Hello Everyone,
This month’s BLOG will continue the opportunity to view my slideshow GALLERY of Books and focus on the offered Extended Book Reviews. The slideshow shows the book covers, divided into the following categories ~
AMAZING ADVENTURES
DIAGNOSIS, DOCTORS, DENIAL
SAVVY SOLUTIONS
SCHOOL ON THE SHORT BUS
Hopefully, these stories will help parents, clinicians, academics, and all people #Autism, in connecting with those who have gone before us on their Autism Journey. This April's 2025 BLOG will continue to give snippets of my Extended Book Reviews; find full Extended Book Reviews on the website MENU; along with a LINK to purchase the eBook. You will find each Autism story to be engaging, compelling, and as different as each family's Autism journey.
From the Category – AMAZING ADVENTURES. Read my full Extended Book Review, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker; plus, LINKs to eBooks, on this website, www.sarasautismsite.com.
This month’s BLOG will continue the opportunity to view my slideshow GALLERY of Books and focus on the offered Extended Book Reviews. The slideshow shows the book covers, divided into the following categories ~
AMAZING ADVENTURES
DIAGNOSIS, DOCTORS, DENIAL
SAVVY SOLUTIONS
SCHOOL ON THE SHORT BUS
Hopefully, these stories will help parents, clinicians, academics, and all people #Autism, in connecting with those who have gone before us on their Autism Journey. This April's 2025 BLOG will continue to give snippets of my Extended Book Reviews; find full Extended Book Reviews on the website MENU; along with a LINK to purchase the eBook. You will find each Autism story to be engaging, compelling, and as different as each family's Autism journey.
From the Category – AMAZING ADVENTURES. Read my full Extended Book Review, with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker; plus, LINKs to eBooks, on this website, www.sarasautismsite.com.
All I Can Handle: I Am No Mother Teresa: A Life Raising Three Daughters with Autism by Kim Stagliano & Jenny McCarthy – eBook (2010). Extended Book Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker
Excerpts from the book – (3% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers).
3% All three of my daughters – Mia, Gianna, and Isabella – have autism spectrum disorder. Autism is diagnosed four times more often in boys than girls. Given the boy-to-girl ratio, you can see how our family is pretty unique.
9% Before I really knew what was going on with my first two daughters, Mia and Gianna, I had an incident that, in hindsight, was where I veered off the Suburban Mommy Street and onto the Autism Autobahn.
14% When did I first know? At ten months, Mia said her first words. “Shhhhoooo” as I put on her shoes and socks. She could recite her alphabet at twenty-three months. If we asked her to get a specific book – she would go and get it. Her receptive speech seemed intact. But she only used her words as labels.
< My Thoughts > “...used her words as labels.”
Some children with autism begin to communicate needs and wants by the 'label'. Whatever the child has the mental and physical facility to say. Certain sounds are more difficult to make than others. That is why neurotypical babies say 'da-da', first. Because it is much easier to say than 'mama'.
Lungamhlongo, M. (2023) tells us that children and/or adults with autism refer themselves in the third person when they speak. autistic children who are non-verbal can hear but just can’t speak except by saying a few random words here and then occasionally. These children are considered non-verbal because they only use a few disconnected words to communicate what they want.
I thought ‘kuka’ was my son’s Morse code for toilet. Then one day, after tantrumming, he opened the fridge, took out the milk, gave it to me, and said ‘kuka’ again. So, ‘kuka’ means he wants cereal for breakfast.
17% I missed the signs in Gianna. Her cheeks were papery and red. Her nose ran constantly. She had surgically implanted ear tubes as a precaution to help her speech. Her speech still did not develop. Her behavior was atrocious. She spent much of her day screaming and bolting away from me.
24% Mia is our most affected child. If you were to meet her, you’d first notice her great beauty. She speaks in short phrases, mostly to make her needs know. “Can. I. Have. Food. Please.” She’s content to play alone. You can usually find her at her computer or watching Sesame Street of Blue’s Clues. Mia’s heart-stopping autism moment lasted almost four years. She had her first seizure when Bella was just a babe in arms.
27% Bella, our third girl was moving into toddlerhood with her own set of issues in terms of development. She wasn’t crawling, sitting up, or even reaching out properly. And Gianna was nowhere near under control. Mia had at least seven grand mal seizures and her poor body was racked with exhaustion after each seizure.
