People wonder what it is like to have children who are considered non-verbal. Non-verbal doesn’t mean that there is no verbal communication but it is limited and not the primary means of communication. Our children […]
Good News: Love and Family
Tag: Autism
Fragile Bones – Review
My daughter brought home a number of books from her school library and I was pleased to see one was Fragile Bones: Harrison and Anna by Lorna Schultz Nicholson. This book revolved around two high school […]
Autism and Faith
Someone recently asked me about people with Asperger’s Syndrome and the challenges of Christian faith. Asperger’s is now known simply as autism. I have heard people claim that people with autism struggle with faith. It […]
The Challenge of Having a Nonverbal Child
Our two children with autism are considered nonverbal. That doesn’t mean they have no words, just that they do not typically communicate with verbal speech. Most times we can deal with it. They have no […]
Good News: Bye!
For many people, “bye” is a sad word. But my Good News for this week is about that word. For the past two weeks, when I have gone with our daughter Abby on a walk […]
The Sounds of Autism
I recently mentioned that we had a great service at our church this past Sunday. One of the things that made it a good service was a family that was visiting. This family happened to […]
Animated Explanation of Autism
There has been much work done on autism awareness but there is still a long way to go. This is a great little video on autism. I love how it doesn’t present autism as something […]
Uniquely Human – Review
I have read many books on autism but Uniquely Human is one of the best. As I read it, my initial reaction was, “I wish I had read this book when my children were diagnosed!” […]
Good News: A Pastor Who Cares
Our son Logan has started attending a church in the city where his group home is. I have mentioned this before and we are thankful. I care as a father but I can also see […]
Is it Wrong to Label People With Autism?
I recently had a discussion about using labels when describing people on the autism spectrum. Some of the people in the discussion felt strongly that labels are completely inappropriate. What do I mean by labels? […]
Top Five Things I Wish People Knew About Autism
As I approach my fiftieth birthday, I’m writing a number of top five lists. Since autism is something that is close to my heart, I need to blog about this as well. Autism awareness has […]
Good News: Logan at Church
I had a number of options to talk about for my weekly Good News post. I could have did it on a Roger Hodgson concert I attended with a couple of my cousins. I could […]
Autism and the Double Meltdown
We went to visit our two children who have autism and who live in a group home. Logan is 17 and Abby is 16. The visit didn’t turn out the way we expected. Abby was […]
An Autistic Thanksgiving
I suspect that most families have unexpected situations and uncontrollable factors when it comes to family dinners and holidays. This is definitely true when the family includes autism. This past weekend was the Canadian Thanksgiving, […]
People With Autism Become Adults
I have been doing some informal research into how many people with autism are in churches. I had a very interesting comment that I think reflects common thinking on autism. One pastor responded by saying, […]
Autism and the First Day of School
Like many parents, we sent our children off today for their first day of school for the year. We took the obligatory pictures of our three children and posted them on Facebook. Except we have […]
Good News: “Go Away!”
How many parents think it is good news when their teenage daughter tells them to go away? This one does. A couple of days ago, I was visiting our children, Logan and Abby, at their […]
First Thoughts on The Good Doctor
The Good Doctor is a medical drama that airs on ABC and which features a doctor with autism. It is based on an earlier South Korean series. At this point I have only watched the […]
Today is a Hard Day
Today is eight years since our daughter Abby moved into a group home. She was only seven years old at the time. That means she has lived away from us longer than she lived with […]
This is What Autism Looks Like
It is important for me to share information about autism. It is vital that our society grow in autism awareness. But is autism is more than a diagnosis, it is about people. Autism never happens […]
Making Plans With Autism
A few weeks ago, we were staying at a hotel with our three youngest children. One of the reasons we went to the hotel is that it had a pool. Since the hotel was in […]
Good News: A Beautiful Day For a Walk
My Good News is that I took a walk to Tim Horton’s. How is that Good News, other than the fact that I really enjoy their steeped tea? This weekend included a visit from our […]
An Interview With Ron Sandison on Autism
In this episode of the podcast, I talk to Ron Sandison about the topic of autism. Ron not only has autism himself, he also is an autism advocate. You can find out more about him […]
Why I’m Glad My Children Didn’t Come For a Visit
Our two oldest children have autism and live in a group home about an hour and a half away. They normally come for visits every other week. Last weekend they were supposed to come for […]
An Autism Challenge
Our society has come a long way when it comes to autism awareness. People know more about autism than ever before. But how well do they know people with autism? As a part of autism […]
Interview With Lamar Hardwick
I’m grateful to Lamar Hardwick for sharing his experience with autism. Lamar blogs at The Autistic Pastor. Could you share a little about yourself and what you do? My name is Lamar Hardwick. I am […]
Miraculous Healings From Autism?
