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life skills

“Ask Cathy” Column: December 2016

“Ask Cathy… An Open Dialogue with a Mother and Special Needs Architect”
Q: Can you tell me how old your son was when you started thinking about his adulthood?

A: Yes, he was about eight. As the regular education school work became more and more difficult for my son, I stopped worrying about his ability to add three-digit numbers and became focused on the development of life skills. When my son was in middle school and his teachers sent homework home, I did not “do” my son’s work for him. I wanted his team to understand how difficult and, at times, ridiculous the work was. I set a timer and left him to try to complete the work. He rarely got past the first question.

My son is gifted in many ways but the work ….

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life skills

“Ask Cathy” Column: October 2016

“Ask Cathy… An Open Dialogue with a Mother and Special Needs Architect”
Q: What safety precautions can you implement to help with elopement?

A: I recognize that this is an incredibly difficult behavior. One of the simplest strategies to begin with is to situate your child closest to your bedroom. In my home, my son on the spectrum was located directly above our master bedroom intentionally so that we could hear his footsteps. The stair is also directly in front of our bedroom door. Thus, he must pass our room to get out. If building from scratch, these are easier strategies to implement. However, in existing homes, apply the same strategies even if the rooms are on the same floor. As my child got older, some of his behaviors dissipated. So, while you may ….

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The Cost of Independence

The need for residential housing options for adults on the spectrum is tremendous―and the price tags can be stunning…

I am the mother of a child on the autism spectrum. I am also the sibling of a brother with Down syndrome. My son on the spectrum is currently 24 years old. As the principle of an architectural firm, I have spent my last decade serving special needs environments through my Purposeful Architecture studio of Purple Cherry Architects. For the past 20+ years, I have been a staunch advocate for programs for my son and for the children of others. I reside in the state of Maryland, and I serve on the National Autism Society Board. I have had the great opportunity to visit many residential programs across the country as well ….

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Raising Autism: A Family Affair

The Cherry family knows autism. In 1996, Cathy and Michael Cherry traveled to Russia to meet Matthew for the first time. They quickly found themselves interacting with a 3-year-old whose actions could only be described as chaotic. Once in the states and old enough for a diagnosis around age 3, Matthew was shown to have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and fetal alcohol syndrome. Later, with two other children in the household, Jason, the middle child, and Samantha, the youngest, the Cherry family began a lifelong journey to understand autism and to raise a family with compassion, patience, and, most importantly, humor.

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Environment: The Third Teacher

Through legislation of the past 35 years providing rights to children with disabilities, the buildings and environment supporting these and all children have transformed to what they are today: accessible, modern, well-lit, spacious and more. As an architect and the 53-year-old mother of a 20-year-old son on the autism spectrum, I’ve watched what the congregate voice of parents of children with autism has done for change to the academic world. This massive wave of vocal individuals is impacting not only the environments for children and adults with autism, but also the settings for individuals with disabilities as a whole. Further, I believe that the Autism Movement has given a greater voice to parents of children with other disabilities as well.  The full article is available on Autism ….

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