Over the course of my career, I’ve worked with almost 100 families with autism. Each of those families has been really different, but some common themes exist in all of them: the capacity for hard work, a broader definition of what it means to be human, and a hard-won sense of the ridiculous. : )

One of the most rewarding parts of my job at the Autism Society of North Carolina was creating home-programs that included organized systems for addressing difficult parts of the day, social needs, developing maturing interests, and exploring employment possibilities. In these difficult financial times, many people are losing services like those the Autism Society provides, and there are not a lot of private options.

I’ve assembled a team of people at my business, Empower Autism, INC., who are well-versed in autism and family dynamics, and we are designing home-programs privately for family with autism. If you have something that just isn’t quite working in your family or your home, we can design a system or plan to help you address it. I believe that a REAL plan uses the strengths of a family, and fits naturally into the current pattern of the family.

We design creative, appreciative, plans that fit a family’s lifestyle, and we make it affordable.

Give us a call, or send us an email to find out more.
(828) 919-0313. Sylvia@empowerautism.com

Our schedule for this post: FIRST disclaimer, THEN soapbox.

Now, I’ll admit right now that I’m no fluffy optimist. I’m not as bitter and blustery as several of my ahem fellow bloggers, but I do have a sarcastic side, I try not to be too corny.

All that being said, I have high hopes for Autism Awareness Month every year. I truly enjoy the people with autism that I know, and, framed simply, I want others to be aware of how cool it can be to really know someone with autism.

ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: Statistically speaking, there are probably people with autism out there that I wouldn’t enjoy, and OF COURSE nobody is a joy to be around ALL the time, including me.

So every April, I get a little geeked out thinking about how more people will find about autism…and then the big month comes, and guess what?
1. My google alerts are full of sob stories and fundraiser alerts.
2. I don’t see any more public appreciation than usual (which isn’t much) for any:

So, since we are calling dibs on months to squawk about stuff, I would like to declare the month of May: The Empowered Autism Appreciation Month. Send me your celebrations, love stories, moments of hilarity, and victories having to do with autism. We can appreciate them together.