Blogs

Dear Friends,

I wanted to wish you a Happy Holiday and bring you up to date on the Brunett Family.

I would like to reflect on my family’s year giving you a brief update on what has been happening with the Brunetts. Starting with Jordan, he is doing amazing. Rick and I couldn’t be more proud of him. He is having the best school year ever. His grades are excellent and he speaks highly of his teachers.

I am thankful today for the hurdles I have in front of me, I can still jump. I met Dean today and my life has been changed forever. Dean you see is paralyzed since the day I was born. Dean was paralyzed in the prime of his life. Four children and a stay at home wife.

Hello all just a note to pop in an update things here at the homefront. Bryson is receiving Developmental therapy, speech therapy, jsut got it going this week as we relocated recently to Indianapolis. His head banging is still an issue got a script for a helmaet for his head but have to wait til after tomorrow to get it filled because my son's medicaid changed to the disability medicaid. he is off the abilify and the Trazadone slep is no better without it. I am looking at getting him going on probiotic digestive enzyme by the end of the week.

My daughter came home for the holiday from her group home. She was in good spirits. I swear she has grown a foot in the last year. When I went to pick her up I noticed that there is another bed in her bedroom. Obviously she has gained a roomate and no one has informed me of this change. This bothers me somewhat. I think more that I was not notified more than her sharing a room. She has never shared a room before. The house had told me that her sleeping has been a bit off. She also has had med changes in the last few weeks and that was my assumption for the sleep issues.

Check out my verbal behavior blogs at: http://verbalbehaviorapproach.blogspot.com/. If you want to be notified of new blogs (about once per week), go to www.verbalbehaviorapproach.com and fill out your email address in the top box of the home page.

Thanks,

Mary Lynch Barbera, RN, MSN, BCBA
www.verbalbehaviorapproach.com

I thought I did it right. I followed the American Dream plan. I had a vision of the little house, 2.3 kids, white picket fence, wife & dog after going to a major university and getting a degree. Then a child with Autism and two heart attacks at 38. I sit here at the end of a year of hope promises and dreams with my head spinning. I can not imagine what it is like to wonder where my next meal is coming from or not having clean water. These are things no human should have to endure. God Bless the www.Causecast.org Non Profit Members changing the world.

Shame on Amy Wallace and her editors both for their public rellatio (= PR fellatio) of the pharmaceutical industry, masquerading unconvincingly as journalism (Wired Magazine, issue 17.11, “Epidemic of Fear”).

Chicago Tribune Once Again Affirms Reason for Financial Trouble by Alienating parents of Autistics
C. Linderman Sr. ATO Opinion Press Nov. 23 2009

Today, we are celebrating Thanksgiving “en famille” with the four of us, dear husband, dear children and me. Dear daughter already ate half of the Thanksgiving dessert... so what? With autism we learn not to sweat the small stuff.

Today, we have so many thanks to give to our wonderful autism community that I do not know where to start.

As I begin my long holiday weekend, I find it hard to turn off my cell phone, shut down my lap top, and focus on my family. But I must. These outside distractions take me away from what is truly important in my life.