36% Autism can make for a lonely life. I remember how I felt when the girls were first diagnosed and how much I would have loved a place to go…not to mention how much time and money I could have saved.
39% Vaccine safety and informed parental consent is one of our hottest topics at Age of Autism in that it draws the most critics, to which I say, “Bring it on.” It is my great responsibility and honor to sound the alarm bells about the autism epidemic every day.
< My Thoughts > “Vaccine safety and Age of Autism…”
Vaccine safety remains a 'hot' topic, today. Kim Stagliano Rossi is the Managing Editor of Age of Autism. The nation's first daily web newspaper about the 'autism epidemic'. Online – www.ageofautism.com. She has also contributed to writing a second book: 101 Tips for the Parents of Girls with Autism: The Most Crucial Things You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Doctors, Schools, Taxes, Vaccinations, Babysitters, Treatment, Food, Self-Care, and More; Kindle Edition by Tony Lyons (Author), Kim Stagliano Rossi.
Barazza, L., Schmit, C., et al. (2017) cite that “All 50 states require children to receive certain vaccinations before attending public school, and often these requirements extend to children attending day care or private schools.”
< My Thoughts > "All 50 states require..."
School-age children are often mandated by the state to provide 'proof of Vaccination'. These requirements vary by state, and even school district. The most commonly required by state law are – MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), Hepatitis B, Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis), Varicella (Chickenpox), and Polio. Some states allow exemptions for religious reasons, and / or children with compromised immune systems.
57% At one time I’d had a plaque with that saying from Mother Teresa: “I know God will only give me what I can handle. I just wish God didn’t trust me so much.”
96% But I’m learning to trust in God that I’ll find the right answers because God has answered many of my prayers. This is my turn. I’m not going to waste it.
Reference:
Lungamhlongo, M. (2023). Learn How Children with Autism Use A Single Word to Communicate Everything. Retrieved online from – https://theautismguide.medium.com/learn-how-children-with-autism-use-a-single-word-to-communicate-everything-122cc3e/.
End of excerpts from this book by Kim Stagliano & Jenny McCarthy.
Thank you for reading and sharing my BLOGs. Comments are welcomed, to be viewed and answered privately. My goal is to assist families, clinicians, educators, and all people ‘autism’, to continue their journey on the Autism Highway. At the end of each website Extended Book Review, please find a source to have the whole book to read.
Regards,
Sara Luker
Paid Link Disclosure -
These Extended Book Reviews have an Amazon Link for actual book purchases. Please read this Paid Link Disclosure AKA Affiliate Links Disclosure:
Sometimes there are paid links, also known as affiliate links, used on this site. My website, www.sarasautismsite.com, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I may earn or receive a small paid commission from referrals for book purchases made through posts, pages, and links on this site. But I try to remain unbiased and I do not accept paid reviews. All opinions expressed here are my own.
There is no extra cost to you when purchases are made using the provided links. By using the links I provide you agree that you’ve read this paid link disclosure statement.
Thank you!
Sara Luker
Excerpts from the book – (3% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers).
3% All three of my daughters – Mia, Gianna, and Isabella – have autism spectrum disorder. Autism is diagnosed four times more often in boys than girls. Given the boy-to-girl ratio, you can see how our family is pretty unique.
9% Before I really knew what was going on with my first two daughters, Mia and Gianna, I had an incident that, in hindsight, was where I veered off the Suburban Mommy Street and onto the Autism Autobahn.
14% When did I first know? At ten months, Mia said her first words. “Shhhhoooo” as I put on her shoes and socks. She could recite her alphabet at twenty-three months. If we asked her to get a specific book – she would go and get it. Her receptive speech seemed intact. But she only used her words as labels.
< My Thoughts > “...used her words as labels.”
Some children with autism begin to communicate needs and wants by the 'label'. Whatever the child has the mental and physical facility to say. Certain sounds are more difficult to make than others. That is why neurotypical babies say 'da-da', first. Because it is much easier to say than 'mama'.
Lungamhlongo, M. (2023) tells us that children and/or adults with autism refer themselves in the third person when they speak. autistic children who are non-verbal can hear but just can’t speak except by saying a few random words here and then occasionally. These children are considered non-verbal because they only use a few disconnected words to communicate what they want.
