The Road to Autistic Empowerment
They said to persevere. I began to perseverate. They discouraged me. Be joyful they said. I flapped my hands with a joyful feeling. Not like that they said. They used a lot of words whereas I had not many. They...
Final-Word on the R-Word
Disclaimer: For a long time, I have been troubled by the casual and derogatory use of the R-word within my community, so I approached a weekly publication about writing an article. To my surprise, that article was actually published in...
Using the R-word is a Big Deal!!
As the parent of an Autistic teenager, I’ve witnessed the amazing strides made in our communities with regard to disability rights, services and inclusion over the last 20 years. Our son, as well as the entire family, has benefited so...
Reimagining Rosh Hashanah
As I sit here on a hot August morning, I know that Tishrei is around the corner. We in the Jewish world look forward to a full month of both joyous and introspective fall holidays. But we in the Jewish...
Not “Special,” Just Different
I’m just going to put this out there: all children are special. There is no such thing as a special needs child. Think about it for a second with an impartial mind. All children are special; they all have needs....
How My Judaism Helped Embrace My Autism in Adulthood
It had been hinted that I might be autistic for most of my life, but it’s not something I took seriously until a few years ago as a young adult. Before entering the corporate workforce, I had long dismissed my...
When I Smile and Nod, Here’s What I’m Really Thinking
How are you? I’m fine. How are you? Thank G-d. These exchanges are perfectly ordinary, socially acceptable ways to start a conversation. They’re so common that I rarely stop to think about what’s behind the convention of using “fine” as...
Striking a Balance
Proverbs 31:8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak.” We are proud parents to three boys and one girl and when our second oldest child missed developmental milestones, life was soon overrun with OTs, PTs, speech and ABA therapists. Pretty...
Not “Music” to My Ears
[vc_row pix_particles_check=””][vc_column][vc_column_text] On February 3, Australian pop star Sia finally apologized for her controversial choice to cast a neurotypical actor as a nonverbal Autistic girl in her directorial debut film, “Music” (out February 10). The movie follows drug dealer Zu...
