Moutain High, Valley Low

I was at church last night when something hit me during a prayer that made me really think. The gentleman who was praying said something that I have heard several times, but for some reason it really made me think last night. He said something along the lines of, “Thank you God for the highs - and the lows.” Now, again I understand this and have pondered on its meaning before, but I really started thinking about the way this works with autism as well.

The meaning of course is that in order for us to enjoy the highs in life we must have felt the lows. We must have something to compare and contrast with our joyous occasions. We have to have something to learn from. If life was just great all the time we wouldn’t know it. Think about that. We would lead dull lives.

Let me give you an example. As you have been reading in the past two weeks, our family took a vacation. It was a great time. We had fun at the beach, saw lighthouses in North Carolina, visited the National Mall and several of the Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C., and enjoyed camping in Virginia.

I think what made this more pleasant was the fact that Konner was so good on the trip. In the past we’ve had some bad experiences on vacation trips. We’ve had screaming, meltdowns, and disruptions. These things really make a trip unbearable at times.

As we were in the van headed home on Thursday afternoon, and we had been in there for about seven or eight hours, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Konner just looking out the window and enjoying the scenery. He didn’t have his iPad at the time; no iPhones, DVD players, or anything. He was just content with looking at the beauty around him. This almost brought a tear to my eye. I just thought back to how far we’ve come in just a short period of time and realize that he’s doing awesome.

On this trip we had one minor meltdown. It was in the morning, and he was upset over losing a piece of his train track. The situation was cleared up shortly and all was well.

Listen, if this is the only issue we had on the trip with him I’m good.

When we first got his diagnosis my heart sank. I know most parents feel this way. It’s natural. You learn about all the things your child is “not supposed to be able to do.” Well, it’s these lows in life, the can’ts and won’ts that make the cans and dids all worth it. Just keep that in mind for all the families of newly diagnosed children.

If it hadn’t been for the bad experiences in the past though this probably wouldn’t have been such a wonderful trip. I know this sounds crazy, but it really is true.

On a side note: Parents of Autism will meet Thursday night at Carl Albert State College in Poteau. Jennifer Moyano, training and outreach coordinator from the Oklahoma Autism Network, will be there discuss federal and state programs to assist families with special needs children. Jennifer, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist for the Oklahoma Autism Network at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Jennifer has worked with families and their children with developmental delays and disabilities, including autism since 1998 through early intervention, school-based services, and in clinical settings. Jennifer has specialized expertise in autism spectrum disorders including early identification, screening and positive behavior supports. She has provided training and technical assistance for providers who support children with autism and their families in early intervention, educational, and community settings. Jennifer has completed training and reliability in the use of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year Olds (STAT) at Vanderbilt University and the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Denver Modification) (CHAT) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. If you have any questions about this please contact me at pervasivepareting@hotmail.com. Everyone is welcome to attend. I encourage everyone including parents, teachers, therapist, family members, etc. to join us.

Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming to be an expert. I’m just a father who is trying to learn as much about Autism as I can to help my child. I hope that you all can learn from me, and I from you. I ask anyone who has questions or comments about something I have written, or autism, please contact me at pervasiveparenting@hotmail.com. I will try to answer questions as I have time, and if I find it interesting enough I may touch on it in my column.

They Call Me The Wanderer

As I write this column, sitting at a beach house staring at the ocean (yes I’m bragging a little), I decided to continue on my crazy parenting techniques from last week. We as parents seem to take things to extreme just to help our children, but one thing I’ve noticed that may or may not be a good thing is that many pervasive parents are overprotective.

I first noticed this sometime ago. It’s natural to feel this way. After all, our children are different. They think differently, act differently, and play differently. We may sugar coat it sometimes, but they are not your normal children. Some may get upset with that statement, but deep down it’s true. This is why we tend to hover over them, or at least Jen and I do.

