Feel like watching TV tonight? Well, I’ve decided that tuning into the new ABC drama, Eli Stone is going to be worth the watch. Why? Because it’s in the center of the autism controversy.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has called for ABC to cancel the first episode of this series because the story involves the main character, a prophetic attorney, representing a mother and her son with autism against a vaccine manufacturer (and winning) for the mercury placed in the vaccine that “caused” the boy’s autism.

The AAP believes that airing this show will increase the number of parents who decide not to... more

We had just set down at the restaurant when my cell phone vibrated. It was our 15-year-old son, whom we left in charge, calling. “Mom, the phone just rang and it was a man with a deep voice. He asked if my father was home and I told him he was busy. Then he asked if my mother was home. I said, ‘May I ask who is calling?’ Then he just hung up. What if he is outside and he was trying to find out if our parents are at home? He probably wants to break into our house.”

Maybe I should back up for a minute and tell you how my day started. I had to go into work at seven... more

Monk is probably much better known that Jerry Espenson, although his disorder, explained as OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) is not necessarily any better known than Aspergers. Tony Shalhoub has been playing Monk, the detail-oriented, brilliant detective, for five years.

The thing I find fascinating, especially in light of LuLu’s early childhood trauma and the traumatized children that I come in... more

Do you know Jerry Espenson on Boston Legal? Jerry is a lawyer with Aspersers’ Syndrome, portrayed by Christian Clemenson. Last year, Clemenson won the Emmy for best Guest Actor in a Dramatic Series. Now Jerry has become a regular on the show.

Jerry’s odd and quirky behaviors, including lots of hand flapping and rubbing are characteristic of a person with Aspersers’ who, when under stress, exhibits. Clemenson’s guest role on the show had the story line of Jerry being passed over for promotion... more

Seeing The Nanny Diaries last night made me think. The movie depicted over-the-top narcissistic parents who were obsessed with their own lives, free time, money, and social position. The audience “got it” that these parents were BAD. And the audience “got it” that the cavalier attitude they had about dismissing multiple nannies and constantly uprooting their son’s life was emotionally damaging.

It never ceases to amaze me that we as a society can “get it” so readily in the movies, but in real life people are so surprised... more

We actually found time to take in a movie yesterday! And being the theatre-minded family we are, Hairspray was the chose for some of us, The Simpson Movie was the high-brow choice of others.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hairspray, having been subjected to the soundtrack for the last several weeks by our own resident drama queen, Kay.

What I didn’t know completely, was the plot. And how much the point of the... more

Saturday, during record cold temperatures here in the South, we thought it better to find indoor activities instead of the yardwork and gardening we had planned. So the kids wanted to go to the movies. And the one everyone wanted to see was “Meet the Robinsons”. Yikes! After reading the various reviews both here on adoptionblogs and on listserves and other adoption sites everywhere, I was a bit nervous about whether this movie was for us, or not.

But the children pleaded and even Super Dad declared that it was “a Disney movie, so how bad could... more

The trailer for the Indie movie “Snow Cake” caught my attention for more than the intense performance by Alan Rickman.

Movie Blurb: “Alex Hughes, recently freed from prison, begrudgingly picks up a vivacious 19-year-old hitchhiker, Vivienne, while driving through Ontario. When the car is hit by a truck on the outskirts of her home town, Vivienne dies instantly. Shocked and stranded in snowbound Wawa, Alex is drawn to seek out Vivienne’s mother, to talk to her in person about the fate of her daughter”

What... more

Looking for a movie that everyone can see? We took the crew to see Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller on Monday. This movie can only be described as fun. It is rated PG and can be a bit scary for those who would be afraid of Tyrannosaurus Rex bones running around, or offensive for those bothered by a bit of monkey tee-tee. That under 5 or 6 crowd…well, it’s your call.

But the rest of us were entertained. It was fast-moving, funny, adventurous and even got in a couple of history lessons.... more