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 […]
Dear Mr. Bernstein, Hello, and welcome! I hear you are one of my son Jack’s teachers this year. I thought I’d give you a week to kind of settle in before I presented you with the rundown. You know what the rundown is, don’t you? Oh, it’s just something we special-needs parents do at the […]
Listen, I don’t like to give a lot of advice when it comes to autism. I mean, I hardly know what I’m doing and it’s all very complicated and every kid is different, right? But after we chatted for a few minutes in the Target aisle, and I walked away with my cart and you […]
Last week, a reader wrote and shared her story with me, about a husband and a father and a boy and autism. This family lived inside my head for days. For M. and B. You are not alone. To my Dad, It is a hot dry August now. We’ve had some thunderstorms but the air […]
Let’s play a game, shall we? Can you guess who I am? Okay, okay. I’ll give you some clues. You know, to help you out a little. You can’t taste me, or touch me, or hear me. But if you could taste me, it would be bitter, like a dry aspirin stuck in the back […]
If I were a painting, I would be colorful and bright and messy and unusual. If I were the ocean, I would be calm and blue one moment, and gray and stormy the next. If I were a song, I would begin softly, and slowly. Then I would increase my pitch and my volume until […]
Today, I will be here. I will be here in this house with my kids and my dog and my son with special-needs and my husband who has dark, wavy hair. Today, I will remember that when it comes to autism, there is no right. There is no wrong. There is just me, and a […]
