THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER FOR AUTISTIC INTERPRETATIONS®
Welcome! I am Val, founder of Autistic Interpretations®, a social media community that spans a blog, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. In our daily posts we share and celebrate a joyful life of the everyday experiences with my autistic blind adult daughter and the strong loving village that surrounds us.

We are in the middle of a 30-day #HowItsGoingChallenge, so let’s look at how April started and how it went. For our 22 in ’22, you are in for a treat as we are featuring my son Madison. Before getting to know Madison, let’s dive into the April report.
April Report
April started with me telling Jess I was taking a short trip. Jessica has grown a lot in terms of her separation anxiety, but, as I discuss in this bideo, news like this requires a thoughtful approach. April included a mix of familiar, medical, and adventure.
There were the usual Wednesday sleepovers at Nonnie and Granddad’s. An outing to a restaurant captured Jessica’s cute review of her dinner. And, Jess, Marlow, and Mama Jo were at it again. This time they enjoyed the crazy dogs playing and to our surprise Jessica tried cheese curds for the first time. We also enjoyed looking back at some favorite past moments with some fresh reels like Jessica vs the shape sorter, Jessica and baby Zoe, and Jessica teasing BadDaddy.
On the medical front, Hannah’s LASIK eye surgery was a great success and I finally sought treatment for a nagging injury. Jessica had an at-home EEG to try and get a clearer picture on the frequency and nature of her seizure activity. For 24 hours she had a ‘crown’ and she did better than we expected. It was a team effort between Hannah, Marlow, BadDaddy, and me. Days like that are hard on not only Jess, but the rest of us as well. We are glad to have the EEG behind us and celebrated with a Brownie Sundae party. Now all that is left is to await the results.
And on the adventure front, I took a solo trip to Charleston to visit my son Madison and his wife. If you are interested in seeing some memories from that trip, check out my Do Stuff Go Places Instagram account. Hannah and I were honored to be invited to participate in an anthology project and the book, For the Love of Autism is now available on Amazon. If you missed the April 26 virtual launch, you can still watch it on Facebook.
Finally, we shared a big decision that we have been talking about for quite a while as a family: we are moving! Taking advantage of the hot housing market, we have decided to combine households temporarily at BadDaddy’s house. We appreciate the kindness and support of our family and if you are interested in learning more, please check out this Q&A.
22 in ’22
In this monthly feature, we invite you to get to know the special #goodones in our strong loving village. For this month, it’s a special treat as my son Madison has agreed to complete the Jessica-inspired 22 question survey. Madison recently contributed a sibling’s perspective in the For the Love of Autism anthology. There, along with Hannah, he shared some candid and insightful perspectives on growing up with Jessica. Madison lives out of state with his wife, Sarah and he is currently a neurology resident.
- Fave song or musician – Taylor Swift
- Fave show/movie/book – The Lord of the Rings
- Fave thing about J – That she makes everyone laugh
- Fave quote or saying – ‘When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear.” – Mark Twain
- One thing you’ve learned about autism – Cases are all different, with significant similarities.
- Best advice – “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
- Fave season – Autumn
- Best vacation – Alaskan cruise with dad
- Fave animal – Bears
- Gadget you can’t live without – I could live without gadgets.
- Dream job – Retiree
- Fave game – Guessing my wife’s mood
- Go to emoji – 🙃
- Fave breakfast food – Biscuits and gravy
- Fave dessert – Blackberry cobbler
- Fave recipe from Nonnie’s cookbook – Applesauce Pie
- Fave Disney character – Quasimodo
- Fave Jess saying – I’m going to bite you!
- Nickname – Brew
- Last person you texted – Dad
- Do you have any pets? – One cat
- What did you have for supper last night? – Ribeye steaks that I cooked.
May Fun Facts
The name May comes from the Latin word Maius, which has origins going back to the time of the ancient Greeks. They named the month of May (or Maius) after the Greek goddess of growth.
A fun fact about May is that no other month in one single year starts or finishes on the same weekday as May. This year, May 1 is on Sunday and May 31 is on Tuesday. That means no other months this year will start on a Sunday and end on a Tuesday!
May is also known as National Hamburger Month, Get Caught Reading Month, and National Military Appreciation Month.
For Your Calendars
- May 2 International Harry Potter Day
- May 2 National Brothers and Sisters Day
- May 3 National Two Different Colored Shoes Day
- May 5 Cinco de Mayo
- May 4 Facebook live with Kate Swenson of Finding Cooper’s Voice
- May 8 Mother’s Day
- May 9 Moving Day!
- May 10 National Shrimp Day
- May 10 National Eat What You Want Day
- May 14 National Buttermilk Biscuit Day
- May 21 World Whisky day
- May 29 National Paperclip Day
- May 30 National Creativity Day
Thanks & FAQ
Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for following along in our journey! We enjoy sharing our joyful life with you all, and love knowing all of the various ways our story and videos help others.
Good book. I enjoyed what you, Hannah and Madison wrote. Takes courage to be honest
I have learned so much about autism since I found y’all’s page. It has been an eye-opening experience and understand more than I would if I hadn’t found your page. I love y’all you are doing such a fantastic job. Thank you for sharing your family with us.
I’ve learned so much about autism from you Valarie and Jessica. I enjoyed the newsletter and hope the best for you in moving. I’ve seen so much growth in Jess since watching and feel like your family! Best wishes always!
Thank you for your monthly newsletters..they are VERY enjoyable 💜
Enjoyed your letter !
I enjoy keeping up with you guys. I am learnt so much since I started following y’all.
Love the newsletter. Sandra Abee
So interested to learn your son is a Neurologist!! I was diagnosed with GBS, Gillian Barre Syndrome just 3 years ago at the age if 47. Im now numb in most my body, wheelchair bound. Unfortunately I wasn’t diagnosed right away, despite 2 ER visits, sent home with pain medication. Second ER visit was due to me falling, as I could not walk, and dislocation and breaking my ankle! Surgery and 3 days later I im in a nursing home! Crazy, unbelievable time in my life, a year there, but their in house doctor spent hours with me, she was very interested in my symptoms and came to my bedside just days later, off the clock saying she couldn’t stop thinking about me, she ordered dozens of tests and told me her first thoughts of what was wrong with me! A Neurologist months later agreed and diagnosed me with GBS. Its a rare auto immune disorder! Im sorry, I just felt the urge to share my story, or the beginning of it at least.
Tara, in Washington State!
Wow! Thanks for sharing your story! GBS is so mysterious and scary. I can’t imagine how lost you must have felt before diagnosis. I’m thankful that doctor took an interest and figured it out. ❤️
Thank you for All that you share
Love it!! Thank you for sharing your family with us ❣️
Love it!!! Thank you for sharing your family with us ❣️
Is Abby buried on your old property? If so what will happen with Her.
Yes, she is. We haven’t decided yet.
Great newsletter. I especially love that you include the links for bideos that I might have missed. A great way to keep up to date with your good ones going’s on. So very organized. All of this takes so much thought and work. Watching your videos and seeing how you live your daily life has definitely helped me through the pandemic. The kindness and joy in normal everyday life with focus on Jess has helped my mental health. I find myself looking at situations I deal with in a kinder happier way with more compassion and ease. I thank you very much for your gift of compiling and sharing all that you do.
Thank you for this newsletter.I so enjoy your family sharing recipes,outings and daily family life with me.
Love it good news letter
This is the first news letter I have read , I have been following your family since July and love all of you