Autism Symposium

Sometimes things just fall into my lap unexpectedly.  I saw a notice today for a symposium on Autism Disorders that will be taking place in Fayetteville in late March.  One of the speakers will be Brenda Smith Myles, a nationally recognized expert in Asperger’s Syndrome.  Two others are a father and son.  The son was diagnosed with severe Autism Disorder as a child, but just graduated from the California Insitute of the Arts.  The two days will  be split so that one day will focus on issues parents will find more interesting, and the other day will be geared toward challenges faced by educators.  It’s $140 for both days, and I’m thinking it would be money well-spent to go. 

Tonight, in addition to the good news about the symposium, I had a nice couple of moments with D.  She has been going out with a boy for a couple of months now, which is an eternity in terms of her relationships.  We have given them some chances to prove their trustworthiness, allowing him to bring her home from softball practice and such, and tonight they came straight home from her game even when she wasn’t sure we were going to be home from a dinner we went to.  We told her that we feel she has been proving herself lately, and we’re proud of the choices she’s been making, so we will let them go on a real date if they want to – him driving, curfew, etc…  She seemed really surprised, and pleased.  It was a really nice moment.

Then, a little later, she and her sister and I were in K’s room talking about some cyber-bullying that is occurring on Facebook, and we had a great ten or fifteen conversation about social pressures and what’s worth worrying about and what’s not.  It was one of the first times we have talked together like a mom and her daughters without any drama or raised voices in, like, 4 years.  It sounds ridiculous, but it gives me hope.

~ by mrsmarshall on February 29, 2008.