A couple of weeks ago, my husband put one of those extra sturdy metal dividers in my Jeep. I think it says , “Kennel Guard” on the bottom, a double-layer grid that in my rearview mirror, really looks like a cage. It’s made to keep one of those big, unruly dogs in the back seat to keep you safe while you’re driving. Except, I don’t have a dog. What I do have is an angry , autistic sixteen-year-old who is so addicted to YouTube that having it has made him as violent as not having it. Before we got to the point we are now, deep in the throes of what can only be called withdrawal , he was only allowed YouTube when he earned it as a reward, three times a day, five minutes at a time, at the exact same times every day —after completing his morning routine, after successfully sitting at the table for dinner, and after bath. It had been that way for about a decade. There have been times w...
The content of this blog revolves around one mother's experience parenting an autistic child. Autism and parenting stories are relayed through touching, often humorous, anecdotes. Daily struggles about education, medical and psychiatric issues, social challenges, and other autism-related topics appear here at least weekly.