I’ve noticed this several times, but I really began to pay attention a couple weeks ago after a trip to the park. I had taken Konner to his occupational therapy and Jen walked over to the park with Kruz. When we were done we went to pick them up and she began to talk about how the other parents were not like her. She explained that she made sure Kruz was within catching distance at all times while the other parents just sat on benches and let their kids go anywhere they wanted.

This is when I really realized that we may be a little overprotective. However, I blame this on Konner. Well, not him exactly, but the fact that we have to watch him closer than most.

Again, maybe this is just us. Maybe we’re just hovering parents by nature, but we’ve never wanted to let Konner too far away for several different reasons. This has spilled over to Kruz. These are things that I’ve talked about in past columns, but I think they are worth revisiting.

Parenting a child who is on the spectrum is scary at times. An example of this is from yesterday (Saturday). When we reached the beach after a day-long drive, we took a few minutes to relax, but the ocean was calling. So, we got the kids ready and headed over. Now as I’ve said before Konner is fearless, as are most children with autism. He wasn’t afraid of the large waves crashing into the sand dunes where we were. He saw the water and just darted straight into it. These were large enough and powerful enough to knock me over. He wouldn’t have stopped, but Jen caught up and grabbed him as he was about to be pummeled. They did knock him over a couple times and we were afraid that the outgoing tide would take him out farther. I just began to put myself between him and the rest of the ocean.

In contrast, Kruz was excited to run right out into it too, but when he get knocked over a couple times you could tell he was a little scared and backed off some.

Kids on the spectrum are fearless. They don’t fully understand danger. They will do things without thinking about, or fully understanding, consequences. I’ve read and heard horror stories about children who wandered off and the end result was bad.

I think of a child I know on the spectrum who loves water. She is a more classic autistic child and when she wanders she heads toward pools, ponds, etc. This is scary, but I know that her parents are very protective and so are the people around her. I only use this as an example of why it is a great idea to be more protective.

This is also why our front door looks like Fort Knox. I’m not trying to lock people out as much as I’m trying to keep Konner in.

When I’m setting around with family or friends, every once in a while I tend to shout, “Where’s Konner!” in a panicked voice. They usually laugh and say, “He’s fine, let him play.” I can’t just let him play. I have to know where he is at all times. If he gets quiet then I start to get frightened.

We tend to judge parents when these things happen. We ask, “What were they doing?” I don’t blame or judge those parents. I don’t know the story. I do know that I try my best to keep an eye on my child, and at times that is tough. These kids are curious by nature and like to take investigative strolls. This is when they disappear quietly and you go into freak out mode.

I also know that it is exhausting caring for any child, but especially a child on the spectrum. You get wore out, both physically and mentally. You take a minute break and it could turn out bad, but sometimes it happens.

This is why I don’t apologize for keeping a short leash on my children. I know that because of Konner, Kruz also is overprotected. That’s just fine. I’ll deal with the consequences of that later in life.

Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming to be an expert. I’m just a father who is trying to learn as much about Autism as I can to help my child. I hope that you all can learn from me, and I from you. I ask anyone who has questions or comments about something I have written, or autism, please contact me at pervasiveparenting@hotmail.com. I will try to answer questions as I have time, and if I find it interesting enough I may touch on it in my column.

Crazy if you Wanna Go

I recently read on a blog about a “revolutionary” way to “cure” autism. Now, as a parent I would do just about anything to help my child. I have tried several different methods that claim to help other children, but they are not too crazy, and they are pretty healthy. However, the things that are out that claim to help a child are scary. The scary part to me is that some parents actually try these methods without thinking about the potential damage it could do to their children. These are radical and nonsensical. I’d like to share a few.

I’m going to warn you that these are disturbing and disgusting, and could anger some readers. I’m not doing this for shock value, I’m doing it to show that there are very radical things taking place in the world of autism, and some people are actually buying into these treatments. We as parents can sometimes be desperate and the old adage is that desperate times call for desperate measures.

