Samantha Pierce

Forgot to do this yesterday but here goes. Today I am thankful for/that: In 10 more weeks, give or take a week or two, I'll begin to regain normal bladder and stomach capacity. Sunshine. Freedom. I seem to be raising some budding botanists (Ethan and Sophia are constantly bringing me things from the backyard to identify or telling me all about what they just picked) and an ornithologist (Sophia wants to know what bird made every little cheap and chirrup she hears). "Ducky towel!" "Juice!" "ABC!" "Stop!" All said by Isaiah to indicate what he wants. What are you thankful for?

Ethan: [Turns up in the living room with an old cell phone and holds it out to me.] Say hi. Sophia: [To Ethan.] Ooh! Can I play with it? Ethan: ... Sophia: Say, "Yeah you can have it!" [Takes the pone from Ethan.] Ethan: Yeah you can have it. I don't know if Ethan ever got the phone back.* Sophia spent the rest of the afternoon having pretend conversations with various friends and family members (none of whom she will actually talk to when they are really in the phone). Good thing Ethan was in a sharing mood. I wasn't in any condition to break up a fight. *The phone has resurfaced since I first wrote down the above at the beginning of the month. It has been the source of more than one altercation. *** Sophia: [With a pillow held above her head with both hands.] I'm going to kill you! Ethan, the most common object of her inexplicable blood lust, wisely armed himself with a pillow. I disarmed them both after a few wild swings that got only the air and the c...

(Ha! I spelled epidemiology correctly on the first try!) Epi Wonk Epidemiology, Health, and Medical News Media Watchdog: A Blog for the General Public " Epi Wonk (that’s me) has a Ph.D. in epidemiology. I worked for more than 30 years as a professor in medical schools and schools of public health and as a senior epidemiologist at the CDC. I have been the editor of three medical journals. I am now retired. " Check it out.

Today I am thankful for/that: Except for the CD drive my computer seems to be finally back in working order. I guess I spoke too soon. At least my computer was in good working order about 24 hours or so. Hubby never throws out broken/out dated electronics (we have several pieces that stopped working properly about the time that Ethan learned how to crawl). I was able to use a battered old lap top for the essentials while I waited for my computer to be fixed. The kindness and compassion of those in my "faith community," also known as church folk, both those in my local church and those from other churches who choose to make room for those who are different. Had the following conversation with my mom about 20 minutes ago. Mom: Is today your anniversary? Me: Yup. Mom: Happy anniversary. How many years has it been ? Seven? Me: Nine. Mom: Really? Nine? Me: Yup. What are you thankful for?

Cross posted at Say Anything: Reader blogs . Below are two recent posts from Autism Vox . One is about the refreshing recognition that autistic individuals and other individuals with disabilities should be included in religious communities. The other is a disturbing demonstration that not everyone is willing to make that happen. Autism and Faith: A Journey into Community Autism and Faith: A Journey into Community is a new resource for clergy, religious educators, and families of autistic children to develop “inclusive spiritual supports” for autistic individuals in religious settings. The 52-page guide was developed by the Autism and Faith Task Force of COSAC , New Jersey’s main autism organization, and the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities , which is in the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Priest Files Restraining Order Against Parents of Autistic 13-year-old This story about a Catholic priest filing a restraining order agai...

Gee, ya think? One doctor in California is arguing that trying to diagnose autism without looking at the brain is like trying to diagnose a heart condition without looking at the heart, though the established autism community isn't so sure. "You have a child that comes to me and mom says, 'Why is my child not talking?'" he said. "We know that speech is in the brain. What's going on in his brain? I think we should answer that and I think we should answer that as objectively as possible." But that is not the typical method of diagnosing autism. Behavioral tests are the standard. Indeed, neurologists are often only brought in when cases seem unusual. Even then, high-powered MRIs and cutting-edge EEGs are only used selectively. Interestingly enough this article describes two boys who turned out to have seizure disorders. Whether they have these disorders instead of or in addition to autism is not really clear in the article. Claire Shipman, one of the au...

From NPR earlier today: Are College Degrees a Waste of Money? Author and career coach Marty Nemko argues that when kids are not adequately prepared for college, they are simply wasting their time and money on four years of college-level course work. "College is a wise choice for far fewer people than are currently encouraged to consider it," he writes in his article, America's Most Overrated Product: the Bachelor's Degree. The majority of students entering college today are unprepared, Nemko explains, "When you hop into a cab or walk into a restaurant, you're likely to meet workers who spent years and their family's life savings on college, only to end up with a job they could have done as a high-school dropout." It's a good question to ask. Taken together with this, College students stumped by X + 2 = 4 , it really makes you wonder about the value of education these days. One thing that a college degree is guaranteed to get you is a mountain of...

In addition to my computer being on the blink I've also been contending with a stomach bug. That's bad enough in itself but having a little being vigorously thumping me in all of the relevant bits (in addition to the other kids trying to pounce on me) is doubly unpleasant.

My computer has gone off so my impromptu blog fast has been extended a bit longer than I had intended. I don't know when/if it will be fixed. For the moment hubby and I are sharing a computer.