‘This is Poppy. She’s my autism service dog’

Three weeks ago Jennifer Cluff and her family welcomed Poppy, a five-month-old yellow lab, into their home. The Cluffs are fostering Poppy for an organization called Autism Dog Services. Jennifer hopes that when Poppy’s close to two years, she’ll be ready to become a service dog for her son Connor, 5, who has Asperger syndrome. I interviewed Jennifer, who lives in London, Ont., to find out about Poppy’s role. Me: Tell us a bit about Connor. Jennifer...

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'The Throwaway Child'

I'm reading a book called Matthew – about a boy who was born the same year I was, in 1964. When we were both 3, I was thriving at home in Toronto with my brothers, dad and full-time mom. Matthew, who lived in England, was also thriving. But because he had Down syndrome – his mother was driving him to an institution. A string of doctors – some famous, his own father and family friends were convinced Matthew’s presence would destroy the family and,...

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On the trail of an autism treatment

I was interested to learn that Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou (above) – a child neurologist at Bloorview developing a clinical research program in autism – was one of the authors of the new study showing that the antidepressant Celexa doesn’t work for repetitive behaviours in children with autism. Celexa is one of the newer drugs in the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class of antidepressants – which are the most commonly prescribed drugs...

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Turning the lens around

Conventional art can be frustrating for kids with disabilities who have great ideas but poor fine-motor skills. But digital photography is proving more accessible. The photo above was taken by a participant in Light Writers, a 10-week digital photography course for youth with and without disabilities at Bloorview’s Centre for the Arts. “Digital cameras are accessible and don’t require the fine-motor dexterity needed for drawing or clay,” says...

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'The biggest disability we have is low expectations'

I had the privilege of interviewing Janet Steffy, mom to Joe Steffy, who operates Poppin’ Joe’s Kettle Korn in Louisburg, Kansas this morning. Joe, 23, has down syndrome and autism, and was the focus of a recent U.S. News and World Report story: How 1 Autistic Young Man Runs a Business.Joe communicates with gestures, pictures and a voice-output device, and is a shining example of how a young adult with significant disabilities can own and operate...

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What makes my son 'enough'?

Earlier I blogged about the concept of The Enough House – and how it can help parents of children with disabilities let go of a fix-it mentality to intervention and instead feel richly blessed by who their children are, as they are.I wanted to write about the things that make my son Ben ‘enough’ – which is another way of saying whole – in spite of his many disabilities.He is enough when he surprises me by signing "happy Mom" on Mother's Day, and we both know what he’s trying to say.He is enough when I type on the computer "If you could be anyone...

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‘Graduation is perhaps the saddest day in their lives’

Last week, Karl Taro Greenfeld wrote a compelling op-ed piece in the New York Times about how services for adults with severe autism evaporate the day they graduate from high school: Growing Old With Autism. Greenfeld is the author of the recently-released memoir Boy Alone, a book about growing up with his brother Noah, who has autism. “He graduated from his special needs school on a bright, sunny Orange County day,” he writes in the New York Times piece. “…he was beaming, handsome in his bright blue cap and gown. “But for the profoundly autistic,...

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