We're thrilled to announce a new partnership that will bring The Color of Autism Foundation's resources in front of The Mighty's wide-reaching readership. The Color of Autism Foundation will now have a growing home page on The Mighty and will appear on many stories on the site.
The Mighty is a story-based health community focused on improving the lives of people facing disease, disorder, mental illness and disability. More than half of Americans are facing serious health conditions or medical issues. They want more than information. They want to be inspired. The Mighty publishes real stories about real people facing real challenges.
We're dedicated to helping people with autism in their lives. With this partnership, we'll be able to help even more people.
We encourage you to submit a story to The Mighty and make your voice heard.
Since my son w/autism may never fully understand the concept of yielding. I will create a bulletproof suit that I will attach stickers that say "Autistic May Not Yield". While my comment may come off as sarcastic...I'm serious! I work hard with my son everyday, but I still fear that he'll one day be faced with the task of yielding and may fail.
Well it's that time of year again Halloween. We've had an interesting 8 years I must say.
Over the years my son has gone from thinking Halloween was a go visit people game where you ring the doorbell and bolt into someone's home...To ringing their bell and flashing a magnetic smile and saying nothing.
Now I can't say that our journey has gone without planking and noncooperation. It has indeed at times been a bit trying for Ari as he's gone through is various stages of what I call his "Autism Development". Last year we faced a separation issue where he decided he didn't like strange houses, this after years of telling him he can't force himself into people's houses to sit on their couch. This year we created a social story and hopefully he now understands that when he rings the doorbell, I'm not got going to leave him. So, I have no idea what's in store for us this Friday? We took a test run at a chamber of commerce function today for little goblins and he muttered "going home going home", that is until he saw they were passing out Skittles. Crossing my fingers for this Friday...lol!
For those of you who can relate to this story here's a links to Social Stories that you may find helpful.
On Oct. 4, 2013, Avonte Oquendo ran out of Center Boulevard
School in Long Island City, setting off a massive search that included subway
tunnels and regular announcements over the public-address system at subway
stations. His remains were found in the East River in January, several miles
from where he vanished. It’s been 1 years since this tragedy and while there
has been changes no charges has been filed against the school for allowing this
to happen. Even worse “Avonte’s Law” won’t be implemented until May 2015.
*Just before Avonte’s disappearance in September 2013 a
Metro Detroit Teen went missing for two weeks before he was found alive 20
miles from his residence.
*On September 8, 2014 a six year old autistic child wandered
into the Hudson River. Thankfully and yet tragically 40-year-old Boyce “Scoop”
Coleman went to his rescue. Boyce Coleman and another man jumped in to save the
boy. Little Stephen was rescued but Coleman drowned in the process.
Wandering is very common among persons on the Autism
Spectrum. Whether your child is on the spectrum or not, it’s important to be
able to identify the warning signs in order to prevent tragedies. I think the
best way to remember Avonte is to become more informed. So when a local
community group is offering first responder training make a call to your local
schools, police precincts, and fire stations, and find out if they will be
attending? If the answer is no tell them they should! Then in the spirit of
being proactive pick up the phone and register to take the training yourself.
Ask your school district about what plans they have put in
place to protect persons with special needs who wander. Sit down with your
family and develop a plan on how to keep your home secure and also complete a
profile on your loved one in case of disappearance. Having a profile ensure
quick distribution of your child’s stats and could save them. Take a trip to
your local hardware or big box store and purchase door and window sensors that
will alert you when a door or window is opened. You can also download this app http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/august/child_080511
*Warning Over used term headed your way*
At the end of the day ALL Children need to be protected and
safe. If you live in an urban environment and you know what response times are
and etc...Why not be proactive. Being Proactive shows the depths of your
concern and creates an advocacy for change.
Lastly use this hastag #wewillprotectasd to show your
commitment to keeping children safe.
About a year ago I relocated back to Detroit from Atlanta. I returned just after "The Great Autism Bill" was being put into effect. I was so optimistic in regards to how this bill would change things in under represented neighborhoods. A year has passed and while I think that many are being served, I see a great disparity when it comes to the accessibility of care. Many of the ASD service providers are in the suburbs and even with Medicaid taxis it's difficult for families to commit to therapy.
Education of Caregivers in the inner city is very lacking. The buy in just isn't there because parent training is set up as a mandate as opposed to what it really is...Their child's survival! Everyone keeps putting lipstick on "the pig" and passing out the Sinclair James "woo woo woo". Then along comes me an advocate for 5 1/2 years trying to provide much needed services to the underserved. I'm in the community and I'm working hard at getting them access to services and the training they need through my foundation The Color of Autism. I've applied for grant funding and crowd funding contests, and have kinda fallen flat. Recently, I received what I call a Dear John email from a large company that owns virtually everything in Detroit that basically said "Good Luck With That" and a nice no m'am at the end.
