Sharing the Spectrum

Sharing the Spectrum: Welcome to "Sharing the Spectrum," our best reads of the week from parents of children with special needs. Whether these posts had us nodding in agreement or considering a different viewpoint, they all made us think! I'm Not Waiting for My Son to Grow Out of Autism "But quite honestly, I am too tired to speculate what caused my son’s autism and I’m not interested in a cure for him. I’m not praying for him to recover." -Lisa, Autism Wonderland   On ABA Therapy and Autism: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly "Prior to beginning this specialized therapy for Moose back in late October, I had a great deal of misconceptions, rumors if you will, about ABA therapy {Applied Behavioral Analysis}. Namely, ABA will turn your kid into a robot." -Nicolette, Momnivore's Dilemma   Springtime for IEPs "The IEP. It is a thing of beauty really. Tailor making an educational plan for the year. A way to chart your child's progress. It also gets a bad rep and strikes fear into the heart of many a parent." -Kiddo's Mom, Autism with a Side of Fries   Public Images of Autistic Children in Distress "It disconnects us, as persons taking the image and as persons viewing the images, so that we are no longer seeing the children as people, but as objects to be recorded. It turns them into a symbol of autism instead of a child who is experiencing valid emotions." -Brenda, Mama Be Good   Help! (From a Mom on Behalf of Her Autistic Son) "We often speak of community and advocacy and working together; well, this is me, reaching out, trying to get some insight from those who hopefully know what I do not: How to help my son." -Jo Ashline