I loved going back to school. I always looked forward to it. Getting school supplies and back to school clothes was exciting. I looked forward to seeing who was in my class and who I was getting as a teacher. As I got older, school became easy for me. I always did my homework the second I got home from school, but when I was younger, there were some challenges. Looking back, you know that it was autism, but it was not a diagnosis at the time. I know there are kids that dread

I grew up watching the Power Rangers. My favorite characters were Jason the red ranger and Tommy the green ranger. Looking back now, I think Tommy might have been my first celebrity crush, if not, one of my first celebrity crushes. It was around the same time I had a crush on Pavel Bure of the Vancouver Canucks. Jason David Frank was the longest running power ranger in the series. He wasn’t supposed to be on the show longer than a few episodes, but people loved him so he rem

Flying for anyone can be overwhelming and nerve wrecking, but with Autism, flying can bring on anxiety. There is a lot going on and sometimes when things are chaotic and/or doesn’t go as planned, someone with autism can start to get anxious. There’s a lot that goes on at an airport and it’s overwhelming especially if you haven’t travelled or flown that much or if you are flying by yourself. There’s noise and crowds of people. Navigating airports can be confusing and intimid

Someone came up with a theory that the premise of The Breakfast Club was inside of the mind of Ally Sheedy’s character, Allison Reynolds. Everything that was in the movie was made up by her. Each character was a stereotype of a high school student with Allison being the loner, the outcast, the basketcase. Allison didn't have any friends so she created them in her head using high school stereotypes. Several popular fan theories surround the 1985 classic The Breakfast Club. T

Shooting Star has always been one of my favorite songs. It always reminded me of John Belushi. The song is about a guy named Johnny who became a musician and was a huge star, but unfortunately, he died at a young age from an overdose. Belushi died the same way as Johnny in the song and both of them had a number one album. I feel like Shooting Star is the perfect song that tells you the life of John Belushi Obviously, the song isn’t about John Belushi and it's common to have

Who rents out a 20,000 seat stadium in the largest city in America for their wedding? Taylor Swift apparently can. With all the money she has, she could have rented a private island in the middle of the ocean for her wedding or even rented a castle in Ireland, but she had to be the centre of attention. People are convinced that she is already married and was going to use that as a documentary to be released on Disney+ and this was just used as a distraction. Especially with

You would think that making friends while living in an apartment would be easy since you see the same people all the time. It's not as easy as people think it is. Everyone living in an apartment has different schedules, different lifestyles, you never know who’s home at any coming time so being able to meet and connect with your neighbors in the hallway or when you're waiting for the elevator can be challenging. I’ve noticed that it's rare to go on another floor and because o

Jeremy McGoran had struggled with anxiety and depression. He was able to look back on his life and see that he had been struggling with anxiety and depression since he was a teen. He took time off from his job as a radio broadcaster to focus on his mental health and when he was ready, he told his listeners about what he was going through. As people listened, they started to come forward with their own journey with mental health. They admired Jeremy for being open and honest.

Henry J. Deutschendorf II also known as Hank and his twin brother, William are best known as Oscar in Ghostbusters 2. They are the nephews of singer John Denver. Playing Oscar was the only acting role that Hank and Will had. When they got older, they got into martial arts. Hank had lived his life far from the spotlight. Together with his twin yet again, he became an instructor for the reputable West Coast Martial Arts Academy in San Diego, California. He loved his job very mu

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. As these nerve cells die, the brain can no longer control voluntary muscles. This leads to increasing muscle weakness, loss of mobility, and eventual difficulty speaking, swallowing, and breathing ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which was named after a baseball player of the New York Yankees. He developed ALS when he was in his 30

Being a fan of the show for as long as I have, I’ve seen and heard some crazy storylines that people come up with and to be honest, after all these years, I don’t think any of those storylines are going to actually happen. They believe that if characters are good together then they deserve their own storyline. I have strong feelings for people who are convinced that Buddie is going to happen. Since Eddie joined the 118 in season 2, fans of the show are trying to get Eddie to

There is a debate on if Jack was able to fit on the door at the end of Titanic. People say that Rose never loved Jack since she never tried to make room for him, but what people don’t remember or realize is that Jack did try and get on the door, but due to the weight of both of them being on the door, it began to sink into the water. Jack wasn’t able to get onto it because it would have put both of them at risk of being in the water while holding onto the door. Jack decided t