The first one that caught my attention was that doctors are using bleach to cure autism. That’s right, bleach! According to the Care 2 Make a Difference website, a doctor in Mexico is using a solution of sodium chloride, distilled water, and acidic juices as an enema. The site states:

“It is frequently diluted in acidic juices, such as orange juice, resulting in the formation of chlorine dioxide, which is, as the FDA characterized it, “a potent bleach used for stripping textiles and industrial water treatment.””

Ok, if you haven’t already found the problem in this one…You’re injecting a child with poison! Who thought this was a great idea?

The idea is that autism is caused by the overabundance of metals in a person’s body, which may or may not be true. However, to clean these out in such a way is just crazy.

The next one that coincides is a fecal transplant. Yes, you read that correctly. According to leftbrainrightbrain.com the idea is to inject healthy bacteria into a person’s body to help clean the impurities. The treatment, according to the site goes like this:

“Here is how this procedure was done by that physician in Canada who does not practice anymore. You collect the stool from a healthy relative (mother, father, so on) for a week in a bucket, no preservatives or cooling. Then mix well, fill in a decorating cone (that cloth cone you use to decorate a cake). Use the cone as an enema to empty all the content in the patient’s colon. The patient needs to hold that as long as possible.”

I have several puns for this one, but I think it’s disgusting enough, so I’ll just leave it alone. I hope everyone can find the problems in this one on their own.

I’ve heard for years about parents who use hyperbaric chambers to help clean the metals from a child’s system. The child is put into a small chamber and basically pressurized with a 100 percent oxygen atmosphere. There are several risks to this one including possible ear and sinus damage, collapsed lungs, and nausea. However, this is actually one of the least radical treatments, and has shown some signs of improvement. It is even endorsed by celebrity parents.

When researching this week I came across Chelation. This may not be new to some, but it is different for me. According to the Talk About Curing Autism website, a doctor administers Chelators, or medicines and supplements, which help remove the toxic metals from the child’s body. However, according to Dr. Jay Hoecker, M.D. on the May Clinic website:

“Chelation therapy supposedly removes mercury from the body, which chelation supporters say cures autism — but there's no evidence of a link between mercury exposure and autism. In addition, Chelation therapy can be associated with serious side effects, including potentially deadly liver and kidney damage.”

One such tragedy occurred in Pennsylvania in 2005. While being treated a five-year-old boy died of cardiac arrest.

These are crazy, but they seem logical when presented in a scientific way by trained medical professionals. So what should you do? Well, go with your gut most of the time. If it sounds crazy it probably is. Remember, this is not a disease that we’re working with. We’re not even 100 percent sure that it is caused by impurities in the body.

Here are some tips I found on About.com thought that might help.

·         If this is a biomedical treatment (a treatment which involves any type of medicine, supplement, or other biological intervention), undertake it only under the direct and involved supervision of a qualified medical practitioner. This refers not only to Chelation and supplements, but also to specialized diets which may have a negative nutritional impact on your child.

·         If this is a new treatment, take scrupulous notes on what it is intended to do, and on its apparent outcomes - side effects included. Consider using a video camera to record your child's behavior before, during and after the treatment or therapy.

·         Try one approach at a time. If you start, for example, a special diet AND a new school AND developmental therapy all at the same time, it will be impossible to parse out which approach is working (or causing problems). Wait at least three months to decide whether a particular approach is helpful.

Parents are so hung up on miracle cures that they lose common sense. They want their children to have a better life, and for that I don’t fault them. I just ask that if you find these cures and really want to try them, please do some research. Find out if there is any scientific evidence to show that the children have truly been helped? Have there been children hurt? Are they actually poisoning a child? And always make sure that a doctor is involved. Just be careful!

Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming to be an expert. I’m just a father who is trying to learn as much about Autism as I can to help my child. I hope that you all can learn from me, and I from you. I ask anyone who has questions or comments about something I have written, or autism, please contact me at pervasiveparenting@hotmail.com. I will try to answer questions as I have time, and if I find it interesting enough I may touch on it in my column.

Looking Around the House

Over the years I have heard Konner talk about using something called Zac Browser. We first heard about this software when Konner was in head start. Now I knew that this was a site for children with autism, but I had never actually researched it. This seems like a great site, especially for younger children, to help learn how to use the computer.

The problem with most search engines is that they are not kid-friendly. In fact they are geared toward adults to help locate their interests. With this in mind, one grandfather came up with a program to help his autistic grandson navigate the internet easier.

According to the website zacbrowser.com, John LeSieur, a software developer who has two grandchildren on the spectrum, designed the browser and launched it in 2008. The site states:

“At age 5, Zackary was enrolled in a specialized school. One of the proposed activities was to have him spend time using the computer. Zackary didn’t like this activity at all. It seemed that every click lead to a different result than what he expected. On several occasions he simply pushed away the keyboard or threw the mouse.

When I heard about his experience using the computer I asked what software his school was using and I was surprised to find out that Zackary was using a conventional browser with a popular search engine. I thought to myself, “Wow, How frustrating for Zackary” – Zac needed a tool to provide the best sites and protect him from undesirable content.”

This can be extremely true. Konner is a wiz when it comes to the computer. However, there are some very inappropriate things that are very easy to find. With Zac Browser we don’t have to worry as much about what he is doing on the computer.

The browser is very easy to use. You go the website and push the download button. It installs an icon on the desktop which is easy to find and takes you directly to a page with six other icons. These will serve to link the child to kid-friendly pages including an aquarium, television, stories, music, games, and whiteboard.

The aquarium is simply a page with fish swimming around an underwater scene. This seems too minimal, but trust me it used to be one of Konner’s favorite things. In fact, when he was in kindergarten his teacher had a similar item in his safe room and he loved it. It would keep him occupied for a while and calm him.

The television link includes many videos that he can connect with and enjoy for hours. This is great because Konner has recently discovered youtube.com. The problem with youtube is that anyone can upload videos. I have been sitting in the living room and overheard some of the videos that he has downloaded on youtube and had to run to the computer to stop it. With this I don’t have to worry.

The stories button will take you to classic tales which are read aloud. They are also animated which grabs the child’s attention. When I was looking at the site I turned one on and both boys ran to me to watch. One turned into three. I finally had to turn it off so I could continue writing.

The music page included interactive music games and sites. This of course if a favorite of mine, but when I was checking this out Konner got behind me and was entranced at one of the sites. There were band members that you could turn on an off with different styles of music and instruments. It was by FisherPrice and played popular children’s songs.

Games are what Konner used to enjoy the most. He would play with games that were very interactive, and geared toward children on the spectrum. There are also popular games from Angry Birds to Dora and Calliou.

Whiteboard is basically a draw and paint game. This keeps him entertained and lets him explore his creative side. When asked Konner said this and the games were his two favorite things about Zac Browser.

He doesn’t use this as much as he used to, mostly because he has outgrown some of the things on it. The other reason is that he learned how to explore using it and has moved on to other sites. Occasionally he will get on this though and play for hours.

The best part of this is that it is a free download. The site says that, “Over the past 3 years, Zac Browser has helped over 2.5 million children from around the world with autism by providing a free software solution filled with activities and videos.”

I think this is actually a great tool for a child of any age with or without a disability.

Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming to be an expert. I’m just a father who is trying to learn as much about Autism as I can to help my child. I hope that you all can learn from me, and I from you. I ask anyone who has questions or comments about something I have written, or autism, please contact me at pervasiveparenting@hotmail.com. I will try to answer questions as I have time, and if I find it interesting enough I may touch on it in my column.

Volunteers of America

As a parent of a special needs child one of the biggest concerns is always what’s going to happen to them when they get older. As we age we realize that we will not always be around for our children. This is a concern for all parents, but if you have a special needs child you really begin to get scared. If you have an autistic child who is high functioning you tend to tell yourself that your child would be okay on their own, but if they are more severe on the spectrum you know that they will need assistance for the rest of their lives. Either way there is uncertainty. This is where one state program can help to ease this anxiety. The OK-AIM program works to make sure that adults with special needs are taken care of, and they are currently in need of volunteers.

