"I was already on a spiritual journey, but engaging this process with my son and ASD has me on another level!" - Monica, mom of an 8 year old boy diagnosed with autism. The Blissfulness of Same Autism means dealing with lots of the same thing, over and over, and over again, often mixed with compulsion and vigor. My son's high need for control triggers my own and we both study to create as much … [Read more...]
My perseveration, God’s rescue
What Is It? In an autism household, I get a lot of practice dealing with perseveration. What's that, you ask? Here's the verdict from Mr. Webster: perseveration: "continuation of something (as repetition of a word) usually to an exceptional degree or beyond a desired point". That can look like the endless buttoning and unbuttoning a shirt, repeating a word over and over, requiring an activity … [Read more...]
Mom, Be Brave!
Scared Some days I'm just scared. I want to be brave. After all, don't the scriptures command, 'Be strong and courageous!'?? In my head, that makes sense. God will take care of me, of my son, right? I don't take my son out much. A few nerve wrecking moments running up Boston road and naked in a public park ... my resources had been depleted for all time. Plus, I can't wrap my arms around him … [Read more...]
Changing Faith with Autism and the Invisible God
What does it mean to have faith on this parenting journey? September will mark 16 years since autism came into our lives. J was 22 months old. In the very early days, faith meant trusting God for healing. People prayed and encouraged and gave us timelines for God's miracle. "By 6 he will be healed!" they said. I knew to treat that with caution, since they had also told me he would sleep … [Read more...]
Spectrum Overload
Last time I wrote about the rainy days. I know we all have them. Well, today, was one in a long sequence of rainy days. Symptoms Raging Just in case I'm tempted to forget that life is complex, my son reminds me by becoming obsessed with flushing the wipes down the toilet. Now, we live in an old farm house. Very old. The plumbing is old. Very old. It doesn't handle the flushing of normal … [Read more...]