An Entrepreneur Changes Course; Owner of Tim's Place Follows His Heart

Happy Friday. Something that's going to brighten your day.

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico -- What makes Tim's Place restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico so special is that it is, indeed, Tim's Place.
Tim Harris is the only restaurant owner in the country with Down syndrome. For the last five years he has lived for his business, which is why his customers were shocked when Tim announced recently that he'd be closing.
"My customers cry a lot into my arms," he explained.

First All-Autism Wedding Nears

If you've never met or read about Anita Lesko and Abraham Talmage Nielsen, then you're in for a treat. They presented at our conference in May and were a huge hit. Wishing them nothing but the happiness.

People on the autism spectrum often suffer from harmful stereotypes — but Anita Lesko and Abraham Talmage Nielsen are out to fight the stigma against people with autism, and in the most romantic way possible:

They're about to tie the knot in the first all-austism wedding at the Love & Autism Conference on Sept. 26 in San Diego, Calif. In addition to celebrating their relationship and their union, the wedding aims to raise awareness and smash down stigmas about how people on the autism spectrum experience relationships.

Against All Odds, Couple Finds Joy

When you pitch stories like these and the journalist gets it, there's no better feeling. Knew as soon as I spoke with the couple on Monday night, that they would be great!

SUFFERN, N.Y. — He helps her put on her coat, opens the door for her, and cooks their meals almost every night. She does the dishes, makes his favorite cheesecake from scratch, and suffers watching wrestling on television only because he loves it.

Michael and Laurie Zeilberger, both 51, have been married 17 years and recently passed a big milestone in their lives — they paid off the mortgage on their one-bedroom condo. Both have held stable jobs for more than two decades and he has nursed her through poor health.

Such a loving and durable marriage would be an accomplishment for many couples. It’s especially remarkable for the Zeilbergers because both have learning disabilities.

“We want to be married like other people are married for 50, 60 years,” said Laurie. “It may be harder for us but we want to try.”

When Bill Met Shelley: No Disability Could Keep Them Apart

Bill Ott and Shelley Belgard.

From the cold and snowy northeast, a story sure to warm your heart.

Bill Ott will always remember the moment he met Shelley Belgard. It was in spring 1988. He was 12 and sometimes shy. Into music, sports and, suddenly, girls.
Shelley was three years older, chatty and outgoing. They’d both shown up at a Montgomery County social club looking for friends, fun and the kind of acceptance that seems so elusive during teen life.
Shelley smiled. Bill introduced himself. And that was it. “I didn’t know what love was,” he says. “Until I met her.”
He was sure it was the real thing, but nobody ever believes that coming from a 12-year-old.
Certainly not one with Down syndrome.

Autism's Impact, Good and Bad, on Siblings

Ranit Mishori is a family physician and faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Ranit, top, and her brother Dror.

One of the least fun moments I recall from my years of growing up with an autistic brother was when he bit me on the cheek — just in time for my class photo. I was 12 and he was 11. I went into school with visible bite marks, and when they sat me in the chair for my solo shot, I told them that the cat had done it.
That’s one of the bad stories. As for a good one . . . um, to be honest, I have a hard time coming up with much.

Frustrated By Autism, Father Turns to Photos

SAN FRANCISCO -- "I don't care about autism," says San Francisco-based photographer Timothy Archibald, who has a way of being refreshingly candid about kids who have it.
"They can frustrate you to no end," he says.
Archibald's son, Eli, is autistic. And really, he clarifies on the phone, he doesn't care about the diagnosis. What matters, he says, is his relationship to Eli, however complicated it may be.

Siblings and Autism: Reconciling Their Needs

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- I do a lot of thinking about what having an autistic brother means to my other two sons. For the most part, now that they are all between the ages of 6 and 9, they are siblings just like any others—sometimes they are best friends and sometimes they act like they want to kill each other. Yet, I know that the coming years will bring extra challenges to their relationship.

A couple of years ago, I visited my home town. While telling some of my old high school friends about Jack, my son with autism, one of them said, "You know I have a brother with autism, right?" I thought about it and I remembered him. I hadn't ever interacted with him much, but he was definitely different than the rest of us. I'd never known he was autistic, but after she said that, it made complete sense.

I asked her how it was to grow up with an autistic brother. I think I was hoping that she would tell me that he had brought extra meaning to her life, that he had taught her to appreciate differences or that she had learned something important from him.

She thought about it for a minute and then she told me that it was hard. That sometimes it was embarrassing.

It was tough to hear that, but it was honest.

Divorce and the Child with Special Needs

Came across this on Huffington Post.

Divorce is always difficult for the children, but what happens when the parents about to split have a child with special needs? According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics, the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders has grown to 1 in 110 children today, while another CDC study indicates that 1 in 10 children aged 4 - 17 has been diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Combine these sobering statistics with the ever-rising divorce rates and you have a perfect storm of people navigating the very rocky waters of divorce with the added pressure of needing to effectively co-parent a child with special needs long after their marriage is over.