Advocating for Autism Employment Worldwide

I advocate for autism employment worldwide because autistic adults deserve a chance to succeed just like anyone else. Growing up autistic, I wasn’t sure what my future would look like when employed. I knew I had vital interests in sports and theater, but I didn’t know if some of my challenges, such as the inability to read body language, needing breaks at times due to long periods of social interaction, or inconsistent eye contact, would be accepted in a workplace setting. I went from a Sports Management degree at Seton…

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Autism and Nutrition: “They Will Eat When They’re Hungry”

Oh vey, if it only were that easy. Has anyone made a comment when you were trying to feed your child and said, “Oh, don’t worry so much. They’ll eat when they’re hungry?” I can relate to this all too well. Growing up, I was obsessed with bologna sandwiches. Nothing else would compare to the positive feeling I’d get whenever I’d be presented with another bologna sandwich. It wouldn’t matter if it was breakfast, lunch or dinner. That easily became one of my norms around the time I was diagnosed with autism at 4. This is a common…

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Beyond Stereotypes: Leadership Potential of Autistic Individuals

For years, I’ve been on a mission to change perceptions about autism as an advocate and professional speaker. From my own experiences during my autism journey, I’ve realized that autistic individuals aren’t just capable of working in traditional jobs but can soar to leadership roles, turning the conventional thinking about our community upside down. During months like October for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, where our society has more conversations around disability employment, I hope we can focus on this topic. When people think about autism, they often associate it…

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Thank You to the Waitress Who Understood Inclusion

We tried a thing today. It was one of our spur of the moment ideas. My autistic son, Xavier, had gotten up at four again, and to be honest, after we dropped off his younger brother at school, we were all hungry and in need of a caffeine fix. Xavier’s Occupational Therapy appointment had been canceled due to a training his therapist was attending, so we had over an hour to kill. There is a diner that my husband and I both love, and hadn’t been to in a couple…

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Will I Ever Grow Out Of Autism, Or Will Society Allow Me To Grow?

Sometimes I wondered if I would ever get better or outgrow autism as I grew older. I really knew I could never outgrow autism, especially when I got older.  However, the older you get the more you realize you know how to deal with stuff better without having an anxiety rush.  It’s more about the acceptance. When you get older you know things will change as our body is always changing.   Like, when I was younger, I ate meat. Now as an adult I hardly do. No idea why,…

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Once Again, The New Normal Didn’t Have Room For Us

Normal. Such a funny thing.  When I say our life is not, I’ll hear back “Who is really normal?” or “What is normal?” I get everyone is different but when it comes down it, there is such a thing as normal. In some ways we are normal, but in many ways not and haven’t been even before I knew it. I never wanted my kids to be like everyone else. I want them to march to the beat of their own drums. Howl at the moon. Sing when they feel…

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Our Biggest Day

Lately, I’ve been sharing a lot of firsts for my son Cooper. Tonight, was the biggest one yet. He and I sat and watched an hour long flag football game together. He sat. He watched the timer. (Two 25 minute half’s is a long time!) He waved at his brother who was playing. He held my hand. He asked my 486 times for trains. And we were present. Together. A family of five. This wasn’t just any first. This was a first we have worked towards every day of his…

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Changing the Narrative

The other day I interviewed Joe of Joe James Autistic Awareness & Photography, an autism self advocate and all around cool guy. Each time I chat with him I spend days after reflecting on the wisdom and advice he provides me with. In our most recent interview, at least a dozen time he said, ‘I am autistic and proud.’ And at one point he said, ‘can you imagine if every autistic person said that? How the narrative of disability would change?’ Wow. Think about that for a minute. Right now,…

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Did I Do Enough For Her?

When I found out my third baby was going to be a girl, I was really excited. I had two boys already and was curious how adding a little girl into the mix was going to be. I thought, and hoped, maybe my girl won’t have as many challenges that my boys had. I had a really good pregnancy with Grace. They didn’t find any anomalies in the womb like they did with her brother Daniel. She came on my scheduled due date unlike my son Nicholas who was born…

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Five Things I Wish I Knew Before An Autism Diagnosis

If you are new to this autism journey and are wondering how to process all the information out there, here are some things I wish I had known while going through the process. All autism characteristics do not all fit into a checklist.  Many of the early signs of autism we recognized later in our son as he got older did not fit into the standard website search.  Our son, at an early age, loved anything round.  He carried around balls, round fruit, played with practically anything in the form…

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