A Lot Can Happen In a Little Bit of Time
The best way to describe Monday is through a timeline. 4am. Charlie wakes up. Showers, etc. 4.25am. Charlie asks for a walk. Jim suggests a bike ride; I point out that it is kind of early. I set this Giant Timer app on Charlie’s iPad—it is simplex elegans, a giant digital timer with neon chartreuse … Read more
Arrivals & Departures
My plane landed early in Newark Airport. Jim and Charlie and my parents had gone to Liberty State Park to ride bikes in what was bike ride #3 of the day: Jim had mentioned that Saturday I was coming home, whereupon Charlie started saying ‘Mom airplane’ and asking to go there right now that instant. … Read more
The Purple Beads Story (on video)
Thank you to everyone for your good wishes about finding Charlie’s purple beads. Alas, the beads have yet to be found. As a result of which, Charlie and I didn’t set off for the Big Autism Center till 8.44am. School starts at 8.45am so we were a bit late. Charlie had gotten up, showered, and … Read more
When the iPad Flies (and I mean that literally)
The iPad certainly seems to have become The Hot Thing to have if there's someone on the autism spectrum in your household and, too, if you're a parent in general. Thanks to everyone for your stories and thoughts (and thanks of course to Shannon for her BlogHer article on her son Leo and the iPad). … Read more
Always With You (in traffic; with iPad)
Charlie and I left for school at the (much more reasonable time of) 7.50am on Thursday morning. This meant that we didn't have to go out of our way to kill any time as, the later we leave, the more traffic—in the form of cars gridlocked on streets not made for such—we run into. Charlie … Read more
Morning Stars
Charlie woke up at 4am on Wednesday morning. By 5am he and I were out walking under the stars. I sighted Orion and the Big Dipper and thought how, six or so months ago when such early, early morning walks had become quite frequent, those constellations had been some 180 degrees elsewhere in the sky. … Read more
Working the iPad: Stories2Learn and TapSpeakButton
First, a bus update. Still waiting to hear about a bus to take Charlie home. Yes, contacting the transportation department and the special ed director are on the Wednesday to-do list. On the longer term list has been, as I've from time to time mentioned, trying Charlie on some sort of augmentative communication device. We … Read more
