Hi, everybody

I'd like to thank Moreena for the invitation to join this blog and Ciara for linking me here. Anyway, I'm a 42-year-old father of two autistic/mentally retarded boys, ages 8 and 6. Both boys are energetic and frequently happy; both can be extremely violent and destructive as well. The 8-year-old is capable of speech; the 6-year-old isn't. Our family resides in the Northsore area of New Orleans, Louisiana. The boys currently reside at the St. Mary's Residential Training School in Alexandria, Louisiana, where they are given love, dignity, and round-the-clock professional care and training. Our local school system was very accommodating, but the home situation was so crazy that we decided to make use of St. Mary's, which is very much like a country boarding school run by nuns. It was devasating to place them outside the home, but I'm pleasantly surprised at how well the boys have adapted and even improved. Anyway, I look forward to conversing here.