Humor. It’s a powerful thing that can get us through all kinds of life events, cycles and seasons.My husband Rob and I recently celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary. Admittedly, the years haven’t always been easy … More
Oh, the frustrations of not being able to find the words to describe what you want, speaking without being understood and others not appreciating what you need. Through the years, this has been our son Matt’s … More
Lara Stolman, filmmaker, journalist and mom to a son with autism, recently visited First Place–Phoenix and brought her award-winning documentary “Swim Team” with her for special screenings for staff and residents and their family members. … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #5) Since Matt moved into First Place–Phoenix, we’ve learned that when the skills, training and infrastructure are in place, so much is possible! Still, we can’t (yet!) claim that everything is perfect for … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #4) After working on Matt’s transition to his new home over several months (years!), Rob and I made the monumental decision for Matt to spend an entire week at First Place–Phoenix without … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #3) During months of trial and error and a detailed 16-step shaving process that Matt followed faithfully, his face cuts continued. That’s when we resorted to the one-step electric shaver solution. On … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #2) At 7:30 p.m. one recent evening, Rob and I were alerted via the Life360 tracking app that Matt had left First Place and was traveling down Third Street toward Central Avenue. … More
(2019 Summer Series, Blog #1) Matt is a 28-year-old man with “classic” autism who has been able to work, communicate with some limitations and enjoy a good game of Uno or Scrabble. We take stock in … More
Our 2019 summer blog series chronicles the journey of our son Matt’s transition to life at First Place–Phoenix, thanks in large part to Rob—Matt’s tech-savvy dad, “father of fun” and my husband of 35 years—our … More
During this two-day symposium, experience the supportive community of Greater Phoenix, dubbed "the most autism-friendly city in the world" by PBS NewsHour. Pioneering agencies, organizations and families are also gathering to learn about next steps for … More