Tag Archives: parenting

Mind: Learning from Disability and Disaster.

What can we learn from Hurricane Maria and the long-term loss of both roads and electricity in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean islands? Most of us do not live on an island or area readily isolated from help, yet it … Continue reading

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Essay. Finding gratitude when you don’t feel grateful.

This morning I paused at the foot of the stairs and looked for the mirror that hung there for 23 years. It wasn’t there, just a nail and a bare white wall. We have taught Joseph to come directly to … Continue reading

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Patient Advocacy. Disability and Public Safety II. Communicating Effectively.

Communication relies on reception of another person’s language (to hear or lipread), ability to understand the content of what is said, and two additional steps. The person expected to reply must be able to form a reply mentally and then … Continue reading

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Essay. The Table. A Child’s Memory Understood 50 years Later.

When I was little, I attended a supper served family style to people seated along three very long tables. I remember my mother and grandmother, but it must not have been for ladies only because the person I remember most … Continue reading

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Essay. My Life in Pets V. Lily and Motherhood.

I got Teddy to make my husband happy. Lily came when Teddy got lupus and I panicked at a possible dogless life. Lily lived with the fear there was a party somewhere she was missing. She never missed one. Lily … Continue reading

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Patient Advocacy. Disability and Safety in Public I. When private information needs to be taken outside the family.

I never thought about disability until I was disabled at 25. For the first two years after my head injury, I was at home or with my husband. I didn’t think about the line between my privacy in public and … Continue reading

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Essay. Peter Pan, Christopher Columbus, and the Three Sisters. A Lesson of Autism

My son is 21. Joseph, like Peter Pan, will grow older but not grow up. Our family lives in Neverland because of Joseph’s autism. He can name the planets in our solar system, but it is meaningless to him. The … Continue reading

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Essay. My Life in Pets IV. Teddy and Being Alpha.

I read several books before we got Teddy at 8 weeks. I taped lists on the wall with words he was to learn each week. Because bearded collies were bigger than I had wanted and my fears were kicking in … Continue reading

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Essay. Autism Awareness Day 2016

On my 21st birthday, I began medical school. We debated with Joseph until the weekend before his birthday whether he wanted a cake with Pokemon or Paw Patrol. He chose Paw Patrol, a cartoon show for pre-school children about a … Continue reading

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Essay. Doorknobs, Lamps and Love.

I wrote as a child. I started writing again after the head injury that ended my medical career. This post is because my son is turning 21. For Joseph, 21 means turning 3 for the 18th time, although he does … Continue reading

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