Do you remember where you were?  I still remember receiving the diagnosis from Dr. Mars of the Rutgers University evaluation team.  And I still remember her crappy ass diagnosis.  “Michael is on the low end….of severe”.  What kind of diagnosis is that?  How the hell can you start with “Michael is on the low end” then pause and finish with “of severe”.  That might be the way you think, or write, but how the hell can you deliver such devastating news to a parent that way.  Not that I’m still bitter almost a decade later.  Yeah, that was a moment I won’t forget.  When I got home, I cried like I haven’t cried as an adult.  Even with the passing of my father years later, that was the most devastating news of my adult life.

Enough about me, here’s an artricle from another parent talking about the day she got the news…

Six years ago was ‘autism D-day’

If it’s one thing my boys won’t tolerate, it’s the complete upheaval of their routine.  And boy, did Hurricane Sandy put the kibosh on their routine.

No school.

No lights.

No power.

No heat.

No cable.

No phone service.

No internet.

Of all the items I mentioned, losing the internet was probably the biggest one to overcome.  The boys had become so attached to their web based apps, You Tube clips and favorite websites, that going cold turkey was extremely tough for them to take.

Still, there was some good in this.  The truth is, they adapted.  Not willingly, but as children have done forever  they dealt with it.  And second, it allowed me to realize just how much the Internet had become their choice of drug.  Short of an intervention, a lengthy power failure has helped expose their need for the Net.

Now, when the power comes back, will I change?  That’s the question I need to ponder this weekend.

In the meantime, it’s nice to see the stars at night.   When you take away the man made lights, it’s amazing to see how bright the natural ones are.