by External Article | Jun 1, 2022 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Housing, Long Term Caregiving |
Sabrina, who was given a diagnosis of autism coupled with a rare genetic disorder, has exhibited aggressive behavior since she was a little girl. Now she towers over her parents. When she is happy, she gives them great big hugs, knocking them slightly off balance.... 
by External Article | Apr 5, 2022 | Caring for a Sibling, Planning |
If your relationship is making both of you happier, then why is it wrong to need each other? How did independence become the mark of a “healthy” human, when our species literally only got this far through social cooperation? My brother has higher support needs than me... by External Article | Aug 24, 2021 | Caring for a Child, Generation X, Long Term Caregiving |
Currently, only three states in the country explicitly include special ed students in their sex-ed requirements. Six other states provide optional resources adapted for more accessible sex-ed curriculums. Thirty-six states fail to mention students with special needs... 
by External Article | Nov 26, 2020 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Long Term Caregiving |
As a police officer and parent, Thompson knows all too well how badly interactions between autistic people and law enforcement can go. From beatings and violent arrests to deadly shootings, police use of force against autistic people is not uncommon. As violent... 
by External Article | Jul 14, 2020 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Long Term Caregiving |
For any Black parent, the talk is a difficult moment. For those of us with children with autism, it is doubly so. I know many Black American males — doctors, lawyers, teachers — who have harrowing stories of encounters with police. If these prominent professional men... 
by External Article | Feb 11, 2020 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Caring for a Parent, Generation X, Long Term Caregiving, Sandwich Generation |
When Tanya Brice’s mother moved into her apartment in Owings Mills, Md., five years ago, she was already caring for twin toddlers, one of whom has autism and an intellectual disability, and a teenage son. Brice, 43, is a single mom, and was supporting the household on... 
by Guest Author | Feb 11, 2020 | Caring for a Child, Generation X, Long Term Caregiving |
Ariam Alula I returned to journalism school in 2018 to be a part of the engagement movement that is listening to communities first and disrupting the institutional bias of top-down sources. Through empathy and connection, I amplify the voices of family caregivers of... 
by External Article | Dec 20, 2019 | 24/7 Caregiving, Baby Boom Generation, Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Long Term Caregiving, Planning |
What she feared more than death was the thought of leaving her son alone in the world. After all, Anthony was not like other children. He was really not a child, at all. He had just celebrated his fortieth birthday. Anthony has the mental capacity of a five-year-old.... 
by External Article | Jul 2, 2019 | Art, Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Long Term Caregiving, Planning |
In the fall of 2006, when I reached out to the Floquet-McGovern family as part of a photography project about raising children on the autism spectrum, I thought I’d spend one afternoon at their house in western Massachusetts. I spent 12 years with them instead. Ethan... 
by External Article | May 31, 2019 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Sibling |
I recently spoke before 2nd-5th grade students during a career day event at Estes Elementary School. Whenever I speak about my career path before audiences I naturally share how having a brother with a disability provided me with my drive and purpose. After my... 
by External Article | May 30, 2019 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Caring for a Parent |
I touch my father’s shoulder to let him know we’re here, but – for the first time – he doesn’t recognize me. My daughter Charlotte notices and hides a quiet weep. I start to worry. Dad’s memory has deteriorated even in the last month. I wonder whether I should have... 
by External Article | May 13, 2019 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Sibling, Long Term Caregiving, Millennial Generation |
My parents have long avoided having the talk with me about how I can take care of my older brother when they are gone. Daniel, who is 29 and on the autism spectrum, needs full-time supervision and someone is always at home with him — my mom, my dad or me. But I worry... 
by External Article | Apr 26, 2019 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child |
Charlie, the oldest of Lamb’s two sons, has nonverbal autism — a form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that prevents him from speaking. “When he was still a toddler, all of a sudden, Charlie just stopped talking. He said a few words and he just stopped. Stopped... 
by External Article | Feb 20, 2019 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Long Term Caregiving, Planning |
Diane Gill Morris was 25 when her first son, Kenny, was born. About 15 months later, she and her husband realized that he’d stopped talking. By the time Kenny was officially diagnosed with autism, Diane’s second son, Theo, was eight months old. Less than a year later,... 
by External Article | Jul 18, 2018 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Caring for a Friend, Finances, Generation X, Long Term Caregiving, Millennial Generation, Sandwich Generation |
Caregiving isn’t just a family thing, it’s everything we do to help people with disabilities thrive in the world. Here’s a great case study on how one business creates an environment that helps employees with autism do their best work. Each year,... 
by External Article | Jul 7, 2018 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Caring for a Grandchild, Caring for a Sibling, Generation X, Long Term Caregiving, Millennial Generation, Occasional Caregiving, Sandwich Generation |
After an autistic man’s stim toy was mistaken for a gun, with tragic results, NPR’s Aftereffects looked into how people’s stim toys impact their every day life. When you feel overwhelmed with sensory input, as a lot of autistic people often feel,... 
