The Autism Mom and Motherless Daughter

On November 19, 2015, my husband Danny and I, attended a gala for the McCarton Foundation, a foundation that works directly with children on the autism spectrum.  The Foundation's goal was to raise funds to open a new early intervention center that would offer center based services and therapeutic services for special needs children in a low income community in the South Bronx.  A neighborhood which was not too far from where I grew up and a neighborhood in which some of my family still reside. McCarton Gala 2015 at The Lotos Club The South Bronx is grossly underserved with quality programs, so I am so happy that a center bearing the McCarton name is being opened to help a community which is often ignored.  Some of you may remember Dr. CeCe McCarton, the founder and Executive Director of the McCarton Foundation and I, along with Danny, speaking on autism on the Today Show last year. http://www.today.com/video/today/54845409 At this year's gala, I was asked to spe

It's always so difficult to find the right toys and resources to work with my special needs children.  The holidays are especially hard because you want your children to feel included when everyone else is opening gifts, especially when those gifts are toys. Any toys should be developmental appropriate for your child, regardless of age. It limits frustration levels your child may face if given a toy that is hard to figure out. Here are some sites that you can check for gifts for your children and to give as recommendations for your family members and loved ones. Remember that some toys are multipurpose and you can target a few skills at once. More bang for your buck!   http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=3261680   http://www.melissaanddoug.com/category/1129952.0.0.0.0/Shop_By_Skill   http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/general_content/free_resources/specialNeeds_home.jsp Happy Shopping!

5 years. That's how long it has been since my family was reborn as an Autism Family.  No fanfare, no balloons, and no cake. Just tears, sadness and an overwhelming emptiness over a diagnosis that stole my son. Of course, since that day, those feelings have subsided a bit although it has not altogether gone away. You see, it will always be there. A dark cloud that peeks out just when you think you have yourself together. Then it rears its ugly head like a dim reminder that no, you are not allowed to live your life and forget your job. You will always have this challenge of raising an autism child, or in my case two, for the rest of their lives. In these past 5 years, I have learned to deal with the loneliness of having to be this warrior mom that swoops in whenever there's an issue at school or at home with the kids' learning abilities. But it gets tiring, repetitious and tedious. It's not a burden but it can be exhausting always having to look over your shoulder or