Our Version of Normal

February 10, 1939 - August 31, 2013

My father is dying.  On August 7th, he was admitted into the hospital and after much testing (some tortuous), he was finally diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer last week.  They've told us it is a very aggressive form of cancer and there is nothing we can do at this stage to stop it. We were shattered and heartbroken with the news.  Even though my dad has had his fair share of health issues over the last 4 or 5 years, we always thought it would be his heart that failed him.  Never did we even really think about cancer.  On top of cancer, his kidneys have also shut down and he had to start dialysis soon after entering the hospital just to live while the doctors were figuring out what was wrong with him. Yesterday marked his third week in the hospital.  I've been going early in the morning and visiting him daily.  I go back in the evenings as well.  During the first 2 weeks, I was usually the only one there in the early hours and I treasured ev...

I really really REALLY enjoy reading blogs and Facebook pages where autism is the common thread.  The people that write or read these blogs/pages usually have someone in their lives affected by autism.  I can commiserate with others struggling with similar behaviors and delays or celebrate with them as I read about their child meeting a milestone or goal.  It can be immensely reassuring to read about someone else who has a child that shares some of the same issues, quirks or talents as my child.  Personally, I believe it makes one feel less alone while stuck deep in the autism trenches.  I also LOVE the blogs that use sarcasm, snark and humor to help ease the seriousness of what we are dealing with regarding our children with autism.  BUT, I've come to realize that some of these same people I feel an instant camaraderie with can become vehemently vicious when someone makes a comment or writes a post that contradicts their opinion for treatments or even h...

Hyperlexia basically means the precocious ability to read or spell words without having any prior learning or training of the written word.  It occurs well before the age of 5.  The experts say that a child with hyperlexia usually has a below normal ability to understand spoken language even though their reading level is off the charts.  They often have a very low comprehension of what they are reading as well.  There is also some argument about whether or not Hyperlexia is it's own diagnosis separate from autism or if it is a subset of autism. Reagan and now Leo have shown this ability by the time they were 2 years old, but neither necessarily meet the criteria perfectly to be diagnosed.  I guess you could say they have hyperlexic tendencies.  We know that Reagan was able to read very early on due to his obsessions with reading magazines, but it was hard to gauge what his abilities/comprehension were until he became verbal at 3 1/2-4 years of age. ...

It can be a lonely world when you have multiple children with special needs especially when you add a bit of shyness into the mix (okay, a lot of shyness).  A few years back, I started to realize the majority of my daily social interactions were with my kid's teachers, therapists or doctors.  A busy schedule of therapies, developmental schools and doctor appointments make up our weekdays, while on weekends we may have a few activities, but for the most part we often stay home.  Waiting rooms can be a social outlet for me to meet people, but rarely do any long term friendships arise and usually I run (blissfully kid free) errands while the kid(s) are in therapy or school because taking my kids shopping gives me hives.  I'm kinda kidding. By the time I get home at the end of my day, I'm ready to  collapse  stay at home. Another unusual factor is my husband, Matt, is home most days (since he's a musician he usually performs at night) and that contr...