Life with Autism

A Bright Spot for Madison

We did it! Somehow we triumphed—at least for thirty-five minutes. I’m not sure exactly who we defeated—the meds, the hormones, or the autism—but for thirty-five glorious lunchtime minutes, I had my daughter back. It was heaven, a far cry from the rough patch visit when she tried to dump me out of my wheelchair or the […]

A Rough Patch for Madison—and Mom

  “So how is Madison?” a friend asked at a recent family gathering. I’d updated her on my son’s spring break escapades and the latest on my eldest daughter’s new job. But the news on Madison was far less positive. I shifted in my wheelchair and took in a slow deep breath. “Well,” I paused […]

Alarming increase in autism spurs need for awareness

IT’S THE phone call you don’t want to get, from the person you don’t like to hear from. Perched in front of my living room window for 80 minutes, I anxiously waited for Madison’s bus to arrive. The phone interrupted my worries. The assistant principal, whom I’ve known for years, identified herself by first and […]