Wantapeanut

LATEST ARTICLES ( 101 )

• Choosing an AAC Device: Part 2

  

  This post is way overdue. We have finally completed our AAC evaluation, selected a device and app, and have had two working sessions with an AAC specialist.... Read more

  Posted on 26 April 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Travels with Jelly

  

  I just got back from a weekend away. My beautiful cousin Anna was getting married. I knew it would be difficult for us to travel with Moe, but I really wanted t... Read more

  Posted on 22 April 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Heart

  

  "You were strangers in the land of Egypt."Passover was just a couple weeks ago, and I am always struck by the way we celebrate the exodus from Egypt. Read more

  Posted on 10 April 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Why We Still Need Awareness

  There has been a move in the autism community to move beyond awareness toward acceptance. People are already aware, they say. It's time to take things to the... Read more

  Posted on 09 April 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Mourning Autism, Or Why Being Autistic is Not the Same as Being Gay

  I will start this post with a disclaimer. I am not autistic and I am not gay. I speak here, as I always do, as a parent and a reasonably intelligent and... Read more

  Posted on 06 April 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Becoming Special

  

  About a week after my son was born, some friends came to meet the new baby. Carla, who also had an infant, made herself comfortable in an armchair, threw a... Read more

  Posted on 01 April 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Some Things Take A Little More Time

  The last time I took Moe with me to pick Jelly up from school, he had a major meltdown--the worst one ever. He pulled another child's hair, and I had to drag... Read more

  Posted on 29 March 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Overwhelmed

  

  I turned 40 earlier this month. To celebrate, I spent last weekend in San Francisco with friends. I knew we would have fun. I knew we would eat and drink and... Read more

  Posted on 20 March 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Sick Days

  

  Moe doesn't get sick very often (knock wood), and now that he isn't in school he is exposed to even fewer viruses. But last weekend, he caught something. It... Read more

  Posted on 14 March 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Knowing Me, Knowing You

  

  How many times have I said "if only I could get inside Moe's brain for a day?" When my online book group, From Left To Write, announced we were reading... Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Measurable Progress

  Someday I will share the full story of how and why we pulled Moe from school. For now, it is enough to know that he was not progressing there. Read more

  Posted on 05 March 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Bully: I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means

  News Flash: There's a lot of drama on the Internet.Chances are you've seen it somewhere. Maybe you commented on a friend's Facebook page about gun control, or... Read more

  Posted on 15 February 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Choosing an AAC Device: Part 1

  

  Note: I am a not an AAC expert, though we have worked with one along the way. If you think AAC will be useful for you, your child or someone you work with,... Read more

  Posted on 09 February 2013 SELF EXPRESSION

• The Fog is Lifting

  

  We've had a rough stretch. The lack of sleep, combined with Moe's increase in aggression and what behaviorists call "non-compliance" (aka brattiness) has been... Read more

  Posted on 28 January 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• A Life of Choice

  

  "She hadn't made her life happen; it had happened to her."-Kate, The ExpatsSo much of life is about the choices we make. One decision leads to another and... Read more

  Posted on 21 January 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Setbacks, Regression and Off Days

  

  We had been moving along at a nice clip. Moe was doing well, sleeping better and most of his aggressive behaviors had all but disappeared. Read more

  Posted on 16 January 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• 2012: A Look Back

  

  Twenty-twelve. I admit I'm not sad you're gone. Don't let the door hit you on the way out and all that. I mean, the first half of the year kind of sucked. Read more

  Posted on 03 January 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• They Are Each Other's

  

  Jelly stayed home from school a couple of days last week. The runny nose and cough that had been making its way through her preschool classroom finally caught u... Read more

  Posted on 22 December 2012 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Favorite Cookie Recipes

  

  Best Chocolate Chip CookiesThe holidays are here, and I've been seeing lots of recipes for yummy cookies. This is anything but a food blog, but since I do love... Read more

  Posted on 18 December 2012 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION

• Autism, Aggression and Violence

  

  I have written on this blog before about Moe and aggression. And, in light of the recent shooting at Sandy Hook elementary, as well as speculation that the... Read more

  Posted on 18 December 2012 FAMILY, PARENTING, SELF EXPRESSION