My baby brother, Michael, has Autism and is three years old.  He is just now learning to say some words.  Autism is something when it is hard for a baby to learn to talk. Sometimes it is hard to understand him.  He calls me ‘Jonin’ and he calls my brother ‘Woo-woo’. More Here...

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This is an excerpt from CARLY’S VOICE by Arthur Fleischmann with Carly Fleischmann. Copyright © 2012 by Arthur Fleischmann. Published by Touchstone Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Communication was a big goal of mine, but at the same time it was a big goal for everyone around me. Barb, my speech pathologist, was working on many ways for me to communicate ever since I could remember. I recall having popsicle sticks jammed in my mouth and being taught how to use my hands and fingers to do signs for sign language. It was always hard and, to tell you the truth, frustrating at times. I can almost picture the first time I was introduced to using picture symbols. I remember thinking, Wow, I point to a picture of chips and someone just hands it to me. That, to me, was amazing. I took a while to get the hang of it. At first I found it was hard to stop my impulses to pick other picture symbols that weren’t the ones I needed at the time. For example, I would want to tell someone that I needed the washroom, but the chip picture always looked too inviting to ignore. More Here...

Curt Brown is from Gardiner, Maine.  In 1984, Curt Brown started serving as a foster parent for adult men with autism, caring for them around the clock in his own home. He served as caregiver, household manager, and attended to all the varied needs of the group of disabled men. When he retired form this role in 2008, he was caring for 7 men. Some of the men had literally lived with Curt Brown for over 20 years of their life and viewed him as a father figure. Curt Brown is an Autism Light because of his dedication and active role in supporting adults with autism. More Here...

What a week last week was! Four school night's out can nearly do me in.  Each night was worthy: an ASA film festival, our Banding Together board meeting, the Miracle Project launch in San Diego, a Young Life fundraiser and Prom!!  Yet, on the heels of these daytime highlights: Allie presenting her "senior legacy" (one of 7 voted by classmates), an IEP, extra rehearsals and of course the up-do hair appointment, nails and pre-prom prep, they created a dizzying array of highpoints necessitating several take out dinners and a do-nothing Sunday.

Life is full. Where to start? More Here...