As you all know, I am a neuro-divergent educator and I am dedicated to the education of special needs children. It is heartbreaking to hear about the defunding of the department of education. These programs serve so many children and as someone who works in education, I have seen first hand how these programs positively impact so many children. These programs also especially positively impact so many neuro-divergent children. By not having these programs funded through the department of education, it will negatively impact so many children who were being served by these programs. Education is the centerpiece of America. In order to go anywhere in life, everyone needs an education and everyone should be entitled to receive an education. Children with disabilities/neuro-divergent children deserve a high quality education. All children deserve equal opportunities to learning. It is important that we all advocate and stick up for the rights of the education for the children.

I enjoy summertime. I love how as school gets out, as a teacher, we have time to relax and do hobbies. I enjoy many hobbies such as crafting, hiking, cooking, reading, writing, painting, playing with my cat and traveling. It it very nice that I get to share some of my hobbies with others as I begin to highlight some fun summertime things I enjoy. I also enjoy working on the creative project I developed in graduate school called EarthAbilities playgroups and hope to do more service projects and trips in the future. Summer is a time for development in my eyes and I also want to mention I enjoy picking up new skills.

I want to open up about my mental health and the resilience that helped me get through it. Throughout my entire life, I always struggled with anxiety. I currently am in the process of overcoming depression that has come and gone. As humans, we all need to persevere with struggles and mental health is truly no joke. It is something that is under the radar and honestly this is the first time I am opening up about it. Sometimes I worry if I open up it will effect my teaching career, affect my abilities to foster older kids and teens and my relationships. However, I am wrong because the more I open up, the more I can help reach out to those who are going through the same thing and can help connect with them and understand them better than someone who is not grappling with mental health. In a world where everything is competitive, it can make it easy to forget about those needing more support and asking for help is no shame. Asking for help makes you stronger and it is making me more resilient. As I write this, I am reflecting on a pivot in this blog to help inspire others who are grappling with their mental health as well and finding healthy ways for healing.

In life, I have learned to never give up. You can always reach your dreams and goals in life if you try your hardest. Life is full of unknowns, but the most important thing is to keep trying. I am in my last semester of graduate school. The finish line is near towards me receiving my Masters Degree in Early Childhood Special Education and credential in Special Education. I am already a certified preschool teacher and have my Master Teacher permit, however, this credential will open more doors. It has taken me almost a decade to get this, so I am so excited to finally be able to graduate this May. Never Give Up. If you fall, just get back up. If one door closes, another one opens. Never give up on your dreams and goals in life. I am also doing a creative project for my masters degree, so stay tuned!

During my 28 years in life, I have discovered that everyone serves a purpose. Every job has a purpose. Every person has a purpose and every person can make a difference. We all have our place in life and we were all born to make a difference in our own ways. I have realized my purpose in this world is to show the world that we can create a world where autism and other differences are accepted and perceived in a non-stereotypical way. I am here to show the world my purpose and show it through a variety of elements. The beauty about expressing my advocacy is that I am just living it 24/7. I have discovered everything I do each day is showing awareness of my full potentials and inspiring others to do the same. Whether it is art, spoken word poetry, blog writing, creative writing or just being a dedicated wife, cat mom, preschool teacher and graduate student, I can achieve all of the dreams and goals I put my mind to with the proper self control, self discipline dedication and sacrifices. Life is full of challenges and hardships, but we can overcome struggles and keep developing ourselves to be strong leaders.

Yes, The United States is starting to reopen more fully. California recently reopened at full capacity. Life is coming back to normal for many people. However, lets make is a very inclusive new normal for all. Masks can be uncomfortable, however for some individuals who are immunocompromised, they can be a life saver and the pandemic hopefully will make them feel more comfortable as mask wearing is becoming more accepted by the public.Yes, I understand that being fully vaccinated you do not have to wear a mask, but we should still let individuals wear them if they choose, even way after the pandemic ends. Please keep your candy chutes. Candy chutes have helped make halloween more accessible for children with physical disabilities who may not be able to make it up the steps to get their candy. Yes, distance learning has been a disaster for most children as in person learning is the best option for most and children need that social interaction. However, some children thrived with distance learning. Distance learning can be especially good for children with chronic illnesses, medically fragile or have severe allergies or illnesses such as cancer or cystic fibrosis. So yes, majority of children the in-person way is the better way, but there should always be some access to distance learning for some children, especially for the reasons I mentioned above.With school being fully in-person for most in the fall, many children will be very behind from being out of the classroom for a long time. Children with special needs can have an even harder time. That is why investing in services so all children can succeed will be more crucial than ever. Children with special needs have long been marginalized years before the pandemic. Let’s change this!

