Love You Forever

When Autism Guardianship Happens He sat in his room happily watching a Barney video on YouTube, as he usually does when he has downtime. Downstairs, a thirty-minute virtual court hearing had just determined his future. He didn’t know this and wouldn’t understand it even if I tried to explain. As of today, he can no… Read More

The Magic of TOY RUS

NO, not Toys”R”Us.

TOY + RUS (two words) TOY-RUS.

That is what Dylan used to call the store.

He’d visited Toys”R”Us before, but never truly showed age-appropriate interest. That summer, during a random visit, his eyes lit up in a new way. Out of the blue, he was excited to look around and pick out a toy (or two). All baby toys, but I didn’t care… Read More

Welcome to ASD Homeschooling

…a very Disorderly response to Emily Perl Kingsley’s Welcome to Holland The Disorderly Blondes are often asked to describe the experience of educating a child with a disability while in quarantine – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel.  It’s like this…… Read More

Autism and Homeschooling in the Time of COVID-19

Special needs parents set sail into uncharted territory The morning started with a half-hour school introduction lesson on my laptop. Oliver’s reaction to seeing his teacher live on the screen was priceless: surprised, excited, and then confused. I helped keep him focused on the screen as much as possible and prevented him from walking away.… Read More

You asked, so I’ll tell you: I’m not OK

This morning, as I absentmindedly scrolled through my Facebook feed, I repeatedly came across a post by yourteenmag.com titled ‘Dear Moms of High School Seniors: How Are You Doing?’  Each time I saw it (too many to count), I felt as if I was being taunted, ridiculed, and challenged. You see, my son happens to… Read More

I Funny Valentine

I can picture it like it was yesterday. I returned home from receiving (but most definitely not processing) J.R.’s autism diagnosis to find a package at my door. With my infant car seat carrier weighing on one arm (ouch) and my three-year old tugging hard at the other (ugh), the goods would have to wait.… Read More

The Race to Crash My Autistic Son’s New Year’s Resolutions

by Kristi Vannatta My fifteen year-old son J.R. has autism. If you were to meet me for the first time you may ask where he falls on the spectrum and whether or not he is considered “high functioning.” A speedy answer is always tricky for me, because these days a parent is reluctant to describe… Read More

Welcome to HIALEAH

The Disorderly Blondes are often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this…… Read More