My husband Joe is a Forever Father. Perhaps you are wondering what this means—how a Forever Father is different from any other father. For starters, there is another world inside of him that few are aware of, or understand. Speech therapy, education plans, behavior modification, social stories. Guardianship, group homes, family court. Autism. The Forever […]
Charlie. For you will start. To drive soon. Yes, Jack. That’s true. People ask me all the time what it’s like to have a child with autism. What is it like? To have a boy like my son Jack? I never, for one moment, forget he has it. Autism is the tympani of my background—the drumbeat […]
I wanted to hug you tonight. I saw you walk in the door and I tried my best to smile. But I just couldn’t bring myself to reach for you. I can’t explain why. After all, we embraced this morning. It was light, and easy. It suggested a good day ahead. The problem is, a […]
Hi. My name is Carrie. I am married to a man named Joe, and we have five kids. Our second child, Jack, is diagnosed with autism. He is sixteen years old. We spend a lot of time working on open-ended questions with Jack: who, what, where, when, and why. Who is your favorite teacher? What would you like for dinner? […]
My son Jack is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is sixteen. Jack’s had autism for his whole entire life. I believe he’ll have it forever. I have lived alongside autism for sixteen years now. For the most part, I’d say I have made peace with it. Yet lately, I have moments when I am […]
Today was a long day. Today, I felt the sting of tears more than once. Today, autism won. My son Jack was out of sorts all day, you see. He kept asking the same questions over and over about COVID and I tried everything—answering him, redirecting him, telling him we would be okay. When he […]
I have landed in a strange land. The people here are very odd. For starters, they won’t stop looking in my eyes when they talk to me. They connect their gaze with mine and hold it until I look away. It’s creepy. They touch my arm, and ask me many questions. Jack! Buddy! Are you […]
Season’s greetings, friends and family! I am happy to report that, despite the challenges 2020 handed us, the Cariello family had a wonderful year. My husband Joe and I are doing well, and all five kids are happy, and healthy. Quarantine was a great opportunity to spend some real quality time together. We played lots […]
My name is Carrie, and I am raising a son with autism. It is exactly nothing and everything I ever imagined. The truth is, I’ve wished for a crystal ball ever since my son Jack was a toddler. I desperately wanted to see into his future. Would he speak in sentences? Would he be able […]
When it comes to my son Jack, I fill out a lot of paperwork–forms, surveys, and questionnaires. I check boxes, and rate things like behavior, and anxiety, and temperament. Usually I leave the papers on the corner of my desk until the last possible second. I mean, I hate paperwork to begin with, and I […]