Autistic But Not Unaware

For those of you who don’t know me, I have a 19 year old son who has a high functioning form of autism.  I’m also the author of a brand new book called, “The Little Book of Big Insights, Tips and Tricks for Living a Life of Joy, Abundance, and Ease”, which will be released on February 7, 2012.

Last night my son was paging through the book looking for sections he had the capacity to read.  It was pretty cool because we actually discussed a few of the tips and how he could apply them to his life.  At some point, he realized I had only one copy of the book and asked me if that was all I had.  I explained that even though it is my only copy, people can purchase it directly from Amazon.  I love his response:    “That’s good mom, because if this was all you had, you couldn’t help people and make make any money”.  Pretty insightful for a member of a population that many believe are unaware of their surroundings and  what’s happening in the world.  People inside the Autistic Community and out often forget that just because our kids appear to be unfocused, unaware, incognizant, they soak up huge amounts of information.

Just a little reminder to us all…never underestimate anyone.  Who knows what gifts, talents, or abilities are hidden just below the surface.

Autism-One Possible Outcome

If  you have a child with autism, or are connected to a child or adult with autism in any way, you may want to read this article.  Temple Grandin may not represent the probable outcome of a person with autism, but she does represent one of the possible outcomes…and in my opinion, it’s pretty damn awesome!

Today @ Colorado State University – Temple Grandin named to Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.

Next Steps

This was a very interesting week for me.  Both of my kids graduated within days of each other.  While this in and of itself is a big deal…the fact of the matter is…for most moms it’s not THAT big a deal.  That is unless one of the graduates has autism.  Now, I don’t want to sound like like I’m discounting my younger son’s accomplishment.  He’s talented, friendly, highly intelligent, and highly un-inspired.  He was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago and chose not to take meds.  He tried them for awhile, and hated the way they made him feel.  So, getting thru middle school was a huge challenge for him and truth-be-told…I wondered if he’d even make it.  His dad and I rewarded, punished, cajoled, begged, reasoned and finally settled on reminding my son that this is his life.  The state requires him to go to school until a certain age and he can  fight all he wants…eventually, he’ll have to do the work.  In the end, he did the minimal amount of work required to pass…and while he and I watched so many of friends make honor roll and get accepted to specialized high schools or programs…my son and I learned to accept that he is who is….I’m really happy about that.

In the middle of  this, my oldest was navigating high school.  Not an easy feat for most teenagers, extremely difficult for one who has autism.  Let me tell you, high school, puberty, and autism combined is hard.  Really hard…for the child, the parents, and the siblings.  We were lucky tho.  My son was in a special program for kids on the spectrum and it helped him a lot.  New Jersey…specifically the school system we’ve been in has some wonderful programs for kids on the spectrum.  The problem is what happens when school is over?  He’s not low functioning enough for a group home, yet not high enough functioning to go to college and get a typical job.  He’s got issues with hygiene, he angers easily,  he has social issues, he doesn’t read or write very well…he’s sort of stuck in a special needs no-mans land.  I have to admit, I’m worried about his future.  It’s very uncertain…and the thought that my youngest son may have to take over when their dad and I are gone upsets me greatly.  I don’t want him to have that burden….and even tho I love my son deeply, taking care of him can feel like a burden at times.

So we’re about to take the next steps and embark on a new adventure.  It’s time to learn how to navigate a new land.  Like I said, I’m scared and worried… things won’t always be simple and but with a lot of patience and love, I know that somehow it will be okay….for the boys and for me.

 

Long Time No Blog

Image via Wikipedia

It seems like forever since I last wrote a blog.  I don’t really like to write just to hear myself speak and frankly with all the writing I’ve been doing for the ezines, I haven’t had a whole lot to say.

I did survive my week alone…it was so much easier than I anticipated.  I learned that while I prefer sharing my space with David, I’m okay with being on my own too.  There have been a lot of ups and downs in the past month as is the case with all of us.  Being in the business of Spiritual Counseling and Healing does not make me immune to life and the energies surrounding us at this time.

I often talk about how much I love Reiki, especially when it comes to kids on the autistic spectrum.   My older son has been doing very well lately.  Very few angry flare-ups…and when they do happen, they are over almost as quickly as they started.  That was the case until I wrote an article where I specifically mentioned the same thing.  Literally, the following day, he had an episode that while it wasn’t his worst, it was pretty high up on the scale.  Of course this happened on a day where I, too, was being severely challenged.

Let me tell you something.  When an 18 year old young man is out of control, it’s scary.  Trusting that I could shift gears, let go of my own heartache and challenges, and get into the space where I could channel Reiki energy is scary. However, that is exactly what I did.  I sat on the ground next to my son, called in the energy and sent it to him.  I separated my ego from my non-ego self and allowed each to do its job.  Ego was “in charge” of watching my son, and being careful not to touch him.  Non-ego allowed the energy to flow through me and into him.  The change was almost immediate.  Even though I KNOW what Reiki is capable of, sometimes its effects still astound me.  It was a wonderful reminder that even though I (in my ego form) wasn’t sure if I could help my son, the energy always knows where to go and what is best.  I’m also finding that more and more often, sending Reiki (distance or remote healing) is at least as effective, and oftentimes more effective, as hands on.  Most important is that when I feared not being able to get into a space where Reiki would work, I should have applied this particular Reiki Precept:

Just for today, do not worry…..

That about says it all, doesn’t it?

Finding My Way……Again

Many of you who read my blog know I’m a healer.  You know I have two children, one who has autism and another who has ADHD.  You also know that I’ve discovered I have a gift for working with kids who have special needs.  However, I’m now also discovering that I have a knack for helping kids who we label as crystal children.  These are the children who are sensitive to the energies surrounding them…many of them get mislabeled as “difficult” or “problem” children.  However, when I see these kids, I see them as being overly empathic, sympathetic, and overwhelmed by energy.  Lately, I’ve been doing tons of distance healing on kids for varying reasons.  Sometimes their parents call and ask for help, and in the case of some teens, they themselves call and ask for help.  It seems that I’m able to help these children and teens understand that there is nothing wrong with them….that they just haven’t yet developed the tools they need in order deal with being a “crystal” child.  They see that I understand what they are going through since I had similar experiences when I was young.  They trust that I’m not going to judge them.  It’s deeply humbling.  It’s also eye opening.  You see, when I started my practice, my desire was to help adults rediscover miracles.  I always knew that kids with special needs would be a part of my work, but always assumed (ha ha) that my main work would be with adults.  It looks like all that is changing.  I have to admit, it’s scary.  I barely made it through childhood and adolescence and these kids look up to me?   Although, I do have to admit, it would be nice if my kids saw me as these kids do.  Then again, my 18 year old doesn’t hesitate to ask for reiki.  My 13 year old is another story, but I sneak it in when I can.

So now I’m left wondering…..do I reinvent my website and gear it more to these sensitive children?  Is there something I need to be doing in order to get my message out there?  What exactly is my message?  Also, the world we live in requires money in order to live.  When the kids call, I can’t say no….but kids don’t have money.  How much time and energy can I give to the kids and still pay my bills?  Interesting how something so simple as sending various healing energies to children and teens can put me in a position of needing to find my way again.