New Year's Eve!
Credit: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images
New Year's Eve ends with a big ball - dropping in Times Square, New York City in America, and in variations around the globe. We know from big balls at Age of Autism. It takes guts, brains and sometimes derring-do to care for our kids with autism (for those of us who are parents) and to write about the realities of this epidemic - which shows little sign of abating or stirring any true concern in mainstream America. Indeed, the effort to cover up the difficulties of autism has never been stronger. Hard to believe that kids as sick as our own are bullied every day in the media, on blogs and in medical journals.
Tune into ABC to see the ball drop in New York City. (Click here for some cool facts about the ball itself.) Tell us what your city or town is doing for the big moment. And how you'll ring in the new year. Me? We're having two families over to bring our total to five kids (4 girls!) with autism and one with Down Syndrome - we'll have good food and controlled chaos and a whole lot of love and acceptance. I'll probably be asleep at midnight. Autism doesn't take a break for holidays (or hangovers!)
Happy New Year, friends.
KIM
Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism. Her new novel, House of Cards; A
Kat Cavicchio romantic suspense is available from Amazon in all e-formats now. Her memoir, All I Can Handle I'm No Mother Teresa is available in hardcover, paperback and e-book. Click HERE to purchase House of Cards for just $2.99. Please "like" the book on Facebook and when you're done reading, leave a review. Once purchased, you can lend the book to a friend using the new Amazon lending program. And you can download to lots of devices - iPhone, computer, Blackberry, Droid and more.
Nothing to do with autism- but my daughter amused us with her account of standing in the freezing cold for an hour in New York, to watch the ball drop. She found the ball dropping to be quite unimpressive and not worth the cold wait, whereupon there were some popping sounds and she noticed that everyone in the crowded street had melted away. She then realized that the popping sound was gunfire and she heard a mother scold her son, "How many times have I told you to duck when you hear gunfire" Lets hope that this, at least, is one problem that most of our austism parents do NOT face.
Posted by: Cherry Misra | January 01, 2012 at 02:03 PM
To Holly, ARe you sure that your son is not suffering from night terrors, (which are different from nightmares- very very scary and have some unusual features)? As I understand it,night terrors are common in children affected by mercury.
Posted by: Cherry Misra | January 01, 2012 at 01:53 PM
Marie-Anne, Thank you for the feedback. Sound issues can be so hard for many of our kids. I have been wanting to hear from others whose kids are not bothered by very loud noises because when my son is with groups of kids on the spectrum, he'll show the oposite reactions to loud noises. He will put books with musical sounds to his ears and it soothes him and likes to put a thermometer in his ear and hear the beep. He is 9 and non verbal but trying to get words out. I grew up with a sister with autism who is now in her early 50s and and back in the early 1980s we were at an amusement park, she could not handle the fireworks. I spoke to her on the phone last night when I called family to wish her a Happy New Year and she said Happy 2012.
Posted by: Ronda | January 01, 2012 at 11:28 AM
To Ronda,
my daughter remains sound sensitive although to a much lesser degree than om the early years. She is not bothered by the sound intensity as much as its frequency or pitch. She hates music boxes and neon lights-related hiss but tolerates violent thunder and fireworks.
Posted by: Marie-Anne Denayer | January 01, 2012 at 02:10 AM
To AUTISM DOC: Where are you located? I am a "grown ups" doc/Autism mom to a now young adult. How refreshing to come across a compassionate colleague.
Happy New Year to all.
Posted by: Marie-Anne Denayer | January 01, 2012 at 01:59 AM
Jenny;
A good Happy Newyears to you too, and many more also.
Posted by: Benedetta | January 01, 2012 at 01:51 AM
As the old year fads away and the new storms in, I wish for each of you as many blessings and as much happiness and joy as each of you have brought to me and my family. Here's to a new year full of hope and promise and to an old year rich with many fond memories, experiences and life lessons. Happy 2012!! xox
Posted by: Lin | January 01, 2012 at 01:17 AM
Happy New Year Everyone!
Posted by: StephM | December 31, 2011 at 10:18 PM
Even if one doesn't have children with autism, kids dont break from holidays, we will be in bed early and up early too.
Happy new year to all the autism families out there. I pray for more progress this year as well, the future of all of our American children is at risk.
Posted by: Autism doc | December 31, 2011 at 09:07 PM
Happy New Year everyone! May 2012 bring recovery to our children.
