Rethinking Unhappiness

May 6, 2013January 31, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Ariane Zurcher emmashopebook.com I was alerted to an article written by Dr. Michael Oberschneider entitled Ask Dr. Mike: Expecting and Anxious About Autism. In the piece he writes, “Some of the happiest parents I know (both personally and professionally) have children on the Autistic Spectrum.” In the comments section people weighed in with their thoughts. Many parents wrote of their outrage (and a few of their disbelief) that Dr. Mike suggest “happy” parents of Autistic children even exist. They seemed to equate happiness with a lack of concern. A number of parents suggested that Dr. Mike was simply wrong and refused to believe that he could actually know such parents. One person went so far as to suggest he was trying to trump up more clients, which is an interesting idea, but the logic of that argument eludes me. Before I go any further, I have to say this — there was…

Disability

What I Wish I’d Been Made Aware of When My Daughter Was Diagnosed With Autism

April 8, 2013January 31, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Ariane Zurcher emmashopebook.com We want April — Autism Acceptance Month — to matter, to help further acceptance and understanding of autistic experiences, happiness, and rights for autistic people of all ages and abilities. We will be publishing your Autism Acceptance posts and pictures all month long. If you want to participate, contact us at thinkingautism at gmail dot com. -TPGA Editors What follows are some of the things I wish I’d been told (and given) when we learned Emma was Autistic. These are the things, in retrospect, I wish all those doctors, specialists, pediatricians, therapists, and people who dedicate their lives and careers to autism had told me, but did not. I believe our lives would have changed dramatically had we been told even a few of these things. It is my hope that for those of you who may be at the beginning of your journey with an Autistic…

Disability

The Costs of Fearing Autism

February 25, 2013January 31, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Ariane Zurcher emmashopebook.com The Tdap vaccine protects against Tetanus, Diphtheria, & Pertussis. Photo © 2012 Rene Najera I recently spoke with my brother by phone. He was unable to travel. His voice was so raspy, his breathing slow and labored, had I not known it was my brother I was speaking to, I would not have been able to guess from the sound of his voice. He wasn’t able to complete a sentence without pausing to take a breath. It was clear listening to him that the act of talking was incredibly difficult and painful. When we said good bye to each other I was overcome with emotion. My brother was very slowly recovering from pertussis, more familiarly known as whooping cough. Because so many parents have chosen not to vaccinate their children for fear that vaccinations cause autism, whooping cough is on the rise. I’m including some links: here…

Disability

“Self-Injurious Behaviors” (SIBs): Let’s Discuss

February 8, 2013January 31, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Ariane Zurcher emmashopebook.com I’m continuing to research SIBs, which stands for “self-injurious behaviors.” It’s far too complex a topic to tackle in a quick 800-1000 word post. There are a number of topics it seems important to discuss, which all fall under the heading of “self-injurious behavior.” (Feel free to add more in the comments section, this is definitely a work in progress.) I’ve broken these topics down to include: The language we use to describe such actions. The perception (usually of neurotypical parents, caregivers, doctors, school employees, educators and the general public) of what these actions may or may not mean, this is particularly critical when the person taking such actions is partially speaking or non-speaking. The personal experiences of those who have engaged in such actions that may or may not lead to real injury. The experience of those who want to help and/or are in a position…

Disability

A Letter To The Staff at My Daughter’s School

September 10, 2012January 31, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

Ariane Zurcher emmashopebook.com All examples are misunderstandings or things that have been said and done to Emma by someone within a school setting. My daughter, Emma will be at your school this year. A few days ago, Emma told me she was “scared to go to new school.” Emma loved her teachers and friends from her old school. So I want to introduce you to her. I cannot speak for Emma, I cannot know if everything I write here is completely accurate, but these are things I have learned over the years, things that are specific to Emma and that may be helpful, at least that is my hope. Sometimes Emma does not look at you when you are speaking to her, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t hear you. Her hearing is excellent. She may not know how to process what you’ve said or she may not know what…

Disability

Emma and Autism Acceptance Month

April 23, 2012January 31, 2022 by Shannon Des Roches Rosa

We’re featuring “Slice of Life” conversations with Autistics of all ages — kids through adults — throughout April’s Autism Acceptance Month Our goal is to help TPGA readers understand that autistic people are people who have interesting, complicated lives and who are as diverse and varied as any other population united by a label. We are the people in each other’s neighborhoods, and the more we know about each other — the more visible autistic people and children are — the more common autism acceptance will be. That is our hope. Emma‘s mom Ariane Zurcher writes, “Emma was unable to answer most of these questions. Of the few she did answer verbally or by typing, I have put in quotation marks. For the others I found a combination of photographs and audio to accompany the questions. I answered a couple of the questions with my own thoughts, which are not…