I came across an article from the Charisma magazine website written by Becky Dvorak titled Miraculous Healings for Autism Begin to Manifest. How do I respond to this? When our children were first diagnosed with autism, […]
The Autism Opportunity Easily Missed by Churches
My observation of churches is that there is an increase in awareness and compassion about autism. The media has really brought autism to the forefront and a variety of advocacy groups have promoted autism awareness. […]
A Relic From the Past
Our family recently moved to a new house. It is not surprising that in the packing and unpacking that long lost items turn up. I recently noticed on the floor something that I hadn’t seen […]
Stay Engaged With Your Special Needs Child (Part 2)
This is the first of two-part guest post by Bryan Stoudt. Visit Bryan’s website at the link found in his bio at the end of this post. You can find the first part here. Last time, […]
Stay Engaged With Your Special Needs Child (Part 1)
This is the first of two-part guest post by Bryan Stoudt. Visit Bryan’s website at the link found in his bio at the end of this post. You can find the second part here. Our special […]
Recognizing Autism
One of the most important reminders about autism is that everyone with autism is different. My mantra is “if you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism.” The worst […]
The Power of Little Victories
What are the things that you celebrate as a parent? It may be your child getting their driver’s licence or graduating from university. We may be looking for the big things to get excited about. […]
Autism and Mental Health
Although autism is not a mental illness, there is a connection. The stress of either being on the autism spectrum or caring for someone on the autism spectrum can greatly affect mental health. I had […]
The Reason I Blog About Autism
I often say that I blog for myself, that it is it is a way for me to sort through my thoughts and at times vent about what is bugging me. But I must confess […]
Good News: A Joyful Visit
As I write this, it is two days before our daughter Abby’s fifteenth birthday. It is hard to believe she is well into her teens. It feels like only yesterday she was our little baby. […]
Disabilities and the Innocence of Children
We had an interesting conversation the other day. Our three youngest children are aged 9-11. We were talking about what it will be like when they get their driver’s license. Our youngest, Faith (aged 9), […]
When People Stare
I recently shared about taking our son with autism out to the park. While we see Logan regularly, it had been a long time since he had been out in public. That is other than […]
Good News: Good Cheap Fun
We get a visit from Logan and Abby every other weekend. Abby is happy to come for day visits but Logan likes to stay over night. Whether it is the autism or being a teenager, […]
Seven Years Ago Today
Today it is seven years since our daughter went to live in a group home. She was seven years-old at that time. That means that she has now lived half her life away from us. […]
Why I Tease My Daughter With Autism
My oldest daughter is 14 years-old and has autism. And I like to tease her. Don’t worry, I don’t tease her about having autism. I’m not that much of a jerk. Abby doesn’t like it […]
Good News: First Communion
Today may have been one of the most amazing mornings at church in my life. I shared a couple of weeks ago about how we brought our son with autism to church for the first […]
Wrestling With an Angel – Review
When it comes to being parents of children with disabilities, there is a connection that goes deep. Even if we have never met or our circumstances are different, there is a commonality and emotional bond. […]
Autism and Quality Time
Last weekend, our children with autism were visiting from their group home. It is always great to have them with us. At one point, Our daughter Abby was playing in the backyard. I grabbed a […]
Good News: Bringing Our Son to Church
Today was one of the happiest Sundays in my life. Many people take it for granted that they can go to church as a family. In our case, our two oldest children have autism and […]
Do You Have People With Autism in Your Church?
