Navigating Grief and Loss as an Autistic Adult.

"The deaths I have experienced have mostly been at an arm’s length, due to family tensions, geographical separation, or a combination thereof.  Until recently, I’d only ever been to one viewing — a member of my stepmother’s family whom I barely knew.

As a result, I have no blueprint for the what to expect in the social situations that have come with an event like this.  I have been forced to guess my way through, at a time when my typical abilities are compromised by the emotional overload brought about by loss and grief. How well have I done? I honestly do not know.  I don’t know what standard I’m being held to, and by whom.  I have had to simply do my best, but I have been haunted by my struggle to know exactly what I need to do to be a good friend to someone who is no longer here to tell me what she expects".

48 Questions to Ask Your Kids.

Talking to young children about death Death. It’s a tough topic for grown-ups, let alone kids. How should we talk about it with them?

"Death. It’s a tough topic for grown-ups, let alone kids. When you become a parent, you expound upon every aspect of parenting with your family and friends until you’re blue in the face. How many long and drawn-out conversations have I had about breastfeeding, crying it out, and kindergarten curriculums?

But death? Hardly at all.

“I think our society in general does not want to talk about death and doesn’t want to deal with the messiness of grief,” said Emily Long, a licensed counselor and author of Sensitive Conversations: Talking with Kids About Death, Grief, and Violence . “So it is something that does get avoided a lot with kids — and in general.”

But kids, the most curious of creatures, won’t let you avoid it for long."

Read on about What to say - and not to say....

The Science of Resilience: Why Some Children Can Thrive Despite Adversity.

"When confronted with the fallout of childhood trauma, why do some children adapt and overcome, while others bear lifelong scars that flatten their potential? A growing body of evidence points to one common answer: Every child who winds up doing well has had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult".