The Joy of Autism

Adam’s Piano Recital 2012

Adam did really well at his piano recital yesterday and I’m so proud of him. I don’t take video because I want to be there in the moment with him, not ‘virtually there’ by making sure I got great photos. Grandfather is better at...

Published Mon, Jun 25 2012 10:14 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Adam

Happy OM

Should I be looking over my shoulder? As autism mom and son are confronted with many obstacles, feeling settled seems like something that will be stolen from us at any moment. Nevertheless, I’m going to write about how happy I feel today because...

Published Thu, Jun 21 2012 11:34 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Acceptance, Joy

The Insidious Implications of The Judge Rotenberg Center

When I watch parents defend the Judge Rotenberg Centre, I think of children who can go on “loving” their abusive parents. Parents are the way children survive. When we entrust schools to care for our children, it is disturbing to see how long...

Published Wed, Jun 13 2012 6:40 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: autism, school, Abuse

After The Wedding

Adam happily skipped down the aisle at his sister’s wedding. He didn’t sleep the night before, mind you, so I had to go with the flow. The question I asked myself was what was really important in this affair? First Adam, of course. If he were...

Published Tue, Jun 12 2012 7:55 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Adam, Development, Autism and Intelligence, Research, autism, Sensory Differences, Advocacy, Transitions, school, Ableism

Adam the Groomsman

It has been a busy week of winding down the school year, preparing for camp and… Adam’s eldest sister is getting married on Sunday. My boy will be walking down the aisle in front of hundreds of people in a tuxedo. How do we prepare our kids...

Published Fri, Jun 08 2012 7:34 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Inclusion, Family

The Purpose of Parenting Studies?

At IMFAR and with other researchers I meet, I am confronted with many requests to participate in “parent studies.” The purpose is to study what levels of stress, and how different it is to parent and autistic child. I am reticient to participate...

Published Tue, May 29 2012 7:53 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Inclusion, Family, Research, Joy, Parenting

Normally Autistic

Adam had dental surgery this week and I’ve caught a cold. As we’ve both been recuperating on opposite ends of the couch — me with my copy of Betty , The Fountain of Age, and Adam with his iPad — I’ve been thinking what I...

Published Thu, May 24 2012 3:26 PM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Autism and Learning, Development, Parenting, Play, Computing/iPad

My First Impressions of IMFAR 2012

This is my first IMFAR 2012 in my hometown, Toronto. Let me just say, I think that everyone who attends IMFAR should attend AUTCOM and AUTREAT and be exposed to autism conferences run by autistic people. Temple Grandin, in receipt of her Advocate Award...

Published Fri, May 18 2012 9:13 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Research

My Pre Teen Is Born

It’s happening. Adam is growing and with it, a new attitude. Puberty is peeking through his ten year old countenance. I realized this pre-pubescence more accutely yesterday when he emerged from school. Usually full of smiles at seeing me, he looked...

Published Fri, Apr 27 2012 10:25 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Adam, Development, Single Parenthood, Acceptance

The Adam “Rating Scale”

I’m in the process of completing forms. Adam was diagnosed with autism at eighteen months of age. Now that he’s ten, I’ve been re-reading files and reports from clinicians and teachers over the years. We’ve never had a formal IEP...

Published Mon, Apr 16 2012 3:27 PM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Autism and Learning, Uncategorized, Development, Autism and Intelligence, communication, Autism Spectrum and Diagnosis, Behaviours

The First Ten Years

It was like yesterday. I went into labour and Adam arrived nine hours later. After he was born, he cried a lot and his eyes darted around the room. My narrative of Adam’s life in part goes like this: He was born and he was uncomfortable in this...

Published Wed, Apr 11 2012 6:59 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Adam, Acceptance

Catacombs

Yesterday Adam and I had a jog, a long walk and a trip to his favorite playground apparatus, a spiderweb made out of rope which he can climb through. He’s particularly enamoured with this piece of equipment as he can climb and nudge his way through...

Published Sat, Apr 07 2012 6:03 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Anxiety, Autism and Learning, Autism and Intelligence, Obsessions, Transitions, Safety, Behaviours, Wandering, Movement Disturbance

Unlocking My Self

For Autism “Awareness” Day (in addition to my post below), my article Unlocking My Self is now up at Holland Blooview and for BLOOM. The editors took a word out and need to fix up some editorial errors. Hopefully that will be done before the...

Published Mon, Apr 02 2012 9:43 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Acceptance, Parenting

Please Don’t Stop The Music

It’s “Autism Awareness Day.” I’m not sure I like all the “awareness” events that still grieve the autistic person, “locked inside” a body. Every day is an autism awareness event in our lives, and it can...

Published Mon, Apr 02 2012 7:43 AM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Acceptance

Disability Organizations Launch Formal Complaint Against Bias, Damaging Media Coverage

This press release was released today. I think this is also a call to all autism parents and providers to watch the bias language that is so often used in regards to autistic people: Canadian Association for Community Living Volume 10 Issue 5 March 2012...

Published Fri, Mar 30 2012 3:40 PM by Estée Klar

Filed under: Activism, Autism and The Media

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