The CDC has said that 1 in 68 children are born with autism. In Canada, the numbers are about 1 in 94. Those are some pretty significant numbers. My question to you is: Do you […]
Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan: A Spectrum of Love – Review
I recently encountered a series of books called The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan. While I haven’t read the first book, I was sent a copy of the second book called A Spectrum of Love. The premise […]
Be Careful With the Advice You Give Autism Parents
It is common for parents to share their wisdom with each other. Experience provides little tips that we can share with others. This is completely natural and a good thing. But be careful with the […]
Good News: Thankful For Autism Awareness
About fourteen years ago, when our son Logan was diagnosed with autism, I was pretty ignorant about autism. I only knew what I saw in Rainman and St. Elsewhere. Many of our friends and family […]
My Six Favourite Autism Memories
Our two oldest children have autism and our experience with them has shaped our entire family. Although there have been some hard days, we have also had some great times as well. I may share […]
My Problem With the R-Word
I was recently watching the Netflix series, Luke Cage. Throughout the series, I was bothered by the generous use of the N-word, even by the residents of Harlem. I have learned to have an uncomfortable […]
Good News: Seeing the Big Picture
The purpose of my Good News post is to pick one good thing that has happened as a way for me to keep positive. While there is often one thing that stands out, this time […]
Tips to Becoming an Autism-Friendly Church
The CDC has reported that 1 in 68 children are born with autism. Your church needs decide if you want to include or exclude people with autism. Most churches take the steps to be accessible […]
Good News: Introducing My Son to My Church
Normally, when a person begins as a pastor at a church, they bring their entire immediate family with them. But our family is not normal. Our two oldest children have autism and they live in […]
5 Things You Should Know About My Children With Autism
Autism awareness has come a long way but there is still far to go. I have two children with autism. They are both on the severe end and are considered nonverbal. If you met them, […]
Five Reasons Why King Solomon Was on the Autism Spectrum
This article is a guest post by Ron Sandison. You can find his bio at the conclusion of this post. As a theologian and prodigy with autism I have felt a close connection to King […]
Thoughts on The Accountant
I have been hoping to see The Accountant for some time and finally got to watch it today. I was not disappointed. It was one of the best movies that I have seen in a […]
The New Edition of How to Make Your Church Autism-Friendly!
I believe that of all the books that I have written, one of the most important is How to Make Your Church Autism-Friendly. It covers a topic that is very close to my heart. There […]
Autism: Predicting Overload
Confessions of an Autism Mom
I am so thankful for my wife and the way she is able to put into words our experience as autism parents. Amanda recently wrote a post on her blog, describing exactly what I have […]
Nothing is Happening Tomorrow
Have you ever had someone start to say something, in the sense of revealing information, and you would do anything to stop them? We have many times. When our two children with autism lived with […]
What is Scripting?
What is an Autistic Meltdown?
A Theology of Autism
This is a lecture by theologian John Swinton that was given at the Summer Institute on Theology and Disability in 2011.
The Church and People With Mild Autism
I think that there has been some improvement in the church’s willingness to embrace and minister to people with autism and their families. But often the people with autism that the church has in mind […]
An Autistic Evening
One of the purposes of this blog is to increase awareness about autism. As much as I love to share the positive experiences, the reality is that there are some difficult times. I have no […]
How to Talk to a Person With Autism Who Seems to Ignore You
If you tried to talk to our son, you might find that he would avoid eye contact and probably would hum while you spoke. I suspect that our son is not unique in this. In […]
What is an Autism Service Dog?
Many people have heard of guide dogs for the blind, but what is an autism service dog? The principle is the same, in that the dog wears a jacket that allows the person to go […]
5 Ways to Support a Family With Autism
Perhaps you know a family that has someone with autism and you desire to support them. But what can you do? I would like to offer five things that you could do to help this […]
Good News: The Present of Presence
One of the highlights of my life is our regular visits with our children Logan and Abby. Logan and Abby both have autism and they live in a group home about an hour away. This […]
Autism and Sensory Overload
One of the things that many people with autism experience is sensory overload. There are too many sounds, sights and smells and it becomes overwhelming. This video was created to help people without autism to […]
Autism and Holiday Dinners
As I write this, it is the Canadian Thanksgiving. We were blessed to have extended family with us for a delicious turkey dinner. It was an enjoyable time. However, our children with autism did not […]
Why Do People With Autism Stim?
