Shannon Rosa

Redwood City, CA

http://www.squidalicious.com

Shannon signed the petition | 10 months ago

Tell Cargill: Don't Pave Over San Francisco Bay
Shannon signed the petition | 10 months ago

Tell CBS Outdoor not to run Anti-Vaccine Ad
Shannon signed the petition | over 2 years ago

Support Accessible Communications and Video (H.R. 3101)
Shannon commented on the article | over 2 years ago

Where Should the $$$ Go To?

The camp that we usually have to fight to get our son into, the one for which we camp out all night in order to sign him up, has had a dramatic reduction in attendance because the regional center stopped funding overnight camps for children under 18, something they notified us about the day of sign up. The camps are so sparsely attended that every camper has a 1:1 aide -- that means that almost half of the campers were relying on regional center funding and can no longer attend. This is the only camp in the area that can accommodate my son and many of my friends' kids; we're worried that it will disappear if the regional center continues to cut it off, and also worried about all the families whose one bit of respite for the entire summer just evaporated. I'm sure their kids aren't too happy about it, either.
Shannon commented on the article | over 2 years ago

A Little Talk and a Lot of Pictures

We implemented visuals and visual schedules three years ago in the classroom, but only a few months ago for structuring home time as well. It has made a huge difference in everyone's quality of home life. Knowing what to expect, and also having some control over his environment, has blown my son's mind and made him a very happy boy. Sounds like Charlie is very happy, too, and I'm glad for all three of you.
Shannon commented on the article | over 2 years ago

Learning and Living on the Journey

The shysters. The carpetbaggers. The opportunists. The preying on fear. Autism families are the best kind of golden-egg-laying geese to these people, because if you tap out one, there's another ten behind them -- provided they can be scared into giving up their money.

Thank you for doing your damndest to protect our precious autism parenting resources and energy, to hoard those golden eggs for our kids real needs, now and in the future.

I am hoping things get somewhat easier for your family, and that you get some answers. But in the mean time, Charlie is a lucky boy to have the parents and teacher he does.
Shannon commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

The Truth About Autistic Females

Thanks for adding another facet to the anti-monolithic understanding of autism. People often ask for first-person-perspective book recommendations to better understand my son, but I can never recommend just one because Donna Williams and Temple Grandin and Daniel Tammett, etc. are all so very different from each other. Just as you wrote.
Shannon commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

More On Mistaking Disability for Drunkenness--Dangerously

My friend Liz H. recently sent me this post:
http://community.livejournal.com/blackfolk/7311220.html

The embedded YouTube video is titled "Crackhead on Wheel of Fortune." Which is deplorable on many levels.

Especially because the LiveJournal commenters point out that the contestant is actually a man whose autism prevents him from being able to live independently, yet who has been able to support himself with those WoF winnings.

The YouTube comment stream is a mix of understandable indignation and just the kind of ignorance you describe.
Shannon commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

Changing With the Music

What a great shift for you both, and how wonderful to have music that you agree on -- considering how much time you spend in the car together.

Leo is happy with most music, but any kind of radio or talk show gets a big protest (which means I rarely get to listen to the public radio station at which his dad works)

Thanks also for the album recommendation. I've been indecisively hoarding an iTunes gift card for two months now, and may be ready to make a move.
Shannon commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

Checking the Boxes: Biracial, ASD, "other"

Argh. Sprinkle's is a great example of the writers using the open forum of blogging to cultivate reinforcement or validation of personal flaws or weaknesses ("I'm not perpetuating racism/discrimination, I'm just a realist") rather than striving to understand and improve themselves by openly discussing questionable viewpoints of which they should not be defensive.