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Select a Category A Global Voice for Autism Autism Awareness Month 2016 Autism Awareness Month 2017 Autism Interlude Hajj and Eid ul Adha Jenin Autism Project Ramadan Three Questions Uncategorized WISE Global Conference

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011

July 2013

July 12, 2013

Autism, Childhood and the Perpetual Questions – A Sibling Speaks Up

How do the siblings of individuals with autism cope with the spectrum disorder's grip on...

July 08, 2013

Trying Not to Be That Person

I don’t want to be that person. I really don’t. But I find myself being...

July 03, 2013

A Ramadan Prayer for Special Needs Families

Am I preparing for Ramadan? Yes and no. With my in-laws out of town right...

June 2013

June 28, 2013

An Autism Report Card

After years upon years of scrutinizing progress reports and hashing out (and assessing) IEPs (individualized...

June 18, 2013

This is Not the Way – Reflecting on the Death of Alex Spourdalakis

They show up in my news feed a lot – stories of children and adults...

June 14, 2013

Fatherly (Baba-erly) Appreciation

The husband and I celebrated our 14th anniversary last week. We continue to (Alhamdulillah) defy...

June 11, 2013

It’s Not Just About You

The only thing predictable about autism and Lil D in our house is that it...

May 2013

May 29, 2013

We Keep Planting Seeds of Change

There are two stories to tell, unrelated, yet related to each other. A high and...

May 17, 2013

In Autism Land, Who is the ‘Kismat-Wali’ (One with Good Fate)?

There is a phrase in Urdu – kismat-wali – meaning one who has good fate,...

May 12, 2013

Loved and Loved Back

The whole family came out for Amal’s soccer game on Saturday morning – Lil D,...

May 08, 2013

Not Today

Something is wrong. I can see it; I can feel it in my bones. Lil...

April 2013

April 30, 2013

Did Autism Speak?

Autism Awareness Month, or as many in the autism community like to call it, Autism...

April 24, 2013

For the Love of Their Grandchildren

What would a parent do for their child? Anything. How far do we go for...

April 16, 2013

When an Autism Awareness Event is Anything But

We’ve hit the middle of April, and while there was a flurry of focus on...

April 09, 2013

Dilshad Ali – Why I am a Muslim

Patheos is asking its writers and bloggers to finish the sentence: Why I Am A...

April 04, 2013

The Failure of the American Muslim Community to Help Those with Special Needs

“He (Musa) said: ‘Oh my Lord! Expand my breast for me and make my affair...

March 2013

March 29, 2013

The Magician Who Can’t Make Autism Numbers Disappear

He’s a regular parlor-room magician. But instead of pulling a never-ending trail of colorful handkerchiefs...

March 06, 2013

Snow Day in Autism Land

The bus is not coming today, and there will be no Wednesday afternoon swimming after...

February 2013

February 28, 2013

What We Can (and Must) Learn from Each Other

It’s a conversation I remember vividly, last April, standing outside Lil D’s school after I...

February 20, 2013

Holding on to ‘Himaat’ in Autism Land

In Urdu there is a word called himaat, and the best I can explain it...

February 08, 2013

I Hit (and Scream, Pinch, Bite, Kick, Cry or Drop) for a Reason

I am often stressed by the sheer number of decisions I make for Lil D;...

February 04, 2013

#MyJihad, for Two Children, is Anchored in Brotherly Love and Loss. What’s Yours?

Amir and Amal don’t know each other. But if they ever meet, they will discover...

January 2013

January 22, 2013

Recovering His Voice

I prayed two rakat shukrani – that’s a short, extra prayer Muslims do when they...

January 18, 2013

Fighting for His Voice

Whenever I lost something, my parents taught me to immediately utter the du’a (prayer), Innal...

January 16, 2013

Losing His Voice

Ever lost your voice to a bout of laryngitis? It’s pretty frustrating not to be...

January 14, 2013

Sometimes All You Can Do is Live in the Moment

As the moments pass, as things happen, I can hear the words unfurl in my...

January 07, 2013

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Growing up, I can only recall one time when my parents left us in the...

December 2012

December 26, 2012

My Jihad is Autism, Faith and Everything In Between. What’s Yours?

What’s your jihad? Mine is autism awareness and living with autism. My jihad is my...

December 20, 2012

Don’t Let Newtown’s Tragedy become an Autism Backlash

The early morning scramble to get the kids up, dressed, fed, and out the door...

December 10, 2012

I Wish I Were an Only Child

On Saturday night, when we were walking the lighted paths of our local botanical garden,...