My autism interview on ConversationsLIVE

  When I first started interviewing for my book, A Pair of Miracles, I was terrified. Now I really enjoy it. I still have a long way to go to sound polished, but I keep trying! Here’s my interview with ConversationsLIVE host, Cyrus Webb. Thanks, Cyrus, for having me! Please let me know in the comments below how you liked the …

A site makeover and autism!

I’m learning my way around my new site! Until I can figure out what’s what and how it works, I wanted to share this incredible speech by a man with autism. He has an incredible testimony. He’s a miracle,  just like my twins! Do yourself a favor and listen to his story. You’ll understand autism better and you’ll be inspired, …

The power of “not yet”

Late bloomer baby boomer. That’s me. Admittedly, I’m on the outer fringe of the baby boomers. But I’m definitely not on the fringe of late bloomers. And I’m in good company. People laugh and think I’m being insulting when I mention I’m a plodder. I’ve never been a runner. Well, except for maybe that one, short, miraculous time in college …

Not your grandmother’s snow day

Teacher or student, I’ve always loved me a snow day. (For you English teachers, I realize that is not proper grammar. I’m writing in casual conversation here…) I grew up in southern Kansas. Snow days were rare. My best recollection of a snow day was the winter of 1971 when my dad wrapped Wonder Bread sacks around our shoes and …

As I see it: a view through the special educator’s lens

There are some things that happen in public education that I will never understand. I realize I come from a background very different than most public school teachers. I was fortunate to start my teaching career in small, private schools, where imagination and creativity by the teacher was encouraged. Ironically, I started out teaching in a rigorous program in the …

What makes a writer great

There’s not a reputable writer out there that doesn’t want to be the best in their craft. One way we scribes measure our success is by how many awards or best-sellers we have under our belt. Others measure it by how many books they’ve published or sold. A top-ten Amazon ranking, a New York Times Best-Seller list: what writer hasn’t …

My New Life as a Special Education Teacher

Yes, I know, I know. It’s ironic. I’ve not had much to do with public schools during most of my adult life. I did attend public schools as a child K-12th grade, but I chose to homeschool my children for various reasons. One of them being the school districts we lived in doing a poor job of servicing children with …

A Pair of Miracles: Isaac got a job!

When your identical twin brother has a job and you don’t, it’s a tough row to hoe. Let’s rephrase that. When your identical twin brother with autism has a job and you have autism, and you don’t have a job yet, it’s super hard to process and understand.  Last week Isaac started his new job! This has been a long road for …