Juggling Autism: The Chronicles of Ben Royko

I have kept this post “alive” even though it is redundant since it was originally a Facebook post that I  fleshed out to the full blog piece above (January 24). But I didn’t want to eliminate the comments attached to

Ben (right) in his new group home, with twin brother Jake ~~~ Most of our world has become very aware of autism, except, ironically, for Ben himself, our son with severe autism. Actually, we really don’t know Ben’s level of

Welcome to Juggling Autism: The Chronicles of Ben Royko – Severe Autism in Real Time, my ongoing blog about Ben’s (and our family’s) life with severe autism. Beginning with the New Year (2016), the blog is in its new home

The day I realized Ben was autistic, we sat on the floor as he stared up with a wide smile at the spinning ceiling fan. I thought to myself with a mix of panic and crushing despair, “Anything I supposed

Our severely autistic son Ben has never met a cookie he didn’t like. Recently he spotted one on the ground in a park next to a trash can. It was obvious the cookie had been there for a while, half

A few years ago, Ben, our son with severe autism, got a chance to meet one of his favorite musicians — or more accurately, meet the man responsible for creating some of his favorite music. We now know there’s a

In the old, dark Bettelheim days of autism, it was assumed by many that those with the disorder didn’t desire communication. We’ve since come to understand that a lack of ability doesn’t necessarily reflect a lack of desire. But it