Individuals with disAbilities of all ages have long been marginalized. Though the pandemic was stressful, we should look at the glass half full instead of half empty and be optimistic. There is a silver lining…. The pandemic has made some things more inclusive for the disAbility community.

So as I mentioned before, lets move forward, not backwards and create a more inclusive new normal. We should go back to normal, but lets add these new elements as well.

As April comes to a wrap, we round up autism acceptance month. I say acceptance instead of awareness because as individuals on the spectrum, we want to be acceptance by people rather than people just being “aware” of us. We are just like anyone else and want to be treated equal. We can for sure make a difference.

The pandemic has been a major adjustment for all of us. For all of us, the pandemic, indeed has been a major change in our daily living routines. I am someone who tends to do best with routines and structure and change is hard for me. I was never resistant to wearing a face mask and I began wearing face masks very early on in the pandemic. Coming from a mostly medical family, I’ve always been ahead on the health protocols, however, it was also my mindset as well. I care about helping myself and others. I care about my husband, our cat, our family, our friends and our communities, as well as doing what is right. These experiences make us better and stronger as we grow during hard times. However, even after the pandemic is over, one thing that worries me is that individuals with autism and other disAbilities will be left further behind. Whether its school or employment or socialization, individuals on the autism spectrum often have lots of obstacles to get through. There are many challenges many individuals with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) face on a daily basis (pandemic or no pandemic). Face coverings have been hard for many individuals with ASD as it makes comprehending social cues even more difficult as you can only see peoples eyes through the face mask rather than their whole faces.

I hope to really bridge the gap Despite face masks making social cues difficult, it is very important for everyone to wear them, even individuals with ASD as it helps slow the spread of coronavirus and especially the new variants. You do not have to agree with me on everything I say. We have our own opinions, but I am just saying my point. We can all get through this and I have faith in everyone.

Some tips to help wear a mask for Children with ASD can include:

-Using face masks with fun designs

-Practicing using face masks on dolls, stuffed animals, etc

-Link wearing face masks to super hero capes

Wow! What a year! The pandemic for sure was an unexpected disruption. Moving to another state during a pandemic and starting a new job and graduate school during a tumultuous time was quite the experience, but tough times build us stronger. I hope to make a difference in 2021 and help make strides with neurodiversity as well as in the classroom with the children whom I teach. I am so grateful to have a supportive husband and family. Sometimes you may hit rock bottom, but that just makes you stronger, as the only way to go from there is up! Then you reach sky high. Tough times makes us all stronger. I like to look on the bright side. I have high hopes for 2021 and know it will be a great year!

These past two months have been difficult for everyone. However, for children who are on the autism spectrum, things can be even more difficult. Transitioning from being used to instruction in the brick-and-mortar classroom to virtual school at home can be difficult for any child. However, for children with autism, any transition can be very alarming. Routines are very important for individuals with autism. Without routines, many individuals with autism (including myself) can really get frustrated and go stir crazy. Here are some great apps and ideas you can do with your child at home.

Otsimo: Otsimo is an app designed for children with autism with a lot of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) features. It includes a lot of personalized learning for your child. https://otsimo.com/en/

Social Stories for Children with Autism: Autism Parenting Magazine always has great ideas of activities to do with children who are on the autism spectrum (especially this link for social stories). https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/social-stories-for-autistic-children/

Best Buddies: Best Buddies normally provides one-on-one face-to-face friendships between individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disAbilities (IDD). However, with the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic going on, Best Buddies is shifting virtual for now. They have a lot of virtual activities and events going on that could benefit as a social outlet for many individuals on the autism spectrum. https://www.bestbuddies.org/

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