bountifulplate

In the Fall of 2014, I applied to take a training session to work at the libraries in our school district. I didn't make the "list" and while I felt a bit disappointed, I knew deep down in my heart that opportunity was not the one for me. My life was already very full of helping transition and guide Lauren through her first year of college, helping to manage my mother's care in a nursing home, co-teach a first grade religious education class, guiding my father through all the challenges of living alone and getting Dominic adjusted to middle school. At the back of my mind though, I had this feeling that I wanted to be doing more, but I just didn't know what that "more" was. I don't think I would qualify the way I felt to be a mid-life "crisis," but I definitely knew I had reached a "crossroads" in my life. I thought about looking for a job or going back to college. Neither of those two ideas seemed like the right "fit."  ...

When you have a child with Autism, it can sometimes feel like you are always "searching" for just the right "piece" that will make everything come together and "fit" for your child. I read somewhere recently that there are over 500  treatments available for Autism. Wow, hard to know which one to try, huh? What makes things even more difficult is what works for one child may not work for another. There are all kinds of unscrupulous people out there that will claim they can "cure" your child of Autism. Hmm, okay.  I have always been of the mind of trying to "modify" the behaviors that Dominic exhibits as common traits of Autism, like the poor eye contact, "scripting" speech and improved interaction with peers and adults.  We still struggle with asking him " why " he feels a certain way. That has been and continues to be a constant struggle for him. I wish that was a "piece" that fit better in the "puzzle...