A lot of times people ask me if my 10-year old son Jack’s autism is high or low functioning. And I almost always answer the same way. “Um, I’m not sure.” I mean, for the most part, he is high functioning. He talks and carries on conversations and is in a regular classroom and eats […]
Last winter my husband Joe and I took five red suitcases, four messy boys, and one pink girl on a Caribbean vacation. As soon as our second son, Jack, climbed into the shuttle to the airport, he made an announcement to the driver. “None of us. Smoke tobacco.” The driver looked back at me in the […]
Dear Duff, A couple of weeks ago I used one of your mixes—specifically, the tie-dye one—to bake a cake with my 10-year old son, Jack. I noticed a part on the box where you asked people to write to you about their stories and experiences and loving family moments. I figured, why not? Maybe we’d […]
Dear Jack, When you were about year old, we saw a bunch of doctors and specialists to try and figure out why you didn’t talk or point or look at us. And at that time, many people told us not to rush to give you a label. “Be careful with a label, because it will […]
Dear Christopher, I’m not sure if you remember me, but we were in the same class in third grade. I was tall for my age, and I had long, blonde hair that I usually wore in messy braids. You had very dark hair and brown eyes. You were a little chubby, and I remember you […]
My second son, Jack, was diagnosed with autism when he was 18 months old. Now he’s almost eleven, and let’s just say there are certain, well, unique parenting skills that I’ve learned in the past decade or so. Because of autism, I understand the acronyms for ASD, IEP, and PDD-NOS. I know what sensory processing […]
Last week I was surfing the Internet and came across a headline proclaiming autism and circumcision are linked. I couldn’t help myself. I laughed out loud. In no certain order, I have read the following explanations for autism over the years: Autism is caused by mercury. Autism is caused by lead. Autism begins with poor maternal […]
“Mom, why I am. A lonely boy.” It was a typical late-afternoon in our house; homework was finished, Jack was upstairs listening to his music on the karaoke machine, and the other four kids were outside playing tag with the little boys next door. I was trying figure out if I should make dinner or convince […]
Listen, I know who you are. And although I can’t see or touch or feel you, I have looked you square in the face for the past ten years. You are a mystery—an enigma—and you baffle teachers and therapists and coaches and bus drivers. You baffle me. And yet, I feel I know you almost […]
