I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been touched by the economic freefall, do you? I think that’s why they call it “global.”

Like any other unwanted turn of events, there is always more than one way to look at it. The shift to a mindset embracing less consumptive lifestyles is a good thing. So while we are reordering our thinking on how much energy we use, how much house we need, how much stuff we want, and how much of it we throw away, here are some things I vote to see less of in the coming years.

Note: the list comes with a Curmudgeon Warning. And if this list doesn’t do it for ya, let’s go green: read some offbeat recycled suggestions from my past New Year’s column. Not a McResolution among them!

Less celebrity worship. Less obsessing, reacting, blogging and emailing about the latest celebrity with a book or a radio show and their profane or obnoxious views on autism. These people are entertainers. Their livelihood depends on drawing attention to themselves. Did you ever notice that after the few days of commotion, nothing substantive ever comes of it? Every minute we spend on all that blogging and emailing is a minute we are not interacting with our child, his peers and teachers, people and actions that have tangible, concrete impact on his life.

Less coffee. I admit I’m a dinosaur. I drink my one cup of coffee from a washable cup in the confines of my home, and when that cup goes into the dishwasher, I’m done for the day. The money spent on our national fascination with the likes of Starbucks and Tim Horton’s isn’t my point here, although the trash is starting to alarm me. It’s the obsession, the growing inability to do anything without a paper cup in our hands. In the state park behind my home where I hike several times a week, one used to meet other hikers, runners, dog walkers, moms and toddlers, school groups. Now there is another contingent, picking their way along the trails with coffee in hand, apparently incapable of enjoying a half-hour in the natural world without coffee. Did I mention the trash? Even the grocery carts at the local Kroger now have beverage holders, smack in the middle of the handle I used to use to steer the cart. How did people ever manage to pick up eggs and milk and bread without  coffee or soda pulling them through? Did I mention the trash?

But the prize for the most ridiculous demonstration of coffee addiction goes to the father I observed at Waikiki last year, following his children into the surf. Waves washed his knees, his waist, his chest but the last I saw him he was undaunted, straining to hold high and safe over his head – a Starbucks cup.

Less email. So many, many people tell me they feel overwhelmed by their email. One of my editors estimates that she spends the equivalent of a full day each week answering emails. We all love our friends and we all love a good laugh, but I think we can love our friends a little more by thinking twice, three times, four times before forwarding all those “hilarious” or “inspirational” emails. Speaking only for myself, the hilarity/inspiration factor is less than 50% and the time spent is frustrating, even when I delete without reading. So call me an email Oscar, but know that I will be the one to “break the chain” on all but the most urgent messages.

Less beeping. Why, why, why must everything beep these days??? (Assistive technology for the vision-impaired notwithstanding.) Our coffee maker and microwave oven beep, not once, but FIVE TIMES when they stop. Yo, appliance designers – here’s a simpler way for us dim-witted consumers to tell when an appliance has stopped: it stops!

OK, all kidding and complaining aside, there is one perennial resolution that is always worth attention. The need and desire to stop smoking still plagues millions of people, right on up to our new President. This subject will always be close to my heart because I’ve been there; 2009 will mark 25 years since I puffed my last coffin nail. Most people who know me are surprised to learn that I ever smoked. Not only did I smoke, but I can say that for a time, I enjoyed it. Then reality set it. The cost climbed, I became aware of the stink and the inconvenience, I married and contemplated bearing children. I had help quitting, five meetings led by a very dynamic woman whose face I remember but alas, not her name. But she was the ultimate teacher because, though I can’t recall the name, I still remember everything she taught me. Long after I quit smoking, I found use for her tactics and strategies in breaking other bad habits and logjams in my life; the following article is my salute to her. It all came down to two things: a pair of lists, and what was I willing to believe about addiction?

Winners quit, quitters win: stop smoking today

We are a generation of inveterate list makers: to-do lists, mailing lists, shopping lists, guest lists, wish lists and watch lists.  If you are a smoker, making two simple lists may be all you need to crystallize your resolve to Kick Butts.  Ladies and gentlemen, start your pencils. Here’s how it works:

List #1:  THE THINGS YOU HATE ABOUT SMOKING
Make this a long, brutally honest list.  Nobody will look at it except you. You hate the bad breath, the stink and stain on your clothes, teeth, furniture, carpet, the cat and the car. You hate the work productivity lost going outside for breaks, the scrounging for matches and lighters. You hate the panic you feel when you’ve run out, the guilt about the money better spent elsewhere, the pointed remarks from relatives, the colds that linger, the shortness of breath, the fear of something worse. You hate ashtrays and cigarette burns. You hate knowing what second-hand smoke does to other people, especially children. You’re haunted by the bad example you are setting for your children; or worse yet, smoking has made a liar out of you – you hide it from them. But what you hate worst of all is this: you are not in control.

