Autism: The Musical

Watch it on HBO. It's amazing. It's honest. You'll fall in love with the kids and appreciate the depth of the time and effort parents put into helping their kids grow and develop. You will watch as people struggle with communication, social skills, and impulsivity. The film shows snippets of the joys and challenges, the positive communication and melt-downs -- both child and adult. It is a film about children with autism, but it is just as much about how neurotypical adults sometimes have similar behaviors and responses to the world -- just not as frequently.

Here is the schedule. The next showing is Wednesday at 6:15 East, 9:15 West. It is also On Demand, although it doesn't show up yet on my On Demand Schedule. There are also some cut scenes available On Demand, which you'll want to go to immediately after seeing the film.

Don't have HBO? Go visit a friend....

My only significant critique, (which would have completely changed the film), is that they only gave a tiny nod to the inadequate resources that are provided to help children fully develop their potential, or to the reality that public schools fail to meet the legal standards of education on a regular basis.

Daddy’s Roommate Buys a Prius

A satire of the fundraising letters of James Dobson (Focus on the Family).
Said satire is brought to you by the funny evangelicals at The Wittenburg Door.

Green Homosexuals, The Newest Threat to American Families

EXCERPT:

We must defend our way of life. Many of you know my stand against homosexuality.

AND, more recently, you may have heard how I have criticized evangelical leaders who have formed unholy alliances with the environmental movement to “save” the planet at the expense of our God-ordained standard of living.

What you may not know is that these two radical movements have now joined forces.

My friends, we are now facing a Gay-Green threat: Homosexual activists who also seek to limit carbon emissions and promote recycling, as well as a sustainable lifestyle!

I know it sounds like “gangrene” and that is entirely appropriate, since this is a rottenness which will eat away at the integrity of our American way of life.

And, in case you've never seen what Mr. Dobson writes, here's an excerpt of a real letter:

April 2004

Dear Friends:

I write to you today with a profound sense of concern and apprehension for the welfare of the family, and indeed, for the future of our nation. I do not recall a time since the beginnings of Focus on the Family, 27 years ago, when the institution of marriage faced such peril, or when the forces arrayed against it were more formidable or determined. Barring a miracle, the family as it has been known for more than five millennia will crumble, presaging the fall of Western civilization itself. This is a time for concerted prayer, divine wisdom and greater courage than we have ever been called upon to exercise.

For more than 40 years, the homosexual activist movement has sought to implement a master plan that has had as its centerpiece the utter destruction of the family. The institution of marriage, along with an often weakened and impotent Church, is all that stands in the way of its achievement of every coveted aspiration.

Latency aged boys collect things

It's part of the developmental deal, 10-12 year old boys build model worlds - railroads, lego-lands, duct-tape tech deck skateboard parks - and they collect things. They collect baseball cards, Pokemon cards, matchbox cars...

My grandson collects "Quotes I Like by Barack Obama."

He writes them on little flash cards so he can learn them.

I'm so proud.

Laugh like a pig Auntie Cindy

When Naomi was much smaller, she loved my laugh, which, when there is enough humor in the ether, does have an occasional snorting quality to it. My brother Dave and sister-in-law Mari used this as a way to help her differentiate between Auntie Beloved and Auntie Cindy.

Before, it went like this:

Age 18 months - 2 years--
"How does Auntie Cindy laugh?"
[Naomi would scrunch up her face and pull air in and out of her 18 month old nose, like 18 month old smelling the flowers on speed]

Age 2--
She'd be on the phone and say,
"Laugh Auntie Cindy."

Age 2.5--
on the webcam, she'd scrunch up her face and say,
"Laugh Auntie Cindy."

Age 2.75--visiting in person
This time, after spending 8 days with her, we were riding in the car when out of the blue she suddenly made the connection.

"Laugh like a pig Auntie Cindy."

Everyone swears they never taught her what a pig sounds like.

Happy Cindy is SO HAPPY with her nieces

the 7 week old twins, and a toddler in California in the early spring with actual live daffodils in the front yard.

Naomi sez:
Auntie Cindy, are you Happy?
Yes Naomi, I am Happy.
Are you SO HAPPY?
Yes, Naomi, I am SO HAPPY!

And today is my 8.5 / 2.5 year anniversary with the honey. (That's time together pre and post marriage rights)

What could possibly make it be better? It'd maybe help a little if the toddler internalized the instructions in this video which she's watched, so far, 5 times. I post it here for easy retrieval for all RE Teacher trainings.