Hand, Hand, Finger, Thumb

Happy solstice, everyone! It's a rainy, dark day here in Portland, and we're glad the days will be getting longer and lighter from here on out. Here's the latest news from the homestead.

Imogen, now 14 weeks old, has found her hands! Here she is examining them with much concentration.



Nana and Atman are currently visiting us for the holidays, and we're having a lovely time. Here they are doing some Tai Chi in our living room with Elliot.



Elliot has also expanded his show repertoire from Jack's Big Music Show and Maisy into the world of Blue's Clues (the main reason being that Blue also peeks out of the credits at the end of the show, just like Mel the dog does on JBMS). Here he is imitating Blue on the credits, with Nana and Atman getting in on the action, as well.



And in a follow-up to my last post, the NYU Ransom Notes ad campaign has been pulled. You can read their explanation here. And here is a link to the article about the cancellation of the campaign in the New York Times. Thanks to everyone who wrote letters asking that the campaign be reconsidered.

We hope you all have a very happy holiday this week. Stay tuned for pictures of the Christmas festivities here at the McElroy abode.

No One Here's Been Kidnapped

By now most of you have heard from me regarding the NYU Child Study Center's "Ransom Notes" ad campaign. This ad campaign is "designed as a provocative wake up to create awareness and spark dialogue about childhood psychiatric disorders". However, the format the organization has chosen to get this message to the public is one that is offending many people in the disability community. It portrays children with certain disorders (namely autism, Asperger's, OCD, ADHD, bulimia, and depression) as being kidnapped, and not as the unique, whole individuals we know them to be.

The ransom note signed "Autism" is particularly offensive. It reads, "We have your son. We will make sure he will not be able to care for himself or interact socially as long as he lives." Does this look like the face of someone who's been "kidnapped" by autism?


I didn't think so. This ad campaign is due to be launched this month, and I urge you to read about it and tell the folks running the campaign to rethink their approach. I haven't seen any major news organizations that have picked up the story, but it is being discussed on several blogs (just Google "autism ransom notes nyu"). This particular blog has a sample letter and the email addresses of those to whom you can voice your concerns. I urge you to do so.

To quote my dear friend and author of several books on raising kids on the autism spectrum, Ellen Notbohm, " View autism as a tragedy and that's what you will get. View it as a prison sentence, and that is what you will experience. But autism poses no inherent upper limits. Why not view it as a retractable-dome stadium? Right now, when you look up, all you see is the ceiling of the house. But pull back the retractable roof, and it's the same house, but the question now becomes - how high is up?"

We should all be so wise.

Thanks to all of you for your support of our family.

Deck the Halls

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! Yesterday we got our tree and had a wonderful time decorating it with family. Elliot got a head start with the lights.



He also had a great time picking out ornaments and instructing everyone as to where they should be hung on the tree.

Imogen of course loved all the pretty lights.

We were joined by Denny and Phyllis and Nona, Papa Pat, and Papa Mr. Vic Victor. They were being even sillier than the kids.

And even though he has a cold, that didn't stop our little elf from having a wonderful evening.

Today Imogen has her big brother's cold, too (it's nice when kids share, isn't it?), and it's snowing here in Portland. Happy holidays!