author | educator | autism advocate

Hello! I’m glad you’re here. Perhaps we have some common interests that prompted your visit. As a Christian writer, a teacher, a single mother of one grown son, an autism advocate, and a veteran home educator, my passion is preserving the love of learning innate in every child. I’d like to share a bit of our story.

When my son entered preschool after having accomplished most early developmental milestones with ease, I anticipated a smooth transition. But his first classroom experience quickly revealed an aversion to other children and strange new repetitive behaviors—early indicators that something may be wrong. His teachers dismissed my concerns, assuring me that putting him into a five-day public school kindergarten program would be best.

Deciding instead to follow God’s prompting to consider homeschooling, I overcame the accompanying fears surrounding that decision to successfully design a custom educational plan that would allow my son to thrive. And thankfully, because I was present for his activities, I was with him during a supplemental class to witness the devastating event that led to his autism diagnosis. Prior to this, my son’s autism had been missed (as is often the case with high-functioning children) by me, by his dad, and by his pediatrician, teachers, extended family, and friends.

“Your child has autism” are the words shaping an ever-expanding number of lives today. Affected families want to help their children succeed in a world that is not conducive to their unique needs. Most young people with autism attend traditional schools where their myriad challenges are addressed by assigned school service providers. Though dedicated, these providers’ caseloads are large and they have limited time and resources for each student. This system may not provide the best educational strategy for every child.

In my book, The Course You Choose, I explore the advantages of a different educational path for autistic children. In it, I walk the reader through the academic design of a homeschooling life, bring them along to therapeutic activities, and highlight the benefits of a customized approach—even in less-than-ideal circumstances, as ours were in an unanticipated post-divorce home. Readers will experience the process required for an autism diagnosis, the critical early interventions, and the proof that these therapies work, as demonstrated by remarkable gains. Unexpected setbacks follow heartening achievements, but eventual triumph over complex challenges reveals the success that is possible when a parent follows God’s direction for raising the child they have been gifted.