio , Experts say diagnosis of the condition in Australia is patchy, because doctors here don't apply the internationally accepted diagnostic criteria. Some patients are diagnosed as au...

Came across an interesting article that mentioned the concerns of over-diagnosis.  Queensland Australia's Education Minister, Dean Wells said, Some paediatricians are giving false diagnoses at the urging of parents so students receive more resources from the Education Department. "More important for me is making sure that we are not falsely labelling students and thereby consigning them to a lifetime of misdiagnosis." Healing… Through the Eyes of Autism. › Create New Post — WordPress Savage thinks there's a problem with over-diagnosis. Leary does too. The criteria for autism is broader nowadays, but I don't believes doctors are out there handing out the autism card like its Halloween candy. Autism's definitely not the end of the world, but I don't think people would intentionally ask for the diagnosis as Wells suggests. At least, I hope that's not what's happening. I came across a post interestingly titled Is Autism the New Gay? You may know the...

A few months ago, I did a post, on another site, similar to this one.  That post encouraged parents to think about the health of their child(ren) car seat. Tonight's post continues that thought process by encouraging the parent to further their thinking by considering the health of their car . This post stems from my recent car buying experience. I found it fascinating that a salesperson can tell me all about the engine's environmental features and gadgets, but yet they remain clueless when it comes to the safety of the interior. I'm not talking about the side safety curtain or front/side airbags. I'm talking about the fabric, the dash, etc. Lately, I've been really concerned about VOCs and their effect on my family which is why buying a new car has been more of a chore than the pleasant experience it should be. However, I'm incredibly grateful that I have assistance when it comes to selecting the healthiest car for us. HealthyCar.org is a great place for a co...

It appears that more and more adults are being diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome these days. Although, there are several organizations geared towards children on the spectrum, finding help can prove to be quite challenging for a newly diagnosed adult on the spectrum. So, where is one to go? The following is a short list of sites that offer resources, education, and support. Aspergers Association of New England offers information on adult diagnosis , assistance , and intervention . Amazon.com offers a slew of titles to help you further educate yourself. Amazon.com forum for Aspie adults.. Aspires (Aspergers Syndrome Partners & Individuals Resources, Encouragement & Support) Great blog with helpful information on living with AS. Interesting articles by a woman diagnosed with AS at age 40. AutismHelp.org offers helpful information for adult life with AS. Book on cognitive-behavioral therapy information for adults with AS. The National Autist...