The other day I saw an article that said it was time to get rid of the label special needs. My son has special needs. His needs are special. He has a diagnosis, or a label. He has a label because he has autism and we had no other way to explain his unusual behavior and […]
Season’s greetings, friends and family! I am happy to report our family had an amazing 2019! Joe and I are doing well, and all five kids are healthy and happy. They sure are growing up fast! When they were toddlers, it seemed like their fingers were everywhere—my bagel, in my cup of coffee, in my […]
The other day I was in the mall with my son Jack, and a woman asked me what it’s like to raise a child with autism. I had just told him to stop touching the mannequins and to keep his body still and we weren’t going to talk about the wind-chill factor in Russia anymore. […]
Hi. My name is Carrie. I live in New Hampshire. I have five kids, and my second son is diagnosed with autism. His name is Jack. He is fifteen. He towers way above me and I am not exactly small. Jack’s autism looks like this: he is verbal, he has tremendous anxiety, he loves pancakes, […]
Jack-a-boo. Jack-attack. Jack. My son. Not a day goes by when I don’t wonder who you are. Or who you might have been. I wonder why you, out of all my children, were given autism’s complicated genetic twist. Not a day goes by when I don’t try to think of ways to explain you to […]
Well, hello! Welcome! Sit, please, and take one of our forms. We also have extra pens in case you need one. As you know, we are seeking job applicants for a very special position. First of all, I need to tell you there is no retirement. There is no end date circled on the calendar. No […]
God made many beautiful, precious things. He made green, green grass and luminous butterflies and very strong trees. He made a bright blue sky warmed by a round sun, and a moon for the darkest nights. He also made autism. He made a child with a memory for hundreds of dates and facts, a child […]
Hi. My name is Carrie. I am married to a man named Joe. We have been married for twenty-one years. We have five kids. Our second son, Jack, has autism. Jack was diagnosed fourteen years ago. Joe and I were barely thirty years old. I had a baby on my hip and another one inside […]
My name is Carrie. I am married to a man named Joe. I am a mother. I have four boys, and one girl. I am raising a complicated child. His name is Jack. Jack is complicated because he has autism and he’s doesn’t play any sports and he has no friends and his report card […]
When it comes to autism, I say a lot of things. If I’m not saying things, I’m sitting at my laptop writing them. I say my son Jack was diagnosed when he was very small and although I was sad, I knew it was coming. I say he hardly ever slept, and he had a […]