Asperger Mom

My name is Jan and I live in the Pacific Northwest. I am mother of two wonderful, talented children, who also have their share (and sometimes more than their share) of issues. My oldest, our daughter, is almost 18 and will graduate June 2009. She has some learning disabilities, Tourettes syndrome, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. My youngest, our son, is 10 and has Asperger syndrome.

Being a creative sort myself, I love a number of different types of art including: drawing, painting, creative writing, felting (both wet and needle felting wearable art), metal sculpted art (welded), pottery, and glass works. My small business where I sell antiques and my wearable art that is made from alpaca fibers is called The Lavender Alpaca.

I am writing a book, a collection of personal essays, titled, “Why don’t they come with instruction manuals?” Humor has always been my coping technique, so I have tried to share about our lives with as much humor as possible. Afterall, life is way too short to not have fun!

In addition to the book, I am starting a non-profit organization for children with Aspergers, Tourettes, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. My husband and I have found that creative expressions have helped our two decrease their anxieties. Art is not the finished product, but rather the process. So The Lavender Door Foundation, hopes to increase access to the arts for at-risk youth with Aspergers, Tourettes, or OCD. To allow youth to open the door to their creativity.

Please join me in discussions on my blog, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Thanks, Jan

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