According to the website (http://www.ddadvocacy.net) Oklahoma Advocates Involved in Monitoring (OK-AIM) was “created by the State of Oklahoma to ensure that people with developmental disabilities live quality lives and receive the best possible community-based residential services.”

The backbone of the program is the group of volunteers that monitor the homes of individuals in need. According to Susan Reed, Area III Field Coordinator, the program is in need of more help. One of the main regions of concern is the Poteau area, but they can use assistance throughout the state.

So you may ask yourself what these volunteers do. According to the site they visit homes of people in their area with developmental disabilities to observe the quality of life inside the residence. They then give the information to the OK-AIM staff so they can make the proper adjustments for the residents.

During a home visit, a team of two volunteer monitors will evaluate four distinct areas:

1. Regard for the Individual

2. Personal Growth

3. Staff

4. Physical Setting

Written responses are sent to volunteers so they know when unsatisfactory items they may have reported are corrected, improved, or changed. This lets the volunteer know that what they are doing is truly helping improve a person’s way of life.

Individuals with developmental disabilities, members of their families, and interested Oklahomans are welcome and encouraged to enroll as OK-AIM volunteers. Volunteers receive training and materials that prepare them to make monitoring visits.

This is important for the individuals out there without families to care for them. They have nobody else to make sure they are getting the proper services they need.

This is a great program for anyone who enjoys working with individuals with disabilities. You also get the chance to make new friends in areas you may not have thought of before. If you become part of this great program you will have a coordinator to help you with the process. Reed said that all travel is reimbursed as well as some meal expenses. There are no degree requirements to become a volunteer.

One volunteer shared the following story on the website:

“We were visiting a young man who proudly lived in his own apartment. While we were there we asked him about smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. He showed us the fire extinguisher in his kitchen but when we tested his smoke alarm it didn't work. I decided to check the batteries, and upon looking, found there weren't any in the detector. He said that he had taken them out for his remote control car and forgot to get more. The other monitor and I went to the store and purchased some new batteries and put them in the alarm for him. He hugged us both and said "Now I can sleep tonight". We both laughed and left with happy hearts knowing that he was safe and that we had a life-long friend. To this day whenever he sees us, he comes and gives us a hug and reminds us of the time we bought him batteries for his smoke alarm.”

There is a very good video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikCs6PEMyX8 that explains the program with help from volunteers.

Volunteers are needed in all parts of the state to make monitoring visits. For information, e-mail OK-AIM at okaim@ddadvocacy.net or call the OK-AIM Coordinator Susan Reed at 877-255-1196.

Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming to be an expert. I’m just a father who is trying to learn as much about Autism as I can to help my child. I hope that you all can learn from me, and I from you. I ask anyone who has questions or comments about something I have written, or autism, please contact me at pervasiveparenting@hotmail.com. I will try to answer questions as I have time, and if I find it interesting enough I may touch on it in my column.

Parents Just Don't Understand

I had a gentleman at church approach me the other day and ask if I was open to ideas about things to help with Konner. I of course said, “Sure I’m up for suggestions”, and he proceeded to talk about things he might be able to pass onto me. This seems harmless, but it can sometimes cause more issues that expected.

This is a loaded question after all. When he asked he was a little hesitant. This is because parents can sometimes take offense to other people telling them how to raise their children. Even if they are only trying to help it can seem like they are just trying to say, “You’re not doing it right, here is what you should do.” This is especially true for a parent of a child with special needs. I mean, how can YOU tell me something about my child. You have no idea what I deal with everyday.

I knew this is not what he was saying, but in the past I have felt this way several times. Anytime someone says, “Have you tried this?” I want to say, “No, I’ve lived under a rock and can’t research anything.” “We’ve only recently (four years ago) had this diagnosed, I haven’t had the time to check out some things.” Or, “Oh, and what is your child’s diagnosis?”

