Last month, Aaron discovered his bank card wasn’t working. I called his bank and was assured his new card would be mailed by the end of December. I forgot about this issue until earlier this week. Aaron came to me and told me his card hadn’t been delivered to our home. Again, I told him…
Continue reading ➞ Spectrum Life, Banking and Loosening the Apron Strings
Oftentimes, in the African American community, we hear the words “Autism” and “ADHD” and immediately negative images come to mind. As a mental health professional and the mom of 2 amazing sons, one of whom has autism and the other has ADHD, part of my life’s work is to show there are other facets of…
Continue reading ➞ Autism, ADHD, and the African American Community
Paul tried to prepare me for my oldest son, Aaron’s, Christmas gift. The only clue he would give me is, “You guys have had a conversation about it.” Christmas Day came. Every gift I received was beyond thoughtful; this was probably the best Christmas I have ever had. I saw Aaron looking Paul’s way. Then…
I am exhausted. I am tired. I am weary. I am struggling. These words are hard to write, hard to see on my phone screen, hard to experience. These words are also liberating, comforting, and exhilarating. They are my words, so let me explain. 2020 came in like a flood. Our family experienced a significant…
Since 1996, when my oldest son initially lost his ability to speak, I became a case manager of sorts: monitoring, linking, and ensuring that Aaron has what he needs to be happy and productive. When I became pregnant for the second time, I prayed for a “normal” child, one that would not experience so many…
I walked by my kitchen sink Thursday morning and spotted the usual item lying within it: a frozen ham steak. I smiled and kept walking. A little later I went back and snapped a pic. While many may look at this piece of meat and see just that, a piece of delicious pork, I see…
Continue reading ➞ Ham Steaks and Independence- Life Inside A Spectrum Family
A couple of weeks ago, I went shopping with one of my best friends. We have known each other for at least 30 years. We were college roommates our entire time in school. We got married days apart and had our first sons only months apart. My friend Tamala and I, as adults (top) and…
Continue reading ➞ Confessions of a Mom of an Adult With Autism
We’d been talking about it since March. Then a few days ago, Moo and I read the same articles: Police were being denied vacation time in Louisville. “You know what’s about to pop off don’t you Moo?” I asked him. He replied. “Yep. Plus they gave her family all that money. It’s about to get…
The other day, my youngest son, Bryant, and I were talking. Out of the blue, he asked me, “Ma, did you ever think you would ever have 2 neurodiverse kids?” Neurodiverse is defined as a “ variation in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, and other mental functions.” My oldest son, Aaron, has Aspergers,…
