Archive
I am a 26 years old with autism and many attention-seeking behaviors. What causes them? I am verbal.
Today’s “Got Questions?” answer comes from Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geri Dawson, PhD
Thanks so much for your question. There are many reasons why a person with autism would engage in many attention seeking behaviors. Perhaps you would like to socially interact and make friends with others, but aren’t quite sure the best way to do this. If you are being ignored by others, this might lead you to repeat your attempts to interact again and again.
If you are engaging in a behavior that is ritualized (exactly the same each time) and repetitive, it might reflect a general tendency to engage in repetitive behaviors, which is a symptom of autism. With appropriate guidance, you can learn more appropriate ways of seeking attention and this will help you develop more satisfying relationships with others. Seeking the help of a psychologist or behavior analyst may be particularly beneficial.
For more information and resources, you can follow these links to our pages on Applied Behavioral Analysis, Adults with Autism and Adult Services.
Got more questions? Send them to GotQuestions@autismspeaks.org, and join Dr. Dawson for her next “Office Hours” webchat with co-host, Joe Horrigan, MD, Autism Speaks assistant vice president and head of medical research (first Thursday of every month at 3 pm Eastern).
What does an organic Santa Cruz microbrewery have in common with a national big-box chain store like Costco?
Kate Bemesderfer is the Lead Instructor, at the Coryell Autism Center, Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing (SCMB) has earned a solid and well-deserved reputation for being more than just a purveyor of tasty organic microbrews and sustainable brewing practices. Brewery owners Chad Brill and Emily Thomas and their talented staff play a major role in Santa Cruz, California community-building. They have high standards, open hearts, and a creative, collaborative approach to just about everything they do. So it is fitting that, on top of everything else they do, SCMB is proving itself to be a valuable ally to the disability community by partnering with Coryell Autism Center to provide job opportunities for our students with autism.
When we approached Chad & Emily about offering an internship to Hunter, they took him in and treated him like one of their own, giving him real work and real compensation from the beginning. No one at SCMB had much familiarity with autism or developmental disabilities, and the learning curve has at times been sharp. Like anyone, Hunter has the occasional bad day at work, which means that his coworkers have seen him at his most difficult. That’s why it’s been so impressive to see the staff of SCMB continue to accept and encourage Hunter to be his best. It turns out that he has the same effect on them. As Nicole Beatie, who handles Sales & Distribution for SCMB, puts it, “He’s not really different from any of us. He just needs a little more guidance than some, and probably less than others. Everyone here has been patient and understanding with him, and that has made me feel good about the other folks I work with, too.”
After six months on the job, Hunter is a valued part of the SCMB team, and it’s a team that Hunter likes being on. Every bottle of beer the brewery produces is hand-labeled by Hunter, who has learned not only to handle the labeling by himself, but to keep track of the inventory, and to set up the tap room and patio in time for opening. He works at the same rate as anyone else (sometimes faster). He troubleshoots when supplies are missing, mislaid, or malfunctioning. He keeps track of his work, noticing and correcting errors. And he interacts both socially and professionally with the brewery staff, becoming an active part of his own community. With Hunter’s help, the brewery has been getting bigger. As the brewery continues to expand, so, too, do Hunter’s opportunities. It’s a lot of work to keep up with the growing demand, so when the opportunity to increase distribution came to the brewery, Chad and Emily came to Hunter.
Not only is SCMB gearing up to open a second pub in Felton, but they’ve recently contracted with Costco—another of 
Hunter’s favorite places—to create 6-pack gift boxes of their most popular brews. Once the beer is in the bottles and the bottles are in the warehouse, the job of filling the Costco order falls primarily to Hunter. SCMB has moved their post-production and storage from the small garage where Hunter started to a much larger warehouse a little farther down the road, so he rides his bike to work instead of walking. Now, labeling bottles is just the first step in a process that involves taping together gift boxes, filling them with the bottles, sealing them with a hot glue gun, and organizing the finished product on a pallet, all while maintaining a retail-worthy aesthetic. Hunter takes pride in getting it done right and making it look good. It’s hard work, but it pays off—literally. Hunter receives both a WorkAbility paycheck and trade from the brewery. His favorite part of his shift comes at the end, when he returns to the pub for a nice frosty pint…of root beer!
For more information about Coryell Autism Center visit: www.CoryellAutismCenter.org
Family Services Offices Hours – 8/10/11
The Family Services Department at Autism Speaks will now offer online Office Hours each Wednesday, starting August 3, 2011, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT
Office Hours, a new resource available on the web at www.autismspeaks.org will easily connect families to a wide variety of autism-related resources, including Family Services’ Toolkits, and the Autism Speaks Resource Guide, an online national database of autism providers and resources searchable by state and zip code. Family Services’ Office Hours is designed to quickly provide access to resources that are available and free to the entire autism community.
“Having a family member with autism can easily lead to feeling isolated without knowing where to turn. In addition, most families have little free time to search for reliable information about autism, yet they may be in need of timely information. Office Hours offers a quick connection to the Autism Response Team(ART) who can assist you in getting the information you need as quickly as possible,” states Marianne Sullivan, Assistant Director of National Outreach and Resources.
The Office Hours resource is staffed by ART coordinators who are specially trained to connect families affected by autism to resources.
In addition to Office Hours, ART is available by telephone during usual business hours at 888-AUTISM 2 (888-288-4762). You can also reach ART by email at familyservices@autismspeaks.org.
Here is the transcript:
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The School Community Tool Kit provides information and resources for general education and administrative school staff to support a positive school experience for children with autism.
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Autism Speaks Family Services Office Hours 8/3/11
The Family Services Department at Autism Speaks will now offer online Office Hours each Wednesday, starting August 3, 2011, from 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT
Office Hours, a new resource available on the web at www.autismspeaks.org will easily connect families to a wide variety of autism-related resources, including Family Services’ Toolkits, and the Autism Speaks Resource Guide, an online national database of autism providers and resources searchable by state and zip code. Family Services’ Office Hours is designed to quickly provide access to resources that are available and free to the entire autism community.
“Having a family member with autism can easily lead to feeling isolated without knowing where to turn. In addition, most families have little free time to search for reliable information about autism, yet they may be in need of timely information. Office Hours offers a quick connection to the Autism Response Team(ART) who can assist you in getting the information you need as quickly as possible,” states Marianne Sullivan, Assistant Director of National Outreach and Resources.
The Office Hours resource is staffed by ART coordinators who are specially trained to connect families affected by autism to resources.
In addition to Office Hours, ART is available by telephone during usual business hours at 888-AUTISM 2 (888-288-4762). You can also reach ART by email at familyservices@autismspeaks.org.
Here is the transcript:
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“Honey, an ABC News Film Crew is Coming on Monday …”
This post is written by Liz Bell, mother of Tyler Bell, who was recently featured in an ABC World News Today segment on preparing adolescents with autism for adulthood. Liz is married to Peter Bell, Autism Speaks Executive Vice President of Programs and Services. They have two other children, Derek and Avery. Liz is a member of the Autism Speaks Family Services Committee and was the primary author of the School Community Tool Kit. In addition, she serves on the Parent Advisory Committee for the Autism Speaks Transition Tool Kit which is under development and scheduled to be launched this fall. Liz is also a representative on the New Jersey Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment for Autism.
Great, we might share the intense teaching and planning required in making the future of a young man with autism a little less uncertain. We can highlight the variable needs of this growing tide of soon-to-be adults with autism.
But “yikes!” How will my 17-year-old son behave in front of complete strangers with a camera in his face all day? What if this complicated message gets garbled, highlighting the challenges but not the gifts, the needs but not the opportunities?
Thankfully, Tyler greeted that camera with a grin on his face, and followed the flow of a familiar daily schedule in his hard working, innocent way. The ABC team turned eight hours of filming into a three-minute segment that helps to profile the needs of young people like Tyler, and hopefully initiates consideration of their place in the world. Now online, the story has sparked a conversation, which is a great thing.
But we need to keep talking. Some online comments outline the variable needs of the autism population – from college graduates who have trouble keeping a job to complex children with no language and few functional skills. We need options for all individuals on this broad spectrum. Other comments offer traditional ‘solutions.’ He can get Medicaid, sign up for get SSI, set up a special needs trust. True, these programs may provide some money, until it runs out, but how do you maximize its ability to provide a meaningful life, to establish supports that will take over once we are gone? You can place him in a sheltered workshop or a group home. Perhaps an option for the handful of individuals for whom there is space and funding, but this old model of isolated care won’t accommodate all of our kids…or be what they want. And that is the part of the conversation that we really need to move forward. How do we create the systems, opportunities and community mindset that will allow all individuals with autism the right to be safe, but also engaged, fulfilled and happy?
During that day of filming, while the rest of us were self conscious, for Tyler the camera was superfluous. But the cameraman was not, quickly noticing that, despite how hard it clearly is for Tyler to learn, he exhibits pride in accomplishment. For him, competence breeds confidence, so we teach him skills that make him feel useful and valued. We strive to fulfill his needs for humor, exercise, beauty, and joy. We want to develop a future that will allow Tyler to grow, not just to be taken care of, and to flourish.
Visioning this is a lot of responsibility for a parent, so we employed group brainstorming in a MAPS session, expertly facilitated by Dave Hasbury of Neighbours, Inc., where we explored Tyler’s strengths, likes, and possible opportunities, to keep us working in what we hope to be the right direction. We are heartened by a team of people who now have a shared perspective of where he might go.
But it is still mostly up to us to make it happen. We learn as we go. We build on strengths and we layer on, tiny step by tiny step, experiences and skills that help to create more independence, more joy. We immerse Tyler in the world and build a community that better understands him. We look to what motivates Tyler, and find ways to use his gifts to provide meaningful contributions to society and a sense of belonging. We reach out for help.
Last year, we asked the friendly owners of our local Rita’s Water Ice store if Tyler might have a volunteer job. We explained that job sampling is a big factor in strategizing for Tyler’s future. Since they had already opened their hearts to Tyler as a frequent customer, they gave him a Rita’s hat and the chance for us to work with him, as he worked for them. This year, it’s a paid job – just an hour or so a week, but an opportunity to punch a clock, have a boss and be ‘professional.’ Does he do the same work as the other teenagers there? No, but they value his smile, the fact that he joins them in dancing when they are so moved, and that he doesn’t pull out his phone to text in the middle of his shift. Yes, these are gifts, as is the perspective of Tyler’s Rita’s bosses, who recognize and celebrate his contributions.
And so Tyler earns a paycheck, the most important predictor of paid work after graduation. But he doesn’t work for that – it’s his favorite Cotton Candy water ice that compensates him for a job well done. And his pride.
After the filming, the rest of our family decided that we aren’t cut out for reality TV – life is complicated enough without having to turn off a mic to use the bathroom. But we would like to continue to be part of this conversation, in visioning meaningful lives for all families living with autism. After all, our children have a right to an amazing future.
The End of the IEP and the Beginning of “Reasonable Accommodations”
This guest post is by Autism Speaks staffer Kerry Magro. Kerry, an adult who has autism, is a rising senior at Seton Hall University, majoring in Sports Management. He started an Autism Speaks U Chapter: Student Disability Awareness on campus to help spread awareness and raise funds for those affected by autism. Autism Speaks U is a program designed for college students who host awareness, advocacy and fundraising events. It is an exciting and collaborative way for students to raise funds and awareness for Autism Speaks, while supporting their local autism communities.
In June 2007, I graduated from high school. It was an amazing time for me. The majority of my classmates and I were off to great new beginnings. My new beginning began at Seton Hall University. “This is going to be great!” I thought to myself on many occasions before the first day of classes.
Before this day happened however all new incoming freshman had to attend a summer “Orientation Period.” During this period we would have the chance to spend the night in the freshman dorms, receive our laptops and also get to meet several faculty members at the school. In addition to this, I had one additional separate meeting that most of the other freshman didn’t – an accommodation meeting with The Director of Disability Support Services at SHU. This is when the ball dropped for me.
During the meeting I learned many intriguing and frightening things about how college was going to be a huge difference from high school; the main difference for me was going to be “The IEP.” When I asked what the difference would be, I was told the difference was I would not have one. I can’t believe I was that oblivious that this was going to happen. Later, I learned that under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) the IEP only exists K-12th grade. At the college door you get a Section 504 accommodations plan.
In college, you only receive “reasonable accommodations” to help make the classes accessible to those specific students with disabilities. The bottom line: there is no plan for you. The only way to receive what you need is by being independent and advocating for your needs. But what does anyone need? If you are a freshman and have autism how do you explain what you need?
At times, this led to many distractions that never would have occurred when I was younger. Sometimes I thought it was unfair. I had to advocate for my own single room in the dorms due to my social complications, extended time on tests for my reading comprehension, a note taker for my classes due to my lack of motor skills and many other complications. For someone trying to fit in it seemed like it was designed to make you stand out like a sore thumb. It even seemed as if as soon as I accomplished one of these tasks, the next semester would begin and it would start all over again for my new courses which required different accommodations.
When you add this to managing a full course load, trying to socialize with your fellow peers, along with being involved in extra-curricular activities, it can sometimes feels like you are drowning. I mean, “reasonable accommodations” are supposed to help level the playing field, not hinder you in any way. There isn’t a “reasonable accommodation” for that.
Although getting accommodations sometimes was daunting, I was still able to get by and will be going through the same process again with Disability Support Services come this September in my senior year at Seton Hall. For several semesters now I sit up front and tape most of my classes and download the recordings onto my computer, instead of utilizing a note taker. Never would have thought of that freshman year. For those reading who are younger and not yet in college, my advice is to sit in on as many IEP meetings as you can. Learn and ask as many questions as possible. The letters after your diagnosis don’t tell you if you need extended time or a note taker, but knowing if you are a visual or auditory learner may. Within this I would also strongly consider letting your parents be involved in some of your early decision making, especially when it includes freshman year accommodations. Independence is not grown over night and we all need that added voice sometimes to make sure we are level-headed and knowing exactly what we are getting ourselves into.
As many say early intervention is the key once first diagnosed, early intervention for those on the spectrum in college (and high school for that matter as well) is the key to ultimate success. What I’ve noticed about autism over the years is that it’s not a weakness unless you let it become one. Don’t let it hinder you. Let the advantages of who you are and what you have to offer be your ability to make it at the college level; just always know what your weaknesses are so you can be ready for whatever is to come next!
Kudos to Ryan Hemphill and Best Buy
As a society, we have an obligation to secure a brighter future for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. By taking action now, we can ensure that adults with autism break free of the all-too-common status of “dependency” and become engaged, involved and ideally, tax-paying, members of their communities. It is time to develop and drive policies that provide for life-long living and learning with autism. Last year, in response to this urgent need, Autism Speaks assisted in the formation of Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism (AFAA), a national consortium seeking to create meaningful futures for adults with autism that include homes, jobs, recreation, friends and supportive communities.
We love to share success stories of adults who have autism and we also look to recognize socially responsible companies who help them on their path to independence. The video below highlights Ryan, an adult with Asperger Syndrome and his positive experience working at Best Buy.
We also would like to recognize Best Buy for its efforts in hiring adults with autism and developing their careers. Best Buy has a new program called FACE – Facing Autism in a Caring Environment. FACE is a Focused Involvement Network (FIN) at Best Buy. The mission of FACE is to build a community of Best Buy employees that will promote awareness of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and support their families through networking, the sharing of resources and providing encouragement. The campaign was launched this month at Best Buy, and Ryan was a big part of the launch at the Best Buy headquarters in Minneapolis.
Join us in congratulating Ryan on his success (and the new car he bought with his earnings!) and in thanking Best Buy for its efforts to employ adults with autism to promote their independence.
Inspiring Futures for Adults with Autism
The documentarian Tom Murray, left, with his brother Chris in "Dad's in Heaven With Nixon."Photo credit: NYT.com
This guest post is by Peter Bell, executive vice president for programs and services at Autism Speaks. Peter and his wife, Liz, reside in New Jersey with their three children. Their eldest son, Tyler, has autism.
From the moment my wife and I heard the words “your son has autism,” we knew our lives as a family would never be the same. The concerns and challenges that come with raising a child with autism are many. But the one concern that always lingers, and intensifies when our kids become teenagers, is: what does the future hold for our child?
Our son Tyler is now 17 and we are immersed in planning his future. As we navigate our way through his “transition,” it’s becoming abundantly clear that Tyler’s future, including the ability to maximize his potential and give him a life of dignity, rests largely on our shoulders. There’s no manual to guide us. There’s no pot of money to help us find him a job, establish a home or help integrate him into the community. And we have found very few examples of adults living with autism at Tyler’s level of functioning who are thriving, leading a life of independence and purpose that are making us look forward to the future. Instead we forge ahead like pioneers heading into new territory determined to find him a better life.
A recent documentary, however, has helped reduce our anxiety and inspired cautious optimism about Tyler’s future and what lies before us. “Dad’s in Heaven with Nixon” is an 86-minute film that first premiered on the Showtime Network in early April and is scheduled to re-air on Father’s Day (June 20) at 3 p.m. ET. If you want an inspiring glimpse of what autism might look like as our children reach adulthood, then this movie is a must-see.
