Thanks to Temple Grandin and Others Who Shared

It is another one of those mornings – the kind that used to totally freak me. Billy Ray has been yelling, bouncing and sometimes screaming for an hour. Sometimes it seems that my head sends off signals when I have a migraine and that stirs the reaction in Billy Ray (smile).

Yesterday I mentioned another mother’s reaction to her child’s noise in my Amazon blog. This morning listening to Billy Ray and trying to deal with my own headache I was thinking about the time when Billy Ray changed from a quieter child. As shared before, even the noise from an air conditioner or fan bothers me at times. Adjusting to the ear piercing sounds Billy Ray now makes has been an adjustment.

A search on Amazon this morning revealed 1,467 books for the key word Autism. That wasn’t the case when we first needed to learn about it. We found Temple Grandin, Ph.D. first in articles on Autism Research Institute’s website and then we found her books. I told Dr. Grandin that I felt like I had been educated in the school of Temple Grandin because it was the starting point in helping me to understand Billy Ray.

Eventually we found other writers who write about their own experience with Autism such as Sue Rubin and other writers who can share their personal experiences. The library on Autistics.org has multiple articles that are very helpful.

Billy Ray is not exactly like any of these writers but the insight they bring has helped me to get a glimpse into his thinking and needs. It has been the jumpstart we needed to get started adapting to Billy Ray.

This morning thinking about how much easier it is to tolerate Billy Ray’s noise and to work through it (figure out whether he needs something or just needs to get it out), I just felt like expressing appreciation to Dr. Grandin and all those who have shared.

Until next time,
Peggy Lou Morgan
Amazon Blog
www.parentingyourcomplexchild.com
www.lighthouseparents.com
Yahoo Group