By Toni Lapp
A visit with Santa is a yearly ritual that many children look forward to this time of year. But for children with special needs and their parents — between the crowds, the long lines, the noises and all the lights — the event can be anything but enjoyable.
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By Toni Lapp
OK, I’m not quite ready for prime time, but nonetheless, the folks at “Unity Family Matters” did invite me to appear on their radio program at Unity.FM this week. Nerve-wracking as it was to be the interviewee rather than the interviewer, it did give me a chance to crystallize my thoughts on parenting a child with autism. Too often, it seems like the focus is on the negative. Yes, schoolwork is a challenge. Yes, I had expectations for my son that I am now re-evaluating. But the upside is Ryan is healthy and he has the tools to lead a meaningful life.
Anyway, have a listen and let me know what you think. The MP3 can be downloaded here.
| March 3, 2010 | ||
| 7:30 am | to | 9:00 am |
MARCH 3. Sean Swindler, director of community program development & evaluation for Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training — K-CART — will lead discussion. Learn how autism affects the workplace and families in our community, as well as how K-CART addresses the needs of this population. Coffee and pastries served at 7:30 a.m.; lecture begins at 8 a.m. at Regnier Hall, KU Edwards Campus, 12610 Quivira Road, Overland Park, Kan. 66213. Free and open to the public. To RSVP call Christine at (913) 897-8548 or click here.
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By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.
Question: It seems like summer can be full of pitfalls for my son with Asperger’s — the structure has gone away, and he’s no longer in contact with classmates. He is content to play on the computer all day, but seems to get moody more easily. Should we treat summer vacation as a long break from school-year stress, or what?
Answer: Summer vacation presents a contradiction: Children with autism spectrum disorders thrive on structure, routine, consistency. Summer vacation throws these principles of ASD parenting and behavior management in flux.
» READ MOREBy Kate Duffy
A while back, Toni, the SpectrumConnection editor, asked me to write about how far parents should go to help their teens on the spectrum land a job. Since then, several of our Hot Topics parents have shared their kids’ job search stories with me, and I realized there was no easy answer to her question. For the most part, though, their stories revolved around the kids’ inability to accurately read situations, to remember instructions and to multitask to make a deadline. Looking at that list, it sounds like business as usual on the job for most of us — which is why it is so very important that our kids start learning about the world of work as soon as they can.
That’s why the short answer to Toni’s question is this: do what you need to do.
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