You may already be asking, “What does a film about Nixon have to do with autism?” In reality, nothing. The film chronicles the life of a family from New York City who has been living with autism for almost 50 years. The second youngest of five children, Chris Murray was born at a time when the prevailing medical belief was “refrigerator mothers” caused the emotional damage to their children that presented as autism. But in this case, his mother Janice was warm and caring like most moms. She did have a premonition during her pregnancy that things were going to be different with Chris. Unfortunately her instincts were correct and Chris suffered from oxygen deprivation during what turned out to be a very traumatic birth. It wasn’t until years later that he was diagnosed with autism. Through the use of beautifully restored home movies and the insightful narration of filmmaker Tom Murray (the eldest Murray child), we recognize that autism in the 1960’s was pretty much the same as it is today, despite altered hairstyles and fashions of the supporting cast.
Fast forward to present day, Chris is now a 50-year-old man living a purposeful and rewarding life in New Haven, Connecticut. In the early 1980’s he attended Chapel Haven, a transitional residential program serving adults with cognitive disabilities. He graduated from that program well over 25 years ago and he now lives on his own and works two jobs: one at a local hospital and the other at a health food store. During his free time, he is an accomplished artist. His paintings, mostly of buildings and landmarks from his native New York City, are in high demand by art collectors and aficionados, including Gloria Vanderbilt. Although he could easily make a living selling his artwork to the rich and famous, he prefers to work his two jobs and lead a simple life. He is happy and content, safe, living his life mostly on his own. He creates art not for fame or profit, but for the experience of the art itself. Mission accomplished in our book.
Another prominent message of this film, one that will probably resonate with many families in our community, is that autism is just one part of the fabric that shapes the dynamics of a family. Every family has a story, and in the case of the Murrays, we learn that the experiences and attitudes of other family members, in both current and previous generations, have had a profound effect on the lives of everyone in that family. It was not only Chris’ autism that provided a challenge for the Murray family, but the additional layer of mental illness and the devastating damage with accompanying resilience in some, that make this film so riveting.
Which brings us back to the title – “Dad’s in Heaven with Nixon”. Without giving it away, the title comes from a comment Chris makes on camera and a perspective and simplicity that would seem odd to most people – but maybe not so strange to those who share life with a loved one with autism. While talking with his brother Tom many years after his father’s death, Chris shares his insights into death and heaven, concepts that are hard for anyone to grasp, but especially difficult for those on the spectrum. At a time when your heart begins to feel heavy and your eyes want to well up, Chris magically lightens up the moment with his priceless comment. At this instance, it all makes perfect sense.
With Father’s Day right around the corner (Showtime also did a showing on Mother’s Day), here’s an uplifting and hopeful film that all families with a loved one affected by autism should take the time to see. If you’re like me, this is a film that’ll stick with you. And I hope you share the sense of hope, optimism, and, perhaps most important of all, awe at the power of love, that my family experienced.
As Janice Murray poignantly says towards the end of the film: “Love really can make miracles happen.” Now that’s inspiring.
Visit the film’s website and join the conversation on its Facebook page.
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Destination: Independence
To date, Autism Speaks has funded $1.9 million in Family Services Community Grants to more than 100 service organizations around the country in the areas of education, recreation; equipment/supportive technology and young adults/adults. The following is from one of our recipients from 2008, the Asperger’s Association of New England which serves individuals with Asperger Syndrome throughout New England:
The Asperger’s Association of New England, or AANE, is very grateful for the generous grant from Autism Speaks that allowed us to offer the Destination: Independence program. Destination: Independence consisted of a series of four courses on independent living skills, reinforced through one-on-one coaching under AANE’s Life Management Assistance Program (LifeMAP). Destination: Independence was designed to meet the practical needs of young adults with AS, who tend to be less mature than neurotypical young adults, are often stuck in their attempts to establish independent lives, and are less likely to be able to resolve their problems though traditional interventions such as “talk therapy.” Participants were able to learn independent living skills in a hands-on manner; learned life tasks with the assistance of a coach; increased independence; and employed problem-solving, social interaction, relationship building, and social pragmatic skills.
One participant wrote on his evaluation form:
I wanted to give you a little feedback on what I am working on. As you may know, I am going to graduate from college in May and I do not think I would have passed this last course without the help of Destination: Adulthood and my LifeMAP coach. So I accomplished that goal. Now, I am working on volunteering at the JFK library and getting a part-time job. Thanks for the help, T.
