The Autism Dad

On June 18, 2026, at the Trump administration's request, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel issued a legal opinion saying the integration mandate, the rule that requires states to serve disabled people in their communities instead of locking them away in institutions, was never actually required by law...... Read More 👇

https://theautismdad.com/2026/06/20/bring-back-institutions-disabled-people/

Trump Admin Lays Groundwork to Bring Back Institutions A new Trump administration legal opinion lays the groundwork to put disabled people back into institutions. Here is what it means for your family.

Broad Coalition of Disability, Civil Rights, and Education Organizations Denounce Department of Education's Latest Transfers of Core Functions.

📖 Read the statement here: https://bit.ly/4a944ba

Going Live at 8pm. Join us and bring your nutrition and selective eating questions. 😊

Today's word is one a lot of families live with and never had a name for. Time blindness.

It's difficulty sensing how much time has passed or how long something will take. Five minutes and an hour can feel the same. 'We're leaving in ten minutes' can land like a surprise even when it was said three times. It is not laziness and it is not carelessness. The internal clock just works differently, and it shows up a lot with autism and ADHD.

I will be honest, I live with a version of this myself. Ask Kelly about the time I showed up an hour early for our first date. Once you have the word for it, you can build around it with timers, visual schedules, and a little grace instead of frustration. I learned to put the address into maps and use the arrival time to better shape when I leave for things. 🤣

My book So Your Child Was Just Diagnosed with Autism releases December 29 from Fair Winds Press. Preorder link in my profile.

What word should I do next?

Dear disability community,

If they come for one of us, they come for all of us.

That’s not a slogan. It’s how this actually works.

When they cut one program, weaken one protection, or hand our kids’ rights to a department that treats disability like a problem to manage, every family pays for it eventually.

So here’s where I land.

We don’t wait and see. We pay attention. We stay loud. We keep showing up.

Call your representatives. Say your kid’s name out loud and tell them what’s at stake. Show up to the meetings. And when the time comes, vote out every official who comes for our community.

They’re counting on us staying quiet.

Let’s prove them wrong.

Comment “together” if you’re standing with us. Share this with one parent who needs the reminder today.

I’ve been getting tons of potty training questions lately. If you’re working on potty training and have not following my friend Molly yet, you need to. The Autism Consultant. She’s been my go to when parents ask for potty training help for many years.

Help me decide our July potty workshop topic that I’ll be hosting inside The Autism Consultant membership👇

Which would be more helpful for your family?

🧻 Potty Behaviors (refusals, protests, resistance, avoiding the bathroom, etc.)

💩 P**p Withholding

TELL ME below and let me know what support you need most! ⬇️

Special education just got moved to HHS, and the headlines are scary. So here’s what actually happened, who’s doing it, and why advocates are sounding the alarm.

The law didn’t change. Your child’s right to an IEP didn’t change. What changed is which building runs the paperwork, and that’s worth watching closely.

Swipe through, then do one thing today: call or email your reps, state and federal. Save this and share it with a parent who needs steadier footing.

What part of your child’s IEP would you fight hardest to keep?