gdp's Comments

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : \"All Kids Do That\"

Sun, 8 Jan 2012 19:27:23 +0000

This is such a great idea for a series. I've been the recipient of "that's an issue for a lot of people" and "that sounds just like me" / "I can totally relate." My recent post Assumption of Asperger’s

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Things I Find In My House

Sat, 7 Jan 2012 22:06:27 +0000

Dude, sometimes, it's like you're writing about me. A girl in my neighborhood actually got *mad* at me once because after she showed me a diary her mom got her, I drew the rose on the front of it over...and over...and over...and over... I was 9 or 10 then. Even in high school - junior year - I would still get into those phases. Just about every notebook page for school had a certain kind of eye drawn it several times. It actually really interfered with my ability to pay attention, because I had to keep drawing these things. My recent post Assumption of Asperger’s

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Angst, ennui, desolation and other words I found in a thesaurus

Fri, 6 Jan 2012 02:25:00 +0000

I'm happy to be one of your Emilies. I'm not sure if the comment you referenced is on this post: http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/2010/10/fuck-au... or if Other Emily said something similar. You could always try to simplify the process of sharing what is bothering him. An example from my own experience that might help illustrate: When I first met with people from the autism support program at my school, they asked me what kinds of things I would like help with. I had no idea what to tell them. If there was a list of things (spoken or written), it would have been much easier, because I could have just checked boxes or answered yes or no, and the options they gave me might have helped me think of other things. Doing something similar with Child 1 might make it easier for him to convey information, if he wants to. I really like what Lizbeth said above. If he clearly doesn't want to talk about it, regardless of whether he is actually able to or not, then I would just do what you can to support him and put him at ease, while at the same time letting him know that you are simply there for him. Do you think he might enjoy a mother-son picnic at a BART station? My recent post Assumption of Asperger’s

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Quick! Before I forget....

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 22:30:17 +0000

Also, this: "It's the little things you do that might make the entire day or month or year for one person, so do them. Do them again and again because we have no idea how much of an impact we can make by our very small gestures." is awesome My recent post Colors, layouts, and being bad at titles

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Quick! Before I forget....

Sun, 1 Jan 2012 22:29:03 +0000

"Yeah, that's part 46." And we were 78 miles away at 10:27. Also, anticipation is AWFUL. May your new year bring hilarious memes, adorable cats, and other good things. My recent post A lesson in oversimplification

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : New Year\'s Resolutions

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:54:15 +0000

I love your resolution. Alcohol is not good stuff. I also love that you're committed enough to tell us all, and that your husband will be joining you. Go Smo! My recent post A lesson in oversimplification

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Phone conversations: Autism Style

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:39:28 +0000

*shudder* My recent post A lesson in oversimplification

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : This child is so adorable

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:41:30 +0000

I have wanted a SEPTA map to frame and hang on the wall since I moved here, so I'm just a little bit jealous of your little guy right now. My recent post A lesson in oversimplification

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Phone conversations: Autism Style

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:37:29 +0000

Well Hubs only told him to say hi... My recent post A lesson in oversimplification

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Mama takes a staycation

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:25:43 +0000

I don't have anything witty to say, but I'm glad you get a few days to yourself :) My recent post Sweet dreams

http://thinkingautismguide.blogspot.com/ : Talking About Sex With Young Adults With Autism

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:03:52 +0000

I know I'm quite late to respond to this, but I know the caregiver mentioned in the article and he has the utmost respect for people with developmental disabilities (and plenty of other folks who are typically marginalized). I saw him for treatment for a while and he would sometimes tell me about his experiences with others (completely anonymously, of course). I'm pretty sure that he would never say that a person with a developmental or intellectual disability should simply not have sex. I can understand why his comments could potentially be interpreted that way here, but from what I know of him, that's not an interpretation I would make. Furthermore, he is the type of person who would probably not shy away from candidly discussing sexual issues with people. He's a good guy. A great guy, actually.

