I went to Walmart the other night with my monkey and my parents. (Note: I do not make these kinds of trips lightly. However, since my parents were with me, I figured three adults can take care of one toddler.) That entire day the monkey did not want to eat. He just wanted to play and play. While…
Author: Monkeynism AKA Autism
I'm the mom of a beautiful boy, who happens to have autism.
The other non–autistic child in our home
The other non – autistic child in our home is our teenage daughter that came to us 2 years after we first got married. I was 22 when she arrived and I can still feel her existence in my arms when I first held her. That is something I will always treasure. She started off…
To tell ? Or not to tell?
Today during work, a co-worker stopped by my office. She hadn’t stopped by in a while. She was looking around my office and asked if I had new pictures of the monkey. She then said the dreaded statement: “He must be talking a lot now.” So here is where I get stuck. What should I…
Sometimes this just sucks.
A few weeks ago we received a progress report from the monkey’s speech therapist from school. It said he has shown minimal progress to the goals that were established in his annual IEP meeting. And I’m going to be honest… that just hurt. I am guessing seeing it in writing just stands out so much more….
To Be Normal.
Having a child with special needs changed our ‘normal’. Even though our monkey is four years old, he can’t dress himself. Our mornings start by us dressing him. The constant “You are going to school” phrase is being said over and over again. We do this so he understands what the plan is for the…
Autismo en Español!!!
Ser padre de un niño con necesidades especiales biene con muchas bendiciones y a la misma vez con muchas inseguridades. Creo que nosotros los padres, tenemos el mejor interés por nuestros hijos. Exponemos nuestras propias vidas solo para tener la seguridad que ellos estén en buena salud y lejos de peligro. Pero cuando la vida…
Autism Night Before Christmas
AUTISM NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS A Poem By Cindy Waeltermann Twas the Night Before Christmas And all through the house The creatures were stirring Yes, even the mouse We tried melatonin And gave a hot bath But the holiday jitters They always distract The children were finally All nestled in bed When nightmares of terror Ran…
Santa’s Experiment
Today Santa, along with some of his helpers from the North Pole, took the day off to come visit us at our local mall. It was a different kind of visit that Santa and his helpers are used to. In other places Santa is welcomed by a storm of cheering children filled with hopes and excitement…
Quantity vs Quality
I’d like to think that I have a handle on things when it comes to my family, especially my kids. I don’t mean that I know what I am doing all the time but more so that I am involved in them as much as I can. Between being a husband, son, a teacher, a…
The Meaning of Julia
This day has been a very emotional day for me. I have read about Sesame Street and Julia, their new autism character a few days ago. However, I didn’t realize how much publicity this would receive. I am very surprised at People magazine and the Today Show all doing stories about her. I didn’t imagine…
Being Sorry.
When I first starting thinking about the possibility that my son may have autism, I would immediately push those thoughts out of my mind. I would convince myself I was overreacting. It was very difficult to simply think about it. And when we received the official diagnosis, it was unimaginable. It was surreal. Therefore I understand other people’s first…
Monkeynism AKA Autism 