After all, why do they think they know better? What makes them the expert? Do they know all the research that I’ve done over the years? Don’t they know the old saying that once you’ve met one child with autism you’ve met one child with autism? Don’t they know that what could be good for their neighbor’s child, their grandchild, or the child down the road may not be good for all children?

The answer is no. They are just trying to help. This is something we have to continue to remind ourselves.

It’s tough enough to raise a child with a disability, you take everything offensively. What you should do is be nice and say, “Thanks for the advice, I’ll look into it.” This is what I try to do.

Let me share my top five pieces of advice I get most often:

1.       You should take that child out and spank him. This is one that I’ve never heard directly, but I know some that have, and have heard it uttered under the breath of fellow restaurant patrons. This only makes matters worse. Trust me, I have tried.

2.       Have you tried the gluten-free diet? This is a great one. Not that the diet doesn’t work. It has been shown to work with numerous children. The problem is that some kids, like Konner, have a hard enough time eating as it is. There are only certain items we can get him to eat, and for a while we couldn’t even get him to eat his favorites.

3.       Isn’t there a special school where you can take him? Look, I don’t even know where to start with this one. Yes there is. It’s expensive. It’s not very close or logical. It’s better for us to leave him in a mainstream environment. We need to change this way of thinking for society. The list goes on and on with this one.

4.       Have you looked into therapy? Yes, we have so much therapy in a week that we probably couldn’t squeeze anymore in if we wanted to, or could afford to.

5.       Are you sure he’s autistic?  Ok, I don’t get this one as much I you would think, but when he was first diagnosed we had several “experts” tell us, “I don’t think he’s autistic.” Well, the diagnosis from a psychologist who specializes in autism seems to disagree.

6.       Oh, I’m so sorry. While this is not advice it does rank up there. I think the most annoying person to tell me this was the pediatrician when we first found out. I always say, “I’m not asking for sympathy, just understanding.”

7.       You shouldn’t take him to the (store, restaurant, etc.). Great advice if he had a disease that was contagious. I’m sorry that he’s ruining your meal and disturbing your night out. I’m actually using the time in public to help him deal with this so that he isn’t like this for the rest of his life. Thanks for helping him deal with rude people. That will also come in handy later in life.

8.       You should make more time for yourself, or You and your wife should go out and get away. This is also good advice. The tough part of this is finding childcare. We can’t just leave the boys with anyone. It’s tough getting someone who knows how to deal with Konner. The family helps out so much. They are a blessing to say the least, but they have lives too. It’s not as easy as it sounds. And, both boys together is like a death wish for a babysitter.

9.       My child had a meltdown the other day. I’ve expressed this one before, but it is a pet peeve of mine. Let me explain that until you’ve had a child with autism, or other related issue, you’ve never really seen a meltdown. I’m not trying to downplay a good temper tantrum; I’m just saying that an uncontrollable outburst is much more difficult than a child trying to get his/her way. When you’ve looked into a child’s eyes and have seen that glassy, helpless look and know that there is nothing you can do to comfort them you understand the powerless feeling of a meltdown, and the pain that your child is in.

10.   What do you think causes autism? Man, that is a great question. I have several opinions, but I couldn’t tell you for sure. If I knew I’d probably be rich. I know it’s just someone asking an innocent query though.

What we really need to do is just listen to each other. There have been several occasions where those parents, who are just trying to help, have given me some advice that was truly helpful. I’ve even used some information from researching them for my column. The main thing is to do what they are doing and spread the word. This is the true idea behind starting my column, and in a sense I’m just doing what they are trying to do by sharing that information with others.

For those who have given me this advice, or asked these questions, I don’t want to give the wrong impression, although I think at this point it’s going to sound bad either way. Don’t think I don’t appreciate the advice because I truly do. I really take every piece of advice the best way, and research because, as I’ve said before, we have to do everything we can to help our children.

Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming to be an expert. I’m just a father who is trying to learn as much about Autism as I can to help my child. I hope that you all can learn from me, and I from you. I ask anyone who has questions or comments about something I have written, or autism, please contact me at pervasiveparenting@hotmail.com. I will try to answer questions as I have time, and if I find it interesting enough I may touch on it in my column.

