Autism Resources and Support for Parents and Caregivers | myHana Autism | Autism Parent and Caregiver Support Community
Autism Resources and Support Community for Parents and Caregivers of autistic loved ones. myHana Autism experts know that family health means it's about you too
It’s September already and some of the leaves on our property are already beginning to change colors. For so many of us, like the seasons, we have seen many changes and had to adjust the way we go about living. Fall is usually the season when students are back in school, football games are on […]
For most parents with school age children, this is the time of year when parents are involved in the transition of their kids to a new school year. Of course, as we all know, 2020 is just a very different year. While all of my four children are now adults (and I have two beautiful […]
Oftentimes, as parents, our knee jerk reaction may be to address processing related “symptoms” instead of the root issue. When it comes to processing deficits, it can be important to take a step back and address sensory the issues your child is experiencing and learning to work through. When a child with ASD or Asperger’s […]
I have been watching with great interest, the local, state, and national discussions regarding schools re-opening or having virtual learning occur. I understand the arguments on both sides and know that the longer students are kept out of classroom learning, the more educational and social harm that can occur to a student. With that being […]
I’d like to start with a quote: “All of these stories make me who I am. But to insist on only the negative stories is to flatten my experience and to overlook the many other stories that formed me. The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, […]
For many parents, realizing that your child may receive an autism diagnosis can be difficult and or surprising, but it doesn’t have to be. Substantial efforts have been made to frame a roadmap for parents as they begin to navigate the possibility that their child may be Neurodiverse. According to Gentles, Nicholas, Jack, McKibbon, & […]
Clarifi ASD, an emerging biotech firm and team of researchers out of SUNY Upstate Medical University and Penn State College of Medicine, discovered that children with autism have a unique epigenetic signature compared to those who are considered Neurotypical. This testing method works by analyzing the saliva of children who are suspected of having ASD. […]
In light of this pandemic, financial woes and other struggles, 2 thoughts come to mind: 1) Self-care needs to be a priority. and 2) There is still a lot of good in this world. Self-care is about doing something you love, something to help you decompress from the stress of work and life. Next time […]
This past Friday, I learned that a good friend of mine tested positive for the Corona Virus and was put in the hospital. Yesterday, I learned he is not doing well, and his prognosis is not looking good… As I worried about my friend, I also worried about how the horrors of Covid-19 are impacting […]
When I was younger, my family cared for a boy with severe non-verbal autism. He was a sweet boy. I consider myself very fortunate to have grown up with a brother like him. It wasn’t always easy though. Caring for him was no solo effort on my parents’ part, it was a family effort and […]
When I was younger, my family cared for a boy with severe non-verbal autism. He was a sweet boy. I consider myself very fortunate to have grown up with a brother like him.
It wasn’t always easy though.
Caring for him was no solo effort on my parents’ part, it was a family effort and we all loved doing our part.
Because the nature of his autism, I remember that all our doors had those funky white plastic safety handles placed on the outside of them to be safe. Our drawers had special securements or zip tie mechanisms placed on them and he had a special car seat we used everywhere we drove.
Needless to say, my friends were always confused the first time they came over. I felt pretty cool because I could open up the doors and undo the locks without any issues.
We all enjoyed helping make his lunches at night, making him breakfast in the morning before school, walking him out to the school bus, waiting for him to get home from school and more.
These are some of my fondest memories.
When I was younger, this was my formative experience with autism. It is what I assumed everyone with autism was like. Once I made it to high school, I met other students my age who were diagnosed with varying degrees of autism. This was quite eye opening.
After high school, I began working at a therapeutic boarding school. Many of our students had varying degrees of autism, Asperger’s, processing deficits etc. Yet again, my eyes were opened up a bit more to the breadth of coverage the word “autism” encapsulated.
It is important for us to recognize this breadth and understand that no two diagnoses are alike.
No justifications or excuses need to be made for our children. Truly, it is the larger global community that needs to practice a greater degree of emotional awareness when they witness a meltdown, notice our child pacing, or recognize difficulty with making conversation or keeping eye contact.
However, we need to continue to do our part.
At myHana, we are striving to empower parents and children no matter where they stand.
The autism community is beautiful, capable, and should be seen as such.
How are you representing the autism community?
What conversations are you having?
What positive interactions have you had?