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Every year, millions of people make New Year's resolutions about losing weight or getting organized or making more money. Not me - I follow Casey and Rob's advice for what I want in the coming year. Autism has a way of showing you what's really important! Casey wants to go to see Aunt Donna and Uncle Chuck in Minnesota. She wants to go back to the Tennessee Sock Store. She wants to go swimming, go to the zoo, go shopping with Julie and eat ice cream with Crimzen. She also wan

Every year, I hear comments from autism families about how different their holidays are from anyone else. And every year, I say the same thing - "good!" Who wants a holiday that fits into a perfect mold? Our lives are nothing like anyone else's so why should our Christmas? Embrace the differences and create a Christmas that is perfect for your family. That's what we do. Crowds are not fun so we do a lot of drive-thru light displays and we visit other places during the week or

Autism and a Thankful Mom Everyone who has been with us for a while knows that while I'd never say autism is easy or that I'm thankful for autism, I do try to look at the bright side of things. I don't know why God put autism in our lives and I don't like the struggle that Casey and Rob have to handle every day. But, there are always things to be thankful for, if you look hard enough. I'm so very, very thankful for my family. From the first time we heard the word "autism" til

Autism and the Difficulty in Trusting Others I've been called an over-protective Mama Bear. I've been told to relax. People have said, "What's the worst that can happen?" I don't care. Until Casey and Rob are able to walk in the door and say "I got hurt" or "Someone was mean," I will be the over-protective Mama Bear. It's too dangerous not to be. Several years ago, Casey was laying on the couch, talking and giggling, One of the things she said was about being touched. I immed

When it seems autism has you beat, never give up. The dark days will get brighter.

I kept thinking about how I tell everyone to make sure they spend enough time focusing on their typical child that, somehow, I forgot our kids with autism need that one on one time, too.

When I look back, I see our rough days, but I see the happier times even better.

For a long time, we wanted more awareness of autism. For way too many years, people just didn’t know it even existed. Now, most people...

I urge you to not take it personally if your person with autism won’t eat what you make. It’s nothing to do with you – it’s what their body is telling them.

Unless you have a family member with autism or another special need, you have no idea how hard it is to find a doctor or a dentist to...

First, please remember that your child is still the same person they were yesterday, before the diagnosis. They still love you. They...

Every day, autism throws more questions at me. I know I will likely never know the reasons for most of what they choose to do.

Mandy and I will be co-writing this book to share her thoughts and adventures having two siblings with autism and how that has affected her life.

Autism isn’t always easy, but it does have a certain beauty, at times, if you only look for it.

It’s funny. You would think after 36 years of living with autism, I would be used to the odd little things that make me want to cry. Or,...