Laughed Until We Cried

Recently babble.com released their Top 30 Autism Spectrum Blogs of 2012. As I began to research some of these I found some interesting sites that I would like to share with you. All of the sites are very informative, but some were more entertaining and insightful.

Let me begin by saying that I didn’t even know what babble.com was until I found this email from one of the many autism organizations I subscribe to. This site in its self is a great source for any parent. The site is listed being “for a new generation of parents.” It includes information for all parents, not just those with special needs children. There are so many links on this page for the whole family that I can’t even begin to describe them. However, if you are looking for advice, self-help, or resources for anything related to parenting you can probably find it here.

As I was looking through the list I realized that there were many differences between these blogs and what I do each week. While I recently started my own blog at http://pervasiveparenting.blogspot.com/, I only use it to chronicle my weekly column and give my followers an easier way to access the articles. The parents who are included in the top 30 list basically open the window to their souls and speak out about everything that is going on in their world. This is a venting session for many of them. The good, bad, and ugly are shown on the pages of their blogs. Of course they are all different, and some are research based, so that’s not completely true.

I’ve always viewed this as more of a way for me to share my research and opinion while mixing in some anecdotes from my life with my son.

That being said, there were several that I liked. In fact, I liked most, but some more than others.

“Adventures in Asperger’s” is a blog developed by a father from Shawnee, Ok. While it has some interesting, and funny stories, it also is nice to see a father’s perspective. It is also nice to have someone from Oklahoma on the list. He shares his point-of-view on his children with special needs.

“Adventures in Extreme Parenting” takes one mom’s obsession with Ryan Gossling and uses it to give a funny twist to a stressful life. I think every mother should check this one out, but every parent would get a kick out of Sunday Stillwell’s sense of humor. Stillwell is also an Oklahoma native hailing from Bartlesville, and leads us on a list of escapades with her sons she dubbed the “Trouble Brothers”.

“Autism Army Mom” has another funny look at motherhood. This woman holds nothing back as she explains the things she finds irritating about the world of autism.

“Autism Daddy” is a blog from a father who has an eight-year-old son with severe/classic autism. There is some great information and advice for all parents, but especially those who have someone on the more severe side of the spectrum.

Along the same lines; “Big Daddy Autism” is a funny look at the world of parenting a child on the spectrum. The author of this one, F. Lewis Stark, adds cartoons and hilarity to help explain his son’s quirks. One of his latest blogs is a synopsis of why his son is like the beloved 80s television character ALF.

“Laughing Through the Tears” is just what is says. It’s another fun look at autism while trying to avoid the frustration of everyday living. I particularly liked the blog about scouting. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but it is a funny look at one family’s view of joining scouts.

There are some blogs that give you an inside view of autism from those who are living with it directly. “Amy’s Tiny Corner of Existence”, “Dude, I’m an Aspie”, “From Inside the Heart”, and “Aspie From Main” are two example of this. They include stories of growing up with autism, and the day-to-day dealings of two adults diagnosed with Asperger’s.

There are also several that include interviews with national authors, doctors, and experts on autism. “Autism Radio UK”, “Autism Women’s Network Podcast”, and “Hope Saves the Day”.

These are only a few blogs on the list. If you would like to check out the list you can go to http://www.babble.com/baby/baby-development/top-autism-blog/.

I did notice that the blogs I enjoyed the most were the funny ones. I think that’s because sometimes if we didn’t laugh we would cry…or scream. We all need an outlet for our frustrations, and everyone wants to know that they are not alone in their problems.

I hope everyone enjoys these.

Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming to be an expert. I’m just a father who is trying to learn as much about Autism as I can to help my child. I hope that you all can learn from me, and I from you. I ask anyone who has questions or comments about something I have written, or autism, please contact me at pervasiveparenting@hotmail.com. I will try to answer questions as I have time, and if I find it interesting enough I may touch on it in my column.