Towards the end of his life, Brian Keith had suffered so much. He had several health issues and was dealing with the unexpected death of his 27 year old daughter, Daisy. Also during this time, Brian was dealing with some financial troubles. Before getting into show business, Brian was in the Marines and served in World War 2. After his service, he got into radio and theatre. In 1961, he got the part in a movie Parent Trap, which became a favorite and in 1966, he got the par

I’ve been hurt and disappointed by people. I’ve felt disrespected by people who I thought cared about me. Nobody thinks of me when it comes to big events. Nobody stands up for me. I feel like an after thought. I don’t need that type of person in my life. I want to feel valued and seen in someone’s life. I don’t want to have a one way relationship and not get that respect back. I’ve always been the one that would reach out because I want to keep whatever contact I can with so

Research shows that genetics play a major part in autism, but there is no single “autism gene.” Instead, hundreds of different genetic variations can interact to increase the likelihood of an autism diagnosis. Autism is not caused by parenting style or emotional upbringing. Many children with autism are born to parents with no history of the condition in their families. Research shows that genetics play a major role in autism. Studies of twins and families estimate that auti

Chris Friesen was a young man who had a bright future in sports. He grew up in Langley, British Columbia with an older brother, Max. The last person that Chris talked to was Max. Growing up, Chris played sports and when he got older, he chose lacrosse, a sport that he excelled at. He had played both field and box lacrosse, played on numerous teams and played in countless tournaments. Chris was starting to look into universities and colleges and was excited about his options a

There is no evidence that vaccines cause autism. There are some side effects when getting a vaccine, like mild fever or soreness, but vaccines don’t cause or have a child develop autism. Parents choose not to vaccinate their children due to overlapping concerns about safety, distrust in pharmaceutical companies and healthcare systems, and a desire for "natural immunity." Autism is understood to be a neurodevelopmental condition influenced largely by genetics and early brain

Twin telepathy is considered to be a myth with no scientific evidence that it exists. Twins who grew up closer will be able to share similar experiences since they were raised in similar environments. They also are able to pick up on expressions and body language and learn each other’s habits due to always being around each other and being so close with each other. Personalities of twins can also be similar to the point where they share the same thought or finish each other’s

Anissa Jones was just 18 years old when she died from a drug overdose in 1976. The actress was best known as Buffy in the 1960s TV show, Family Affair, but after the show ended in 1971, she had a hard time adjusting even when she was auditioning for other roles, her character she was known for seemed to follow her around. Whenever people addressed her as Buffy, she politely told them to call her Anissa. She auditioned for the role of Reagan in The Exorcist, but the director c

Stimming, short for "self-stimulatory behavior" or stereotypic movement, refers to repetitive physical movements, sounds, or behaviors—such as hand flapping, rocking, or spinning—common in individuals with autism. These behaviors serve as essential coping mechanisms for regulating emotions, managing sensory input (avoiding overload or seeking stimulation), reducing anxiety, and aiding focus. People with autism stim to help them self-regulate. It can be anything from rocking

Kevin Brooks was involved in a drunk driving accident that paralyzed him from the chest down and killed his childhood best friend, Brendan. During the early days of his stay in the hospital, Kevin’s parents didn’t tell him about Brendan’s death in fear that it would cause Kevin to want to give up. Eventually over time, Kevin learned about Brendan. Not only did he have to live with the fact that he killed his best friend, but for knowing that he’s never going to be able to wa

How do you know if you're having an anxiety attack or a panic attack? A panic attack comes on suddenly and it involves fear that often occurs without warning. You can start feeling heart palpitations or dizziness, while anxiety attacks typically build gradually over time, often triggered by a specific stressor or worry about future events. Anxiety attacks build over time. They can last for hours, maybe even days. Symptoms are worry, distress, tension, irritability, fatigue,

When someone with autism masks, they are trying to blend in with people who are neurotypical. They want to be accepted and not be looked at differently. They want to fit in as much as they can. During this time, someone would start to pick up social cues from people around them. They do what they can to make sure their autism isn’t known to whoever they are around. It can eventually lead to anxiety because they are trying to be someone they are not. In a lot of situations, t

Philip Seymour Hoffman was considered to be one of the most talented actors in the film and TV industry. He appeared in films like Boogie Nights, Twister, Patch Adams and Along Came Polly. Philip had a talent, both in film and theatre. No matter the genre of film or type of play, he was able to do it all. In early 2014, Philip had moved into an apartment in Greenwich Village, New York. He had recently separated from his partner, Mimi O’Donnell and wanted to deal with his add