I read an article about a teenage boy who took a girl with Down Syndrome to the prom. The piece talked about how amazing he was—how selfless and kind. It touched a nerve in me. At first, I couldn’t quite figure out why. I mean, what this boy did was very nice. But it didn’t […]
I had the son who bit the teacher. I had the son who couldn’t wait in line at the zoo, or sit through a meal in a restaurant, or play tag during recess. I had the son who slept fitfully and woke at dawn. I had the son people stared at in the grocery store. I […]
Inside every photo is a story. You may not see it right away. At first you might observe the shimmering water and the way it meets the shoreline. You admire the color of the setting sun. From there, you notice the boy. A young man, really. He looks relaxed. Ever since my son Jack was […]
Just be normal. Have fun. Make friends. Laugh at other people’s jokes. What if I can’t, he asked. Try harder, they answered. Try bigger. Try with everything you have. I am trying. Be like us. Say hello when someone talks to you. Shake hands. Hug people good-bye. What if hugging makes my skin feel like fire? […]
My son Jack has autism. He is eighteen. He was diagnosed when he was a little over a year. We were in a small room. The doctor was soft-spoken. Gentle. He wore a tie. Every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of that room in my mind’s eye. The brown carpet. The silver […]
Dear Jack You probably don’t remember this, but when you were a little boy, I had a necklace I wore every day. It had the word believe spelled in silver script. Whenever you started to unravel in the way only a toddler with autism can unravel, I would hold the necklace up for you to see. […]
What if all we had to do was love our children? Love them through their mistakes, their poor judgment, their outbursts. Their vulnerabilities. Their moods. Their highs and lows. My son Jack is diagnosed with autism. He is eighteen. For eighteen years, doctors and therapists have told me what to do. Use social stories, try […]
I’m good, thank you for asking. I’m okay, I guess I’m okay. It’s been a rough couple of days, to be honest. Yesterday I had a Zoom meeting with my son Jack’s team. Things aren’t going well at his college program. Everyone is worried. He is having intrusive thoughts. He is talking to himself and […]
Inside every photo is a story. You may not see it right away. At first you might observe the shimmering water and the way it meets the shoreline. You admire the color of the clouds overhead. From there, you notice the boy. A young man, really. He stands tall. His shoulders are squared. His silhouette […]
For the last twelve years, we’ve had a piece of paper taped to the bathroom wall. It’s a visual schedule. It lists out all the things my son Jack needed to do in the morning—brush his teeth, eat breakfast, get on the bus. We made it when he started kindergarten. I remember sitting at my […]