It was a pleasure to interview Chris Superville and Shanté Nicole Harris-Superville to discuss autism and marriage. We rarely get to hear about the marriages that are working for autism families. I know some married couples raising children on the spectrum and I know single parents doing the same. It can have its challenges either way. Yet, all of these families are doing their … [Read more...]
Interview: How to Prepare Autistic Children for Adulthood
Janet Mino, a special education teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Newark, NJ won the hearts of autism families when she appeared in the PBS documentary, Best Kept Secret. The documentary features Mino and four autistic minority students who are about to "age out" of the school system. As their high school graduation rapidly approaches, Mino is determined to help … [Read more...]
Two Weeks Later: The Search for Avonte Oquendo Continues
It has been two long weeks since Avonte Oquendo ran out of the Riverview School in Long Island City, Queens. Can you imagine not knowing where your child is for two weeks? I can’t. Avonte’s disappearance has mobilized the autism community and New York City in a way that can be described in three words: This Is Personal! I know that this is personal for me. I also have a son … [Read more...]
Finding Avonte: How Can We Keep Children With Autism Safe?
At 12:38 pm on Friday, October 4th, surveillance footage shows 14-year old Avonte Oquendo running out of The Riverview School in Long Island City, Queens. Avonte is autistic and nonverbal. What haunts me about this footage is that no one stopped him from leaving. One second we see Avonte running out of the school building and then the next second we see him running down the … [Read more...]
Autism: What You Should Do Before and After the Diagnosis
The fact that autism is diagnosed later in minority children saddens me. It saddens me, but it also motivates me to be even more diligent about spreading autism awareness in my community. Our children are beginning the race when children of other races are already on their third lap. Angel was not diagnosed with autism until he turned four. Here is the action plan that I … [Read more...]
Let’s Talk About Autism; It’s Time to Speak Up
Angel’s autism diagnosis thrust me into a world that was foreign to me. A world that was full of unknowns. As a community, we have no problem telling others when we have conditions like diabetes, arthritis, or even hypertension. In fact, we shout these diagnoses from the rooftops. However, some families decide to keep their child's autism diagnosis a secret. I am a firm … [Read more...]
Facing Autism: My Journey to Acceptance PT II
Click here to read Facing Autism: My Journey to Acceptance PT I In fall 2011, I found out that my four-year old son was cognitively 1.8 years old. Life had just gotten real. Of all the words that were written on Angel’s school progress report, those were the words that hit me the hardest. At this point in our journey, we were finally facing the fact that our son needed … [Read more...]
Facing Autism: My Journey to Acceptance PT I
Our first meeting about Angel’s developmental progress is one that I will never forget. It was the first time that someone suggested that he may be on the autism spectrum. This was four years ago and back then I had no idea that we were just beginning our journey with autism. I remember my husband and I walking into the meeting room with our two-year old, Angel. He … [Read more...]