If you met our son, you would find him with a square-shaped toy in a sock covered with some plastic. If you met our daughter, you would find her with a CD or DVD held […]
The Side of Autism You Don’t Want to See
We all love to see the stories of people with autism who are exceptionally bright or who have a savant ability. We are encouraged when we see people with autism who become very successful. We […]
What Does an Autism Meltdown Look Like?
One of the misunderstandings about autism is that meltdowns are simply temper tantrums. An autism meltdown is so much more. This is a good video of a meltdown that also includes the mom talking to […]
Living With Autism
Presented and narrated by actor Hugo Weaving, this animation looks at the key characteristics of autism as experienced by his 16-year-old nephew Ky Greenwood. The project was part of Sentis’ “Great Works” program and was […]
Where Do Autistic Children Belong in Sunday School?
What I’m going to talk about here is relevant to many disabilities, but since autism is my experience, I will focus there. If you have a child with autism in your Sunday school, should you […]
What is Autism?
4 Things Not to Say to a Parent When a Child is Diagnosed With Autism
No matter what a person thinks of neuro-diversity and the positive aspects of autism, it is always difficult when a child receives a diagnosis of autism. There are a thousand things going through the parent’s […]
5 Things To Do When a Child With Autism Makes Noise in Church
Children with autism are known for making noise in church. Sometimes they say what some adults want to say. One Sunday, our son said with a fairly loud voice during the service, “Just kill me […]
Coping With Autism and Puberty
While we often hear about the people with autism who are the mild end of the spectrum, there are people who are on the more severe end. This video is a good picture of what […]
Good News: Love My Kids
This past week, we had our two children with autism come for a visit. It was nice in that our other three children were away at camp and so things were a bit quieter in […]
The Hardest Thing About Autism
I want to make it clear that what I’m about to say is my experience and is not meant to describe the experience of any other autism parent. I understand that there is pressure from […]
Top 10 Famous People with Autism
Autism and Food Issues
Autism can affect the way people are with food. One of those issues is pickiness, but that is a topic for another day. Children with autism can also get completely focused on food and desire […]
What Happens to Children With Autism When They Become Adults?
Autism Parent’s Worst Nightmare
This is not the care for every autism parent, but I know that it is for many. In fact it has been for us. For a certain number of children with autism, there is a […]
Differences Within the Autism Community
What is the autism community? Obviously it includes all people with autism. But it also includes, at least in some definitions, the families of people with autism. How does the autism community feel about autism? […]
The Assumption of “Normal”
It is common that when you meet new people, that you ask each other about family. I tell people that I have five children and they respond by asking about ages. When they hear that […]
Autism Lives Matter
A fairly recent story included a therapist (who happened to be black) who was trying to bring a man with autism back his home being accidentally shot by police. With all of the racial tension […]
How Veggie Tales Saved My Life
Well actually Veggie Tales didn’t really save my life. But is sure helped make my life as an autism dad easier. Our daughter, Abby, had some pretty bad sleep disruptions. For some reason, she just […]
Autism Can Include Good News
I post a weekly Good News post. I started this a number of years ago during a dark time in my life. It was a way of looking past all the difficulties and finding something […]
This is What Autism Looks Like
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So here are a thousand words about autism…
6 Things You Need to Know About Autism
While many more people are aware about autism, there are still many misconceptions. Here are six things that you need to know about autism. Autism is a spectrum. The full name is Autism Spectrum Disorder. […]
Should Autism Be Cured?
Is autism something that should be cured? That depends on who you ask. I’m sure you can find parents of children who have severe autism who are praying for a cure for autism. But you […]
High Functioning, Low Functioning, Severe, Mild and Labels for Autism
Is it wrong to describe a person with autism as high or low functioning? What about being severe or mild on the spectrum? I have encountered a number of people recently who find all such […]
Where is God in Severe Autism?
Autism and Routine
One of the things that gave us a hint that something was going on with our children was how they reacted when I would pick up the mail. Where we were living at the time, […]
Mild Autism Can Be More Challenging Than Severe Autism
We find that some people have more sympathy for us because our children are on the severe end of the spectrum. And if there is one thing you should know about autism, it is that […]
The Other Side of Being an Autism Dad
I won’t deny that there are difficulties that go along with being the parents of children with autism. We have had quite a few crisis moments over the years. The fact that both our children […]