Seeing Your Whole Child - Surviving and Thriving

Helicopter Parenting and Autism

by Sonia Voynow | May 15, 2019 | Coping with Anxiety, Seeing Your Whole Child

These days, as I try to envision an independent life for my adult son with autism, I am aware of two battling impulses inside me. On one side is the knowledge that I need to step back, to allow Noah to experience the world in his own way. But on the other side is a...

Getting Lost at the DMV

by Sonia Voynow | Jan 6, 2019 | Empowered Parenting, Seeing Your Whole Child

Recognizing ambivalent loss and making way for compassion The other day I took my son, Noah, over to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get his picture taken for a new ID card. It is no one’s idea of a good time, but we had the day off and it was something that...

My Son The Music Man

by Sonia Voynow | May 2, 2018 | How Connection Eases Stress, Seeing Your Whole Child

I was recently talking to someone about my son, Noah, who has autism. And at the end of our conversation, she said, “He is the best teacher you could ever have.” I am still learning all the ways that this is true. Noah is constantly helping me recognize...

Business-Casual Thursday. And Leaving “Comparison Land.”

by Sonia Voynow | Jul 29, 2016 | How Connection Eases Stress, Seeing Your Whole Child

I’m in line in the supermarket, leafing through a magazine, and I see an advertisement for something I just have to have. It is the newest coffeemaker, one that makes espresso with more steam pressure than a locomotive. And suddenly, the reliable coffeemaker I have at...

Stop Making Sense (Or “Feppy”): Opening The Doors Of Curiosity

by Sonia Voynow | Aug 14, 2015 | Seeing Your Whole Child

When it comes to my son, who has autism spectrum disorder, I feel like I’m always navigating two paths simultaneously. On the one hand, I’m in project mode, eager to help him learn new skills. But when I am overly attached to therapy goals, I risk treating my son like...

Learning To Love The Dandelions

by Sonia Voynow | Dec 6, 2013 | Empowered Parenting, Seeing Your Whole Child

I’ve been preoccupied lately (some would say obsessed) with thoughts about my son’s future. In six short years, he will be 21, an age that strikes terror into the heart of anyone who has a child with special needs. Services like physical and speech therapy, and social...