I was wondering if anyone has any information on joint compressions and/or sensory brushing. I am just recently getting familiar with it as my 3 1/2 year old son just started OT last week and they suggested it for his high energy levels. If anyone has any stories about how it worked (or didn't work) for them that would help alot! Thanks! 

As a few of you already know I am recently widowed. My husband of 29 years turned 58 on February 25th, three days later he was dead, massive heart attack here at home. He'd been out weed wacking the back yard, came in & sat down and died. It was horrible. My life has forever changed. It was 2 weeks ago today at about 10 am. He came to me in a dream night before last. He was young and handsome, had a full beard, looked the way he did when he was about 38. We stood in a white room. He didnt talk. He just held me & comforted me. It was so real I could feel his flesh. I kept saying "Emile is this really you?" In my dream I knew he was gone. I will be moving as soon as I can. My wonderful brother & his wife have a rental home closer to where they live and as soon as they can get the tenant out we'll be moving. Free rent. I'll be ok financially. My son & I will be okay. He's going to attend school on the North side of town, in the best school district. Now I just have to learn to live without my husband who I lived with & loved for close to 30 years. This isnt going to be easy... 

Collection of autism songs and lyrics related to autism awareness and music therapy for autism. The best autism awareness songs in the world. AutismLyrics.com

We’re coming off probably the worst 12 hours we’ve had as a family. It started when I walked in the door with Ned last night and found Jill glaring into space and Alex glaring at a dark TV. “He pulled out my knitting!” she said. “We had such a fight!”

They must’ve. The TV was unplugged and Jill was wearing her iPod headphones, refusing to even listen to Alex’s complaints. The knitting project, apparently, was especially involved, and Alex did what Alex has lately been doing to so many things that don’t belong to him.

“Alex leave our stuff alone!”

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I recieved this book in yesturdays mail, a life line. She spoke my language, said the things I was affraid to say or even admit to  myself I felt. I sat on the couch reading and crying, reading some more. This book reached out and touched me, and allowed me to see myself good and bad and in between, and be okay with what I saw. I felt connected to the Author and her struggles in raising an Autistic son, I felt connected to her other boys as they struggled like my boys struggle. I see how judjmental we as parents can be in dealing with other parents who are just trying to do what they feel is the best thing for there child, and will always from this point forward respect other parents ability to chose for themselves even if it is not the choice I would make, and not feel like either choice is superior just different. I will make sure I take care off myself and make sure I stay emotionaly healthy so I keep my own identity ( some thing I have not done I felt to guilty). I will belly dance, or paint or whatever it takes to get to that place where there is peace. I will live a normal life with a child that I love who is normal in his own way and take more time to see his beauty as an individual not an Autistic.  This book is a must read in my opinion, if you are new to these issues like me or some one who would appreciate another parents life long journey raising an Autistic child, you will laugh with Susan and cry with her and you will appreciate her honesty.

Court says thimerosal did not cause autism <!-- Court says thimerosal did not cause autism -->

RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
AP Science Writer <!-- RANDOLPH E. SCHMID --><!-- AP Science Writer -->

<!-- WASHINGTON — The vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism, a special federal court ruled Friday in a long-running battle by parents convinced there is a connection. --><!-- -->

WASHINGTON — The vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism, a special federal court ruled Friday in a long-running battle by parents convinced there is a connection.

While expressing sympathy for the parents involved in the emotionally charged cases, the court concluded they had failed to show a connection between the mercury-containing preservative and autism.

"Such families must cope every day with tremendous challenges in caring for their autistic children, and all are deserving of sympathy and admiration," special master George Hastings Jr., wrote.

But, he added, Congress designed the victim compensation program only for families whose injuries or deaths can be shown to be linked to a vaccine and that has not been done in this case.

The ruling came in the so-called vaccine court, a special branch of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims established to handle claims of injury from vaccines. It can be appealed in federal court.

I am a newly single mother. I have a 6 month old daughter, and my son will be 4 in April who has autism. I have recently decided to go back to school and I want to get my degree in something where I can help. I was wanting to see if anyone knew how I can get a list of all the different job choices out there where I could help kids with autism. Anything from medical things to teaching. I just need some diff fields that would be possible so I can look into them more and decide which I would like to do. I just know I love to help ppl and I am a very caring person. And with the autism hitting so close to home what better way then to find soemthing where I can help my child as well as others? If you could please get back to me and let me know if you know of anything that would be great. Thank you all so much and I am glad I joined this site.

"Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she as wings."

                                                                                                                                                          Victor Hugo

Let us be that bird for our children, knowing that if we fall our community will gather around us and give us flight once again.

                                                                                                                                                           Elizabeth Obrey

If you're not watching NBC's new drama Parenthood yet, head over to Hulu.com and catch up on both the Pilot episode and Man Vs Possum.

Tuesday night's episode, especially, showed a great portrayal of a set of cure-side parents vs a neurodiversity-side therapist.  The cure side parents were high strung, and it showed in their parenting (keeping a color-coded card catalog of resources, doing whatever they could to avoid teaching coping skills or understanding their son, who was going nuts in the background- I would too if I had such pushy parents).   The neurodiversity-side therapist on the other hand, when handing down the official diagnosis, was quick to point out the positives and try to give some hope, but also gave the best piece of advice I've heard yet for parents of a special needs kid:  "Enter into his world, learn what he's about.  Find his talents and polish them.  Then when HE is ready, you lead him out into the real world". 

I got a call from my brother this morning saying he and my neice were in the area and would be by in about an hour to do some tweeking on our computers, so today did not go as well as yesturday. We had behavior after behavior. My brother said what`s up with Mike and when I told him he had no idea you were coming he looked at me like huh, we are not the only ones trying to adjust here I guess. My dad too said oh well, he will just grow out of it, I said dad you just don`t grow out of Autism, to that he responded well I think your probobly not giving him enough attention you do have a prettyy big family. Ugh  Why do people just assume because your the parent you must be doing some thing wrong. Mikey gets more attention than the 7 other kids put together just out of sheer nessesity, his needs are time consuming. The last time I let him out of my sight for more than acouple of minutes he set the attached garage on fire ( he wanted to see if pullups burn) he hates pullups. Must have seemed like a good way to get rid of them.  He still did not melt down though and he wore the earphones all day, so it would have been worse I`m sure without them. My neice is 3 and our youngest is 3 so LOUD is an understatment, then you add 5 other kids and pouring rain and you have off the charts loud !!!  Oh well tommorow is another day LOL