MINI CON

Special Needs

Special Needs

Speakers: Jen Lee Reeves // Born Just Right // @jenleereevesKristina Chew // We Go With Him // @autismvox

Shannon Des Roches Rosa // Squidalicious.com // @shannonrosa

MINI CON

Special Needs

Jen Lee Reeves // Born Just Right // @jenleereeves

MINI CON

Special Needs

Kristina Chew // We Go With Him// @autismvox

MINI CON

5 Ways Of Blogging About My Teenage (Soon To Be An Adult) Autistic Son

• People hear “autism” and “disability” and think “I don’t want to hear about something bad and sad.”

• How do I write honestly about life with Charlie while preserving and protecting his privacy and dignity?

• Focus each blog post around a story of Charlie’s daily life• Keeping the big picture in mind.

5 Ways Of Blogging About My Teenage (Soon To Be An Adult) Autistic Son

• When I write a blog post, I seek to

1. write truthfully about a child with many challenges

2. show that life raising a child with a disability is tough, glorious and full of love.

5 Ways of Blogging: Tragedy

How do I write about my son when he just had another incident on the schoolbus?

• Writing about difficult things or It’s the end of the world as we know it.

5 Ways of Blogging: Victory Ode

My son did something most people take for granted but it was HUGE for him.

Three days of birthday and then back to business.

5 Ways of Blogging: Comedy

My son does some really hilarious things – but when I write about them, I don’t want people to laugh at him but with him and us.

Sleeping with the garbage: Notes towards the autism comedy.

5 Ways of Blogging: Lyric

• Sometimes I just want to capture a moment about what life is like.

• City Child (Charlie at Rockefeller Center ca. 2006).• Reaction to the Action (Charlie singing happy birthday to

Gong Gong, June 2013).

5 Ways of Blogging: Epic

• Why I’ve kept blogging for 9 years.

• Every singleadventure with Charlie adds up to one ongoing epic story.

Special Needs

Shannon Des Roches Rosa // Squidalicious.com //// www.ThinkingAutismGuide.com // @shannonrosa

MINI CON

Parenting & Presuming Competence

• Why presuming competence matters • Investing in patience • Acceptance means understanding, not giving up• Learning to wear an emotional flak jacket in

public