The Essential how-to by parents—for parents
Melissa Areffi 
Ann Wilson @fxxxxxxxxxxxm writes, “I have been told to look at grp homes for my son, nobody wants to report on things like that.” Let us start off by saying that whenever possible, we like to relate our situations and decisions as parents of special needs kids back to neurotypical parents because parenting is what … Read more
LA Parent talks to us about one of the most impossible tasks a parent can do – Giving a child with autism a pill. http://www.laparent.com/article/seven-tips-for-helping-your-child-with-autism-take-their-medicine.html Here’s a simple visual to remember: Giving a child with autism medicine is like giving a cat a pill. Well, not that bad – some of the time.
We sat down with NBC Los Angeles to talk about our new book. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/health/navigating-autism-is-a-book-by-parents-for-parents.html The self-published book, “Navigating Autism: The Essential How-To By Parents For Parents,” is the latest in a growing list of titles meant to help families who have loved ones with a developmental disorder.
This was a great 4th of July. The weather was warm, but not scorching – and it didn’t rain this year! Funnily enough, it rained last year in So Cal. We went out to Redlands to hang with Andy’s family. The cousins have a trampoline with the net around it, in an attempt to avoid … Read more
When Kennedy, Alex and Bella first started down the road of all the applied behavioral analysis therapy for autism, one of the first things they tried to teach were greetings. One thing struck me, though. The only words Kennedy spoke at the time were “please” and “thank you.” But no one seemed to think it … Read more
Summer is finally almost here, and thank God we seem to be avoiding the June gloom Southern California generally gets. No kidding, usually every June it gets flipping cold and rainy, and clears out around the 4th of July, where we bake until November. Go fig. That means it’s time to pull out the old … Read more
It used to be summer school was kind of an automatic for special ed. Of course, budget cuts have kinda taken that out of the mix. It’s now primarily for more severe kids – which I get. They need it more. But that still leaves me with the “What the heck do I do with … Read more
So, we go to Disneyland. A lot. Why? Because they are truly autism-friendly, we have annual passes and frankly, it’s fun. I never thought I would be a person that would go to Disneyland all the time, but I suppose it goes to show life leads you in unusual ways. People think I’m nuts to … Read more
Over spring break we visited my parents in Houston. It turned out better than I thought it would. I always worry about traveling with three autistic kids. You never know what you’re going to get. But I took my own advice – I called the airline a few days beforehand as well as TSA to … Read more
We took a trip to NASA in Houston over spring break. I have to say, the tour isn’t fabulous for kids with autism. Don’t get me wrong, it’s informative and cool stuff to look at, but the way it’s paced isn’t really conducive for them. They have a large group, and it’s a lot of … Read more