List #2:  WHAT YOU GAIN BY QUITTING 
Make this list equally long and candid. Ruthlessly quantify the money you’ll save, and the physical and psychological benefits. For now, skip the scare tactics and don’t even go near the possibility of slow death from catastrophic illnesses like heart disease and cancer. You already know about those risks and yet you are still smoking. Focus down.

Read the full article here

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Quick stuff, updates, tidbits:

Congratulations, Bryce and Connor!
Bryce racked up double honors in December, being named a Thomas Edison Student of the Month for his “unsurpassed work ethic, attention to detail and cooperative attitude,” and also being named to the Thomas Edison Dream Team, a group of students recognized for their consistency in timely completion of homework. Connor is no academic slouch either, nailing 105 points out of a possible 100 on one of his college finals. He aced the exam and the bonus question. This should be heartening news to all who think that students with autism and ADHD can’t thrive in school.

Environment + motivation = success.

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Congratulations to my editors and friends in Australia at Copeland Publishing’s 'Child' publications. Their special needs series D3: Diversity, Difference and Diagnosis was a finalist for the 2008 Australian Human Rights Commission’s Print Award.

“It's a tribute to the quality of writing that has been showcased in this series that we are being recognised in this way, in such a respected awards program,” said Group Managing Editor Sean Mooney.

My most recent D3: Diversity, Difference and Diagnosis article, Learning to Say ‘Sorry,’ appeared in the October 2008 issue.

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Familiarize yourself with President Obama’s positions on Americans with disabilities and autism at the following Autism Society of America links:

Action on Autism to Expect from the New Administration

Obama’s plan for supporting American with Autism Spectrum Disorders [PDF]

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People in your neighborhood:

Team Daniel is an information center of services located throughout North Carolina for individuals with developmental disabilities. CEO Denise Mercado says, “We have recently updated our website to include information about the new CAP (Community Alternative Program) MR/DD waivers that began on November 1, 2008.  Both waivers provide community services to individuals with autism, developmental disabilities or intellectual disabilities/mental retardation who live in their own home or reside with their family. Please visit www.teamdaniel.info for more information about these waivers.

“Also, we will begin taking subscriptions soon for the new Team Daniel publication, Empowered. This quarterly magazine will provide families with information on resources available throughout NC for people with developmental disabilities. Every issue of Empowered will feature a family’s journey to obtain CAP services along with important updates on CAP waivers, EPSDT, and other vital information for individuals with disabilities and their families.”

To subscribe to Empowered, email jgreen@teamdaniel.info or call 910-987-3690.

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This Month’s Reads

Autism Asperger’s Digest

Postcards from the Road Less Traveled: With a Little Help from Your (New) Friends
January-February 2009

Excerpt:

Friendship is supposed to be a reciprocal relationship based on this: caring. Friends are friends because they share interests and affection. They support each other in times of need and applaud each other’s successes. If your friends have no curiosity about what makes your child with autism tick, and have no inclination to make even small accommodations to include him and you in their circle, it may be time to get yourself some new friends...

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MetroKids Philadelphia
What Special Ed Teachers Want Parents to Know
January 2009

Children’s Voice
The Teacher and the Learner in All of Us
January-February 2009 

Got-Autism.com
Behavior is Communication – Yours, Mine and Ours [PDF]

Rx for Battle Fatigue [PDF]

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Newsletter archive on my website: if you are new to our newsletter community, please visit the newsletter archive on my website and browse some popular past features here. 

November 2008: Interview: Autism and the Holidays

October 2008: Childhood Obesity: is it abuse? / A-(scavenger) hunting we will go / Happily ever after, in real life

September 2008: Children’s Voice, My Voice / Autism Speaks’ new School Community Tool Kit

August 2008: Please read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food / New autism journal seeking submissions / At the Movies

July 2008: Unbundle Me / The I-can’t time capsule

May-June 2008: Play time: Ten Things to do with a Big Box / Teacher of the Year

April 2008: Rx for Battle Fatigue / Should you “let” your child win?

March 2008: Parent Eye Contact: How It Builds Children's Self-Esteem

February 2008: Thinking About Your Family Health History / Goodbye to a Bad Law

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Future Horizons new catalog is an outstanding collection of resources for family members and professionals. New offerings include great discounts on collections, including the Ellen Notbohm Library and the Dr. Temple Grandin Library. When requesting the catalog you can also ask for FHI’s popular free poster, 14 Signs of Autism.

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Book excerpts on website
(new as of September 2008)

Book excerpts on the website are all new as of September, a great opportunity to take a test drive: 

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew
from Chapter 8: Please Help Me with Social Interactions

Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew
In its entirety, Chapter 3: I Think Differently

1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
from Chapter 2: The Limits of My World – Visual Strategies 

The Autism Trail Guide: Postcards from the Road Less Traveled
from Postcards from the Homefront: I Sound Like My Mother – I Hope!