The Aspie Parent: Writings from the Blog

By Liz Cademy

Since 2010, author Liz Cademy has written The Aspie Parent blog, with tips for parents of kids with Aspergers Syndrome, parents who have Aspergers, and general essays about Aspergers. This ebook collects posts and comments from the first two years of the blog into one volume.

Sections include:
Defining Aspegrers
Parenting Tips
Tips for Adults
Education
Help for Teens
Controversy
Humor

• Language: English
• Publisher: Liz Cademy
• Release date: Sep 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301580224

Liz Cademy

Liz is a graphic and web designer, doing business under the name Polymath Solution. She is also an artisan, working mostly (but not exclusively) in fiber arts. She has designed and taught knitting, other fiber arts, and chain mail for over 20 years. Introduction to Chain Mail is her first book. She is also working on a series of knitting books, Knit Suite. The first two books, Kitchener Stitch and American Abbreviations, are available. Liz lives in a house in the woods in New England with two mostly grown children and a cat who hasn't chosen itself yet.

Book preview

The Aspie Parent, the First Two Years

A Collection of Posts from the Aspie Parent Blog

by Liz Cademy

Copyright 2013 Liz Cademy

articles copyright 2010-2012

All Rights Reserved

Cover Design by Liz Cademy

Smashwords Edition July 2013

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your ebook seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

BASICS

Hello

Alphabet Soup

Definitions of Aspergers Syndrome

Autism Epidemic?

Labels, Part 1

Labels, Part 2

Definition of Aspergers Syndrome

Female Aspergers

Books on Social Skills

PARENTING TIPS

Parenting Tip: Saying of the Day

Parenting Tip: Don’t Ask Why

ADULTING TIPS

Aspie Tip: Apologies

Thanks

Communication for Adults

The Lonely NT

Eye Contact, PhD Level

Avoiding Holiday Gift Meltdowns

Why Does My Aspie Always Answer No?

How an Out of Print Book Can Teach Social Skills

EDUCATION, TEENS

2E in Public Schools

School: Assignment Tracking

Social Skills Menu

College Readiness Checklist

I’m Not Aspie, I Just Love Trains

CONTROVERSY

Who Speaks for Autism Awareness?

Can Autism be Cured?

HUMOR

I.S.N.T.: Humor that Bites

Aspie-World?

ABOUT THIS BOOK

End Notes

About the Author

Other Books

Connect With Me Online

INTRODUCTION

This eBook is a collection of blog posts from the first three years of my blog, The Aspie Parent. It begins with the very first post, and continues until I folded the stand-alone blog in with my micro business blog.

I’ve done some minimal editing to the posts, mostly to correct typos. I did heavier editing on comments from others, both removing names and making sure the comments match the post content. Material I’ve added for this eBook is [italicized and within brackets, like this].

A note on formatting: I have worked with the eBook formatting tools to improve the readability of the blog posts. Instead of appearing by date, they are grouped by category. I have left the links active, so that if your eBook reader can link to the Web, you can check out the links. Also, for many of the links, I’ve added a summary of the page you would be taken to.

You will see some references to my children, Ocelot and Climber. These are not their real names, but pseudonyms I made up many years ago, when I started posting stories about them on various e-mail lists. Ocelot is a girl, and was in high school when I wrote these blog posts. She’s both highly gifted and has something on the spectrum, though not Aspergers. Climber was in elementary school, and is also highly gifted, but NT. I also mention my ex-husband in some posts, he is also Aspie, we have since gotten divorced. Though my feelings toward him have changed, I have not changed references to my husband or DH (dear or darned husband).

Also, at the time I wrote most of these blog entries, I referred to myself on the blog as LizPf (Pf referred to my husband’s surname). I don’t use that any more, but again, I left it unchanged.

I will be continuing to write blog posts in the Aspie Parent, now as a series in my Polymath Solution blog. Come join me!

Return to Contents

BASICS

Hello

March 25 2010

[My first post.]

Welcome to my new blog, The Aspie Parent. I hope you like what I’m planning.

Yes, the blog title is ambiguous … is this blog for parents of kids with Aspergers Syndrome, or for parents who have Aspergers themselves?

Yes. This blog is for both.

I am a parent, and I have Aspergers. One of my kids (who has the pseudonym Ocelot online) has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, Aspergers’ cousin. Somehow, I managed to get things more or less right, and I realize I have a lot of tips for other parents of kids who are either on the mild end of the autism spectrum or have similar learning differences.

As a parent with Aspergers, I also have stories of times when my AS made being a good mom difficult.

And there are a huge number of resources out there — some good, some less so. I plan on reviewing some, and inviting others to also review books, DVDs, courses, and the like.

In this blog, I hope to establish a community where we can talk about what it’s like to deal with Aspergers and children.

Now, back