Posted by: Sandra Lopriore | December 31, 2011 at 08:56 PM
You said it best--autism does not take a break for the holidays or a hangover! So...I am drinking wine alone and I'm going to watch the first Harry Potter with my boys. I am hoping our son with ASD does not wake up tonight screaming (in pain?) which has happened a lot during this Christmas break. I am hoping that 2012 brings some help in the form of answers for our 10-year-old son, a return of his lost speech, no more idiotic/false words from Paul O, great IEP meetings/great educational and behavioral services/great staff, reasonably-priced special diet foods, a retraction and apology to Andrew Wakefield from Anderson Cooper, and a healthier gut for our dear boy (which would mean peace all around). Me losing 30 lbs while sanely keeping this boat afloat would be icing on the GF/CF/SF cake :O) I might have taken too big of dose of cynicism this morning. Oh well, tomorrow is a new year!
Posted by: Holly | December 31, 2011 at 08:53 PM
Happy New Year's Kim! Wishes to you and all the other families for a wonderful 2012. We went to downtown Pittsburgh tonight to watch the early firework show. There is another firework show at midnight. My son likes fireworks and for some reason, loud noises are not a problem. Since we are not able to eat out as my son gets too restless, my husband and I got take out Chinese (No MSG)
It is now 3.5 more hours until we ring in the New Year. I will call family on the West coast soon to wish them a Happy New Year and watch the ball drop in Times Square.
Posted by: Ronda | December 31, 2011 at 08:30 PM
Ancient cannon 'Mons Meg' at Edinburgh Castle has just fired in the New Year in Scotland. A Guid New Year tae ane an a!!
Posted by: Jenny Allan | December 31, 2011 at 07:17 PM
Happy New Year to you all too
Woof!!
Posted by: John Elder Robison | December 31, 2011 at 05:33 PM
Alison MacNeil
Now watch those MSGs in that Chinese food!
Maryann;
MSGs in most store bought wings too!
This new coming year;
We decided to add to the do not eat list: propionic acid or E 180 - - so not even whole wheat store bought bread every once in a while, - got to make it all I guess, with my gnarled, twisted old hands.
My family celebrated last night with the New Year dinner. We had lamb for the first time,it was not mutton -- it was lamb and it tasted like beef steak. I was not sure how old this lamb was and had made a blackberry sauce to go with it,just in case it was too strong. Perhaps that is a good sign that this year will go well? And as we ate it I spouted off things like lamb is the highest meat known to have L-carnitine, you know the stuff that all three of you were tested for, by the neurologist and found to have low amounts of.
Next our discussion turned to new studies about elimnating all carbs for a couple of days a week is better than fasting a couple of days a weeks. I had two that thought this was a good idea, and one (yeah, the very one that sneaks peanut butter and my blackberry jam- every night and won't eat the other meals I fix,and eats it) yeah, "that one" says he will continue to fast.
So my new years resolution is to stay strong and no make no sugar filled jams this year - and to be patient and not kill "that one" of my family, to try to change "that one's" attitude.
Good gosh what a conversation to have around a dinner table.
Angus :
do dheagh shlĂ inte - but that may be Irish and not Scots and may not be right, so best to stick to the English language in which that I too barely know. SO, Angus, to your good health and your familys too!
Posted by: Benedetta | December 31, 2011 at 03:09 PM
I'll be in bed by ten, curled up with a netflix move, lite beer and saltines (gluten!), cursing my neighbors and hoping the sound of their fireworks at midnight don't wake my son up in a screaming, terror-stricken panic. (maybe in 2012 I'll work on my social skills...)
CHEERS, everyone, and thanks for some great reads in 2011!
Posted by: Donna L. | December 31, 2011 at 02:53 PM
Spent the most relaxing day yesterday with two other Autism families up in NH, love, acceptance and hearty dose of humor abounding. Tonight will be Chinese take out and the Big Bang marathon - 'Recognize'!
Happy New Year to the Age of Autism community. I'm hoping 2012 will be a year full of healing for our children and political strength for our mission.
Posted by: Alison MacNeil | December 31, 2011 at 10:09 AM
We'll be home have our very traditional, ha ha, NYE dinner of wings and bean dip! I'm sure I'll be in bed long before midnight and I'll curse the guy the street over that will set off firecrackers at 2:00 in the morning! My hubby did buy us a nice bottle of champagne to toast the new year. Hope everyone has a great NYE and a healthy 2012.
Posted by: Maryann | December 31, 2011 at 09:16 AM
Happy New Year, Kim!
I just finished reading "Mother Theresa" last night, and as I was reading the "Crappy Life" chapter, my husband yelled from upstairs that our 13-year-old ASD son had overflowed the toilet AGAIN with a huge, foul-smelling, loose poop that went everywhere. Crapisode, indeed!
I am thrilled to say that we are going to a Cake concert in downtown Atlanta tonight to celebrate the New Year, a Christmas gift from my oldest son. ATL has the "Peach Drop", but we probably won't make that. Since my ASD son is the youngest of 6, we are blessed to have plenty of built-in babysitters.
All the best for you and yours in 2012!
Posted by: Sue Swanson | December 31, 2011 at 08:05 AM