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Is Autism the New Black?

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As some of you may have noticed, I have a good mix of thought provoking Special Needs, Autism and .....Fashion blogs on my blog roll. That is because I like them.

I used to work in Fashion, I like collecting and wearing pretty things, and I like debating how ridiculous a new trend can be, and how much a truly beautiful pair of shoes can inspire us. (and cheer us up, thankyou V)

I love it when the Floggies (Fashion bloggers, just made it up) visit me too.
Because it is good to get the insights of people who are outside of the special needs bubble.


But are they? More and more I am reading and hearing about people who know someone, or are related to someone, or who worked with someone who has autism. Sure even the special needs crowd are cross pollinating the trend. Nick from Downsdad told me last night of a family with a child with Downs (I'll be sketchy and discreet with the details) who have just been told the child has autism. An early diagnosis too, which is unusual.
The other littl…
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the highest degree one can earn

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Some of you may have noticed that I have "tagged" (such a cool street term) a new blog called Autism Vox: http://www.autismvox.com/

I am enjoying it not just because it throws up thought provoking observations on autism; but because it is written by a Mother of a child with autism, Kristina Chew; who is also a PhD.

Ahh, so she must have the "cure" right?

NO! She doesn't and she is fair dinkum about it too.

She just struggles through all the normal things that we do. Like clipping toenails, eating from a plate, crossing the road, and all the incredible challenges those simple issues raise. And she does it with nothing more than her love and good judgement, and common sense.

The fact that she has the letters after her name give her good press recognition and she is often asked to comment in the national media in the U.S.A. when an issue specific to autism arises.

But she does it as a parent. In a way that we can all relate to. She does not set herself above the feeling…
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where ever you go, my love goes with you

I read a post a few days ago on autism vox. (see http://www.autismvox.com/)
about "how do you tell people that your child has autism?"

In other words, are you out and proud?

"we're here, we're odd, GET Used to it!"

or or do you handle things more discreetly?

I read a beautiful comment written by a Dad on the site
"I guess our autism awareness is that where ever we go, Eleanor goes."
In other words they do not make any special extra effort to prepare the world for meeting their daughter. They just go there, and then go there again. And then I guess either people work it out or don't notice.

They saw no need to exclude their daughter from any of life's experiences. They were proud and they wanted her in their lives, not on the periphery. Nor were they prepared to miss out on experiences themselves.
So everybody else in their community just had to get on with it.

I am probably a bit the same. Although we do limit the opportunities for Bratty to scream …
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Dogs, Doughnuts and Dolphins

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As some of you may know, my ambition is to put all these thoughts and opinions of mine in a book, and make everyone who is ignorant of autism and special needs; buy it.

But whenever I think about it too much, or indeed another person suggests it to me; I think "who would buy it?"

People want to read books about cures for autism; me included.

They want the hook of the Dog that brought their son back to them, or how giving up gluten and casein has made their child's autism almost invisible; or how swimming with our clever mammalian relatives; taught their child to speak.

Sorry folks, thanks for tuning in but I still don't know how this story will end.

I did once take part in a documentary about the very special riding school that my kids attend. The documentary makers were understandably looking for the animal angle; and repeatedly questioned me on how I thought the horses related to my son.

I am sorry, but I grew up around horses, and while I think they are pretty smart, th…
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Money's too tight to mention.......

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It's been a little while since my last proper post. But I have a good excuse



Bratty has recently started at Boo's ABA school; and while it is early days she is going very well.

Not the amazing conversion we saw in Boo's first week. But she is very very happy to be there, which is amazing enough considering how Bratty normally copes with change. And she has calmed down a lot for us at home.

However, it is very high maintenance, as she is doing much shorter days than Boo while she transitions, and the school is a good hike from home, hence the lack of blogging.



But I gotta say I am very very happy so far and life has got a whole lot better in the House of Hammie.



However, the same can not be said of the outside world.

The awful "R" word was rolled out this week in Ireland. We had our third quarter of negative growth and it seems the Celtic Tiger is now on a par with the Asian and Siberian Tigers; almost gone.

The tide has gone out and quite a number of us have been swimm…
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Another word from Downsdad: What about your OTHER kids?

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I have a guest post to put up tonight. And I gotta tell you I have been so busy with Bratty starting her new school (more later) that it has taken over a week to sit down and do justice to this excellent piece.

It is a topic of which I know nothing personally. But one I hear about a lot:

Worrying about your other "typical" kids.

Now Nick, the author has given me permission to edit his original post on http://downsdad.wordpress.com/ where he describes the part of the journey we auties do not have to experience in the main; The medical emergencies. In the early days a new baby with special medical needs is going to completely dominate family life. So please check out the original, and bless all those that support families in those crucial times.

What is universal to all of us special needs folks is the ongoing dominance of the topic in our daily lives. I would like to live a day without once mentioning autism. I am much closer to that now that both my kids are in the best possible …
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Hammiesays: What?

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Okay, just for fun I googled myself tonight to see what would come up. I had to seeing as Miss Imelda was bragging about knocking over Wikipedia to be the No 1 search for Imelda.
(for more of Imelda's opinions click on my Hammazing blogs list)

So What comes up?:
Well, the first try; "Hammies" gave me 10 different sites for raising dwarf hamsters (dwarf? aren't they small enough already?) I didn't click on next. Who ever does?

The second try "Hammie" got me closer up the list with a link. I made tenth spot so at least I was on the front page

But much higher up is this guy:



"Hamilton Flutes"
Fabulous. You must click on the link yourselves and keep in mind that a flute in Aussie slang is another word for man bits.

Note: I am also behind Hammie the Squirrel in the Dreamworks film "Over the Hedge". Respect.

"Hammiesays": brings me in at 4th place! Behind an unsolicited advertising link, and the parents website "rollercoaster"…
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