Susan Senator
All happy families are not alike...
All happy families are not alike...
OnCall + Autism at ABC News
ABCNews.Com has launched a new website, OnCall+ Autism, full of resources and featuring several people/families’ stories. One such family should be pretty well known to you by now: The Batchelder/Senator family. You can click here and see all the stories. Ours starts out a little melancholy or wistful, which is not how I feel in general, but it is honestly recorded nevertheless. At any rate, the piece picks up and ends on a hopeful note. The reporter, Lara Salahi, was empathic and thorough. She visited us, got to know Nat, saw him at his Special Olympics swim practice, and pretty much wanted to be absolutely certain that she truly understood the spectrum of The Spectrum.
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Great piece Susan, Nat gives all parents with younger kids hope! You have such a handsome family. Thanks for sharing this site!
On a lighter note, way lighter, where did you find velcro tennis shoes in Nat’s size? I am having such a problem with this now that Casey is into 6 1/2 mens!
i loved it .. and what a wondeful, important reminder not to give up on skills that may seem unattainable. all is possible. i needed that.
Susan, it seems ABC captured autism pretty well, without butchering any of us. Lara is a good egg.
It’s not easy being a person with autism or being the parent of one, or in our case, three. I know Harry Tembenis – his son died as a result of his seizures. He and his wife are fine, dedicated parents.
I remember SO clearly, the complete lack of care from the neuros when my Mia was having 6, 10, 12 grand mal seizures A DAY. “She has autism, she’s wired differently” they told me in the hospital. That was it. They had no desire to find out why a 6 year old just lauched into seizures. These was the best and brightest ped neuros and they just discounted her life because of her autism. That’s bullshit. Guess what? She’s been seizure free, without meds, for more than 4 years. Never underestimate the power of an autism Mom or Dad. But isn’t it SAD that we have to do most everything ourselves. I just got an email about a new ABA progam, “Run it at home!” I’m tired of running everything at home. Imagine, “Chemo at home! Start now!” Of course not.
Fringe is lovely on a fine carpet -but it’s a hell of a place to live….
K