Category: Autism and developmental disabilities

My son Diego and I were getting off the chairlift at a ski resort outside Salt Lake City when I felt a pull on my jacket, followed by a snap. A moment later, I heard a voice behind me. “Your gloves,” ...Read More →

Following a visit to the Botero Museum in Bogotá with my 31-year-old autistic son, I was curious to know what he made of the plush ladies Botero liked to paint and sculpt. “So, Diego,” I said, “What...Read More →

My son Diego, who’s autistic and intellectually disabled, was 31 when I heard him engage in his best phone exchange ever. “Diego, I think you need to get a haircut this week,” I said to him one Monday...Read More →

One recent Saturday morning, I drove my 31-year-old autistic son Diego to a park for his group run with Achilles, an organization that promotes running for people with disabilities. As we walked toward...Read More →

Sometimes I want to quit society and go live in Tristan da Cunha. Why? Because it’s the remotest island in the world, the farthest one from any continent. There, I wouldn’t be assaulted with paperwork...Read More →

As I work on my memoir about raising Diego, my 31-year-old autistic and bipolar son, I’ve spent many hours reading the stack of records about him gathered over his educational years, reliving how it...Read More →

There’s surely nothing objectionable about a mother posting photos and videos of her adult son with his consent. But what if, like Diego, the son has an intellectual disability?  When I created my...Read More →

“Did you hear the news about Ben Affleck?” Diego, my 30-year-old autistic son, asked me this past summer.  “No, Diego. What happened?” I replied, wondering if Affleck had died or something.  “He split...Read More →

“What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you lately?” my sister Gabi asked a group of family members one evening this past June. We had gathered at the big old porch of the Lillagaard, a bed and...Read More →