Category: Autism and developmental disabilities

When we moved from Venezuela to Connecticut in 2000, especially that first year, we went into New York City often. We didn’t know anyone yet, and the novelty of the Big Apple still held a powerful pull....Read More →

We were on the train from the Bronx to Grand Central Station in Manhattan—my son Diego, his friend Owen, and me—when the conductor reached our row to scan the three tickets on my phone. Owen looked up...Read More →

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 →