Bonding – Without Speaking

I spent much of what was a three-day weekend alone with Ryan. Friday, we went to buy him new skates, went out for pizza lunch, and went for a long walk together. Saturday we took our second (annual) trip to a Yankees game. We left the house before 11 a.m. and did not return until […]

Ryan and I were home together the entire day. We were supposed to play pickup ice hockey today but a misplaced helmet (later located) scuttled those plans.

So we instead we ran some errands, went out for a pizza lunch and went to a nearby walking trail for some exercise. Ryan insisted on bringing his iPod, so I brought mine. Together, we banged out a 3.5-mile walk, managing to carry on a pleasant conversation despite the headphones and music.

That’s what I call a full day.

Summer Progress Report

Ryan doesn’t do subtle. If he wants to tell you something, he just comes out and says it. This creates its share of awkward moments, but on the whole it’s a good thing. Ryan’s pronouncements don’t often require much interpretation. They also tend to arrive completely out of the blue, current context be damned. Last […]

All In

The soundtrack of our compact house often sounds like this: a constant pounding — two-finger, hunt-and-peck style — on the keyboard in Ryan’s room as he types his hockey stats. Music from his iPod speaker, usually early vintage U2. And lately, the squeaking of his Air Jordans on the hardwood floors. To all those sounds […]

Photo Friday: Assistant Coach Ryan

Commuting time is my writing time, and since I will be taking many Fridays off during the brief hockey summer, I’m going to try to fill the Friday post void with photos.

Ryan aged out of the summer street hockey program, but his awesome Coach M agreed to let him help out, and even saved a team shirt for him. If you ask Ryan, he’s an assistant coach, maybe even the G.M. He made his début last night, keeping stats and cheering on the team to a 3-0 lead before the game was halted by lightning.

Ryan assistant coach — Ryan looks on in his role as assistant coach.

Pucks and Puzzle Pieces

How a shared love of hockey has helped me break through autism's barriers to forge a bond with my son

autism