2016 New Year's Resolutions for Autism Light

As we stand at the edge of a new year, I wanted to share a goal I have for the Autism Light blog, for myself as an autism parent, and for the autism community.

My Autism Light Blog Resolutions: 

I want to publish the 500th Autism Light profile in 2016. To accomplish this I will need to average 5 features per month. It is both realistic but also challenging for the unpredictable world of an autism father.

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My Autism Parent Resolutions:

I want to listen more effectively to my 11 year old who has autism and celebrate his developmental progress in 2016.

The following quote succinctly describes my pursuit as an autism parent in 2016.

"So I entered parenting with only 3 clear goals: to love, to cherish, and to listen." - Melissa Ridge Carter" -- Hillary Flower, Adventures in Gentle Discipline: A Parent-to-Parent Guide.

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My Autism Community Resolution:

I wish for unity in the autism community through a greater understanding of the diverse passions and perspectives within people, who each in their own way are striving to make life better for all those impacted by autism around the world.

"A choir is made up of many voices, including yours and mine. If one by one all go silent then all that will be left are the soloists. 

Don't let a loud few determine the nature of the sound. It makes for poor harmony and diminishes the song." -- Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration. 

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Additional Resources: Several wonderful articles have been written about New Year's Resolutions that are applicable to the autism community.  Here are links to half a dozen of them.

1. 5 New Year's Resolutions for an Autism Mom (Huffington Post, Julie M. Green, January 5, 2015)
2. 10 New Year's Resolutions to Support Autism (Kidmunicate, January 5, 2015)
3. 2015 Autism New Year's Resolutions (Navigating Autism Blog, December 30, 2014)
4. Top 10 New Year's Resolutions, from My AutismTeam Parents (Autism Speaks, January 18, 2013)
5. Parent Tips: New Year's Resolutions 2011 (Pathfinders for Autism, Shelly Allred)
6. 2015's New Year's Resolutions for Autism Parents (About.com, Lisa Jo Rudy, December 30, 2014)

Photo: The photo in this post was used courtesy of Profile Rehab.