Day 351

Day 282

A couple months ago my Mom and I went to a transition conference in Bellingham to learn more about post-secondary options for Kelt. This is one of the worksheets that we got, but just had Kelt fill it out today. I thought some of his choices were interesting, especially the fact that he chose child-care out of options such as computer work, sporting goods, bookstore, mall, grocery store, and pet care, etc. I never thought he'd enjoy working with kids. I would like to do more activities like this one with him to get ideas for next year.

Day 278

Day 277

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Dick Tracy: blind contour drawing of 1/159 of Kelt's bobble heads.

These drawings are blind except when I briefly look at the paper to set the pen. This series represents Kelt's uninhibited drawing style and enhanced visual skills. To view more, click the bobble head label to the right.

Day 209

Day 191

Day 190

Some of my friends recommended that I talk about autism in the media, specifically in Parenthood, Community, and The Big Bang Theory. I haven’t seen Community or Big Bang, but occasionally watch Parenthood and recently watched the episode when Max, an 8-year-old with Asperger Syndrome, discovers that he has autism. This video shows his parents explaining autism for the second time after being unprepared when Max overheard an earlier conversation. They are accurate, simple, and use constructive language; overall the scene is uplifting and realistic. They also bring up Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger Syndrome by 13-year-old Luke Jackson, which is where I got the idea to read the book. Having Asperger Syndrome himself, Jackson believes that:

“A child should be told and the sooner the better… Although a child may go through [the] period of asking questions or being angry and upset, in my mind that is still no excuse not to tell them. Parents, you are not protecting them because feeling as if you are a ‘freak’ is horrible at any time and much worse when you don’t know the reasons why” (30, 37).

Day 176

Day 160