One Foot In Front of the Other

April is Autism Awareness Month, or as one of my friends likes to call it "Autism Acceptance  Month." During this month, there will be activities somewhere in your community that will call attention to, and provide information about, autism. I work every day with many children and families who live with autism.  We have lived for many years with autism, and Lacy has worked all his life to overcome and thrive in spite of many challenges. From my perspective as a parent, the most important gift you can give your autistic child is a way to deal with the uncertainties of life.  While autistic children thrive on sameness and schedule, the world does not run that smoothly.  Life happens.  Disappointment is a daily experience.  Preparing your child to deal with the inevitable changes in plans and schedules takes many years, and is not an easy task. I can think of so many parents who lose sleep and agonize over their child's inflexibility.  It's not that our children