Here's a reality that needs to be stated:
In order for families in underserved communities to flourish, you have to provide the right outreach. You have to become a trusted partner and get a buy in. But how are you going to get a buy in when families have to travel 30 minutes or more outside their neighborhoods to get therapy. Many home providers won't even travel into the inner city. Therapy services need to be localized and accessible and most importantly genuine.Yes I said genuine! Sometimes you just have to tell folks like it is! The reality of Autism in the underserved populous is pretty bleak without therapy services. You have to have very keen relationship building skills in order to deliver a message that will resonate. You have to understand the nature and root of the parent anxiety and unless you've lived it a white paper from Psychology Today ain't gonna cut it. You have to understand the cultural shame of what having something that resembles crazy carries...Yes I said crazy! In underserved communities mental illness and disorders of the brain is shameful to many. So shameful that some would forgo treatment all together.*sidebar*Has the closing of the Lafayette Clinic taught us nothing? Being called Bad sounds alot better than Autistic and we all know what happens to all the bad kids. How many people on the Autism Spectrum do you think are in the prison system? Lemme answer that for you...Quite a Few. How many children on the spectrum have been abused because of overwhelmed and untrained parents?
The Color of Autism Foundation is the connecting thread for families affected by ASD living in Detroit. Be honest out of all the Autism foundations, how many are actually in the City supporting families. There is nobody speaking or walking down Linwood advocating for families with children on the spectrum. We deliver services to families, because without a strong foundation these children will not flourish. While my rant sounds cranky, I can assure you that I'm vetted to insuring that all children on the spectrum receive the care they need. The Color of Autism wants to end the disparity of care. The Color of Autism Foundation is a 501c3 that needs your support!
If this sounds like something you'd be interested in donating your time to, please email me at info@thecolorofautism.org.
Lately, the news has been filled with stories about crimes committed against our kids. A young man being assaulted in Florida and a teen being tricked into an ice bucket prank. The list goes on and on, and these are the ones that made the nightly news. I mean seriously I just can't wrap my mind around someone dumping a bucket of feces on a kid...A kid who wanted nothing more than for someone to accept him. It infuriates me that it took 2 weeks and Drew Carey's wallet for the culprits to be found.
What's so alarming to me is that our children are so vulnerable and that society doesn't really seem to give a Merry X-Mas about them. I mean come on how hard is it to teach your child to do the right thing? How hard is it to point out that when you see someone that is struggling to help them...Not kick them! When I was a kid back when the dinosaurs walked, I wouldn't even think of doing half the stuff these lil hooligans are out doing. Heck I had to be in the house when the street lights came on. I know that parenting is harder now than it was back in the day...I get that! For us parents with children on the spectrum it's even harder because not only are we spending sleepless nights worrying about our babies. We have to worry about other people and what they may or may not be inclined to do.
I dunno folks...I dunno? What I do know is if someone does something to my son don't be surprised if you see a pudgy little black woman on the evening news. I hope to G-D that things never come to this! What I will do to protect myself, Mr. Hurd, and You is continue to educate and engage communities to gain a better understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder. More importantly I want people to just be good!
You know since the uncovering of the CDC Whistle Blower I've been bombarded with emails about the matter. Do I believe that the government withheld information, lied, tricked us, and bamboozled us...Absolutely! Below is my unpopular opinion:
I find it a bit concerning that African American Children's well being is at the forefront of this cover up. A cover up that's being compared to the Tuskegee Experiment in an attempt to get AA community angry, riled and ready to battle. We should be angry, mad, furious, riled, and ready to fight. But out of all the people tweeting, facebooking, and calls for action. Has anyone mentioned a plan to help the AA victims of this atrocity? Because if you want to use us at the forefront of your battle, one would think you'd also want to demand healing and disclosure? I have read posts and tweet after tweet and not one has eluded to how we can help the victims. I know I'm being snarky, but African Americans need to be really careful about pushing an agenda that involves us that doesn't have a plan to heal us. Please don't misunderstand I want all children healed from Autism, not just AA children. I'm very confident that the cover up is far reaching and has harmed millions of children. I have a deep appreciation for advocates of all children, so please don't think I don't. I'm just saying don't use conspiracy and scare tactics to on board a community without a plan to heal them.
I think the Whistle Blower battle is important, because the Government needs a reminder every now and again that they aren't G-D. They need to be held accountable and the CDC Whistle Blower Fight may lead to change. The end result may lead to better practices at the CDC, and if that's the result I give my thanks in advance. This is a fight I will be watching from the sidelines because unfortunately I have more pressing issues. I have to worry about my son growing up to be a moving gun range target.
