Goal Achieved!!! And Not Stopping!!! This week’s weather has had its ups and downs. We had breaks for two days at one time and one day in between due to rain, however we went at least a mile and a half every day getting to that fourth set of benches. I saw aFIFTH set of… Continue reading Union Station Clubhouse Weekly; Volume 7, Issue 5; April 30, 2021
Month: April 2021
There was a time I thought I would be in a Group Home for Life
Twenty years ago, this week, I celebrated “graduating” from a residential treatment facility, or RTF. It felt like a group home, but if my parents didn’t want the best care for me, it could have resulted in me being placed in a group home for life because of my behaviors.
Mock Clinic Helps Those With Special Needs Prepare For COVID-19 Vaccine
Mock Clinic Helps Those With Special Needs Prepare For COVID-19 Vaccine
Wellness Wednesday: Connections
Many times all that an autistic person wants is to for someone to understand them and accept them forwho they are
Concentrating On COVID: Am I Safe to Return?
Well, we are in that homestretch where I promised where the services delivered to me would gravitate to a more in-person approach rather than being hybrid or virtually delivered as they mostly have been the past 13 months or so.
Department Of Human Services’ Adult Community Autism Program Receives International Recognition
The Department of Human Services today announced that its Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP), a program that promotes integrated and meaningful employment for adults with autism, has been recognized by the Vienna, Austria-based Zero Project as a model deserving international attention and replication.
Government Ignoring Recommendations On Autism Funding, Study Finds
A panel of federal officials, advocates and other stakeholders is supposed to set the government’s autism priorities, but new research suggests that’s not what’s happening.
Adulting: Time For You
As an autistic, being independent has its perks. You can in many cases do what you want, make your place your own, set your own schedule. Now, granted, not all autistics can live independently, but for the ones who earn the keys to independence this is the moment they have been waiting for. But, sometimes can come periods of boredom and loneliness, which can lead into depression.
Union Station Clubhouse Weekly; April 23, 2021; Volume 7 , Issue 4
Members Share About Handling the Loss of a Loved One 2016 was one of the hardest years for me as I lost my maternal grandparents within 9 months and three days that year. First, my grandmother died suddenly the day after Palm Sunday. That fall, my grandfather fell into badhealth and needed to be put… Continue reading Union Station Clubhouse Weekly; April 23, 2021; Volume 7 , Issue 4
Tone it Down!
Autism is a spectrum, meaning it has a spectrum of features. One of these is communication. One cannot have the ability to communicate without assistance and likewise individuals such as myself can be very articulate, however we are all classified as being autistic. Although it may not seem as such, I sometimes struggle with communicating socially with the less articulate because I am indeed socially awkward.
Wellness Wednesday: Keeping Encouraged
This week has been monumental in the wellness realm. I did have a loss at my weekly support group, a total of three weeks at this point. I am beginning to realize that just like self-sabotaging before weigh-ins, I cannot set high expectations as the number on the scale is just that, a number and what it is, it is. Walking has been good to improve this number as well as being mindful of my calorie intake and drink consumption.
Concentrating On COVID: The Fabric of Our Lives
Today, in preparation of writing this article, I came across a photo from a year ago when universal masking was mandated in Pennsylvania. While we have came far in the COVID-19 Pandemic, I am afraid to say that Universal Masking and Social Distancing will become the fabric of our lives like cotton for some time. One day we will get there, but until the day we are sure that the vaccines are indeed effective and there is a very minimal risk of contracting the ill effects of the virus, then we will be wearing the masks for a while.
Adulting: Grooming
This week for my adulting post, I am going to write about grooming an autistic self. For autistics, we can either excel or lack in this regard. Sometimes it is a sensory issue, however if one lacks the willingness to clean one self, then they are pictured as lazy or unwilling to do so.
Union Station Weekly: April 16, 2021; Volume 7, Issue 3
My Easter Holiday I spent Good Friday with my Clubhouse Family as I was off on my normally scheduled day. When I came home, I made a twin pack of Suddenly Salad for dinner for my parents house the next day. When I went there the next day, I took the dish and everyone was… Continue reading Union Station Weekly: April 16, 2021; Volume 7, Issue 3
Anger in Autistic Adults
Everyone gets angry. Without a doubt. But for autistics, we are prone to eruptions of anger. This is because we have a light switch and we see no “gray areas”. We see it as an “all or nothing” approach where compromise isn’t was easily seen by autistic brains as clearly as it is in the neurotypical brain.
Wellness Wednesday: Keep the Fires Burning
If anyone has been following my Wellness Wednesday posts, they have realized that I have begun the health train again. It had seemed that by not combining eating healthier and being active are detriments of getting the fires burning and keeping the momentum going..
Online Program Addresses Autism In Spanish For Hispanic Families
Talking about autism and educating parents about it is not an easy task Educating Hispanics about how to deal with autism can be even more complicated.
Concentrating On COVID: Too Soon to Let Our Guard Down
As we near our 13th month in a worldwide pandemic, we are getting ever leerier of wearing our masks and we are tired of hearing and seeing the signs of social and physical distancing. Too, we are experiencing virtual meeting fatigue, yet with the onset of three vaccinations, we are becoming fearless of being around others without protective devices.
Adulting: Boredom, Loneliness and Isolation
Being independent has proved to me that there’s times of boredom, loneliness and isolation as many are experiencing right now due to the ongoing pandemic.
LOVE
For many in the autism community, we are told to relinquish our dreams of Love. Little do the naysayers know is that the trend is changing to be more accepting of LOVE. We have the same rights as any other person on the spectrum, they have the right to feel LOVE. So, what makes us… Continue reading LOVE
Dustin's Dynasty 