There is a theme to many of the posts on this blog. Ryan will always find ways to maintain his routines, even when we change his surroundings. Monday’s post, in which Ryan found a way to watch NHL highlights while playing at the Winter Classic, reminded me of a similar situation on one of our […]
Read more "Reordering His Own World"Ahh, vacation. Relaxing on the beach, enjoying the sun, maybe visiting an exciting new city or taking in a theme park. Leaving the comforts of home behind for, well, greater comforts. It doesn’t always work so well for kids on the autism spectrum. For kids like Ryan, the comforts — and the routine — of […]
Read more "Wave Hockey"I don’t have the same gift for seeing the tiny details that Ryan does. Sometimes I only notice them on a second or third examination. When Ryan skated on the auxiliary rink at the NHL Winter Classic in Philadelphia in January I could hardly contain my excitement for him. I wanted to watch him enjoying […]
Read more "It’s All In the Details"I have a few bad habits including making snap judgments about people. OK, so Veronica might come up with a few others. I consider myself a pretty good judge of character, and I’m able to adjust when my instincts steer my wrong, but I still tend to make instant assumptions about people before really getting […]
Read more "You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover"Like many children on the autism spectrum, Ryan will occasionally say inappropriate things, either asking questions that are too personal (age is a common one) or off-base. He struggles with linear thought — everything must be black or white, shades of gray need not apply — and the complexities of back-and-forth social interaction. Sometimes things […]
Read more "Out of the Mouths of Babes"
Pucks and Puzzle Pieces 