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Child 2 has a sleepover

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:17:16 +0000

Re: the mom who asked if they were going to go to bed anytime soon...isn't a sleepover the one event in which kids can stay up as late as they possibly can? Isn't the one of the main sources of excitement about a sleepover when you're a kid? My recent post A lesson in oversimplification

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : and that\'s when I lost all faith in humanity

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:28:33 +0000

I'm sorry that people are awful sometimes, but I'm happy that your son is such a fantastic kid. My recent post Friends don’t let friends diagnose others.

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Scripting done right

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:27:19 +0000

I love this! Scripting can also mean how we plan what we'll say in certain situations, whether it's something general like what to say when you meet somebody new, or specific like when I was pacing around my apartment last night rehearsing things that might come up in a specific conversation today. My recent post Potential move

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : \"All Kids Do That\" Part 1: Picky eating. Guest post from @extremeparenthood

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:56:00 +0000

Sometimes when I read about certain things, I think the same thing: "Why are they DOING these things if they bother the kid so much??" But then I remember all the things I have done to myself with the same goal. I've "trained" myself to do a lot of things by putting myself in situations that were really just awful for me, because I thought it was for my own good. I thought it would help me be more well-adjusted. I thought it would make me better off in the long run. I thought it was a battle that I absolutely had to fight, because I didn't realize that there was an option of not fighting every battle. I'm guessing that's where a lot of these stories come from, too - wanting their children to be better off in some way, or just plain not knowing what is something to address vs. what is something to just accept. I've said before that I feel like I must have been absent when the instruction manual was handed out, not because I think everybody else has it easy or knows what to do all the time, but because it's always been easi*er* for my peers growing up to adjust and to figure out what to do. I think this is probably true for autism parents too, who see their children struggling with certain things, or living in very restricted ways, and who have to figure out on their own how they should deal with each thing that comes up. I think it's probably different for them than for parents of non-autistic children because there's a name for their child's condition, and it's a name that has certain implications and brings with it certain concerns, so everything that occurs occurs in the context of autism, and they have to figure out what they're supposed to do about it. So much of my learning occurs through trial and error, and it might be much the same for them. Autism parents, if I'm totally off-base here just let me know, but I'm guessing there are a lot of parallels between our experiences. My recent post Potential move

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : \"All Kids Do That\" Part 1: Picky eating. Guest post from @extremeparenthood

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:04:02 +0000

Excellent point! I think I'll use that the next time I hear it :) My recent post To the parents and siblings who are flooding Twitter with #AutismPride right now

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : \"All Kids Do That\" Part 1: Picky eating. Guest post from @extremeparenthood

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:52:03 +0000

"The point is that a parent of a child with special needs doesn't want to have their frustrations invalidated by someone insisting that their child does the exact same things...because they don't. Not on the same level that our children do and not coupled with dozens of other challenging behaviors all happening at the same time every day with no end in sight. " YES! This is so true for those of us with autism as well. I can't count how many times I've heard "but a lot of people are like that" or "I have trouble with that too" or "oh, that sounds just like [person-without-autism]" My personal favorite (and by favorite I mean DO NOT SAY THIS IN MY PRESENCE EVER EVER EVER) is "I think everybody is on the spectrum to some degree." I can definitely sympathize with your frustration over hearing the same thing from other parents. Comments like that make a frustrating situation so much worse. My recent post To the parents and siblings who are flooding Twitter with #AutismPride right now

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : \"All Kids Do That\" Part 1: Picky eating. Guest post from @extremeparenthood

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:42:51 +0000

I was thinking the same thing. Definitely all kids. (Seriously though, that sounds incredibly difficult for everyone involved, especially Tommy, obviously, but clearly it's just a difficult situation overall. I'm glad it's not *as* extreme anymore.)

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : Helpless: Autism, bullying & earthquakes

Tue, 1 Nov 2011 00:02:03 +0000

I'm sorry this is happening to your little guy :( I really wish I had some advice or words that would make him feel better, but at least just know that I hope it works out, somehow.

http://yeahgoodtimes.blogspot.com/ : My son is an autism hipster

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:06:42 +0000

All this time I thought I was so uncool, it turns out I was just too cool to be cool.