Ryan carries many labels. Among them: Autism spectrum disorder. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Disorders. That word contained within, order, is so, so apt. So much of his life is about trying to create some order from all the noise. Sometimes, he does things in a different order. Other times, his actions are about Imposing some […]
Read more "A Word About Order"In the midst of a lot of BIG decisions about Ryan — things like IEPs, classroom placement for next year, and what to do about meds — it can sometimes feel like we are overlooking our daughter. Just yesterday, we had to engage her in a conversation about spring break plans, the gist of which […]
Read more "Score One for Riley"Ryan’s hockey team finished its regular season last weekend. There are still two weeks of playoffs, plus a weekend tournament to come, but the occasion still had me thinking back to how far he’s come. In October, 2011 I took Ryan to his first evaluations for the house league. This was his first chance to […]
Read more "Hockey Season in Review"Hockey has a unique scoring system, one that fits the ultimate team nature of the sport. The player who scores a goal is credited with one point. The player who passed him the puck is also credited with one point. The player who passed the puck to the player who passed the puck to the […]
Read more "An Assist From an Old Teammate"When Ryan was perhaps five he developed a sudden, and somewhat debilitating, fear of white vans. Taking walks around our neighborhood was a common activity back then, but all of sudden we had to plan our route to avoid passing any white vans. Ryan would tense up with fear and insist we go a different […]
Read more "White Vans and Shots on Goal"
Pucks and Puzzle Pieces 