Category: Autism and developmental disabilities

Put Diego, who's 26 and autistic, in a new situation, and he’ll develop a routine in no time. When he was a child, changes in routine triggered epic tantrums. This began to get better when his amazing...Read More →

It used to be that the most adrenaline producing aspect of running with my son Diego, who has autism and an intellectual disability, was preventing him from getting run over. He had no idea how to cross...Read More →

I grew up in a comprehensively Catholic environment. It was not until I went to college that I first heard arguments in favor of abortion rights from supporters of such rights. It's unsettling to face...Read More →

Many years after 9/11, I read an article in The New York Times (Putting a Price of the Priceless: One Life, September 9, 2007) about how families of 9/11 victims were compensated. As I was reading it,...Read More →

My son Diego, who’s 26 and has autism, got braces on February 2, 2019. They came off on January 16, 2020. For 350 days straight, at least once or twice a day, I was meticulous with his oral hygiene. I...Read More →

At some point, if you're the parent of a teenager, you'll feel like you can do NOTHING right. Such is the case even when, unlike my son, the teenager does not have autism and an intellectual disability....Read More →

It’s hard to say no. You may appear ungrateful, rude, impolite, insubordinate -all kinds of negative impressions. Some people -my father for example- are especially rude when declining. I’ll ask him if...Read More →

Diego eats sushi for lunch on Fridays. It took just two straight Fridays of sushi lunch for it to become the official Friday lunch. Whenever an event happens with any regularity in his life, Diego will...Read More →

If you’re a parent, a teacher has probably reported at some point: “Henry wasn’t himself today,” or “Something wasn’t right with Julie. She just wasn’t herself.” What does that even mean? You may feel...Read More →

The decision to medicate our children with special needs carries an immense responsibility: we get to decide where the sweet spot in behavior is given a long and uncertain process. Moreover, we do this...Read More →