Autism and developmental disabilities Archives

Seven Big Ideas on the Astounding Benefits of Tiny Habits

I was reading the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, and suddenly it hit me: the person I know with the best habits is autistic and intellectually disabled. He reads at a first-grade level and his myriad...Read More →

Autistic Ingenuity: 6 Highly Effective Strategies to Get What You Want

It takes Diego’s cousin Eugenia (who’s the same age as him) a few text messages to arrange an outing to a bar with friends in Manhattan. Should Eugenia decide to work remotely from Mexico City for a...Read More →

The Power of Prayer: It’s Not What You Think!

I’m too skeptical or lacking in faith to believe God intercedes when we invoke him in prayer. I mean, if I were to ask God, “Please, God, don’t let my son be one of the unnamed casualties from this...Read More →

Dear Mother of an Autistic Child: There’s No Need to Panic

Hi there fellow mom, I too have an autistic child, except he’s not a child anymore. His name’s Diego and he’s 27. You’ll go through various stages when it comes to how you view your child and his autism....Read More →

3 Reasons to Never Say ‘I Didn’t Have Time’

Diego, my 27-year-old autistic son, is the only person I know who never uses “I didn’t have time” as an excuse or explanation for what he does or does not do. Come to think of it, I’ve never even heard...Read More →

Autism Life: NEVER a Dull Moment

‍“God created autism to help offset the excessive number of boring people on earth.” Or so I read on my Linkedin feed the other day. Wish I could credit the quote, but my research led to no particular...Read More →

Mother’s Day Letter: You’ve Been a Good Mom and I Have Proof!

Hi there Dani!Thank goodness for the video cam your husband, Cesar, bought back when the kids were toddlers. There’s your proof you weren’t a bad mother. In fact, from what I can see, you were actually...Read More →

Autistic Wisdom: ‘The Animals Are Having Sex’

Diego, my 27-year-old son, has posture issues. He tends to look down, which compounds the problem. So on our long hike in Grand Teton National Park, my husband (Cesar) kept trying to find ways to motivate...Read More →

Autism and Valentine’s Day: An Exhausting Love Ritual

It’s no exaggeration to say my 27-year-old autistic son lives for holidays and birthdays. He’s already talking about turning 28 and he turned 27 less than a month ago.When Diego began nagging me to help...Read More →

Why 27 Could Be Your Most Epic Birthday

Have you noticed I’ve been absent lately? Not replying to emails, texts, WhatsApps and phone calls? Always rushed? Well, it’s because my son’s 27th birthday consumed me for a while there. I attribute ...Read More →