First thing’s first — a HUGE Thank You to everyone who donated to Monarch Lifeworks through our Facebook ROYKO SUMMER BIRTHDAY TRIFECTA (Ben, Karen and me) Fundraiser! We originally planned a goal of $500, but then figured, hey, let’s shoot
Photo courtesy Monarch/Bellefaire JCB Daddy Dave turned 60 on June 8, the Big Benny Boy turned 26 on July 30, and Mom Karen will hit the big 60 on August 27. I know, I know, everyone’s thinking, “But I can’t
Ben is happy to put on his own socks, as long as we’re happy to wait. Obviously, such pleasures are meant to be savored, not rushed. Ben knows how to party. Sock On!
Last week, I posted a link to A.F. Lutz’s Psychology Today piece that, in part, touches on the absurdity of severely autistic people like Ben and her son Jonah being expected to make major decisions about their lives. Of course,
As I (and others) have written repeatedly, higher-functioning autism self-advocates are among the least aware of what our severely autistic loved ones need and are capable of — because most of them have had ZERO first-hand experience with them. Writer
Another exception to my autism-related blog posts — Dad’s Fourth of July column. It has been among my all-time favorites since I was nine. Happy 4th! Mike Royko 1968 Chicago Daily News Fourth of July Column It was early last
When it comes to eating out (almost always at allegedly “fast” food places), Ben loves it. But that’s all he loves about it. What he cannot stand (and everybody in the joint usually knows it) is the prelude: Ordering, especially
You know Ben is in a good mood when he’s singing. It is ALWAYS at full-blast-fortissimo. He really loves to belt it out in big, resonant spaces – like the gallery rooms and massive atrium at the Cleveland Art Museum,
A springtime check-in with our favorite Autistic young man, beginning with his favorite holiday, based solely on the candy-factor… and the removal of all the Easter basket grass is essential to finding each and every bit of the good stuff.
“Maybe Next Year” is a phrase seared into my Chicago Cubs-fan brain. It’s also what goes through my head on Autism Awareness Day year after year, as bits and pieces of hard data and promising factoids sprinkle down like pixie