an open letter to "one pissed off mother".

Karla Begley is a woman with multiple sclerosis who has a 13-year-old son named Maxwell who has autism. She often brings Maxwell to her mother's house in Newcastle, Ontario for sleepovers because Karla needs help taking care of him and because he loves watching the movie "Grease" with his grandmother. Recently, Maxwell's grandmother received this hateful letter in the mail explaining in great detail why Maxwell isn't welcome in that neighbourhood.

The letter-writer -- who signed the missive as "One pissed off mother" -- was brazen enough to suggest that Maxwell should be euthanized, but lacked the courage to state her real name. I have never lacked the courage to put my name behind anything I write or say, and that will not change in this hypothetical response if I was mailed this letter about my seven-year-old son with autism -- who is coincidentally also named Maxwell.

Dear “One pissed off mother”,

Your letter has left me feeling terribly sad. Not for me, or for my son Maxwell -- that’s his name by the way, not “retard” or “wild animal kid” -- but for you. In reality, I will never share your thoughts with my son, because he is a happy child who brings an incredible amount of joy to those who know him. And while your words were very hurtful to read, the support I receive from my family, friends, and my more understanding neighbours lifts me up on a daily basis and outweighs anything you could ever say to me.

... Read my full response on iVillage.ca

what world autism awareness day means to me.

My son Max was officially diagnosed with Autism on December 2, 2008. He was 2.5 years old. Press fast forward to April 2, 2013 and he is turning seven in just a few weeks. The intense sadness of the initial diagnosis has faded, and I have started to come to terms with what it is to have a child with Autism. I could spin a happy tale of how much I've learned by having a son with special needs, and how I'm a better person for it. And sunshine! And roses! Or, I could dwell on how incredibly hard it is to parent a little boy who has faced challenges at every turn. I could sing a song of woe outlining the heartbreak, tears, exhaustion and anxiety that seem imbedded in my very being. In truth, it's a little of column A and a little of column B, and each day I do a balancing act between the two.

...Read more on iVillage.ca

the cn tower lighting it up blue for world autism awareness day.

Christopherr Mendoza, a dear friend and incredible designer, took this photo of the CN Tower for me last night. Thank you Chris!!  Christopherr also designed the header for this site, and has designed our Team Maxwell shirts for the past 2 years. We are blessed to have his support in our journey with Max.  (He is also my concert bff.)

We will be participating in the 2011 Walk Now For Autism and would truly appreciate your support.  1 in 70 boys will be diagnosed with Autism and there has been a 600% increase in autism diagnosis in the past 20 years.  It's time to figure this puzzle out.

World Autism Awareness Day.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. The optimist in me thinks this is great - the more people who understand what Autism is, the suffering it causes for the families and individuals afflicted with this devastating disorder, the better. The pessimist in feels like screaming "Eff You" to every elected official and bureaucrat who blocks funding for Autism therapy, pushes paper around instead of truly addressing the fact that our children are being denied the treatment they need to be healed, and acts like they give a damn and congratulates themselves for "fixing the problem" of shortening wait lists, when in actuality all they are doing is pitting parents of Autistic children against each other by booting kids who desperately need IBI therapy out of provincially funded programs so that kids who have been waiting for 3+ years can receive IBI therapy (until they too are booted out for progressing too much or too little). Holy run on sentence, but sweet jesus, I needed to get that off my chest.

EVERY DAY is World Autism Awareness Day in my house. Every, Freakin', Day. Not a morning goes by that I am not rudely reminded that my son is not normal. Today he woke up, and slid down the stairs on his belly instead of walking (a new behaviour). He screams and throws himself on the floor when his baby sister makes any sort of a sound (I can't wait until she really starts talking...that will be good times), and he acts like I'm trying to kill him when I brush his teeth. And that was all before 9am. So, excuse me if I don't get all excited about today. Today I will be pissed off and grumpy. I will bite your head off if you tell me that Jenny McCarthy says that if I take my Autistic child off of wheat and dairy products, he will be cured. My god - if it were that easy, don't you think that every parent of an Autistic child would change their diets in the blink of an eye? The media only tells one side of Jenny McCarthy's story - the sexy/easy solution. They don't talk about the thousands of hours of ABA therapy her son has received, and how hard she has worked to "heal" him from Autism.

What I would like to direct you towards is a pretty cool story about a 13-year-old Autistic girl named Carly Fleischman. Carly is completely non-verbal, but is able to communicate quite articulately by spelling out her thoughts on a computer. You can follow her on twitter, and she has been featured on both CTV and ABC if you want to read about her inspiring story. Most importantly, I hope you will go sign her petition to get her onto the Larry King show. While I think he is a horrible interviewer, there is no denying that her being on his show will certainly help the cause of Autism as a whole.

So, for what it's worth, Happy World Autism Awareness Day from the Carefoot family.