I thought ‘kuka’ was my son’s Morse code for toilet. Then one day, after tantrumming, he opened the fridge, took out the milk, gave it to me, and said ‘kuka’ again. So, ‘kuka’ means he wants cereal for breakfast.
17% I missed the signs in Gianna. Her cheeks were papery and red. Her nose ran constantly. She had surgically implanted ear tubes as a precaution to help her speech. Her speech still did not develop. Her behavior was atrocious. She spent much of her day screaming and bolting away from me.
24% Mia is our most affected child. If you were to meet her, you’d first notice her great beauty. She speaks in short phrases, mostly to make her needs know. “Can. I. Have. Food. Please.” She’s content to play alone. You can usually find her at her computer or watching Sesame Street of Blue’s Clues. Mia’s heart-stopping autism moment lasted almost four years. She had her first seizure when Bella was just a babe in arms.
27% Bella, our third girl was moving into toddlerhood with her own set of issues in terms of development. She wasn’t crawling, sitting up, or even reaching out properly. And Gianna was nowhere near under control. Mia had at least seven grand mal seizures and her poor body was racked with exhaustion after each seizure.
36% Autism can make for a lonely life. I remember how I felt when the girls were first diagnosed and how much I would have loved a place to go…not to mention how much time and money I could have saved.
39% Vaccine safety and informed parental consent is one of our hottest topics at Age of Autism in that it draws the most critics, to which I say, “Bring it on.” It is my great responsibility and honor to sound the alarm bells about the autism epidemic every day.
< My Thoughts > “Vaccine safety and Age of Autism…”
Vaccine safety remains a 'hot' topic, today. Kim Stagliano Rossi is the Managing Editor of Age of Autism. The nation's first daily web newspaper about the 'autism epidemic'. Online – www.ageofautism.com. She has also contributed to writing a second book: 101 Tips for the Parents of Girls with Autism: The Most Crucial Things You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Doctors, Schools, Taxes, Vaccinations, Babysitters, Treatment, Food, Self-Care, and More; Kindle Edition by Tony Lyons (Author), Kim Stagliano Rossi.
Barazza, L., Schmit, C., et al. (2017) cite that “All 50 states require children to receive certain vaccinations before attending public school, and often these requirements extend to children attending day care or private schools.”
< My Thoughts > "All 50 states require..."
School-age children are often mandated by the state to provide 'proof of Vaccination'. These requirements vary by state, and even school district. The most commonly required by state law are – MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), Hepatitis B, Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis), Varicella (Chickenpox), and Polio. Some states allow exemptions for religious reasons, and / or children with compromised immune systems.
57% At one time I’d had a plaque with that saying from Mother Teresa: “I know God will only give me what I can handle. I just wish God didn’t trust me so much.”
96% But I’m learning to trust in God that I’ll find the right answers because God has answered many of my prayers. This is my turn. I’m not going to waste it.
Reference:
Lungamhlongo, M. (2023). Learn How Children with Autism Use A Single Word to Communicate Everything. Retrieved online from – https://theautismguide.medium.com/learn-how-children-with-autism-use-a-single-word-to-communicate-everything-122cc3e/.
End of excerpts from this book by Kim Stagliano & Jenny McCarthy.
Thank you for reading and sharing my BLOGs. Comments are welcomed, to be viewed and answered privately. My goal is to assist families, clinicians, educators, and all people ‘autism’, to continue their journey on the Autism Highway. At the end of each website Extended Book Review, please find a source to have the whole book to read.
Regards,
Sara Luker
Paid Link Disclosure -
These Extended Book Reviews have an Amazon Link for actual book purchases. Please read this Paid Link Disclosure AKA Affiliate Links Disclosure:
Sometimes there are paid links, also known as affiliate links, used on this site. My website, www.sarasautismsite.com, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I may earn or receive a small paid commission from referrals for book purchases made through posts, pages, and links on this site. But I try to remain unbiased and I do not accept paid reviews. All opinions expressed here are my own.
There is no extra cost to you when purchases are made using the provided links. By using the links I provide you agree that you’ve read this paid link disclosure statement.
Thank you!
Sara Luker
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