To Stella, With Love

I found this in my comments box this morning when I logged in to check for messages. I thought Stella deserved a post of her own, so one hand less notwithstanding, I am posting a reply for her. (One easy thing about posts- one can always cut and paste, heehee. )
Stella’s note reads:
hi, got [...]

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Help Wanted

Have you ever seen a “help wanted” ad like this? I definitely have not, not even once in the many years I have spent perusing classified ads. But one day soon, and I hope this comes in my child’s lifetime, I certainly hope that someone somewhere will give my son and all individuals of special [...]

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Autism And The Movies: We Made History

We woke up unusually early that day, excited and buoyant. Even Alphonse, who wakes up late most days, didn’t complain when we woke him up. “It’s your day, anak,” I whispered gently to this sleeping baby, all five feet and four inches of him. He stirred a little, blinked a few times, then jumped immediately [...]

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PROMPT And (Autism) Circumstance

When a child is handed a diagnosis of autism, the most common educational “prescriptions” are the three-fold approach of special education, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Each addresses a host of challenges an individual with autism faces; each encompasses a wide variety of approaches and philosophies. And yet, nothing stumps more people than problems with [...]

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DAISY In Bloom

Like the common daisy (Bellis perennis), DAISY grows close to the ground, spreads its roots, and blossoms into a thing of beauty. Seeking to penetrate grassroots level by making learning and knowledge accessible to all, it is certainly a dream come true for many.
DAISY is Digital Accessible Information System, a multimedia publishing system that enables [...]

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Seizing Answers

“Before I knew what a seizure was, my son was taken down. He went down many times from ages two to three. The first was in the kitchen, collapsed on the floor. Later, it happened like a geography dream. Each seizure had its own place and its season: in the supermarket, aisle two; naked on [...]

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Therapy For Daily Living

This year alone, Alphonse has gone through five trampolines. All are in various stages of disrepair, with broken springs, bent frames, and torn fabrics. We buy trampolines almost as fast as he can destroy them – well, perhaps, not fast enough.
Alphonse likes to jump. I remember that he started jumping before he could even walk. [...]

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A Common Journey

It was my sister who first put the words “autism” and “Alphonse” together in one sentence. She mentioned it before anyone else, before even my son’s pediatrician.
She was still in medical school then. She had been playing with her nephew for a few hours that day when she stopped and looked at me. “Ate, I [...]

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Countdown to Conference Time!

I woke up this morning, certain that something good is soon coming. I ran to the calendar on the wall, and started counting the days. “Sixty-one days before the conference,” I whispered breathlessly. I can hardly wait!
It’s been like this some years now. When conference time comes, and it comes only once every two years [...]

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Walk With Angels

Considering the number of kilometers I’ve covered since I started my regimen of walking/running, I feel mighty prepared to tackle this year’s Autism Walk. Last year, I was huffing and puffing in the morning sun, flushed pink from running and taking pictures at the same time. I had to pause and catch my breath more [...]

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