Category Archives: Grief

Disability Day of Mourning: The Loss of Innocence

Posted on March 2, 2016 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

A few weeks back I asked H if he would like to attend the ASAN Vancouver Disability Day of Mourning Vigil with me on March 1st, at the Woodlands Memorial Gardens in New Westminster, BC. He asked what the vigil … Continue reading →

Posted in ableism, Activist, Advocacy, ASAN, autism stigma, Autistic, Boycott Autism Speaks, Death, Disability, Grief, prejudice, Rail Against Stigma | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Holding Space as Acceptance, Love, and Self-care: #AutismPositivity2015

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

I think about self-care rather often it seems… though I’ll admit that if I were to define self-care as I thing I do, I don’t actually engage in it quite as regularly as I contemplate it… I think though, in … Continue reading →

Posted in acceptance, Autism, Autism Positivity, Autistic, Flash Blog, flashblog, Grief, letting go, limits, Love and Self-Care, relationships, self-advocacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Autism and Processing Grief: Feelings Change

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

This post is a follow-up to https://30daysofautism.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/ladybugs-autism-empathy-and-processing-grief/  and also a very late response to a comment left there. It was started long ago… but due to some things we are dealing with as a family now… it has become relevant to … Continue reading →

Posted in acceptance, Autism, Grief | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Ladybugs: Autism, Empathy, and Processing Grief

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

Ladybugs: Autism, Empathy and Processing Grief As a parent of a child on the Autism spectrum and as a teacher I have a difficulty when others report that students with autism/Autistic children lack empathy. I try to correct this faulty … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspergers, Autism, Death, empathy, Episodic Memory, Grief, Tears | Tagged , , , , , , | 28 Comments

The hardest day… a message to a friend

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

I wrote this post this past summer… for a friend. It was written in response to something she had written. It didn’t feel like the right time to release it then, but I sense that perhaps it is useful now: … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Grief, letting go, Parent, poem, poetry, Resiliency, Tears | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Let the tears come: dealing with grief and letting go

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

Today I am thinking about another Mom of a child with autism who is facing some very difficult challenges: gut-wrenching, soul-tearing, strength-testing, heart-breaking decisions that will likely make life better for her beautiful son, and her family, and herself. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspergers, Autism, Grief, Tears | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tears and glimpses of the moon

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

So many parents of children with autism are amazingly strong and resilient. We are skilled in advocacy and educating others. We can be almost psychic in our ability to anticipate behaviours and sensory reactions, or else uncanny in our ability … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Behaviour, Diagnosis, Grief, Parent, Tears, ToM (Theory of Mind) | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

School Based Teams, IEPs, and a Parent’s Journey with Autism

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Leah Kelley, Ed.D.

I have been reflecting over the past week about how important it is to me to share the experiences that I have had parenting a child on the Autism spectrum.  So many of them have been positive, and although they … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Diagnosis, Grief, IEP, Parent, School Based Team Meetings, Special Education, Teacher, Tears | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments