New Hampshire
This What I Am Trying to Tell You
Since early December, Jack has been wearing his huge black snow boots to school every day. He refused to wear his sneakers. He refused to pack them in his backpack. He also refused to bring an extra pair to leave at school so he could change instead of clomping around the hallways and the cafeteria […]
This is How Autism Works
When I was in college, I read Dante’s Inferno about the journey through nine different circles of hell. I loved the book, but thinking about it now—twenty years and five kids and one marriage later—I can’t help but wonder if maybe there should be a special circle, devoted to all the autism moms and dads and […]
All the Things I Do Not Know
Dear Jack, When you were about three years old, a woman suggested to me gently that I shouldn’t talk about your autism. “Maybe it should be, you know,” she leaned in so close I could smell the spearmint gum she was chewing. “A secret.” I almost laughed out loud. A secret! Which part of you […]
The Good Parts of Autism
Living alongside of autism can be very, very hard. It is demanding and confusing and scary and weird. It’s easy for me to become negative, and maybe even a little bitter, about my 11-year old son Jack’s diagnosis. I mean after all, the tantrums! The rigidity! And don’t even get me started on the stimming. Jack […]
“My Son has Autism”
My son Jack’s latest thing is Redbox. You know, the big red box at the front of the grocery store where you can rent movies? For over a year he wandered over to it when we stood in the checkout line, and he pressed his nose up against the screen to read all the titles. […]
In the Eye of the Storm
I never make New Year’s resolutions. I can’t really say why, I just never have. I did see a cute idea online a while back, and while we were eating dinner one night last week, I suggested we keep a small jar on the kitchen table, and every time something good happens to one of […]
Dear Santa
Dear Santa, In our house, we are really excited about Christmas this year. Our tree is up and the elf named Cooper is out and every night we eat dinner off of our red and green plates. My older brother Joey is acting a little weird though. Whenever we talk about reindeer and elves and […]
Different and the Same
Dear Jack, So, it looks like we decided to keep you in public school. I’d like to say it was because of things like class sizes and state-funded services, but mostly it was because we don’t exactly have ninety million extra smackaroos to throw at your education. You are happy about this, I know. You […]
Autism and Puberty and Sex, Oh My
Dear Jack, So, here we are. We’re having the talk. Not really, of course. I’m just writing this letter so I can figure out what to say when we do have the talk together—the talk about autism and puberty and sex. (You know, if you say the words autism and puberty and sex really fast […]