Hello, my name’s Wade, and I’m a blogger. (All together now: Hi Wade.)

Tomorrow morning I will be heading out for Autism One. So excited to meet contacts I have made in the community and attend the many seminars.

I still remember that fateful day as if it were yesterday. It was the Friday before Labor day in 1995. Mark (my late husband) and I sat in the room at the Developmental Evaluation Center in Raleigh and heard the words “We suspect that your son is autistic” and then “He may never talk” and then “You will probably need to institutionalize him”. As the counselor continued with her dire predictions, I finally told her to “STOP!” and asked her to leave the room. I couldn’t stand to hear another word from her. Then I burst out sobbing.

Wow, for the last 20 minutes I have been typing trying to think how I should start. When I read my “cheat sheet” on blogging it said to treat it like a diary. So for right now that is what I am going to do.

My First Entry

I am thrilled to be a part of AutismOne and have the opportunity to help parents and anyone involved in the lives of children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. For the past 5 years I have been developing exercise programs for children on the spectrum and have witnessed children gain confidence, self-esteem and improve in the cognitive ability.

Hello Fellow Bloggers! Can't wait for this to explode! We are waiting in eager anticipation of all the information, tips, stories, and testimonials that are forthcoming! Our son Conner has made great strides since his diagnosis of PDD-NOS at age 3. He is shy, but bravely talks to strangers sometimes. He does well with his school work(home-schooled) though often seems confused in social situations. He likes video games and Spongebob, Crazy 8s, Spiderman and playing with his dog, Obi Wan.

I am about to attempt the impossible 3x over. Figure out what motivates people. Motivate them to action. Do it in 140 letters or less. When it comes to Autism there are many generic sayings and phases that mean little to the majority right now. "1 in 150" "1 every 20 minutes"? The odds say its time to make a difference? Its time to listen? well these do not make someone take action. It has been said people will not act until they feel the pain. That is my task.