Another wrote:
My LifeMap coach and I have been working on me learning how to use transportation which I think that I could still use practice on. We also worked on going grocery shopping and making healthy food and drink choices at the grocery store! She was helpful with my goals and I would like to continue to work with her.
A coach wrote:
I see increased confidence in the client due to my (the coach’s) validation of her struggles and challenges, and due to success in overcoming of obstacles. We are close in age and so I found that the client looked up to me like an older sister or just a role model. I noticed that my compliments and acceptance of who she was and my encouragement for her attempts at finding a job, acquiring a driver’s license, etc., helped her accept that while her pace might be slower than her peers’ she would eventually get there.
Another coach wrote:
The client, a recent (out-of-state) college graduate, was also very isolated and had the goal of maintaining social relationships, but it became clear that she did not have local relationships to maintain. The coach accompanied her to events at AANE initially, and eventually she began to attend on her own. The coach’s involvement in getting the client to come to AANE was instrumental in making new relationships and eventually led to the client joining a weekly AANE support group and connecting to a therapist through AANE as well.
Congratulations to AANE and Destination Independence on their wonderful program!
Autism Speaks in currently accepting Letters of Intent until June 10, 2010 – get those great ideas in to us so we can continue to serve the community! Please also visit our Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism initiative at www.afaa-us.org and “like us” on Facebook, where we regularly post articles and items of interest regarding adult issues and services.
In Their Own Words – Adults Still Need Help Making Friends
When people learn that my 23-year-old son, Matthew, has autism, the first question they ask is “is he mild or severe?” Even though I’ve been asked the question many, many times, I have a hard time answering it.
“He’s super quirky and socially inept,” I’ve been known to say, “and he wants a girlfriend in the worst way. It’s nearly impossible to make any kind of friend when you’re socially inept so I guess that makes his ‘case’ severe.”
Then I’ll give them an example. Here is my latest:
I took Matthew on a weekend trip from our home in the San Francisco Bay Area to Spokane, Washington. He’s been obsessed with visiting every state in the U.S., and after studying his atlas, he figured we could hit Washington, Idaho and Montana all in a day with time for lunch at a place where he could order pizza and fries.
“We could even go to Canada,” I suggested.
“Canada is not a state. Only states,” Matthew replied flatly, “and we’re not going to talk about it anymore.”
As soon as our plane landed, we picked up our rental car and started our journey, listening to Roy Orbison, the Beatles and Jimmy Buffett CDs that Matthew had stowed in his backpack. There was little conversation except for when we saw state welcome signs. “WELCOME TO IDAHO!” Matthew would announce with a face-breaking smile. Those moments alone, along with the breathtaking scenery, made the trip worthwhile. I was struck by how well this trip was going. I was actually looking forward to the fact that we had another entire day to explore the area some more.
After turning around after the Montana border, I asked Matthew where we should have dinner. Idaho or Washington?
“We had lunch in Idaho. We should have dinner in Washington.”
When we arrived at out hotel in Spokane and asked for a restaurant recommendation, the trouble started.
When I planned the trip to Washington, I could never have known that the hotel I picked was also the hotel that a team of female college lacrosse players had also selected, and that they would be bouncing around the pool (right by the front desk) in bikinis. I could never have known that they would mistake handsome Matthew for a “neurotypical” 23-year-old man, and invite him to join them in the jacuzzi later. I could not have predicted that after a quick dinner in the hotel restaurant, Matthew would wait by the jacuzzi for two hours until the girls showed up, and that they would giggle nervously when they figured out that Matthew was not what they expected – and then vanish.
Once back in our hotel room, as I tried to comfort my sobbing son, I thought of all the times I had said “don’t worry. You’ll meet a nice girl someday.” It occurred to me that the only way that if Matthew was going to have any kind of a friendship with a woman, I was going to need to help him.
And I developed a plan.
To learn more about my plan, and to follow its progression, go here.
Will the road ahead be tricky? You bet! But it is worth traveling for the sake of all our kids as they face adulthood.
Wish me luck.
This “In Their Own Words” essay is by Laura Shumaker. Laura is the author of “A REGULAR GUY: GROWING UP WITH AUTISM.” Join the discussion about her book on Facebook.
If you have a story you wish to share about your personal experience with autism, please send it to editors@autismspeaks.org. Autism Speaks reserves the right to edit contributions for space, style and content. Because of the volume of submissions, not all can be published on the site.