by External Article | Jun 25, 2018 | Baby Boom Generation, Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Long Term Caregiving |
She got the [community garden] plot fifteen years ago, as a sanctuary for her son, who is on the autism spectrum. “I have pictures—they slightly break my heart, but they’re all so beautiful—of him just sitting in a chair and looking out, peaceful.” One time, he hid a... by External Article | Jun 25, 2018 | Baby Boom Generation, Care Work Library, Caregiver Burnout, Caring for a Child, Caring for a Parent, Generation X, Long Term Caregiving, Occasional Caregiving |
Many people fantasize about running away and leaving it all behind. In this short story by Gary Shteyngart, Barry runs away from his wife and their autistic son. After taking the Greyhound to Atlanta, he hides out with his former employee, whom he’d fired years... 
by External Article | Feb 21, 2018 | 24/7 Caregiving, Care Work Library, Caring for a Sibling, Long Term Caregiving, Millennial Generation, Occasional Caregiving, Planning |
Ellery and Clare are sisters to Gilly, who has special needs. Gilly has high-needs autism meaning that she will never work or live independently. She requires constant 24-hour care and supervision. For Clare and Ellery, being Gilly’s sister has shaped how they... 
by External Article | Sep 12, 2017 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Caring for a Client, Finances, Finding Caregiver Support, For Professional Caregivers, Millennial Generation |
Helen Adeosun just raised $1.5 million dollars for her startup, CareAcademy.com*. As a black female entrepreneur, she’s challenging the norms: on average black women raise only $36,000 for their startups in comparison to $1.3 million dollars raised by a white male for... 
by Alisa Goodman | Jun 30, 2017 | Caregiver Stories |
Faith Jegede tells the moving and funny story of growing up with her two brothers, both autistic — and both extraordinary. In this talk from the TED Talent Search, she reminds us to pursue a life beyond what is... 
by Guest Author | Jun 7, 2017 | Caregiver Stories |
Moms of special needs kids come in all shapes, sizes and types. What kind of (super) mom are you? Rabbi Rebecca Einstein Schorr blogs at This Messy Life. This former career-driven mother of three became a reluctant stay-at-home-mom when her autistic son and his two... 
by Guest Author | May 14, 2017 | Caregiver Stories |
Sometimes you can’t get help for caregiving, because no one is willing to step in. Even professional caregivers. We are 68 years old and caregivers for our 40 year old Autistic daughter. She is high functioning and also obstinate and difficult to live with and... 
by Cori Carl | May 7, 2017 | Caregiver Stories |
So many caregiving guides make it sound like there’s plenty of help to be had, if only caregivers would ask. We know that’s not quite how it works. Yes, some caregivers don’t ask for help and your chances of success improve if you ask the right way,... 
by External Article | Apr 3, 2017 | Baby Boom Generation, Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Finding Caregiver Support, Long Term Caregiving |
In many ways, Law sounds like a stereotypical millennial—unwilling to work a dull job to pay the bills and preferring to spend time on his creative interests. But Law’s path to an adult role and responsibilities is complicated by the fact that he has autism and... 
by External Article | Mar 14, 2017 | 24/7 Caregiving, Care Work Library, Caring for a Child, Caring for a Grandchild, Long Term Caregiving |
Read any news report, and you’ll notice people who murder disabled relatives often claim “hardship” to justify their crimes—what disability rights activists call the “mercy killing” defense. And commonly, the courts will cite the victim’s disability as a reason for... 
by Guest Author | Jan 30, 2017 | Wellness |
Music plays a significant role in nearly everyone’s life, but for some people it represents much more than an invitation to dance or a soundtrack for the morning commute. Researchers have found that music therapy provides a diversion from negative feelings and helps... 
by External Article | Dec 26, 2016 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Sibling, Millennial Generation |
Disabled people’s lives are bursting with affirmation, affection, and meaning well beyond the half-baked romance narratives we get stuck with. So say hello to Queer Crip Love Fest, a new series where I talk to disabled queer folks about the love all around them — for... 
by Kaiser Health News | Aug 27, 2016 | Caregiver News |
A 12-year-old boy named Strazh hangs from the monkey bars, staring at the ground. The other kids in the park aren’t interested in him. And he’s not interested in them. “I just like to play by myself,” he says. Strazh has autism. Today is a good day. But on most... by External Article | Mar 16, 2016 | Care Work Library, Caring for a Sibling, Generation X, Grief, Long Distance Caregiving, Occasional Caregiving |
Danny Oquendo put his life on hold when his half brother, Avonte, disappeared from his New York City school in 2013. Three years later, his life is dramatically different. Listen to the episode on Death, Sex, and Money. 
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