Kate Warren

I am one of the few people I know who got up at 4 AM this morning to watch Prince William marry Catherine Middleton.  I know the film will be replayed and pictures will be everywhere for weeks to come, but there is something special about the idea of watching the wedding as it happened that I couldn't resist. 

The bride was stunningly lovely, the groom looked dashing in his Irish Guards uniform, and everyone looked happy.  The music for the ceremony was also very nice.   Being musically inclined, I always notice things like that.  The readings and prayers were moving.  Classy and elegant all the way--a royal wedding at it's best.  William and Kate have shown the world how it's done.

Like many I've watched the courtship play out over the last years and looked forward to this day for quite a while.  It's my personal opinion that the groom couldn't have chosen better.  He and his wife (now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) are well-suited to one another and could not be accused of rushing into marriage.  They took time to get to know one another, and the bride has had the opportunity to learn about the kind of life she will lead as a member of the royal family before committing to such a daunting venture.  They married with their eyes opened, and they married for love.  This is how a royal marriage should be. 

I hope all of my readers will join me in wishing this lovely couple a long and joyous union.

Kate

April is Autism Awareness Month.  Nothing special at my house.  Here every month is Autism Awareness Month.

My husband and I have three brilliant, beautiful children.  Three of them are boys.  All three boys have Autism Spectrum Disorders.  Our little girl is the youngest and is not remotely autistic. 

Every day is a struggle.  Though half of that is because the boys are brothers.  Their disagreements do take a different form, with more screeching, but that part of the social interaction with each other is very normal.

Autism is a neuro-biological condition that falls on a spectrum of Pervasive Developmental Disorders.   There are varying levels of symptoms and no two children on the the spectrum will be alike in that regard.  The hallmarks of autism are impaired social interaction and speech.    Sometimes symptoms are apparent from birth.  Other times, as in the case of one of my boys, the child will appear normal and then begin to regress.   If your child lines things up all the time, plays with or looks at things oddly (for instance looking at the wheels of a toy truck but not moving it around and making vroom sounds like most children would do), stops responding to his or her name, stops making eye contact, please have your child evaluated by a medical professional, these can be symptoms of autism.  Many physicians and clinics now do routine autism screening at regular check-ups but if you have any concerns about your child be sure to speak to a doctor.

In my house we have: an 11 year old with Asperger Syndrome; a 9 year old with high-functioning autism, and a 7 year old with mild-to-moderate autism.   They each have unique challenges and abilities.  At the moment I must stop typing and go deal with one of the challenges. 

More later...

Kate