Daylight Savings and Autism Do Not Mesh

There is no way in hell that whoever came up with Daylight Savings Time had a kid with autism. No way! 

Cody got a Talking Atomic Watch for Christmas and Don and I have been trying to set it ahead an hour without success. Don even broke out the instruction pamphlet and read it and everybody on this planet knows men would rather not have to read (or ask for) directions.

Do you realize what Cody's talking watch being incorrect means to those around him? It means that we have listened to Cody grunch and worry since early Sunday morning. (And yes, grunch is a word at our house.)

If we do not get the correct time on his watch by the end of the evening, I am going to take a hammer to it, order Cody a new one and have him keep popping Prilosec for his ulcer until it comes in the mail.




Now you all know how I feel about Daylight Savings Time...and Talking Atomic Watches.

How DO Grandparents of ASD Children Feel?

I had an aha moment after reading one particular paragraph in the article I posted yesterday. It read...

"Researchers explain that grandparents often feel added frustration when coping with a grandchild with autism because they empathize with their own child as well as their grandchild and are concerned about the well-being of both."

Never had it occurred to me that my own mother may feel this way, but it makes perfect sense.

My grandmother use to tell me that you never stop worrying about your children, no matter how old they get, and now that my own children are adults, I completely understand what she was talking about. It's easy to imagine how I would feel if one of my sons or daughter had a child with special needs.

Looking further into this issue, I found a research report written last April by Connie Anderson Ph. D. for the Interactive Autism Network.  I want to share with you the following pie chart from that study. The data shows how much grandparents of children with ASD worry about their adult child:


                  If you'd like to read the article in it's entirety, chick here.


Now that I am enlightened to the issue, I am going to put my own mother on the spot and ask her if she will write a post for me. I'd like her to share some of her thoughts and feelings about being a mom to a daughter who has a child with autism.

We all have so much to learn from each other and I welcome your comments on the subject.