Raising Different – Hope is a dangerous mindset when life happens

When asked about our life parenting two children with autism, I have become accustomed to providing the same answer time and time again. I am a realist. For some, reading this, you are not going to agree or maybe even like how I approach…

The Gap – Sometimes, perspective is not as clear as it should be

The gap and the gain is a coaching tool that was introduced to me almost a decade ago. It identifies the human tendency to focus on what we haven’t achieved instead of how far we’ve come. In simpler terms, it is easier to see the glass half…

Without Misinformation, Would We Have Any Information at All?

The double-edged sword of social media and influencers. They bring context and attention to world events and important aspects of society, but they do it in a way that spreads misinformation and often further divides the public perception. Autism…

Saying the Hard Part Out Loud – Not Easy When It’s Your Life (Part 2)

What do you do when somebody asks you to stand up and tell your story to a room full of strangers: fight or flight.  If I ran from every uncomfortable situation in my life, I probably would be halfway around the world by now. Over the past…

Saying the Hard Part Out Loud – Not Easy When It’s Your Life (Part 1)

A quick shoutout to my friend Dan Aberhart—sometimes, we have to do things that are uncomfortable to truly be comfortable. Forced Extroversion Definition: The ability of a selective introvert to exhibit signs of extroversion when compelled…

Helpless – The Truth About Parents of Children with Autism

Picture this - a roller coaster you did not choose to ride, with no way of getting off, no seatbelts, you pay every time it passes go, and you get a few pictures along the way.  For parents of children with autism, this may be truer than…

A Message – What I wish the public knew about our family

Do not judge those who already judge themselves. The hardest part for me about being a parent of children with autism is other people. I can stand up and speak publicly in front of a room of hundreds at work, but walking through the mall…

A Long Term Vision – When Reality is More Important than Emotion

Once you see the signs, it is hard not to. As parents of children with autism, you become extra sensitive at identifying signs in other families. Even in the early stages of our journey, we become quite acute at seeing signs in other children…

Advocate and Elevate

Why not?    It is a question I have asked myself for numerous years.    I truly believe that when you live with a child with a disability, the last thing you want to talk about is that disability. I fight with this every…

A Guilty Conscience

I never imagined that the most intense feeling in my life would be guilt.   Have you ever been paralyzed by guilt? It is a feeling that I cannot even explain, it’s like your fight or flight response is relatively useless because…

Autism Specialist Melissa Hey

Evan and Amy Shout speak with Board Certified Behaviour Analyst Melissa Hey on her role in the Saskatoon Public School system.

The Bigger Dog

Quote - “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”   Reality - “It’s always the size of the dog.”   I had numerous dogs growing up, I remember their first year was…