Hi. I’m not sure if you remember me. You were standing behind my son Jack and I in Panera this afternoon. He had just finished ordering his macaroni and cheese in a bread bowl with a side of bread. As we were walking over to get our drinks, you reached out and touched my arm […]
Child of mine. Come close to me. Closer still. Sit here, and take my hand. I have so many things I want to tell you. Too often, the things I want to say get caught in the bottom of my throat when I am driving to basketball practice, and buying oatmeal, and folding towels. […]
Hey buddy. We met with some people today to talk about your future and stuff. When you were a little boy, we used words like integrated preschool, joint attention, perseverative behavior. Rigidity. Speech therapy. Autism. We worried you’d get lost in the store because you liked to run from us. We were afraid you’d reach […]
It is an epidemic, they say. A catastrophe. A crisis. How? We ask. How do we keep them safe? These children of ours. How do we keep them from shooting up their arms, and snorting into their nose, and vaping in their lungs? We consult handbooks. We attend meetings in the community. We read. […]
[Editor’s note: I wrote this post based on conversations with my son, Jack. He read it over and asked me to tell you that he always has a sandwich after school now, except on Tuesdays. On Tuesdays he likes to have cereal.] My Tell-Tale Heart Hello. I am Jack. I am a teenager. I […]
What did you do today? Your question for me. A good question. A curious question. Nonetheless, I found myself without an answer. What did I do? Well, I did nothing. And I did everything. I remade a bed so the sheets were pulled extra-tight. I noticed a broken window blind, and made an […]
When it comes to my son Jack and his autism, I wish for a lot of things. I wish I could rid the world of cars that backfire, doors that slam, and people who shout like maniacs for no reason. I realize this isn’t about autism per se, but whenever Jack hears a loud noise […]
If you’ve ever watched from afar, curious, interested, unsure. Maybe in the mall, or the grocery store, or the sandy blue beach. Right away you noticed twitching legs, dancing fingers, a silent, internal rhythm. Then, without warning, screaming so loud it takes your breath away. More than a tantrum—bigger than a fit. […]
A lot of times people ask me to describe you, but I’m never sure what to say. You are fierce. Sometimes fiery. Often forgotten. Forgotten amidst the throngs of baseball uniforms threading their way to a green, green field. Cheering on the game in cold metal bleachers, no one remembers the boy who does not […]
Hello. My name is Carrie. I am almost forty-four years old. I am married to a man name Joe, and we have five kids. As I approach the middle of my fourth decade, I am noticing more and more all the things I think, but I do not say. First of all, my body is […]