When we were told to start a blog, I knew immediately that I wanted to write about the kids I work with. Not simply because they are hilarious (even though they are), but because I found when I accepted this job that mostly every one in the field did not know much about Autism before getting a job in the field, including me. I want to change that. I believe awareness starts with knowledge and I was as clueless as anyone else before getting this job, but now I want to scream autism awareness from the rooftops! (Not really scream though, since a lot of autistic children hate loud noises)

Being an original outsider of this field before my career, I hope my posts will be informative, yet easily understood. The world of applied behavior analysis (I will discuss this more later) is in depth and can be rather challenging. I want the world to understand that ABA helps children on the spectrum of course, but manly I want my readers to understand that my kids are just that- kids. Their differences make them special and lovable. I have no doubt that throughout the stories and experiences I share along the way, that you will see why these kids have my heart and why awareness for them is so meaningful to me.

The puzzle piece symbol for autism was originally created because the disorder was so puzzling, but I've begun to believe that it fits the disorder so well because each child on the spectrum is their own piece of the puzzle, never knowing quite where they fit in, but filling the holes in the lives of others.