2018 Autism Awareness Month Blog Hop

Hi and welcome to my tiny corner of the interweb! My name is V.L. Locey and I’m an MM romance author. I write mostly gay hockey, but I do dabble in non-sporty genres like contemporary and paranormal MM romance as well.

 I am thrilled and humbled to be able to participate in RJ Scott’s Autism Blog Hop again this year. Not only is RJ a wonderful person, she’s also my coauthor on the Harrisburg Railers MM hockey romance series. She’s a dear friend and a warm and loving human being with a wicked sense of humor and questionable taste in hockey teams. I kid! Mostly. *winks and waves New York Rangers flag*

The theme of the hop this year is hopes and dreams. There are a million hopes and dreams that I have for my loved ones and the world, but I’ll simply pick one so that we’re not here for hours. One of my biggest dreams is that someday people will be judged on who they are not who they love.

To help celebrate that dream of mine, I’ll be giving three hoppers a chance to score one of the gay romance back-list book shown below in digital form.

 To be entered, just leave me a comment about your favorite gay romances. Make sure you leave your contact information (email address) as I won’t be able to contact you if you win without it.

Autism Fact:  Some autistic people are non-verbal and communicate through other means. However, autism is a spectrum condition, so everyone’s autism is different.

Make sure to return to the master post over at RJ’s blog to visit all the participating authors blogs. Thanks so much for stopping by and good luck!

http://rjscott.co.uk/autism-awareness-month-2018

Skate hard and love deeply,

V.L.

Rj's Annual Autism Awareness Blog Hop 2017

I’m extremely proud to be taking part in Rj's Annual Autism Awareness Blog Hop 2017 .

This year’s blog hop theme is animals, and I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be blessed with a farm filled with animals over the years. I can personally attest to how our livestock have helped me and my family through difficult times. Many a day has been spent outside just hanging out with the chickens who never judge or scoff at anything I say. They also think every story idea I bounce off of them is brilliant!

We all know that the animals in our lives bring us untold joy and love, but what’s even more captivating and endearing is how some people with an autistic spectrum disorder respond to animal interactions. Here’s a wonderful article on the Psychology Today website about the beneficial effects of animals on children with autism:

Animals and Autistic Children

“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” 

Martin Buber

Autism Facts & Stats

• Autism now affects 1 in 68 children
• Boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls
• About 40% of children with autism do not speak. About 25%–30% of children with autism have some words at 12 to 18 months of age and then lose them. Others might speak, but not until later in childhood
• Autism greatly varies from person to person (no two people with autism are alike)
• The rate of autism has steadily grown over the last twenty years
• Comorbid conditions often associated with autism include Fragile X, allergies, asthma, epilepsy, bowel disease, gastrointestinal/digestive disorders, persistent viral infections, PANDAS, feeding disorders, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, OCD, sensory integration dysfunction, sleeping disorders, immune disorders, autoimmune disorders, and neuroinflammation.
• Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder, yet most underfunded
• A 2008 Danish Study found that the mortality risk among those with autism was nearly twice that of the general population
• Children with autism do progress – early intervention is key
• Autism is treatable, not a hopeless condition

If you’d like to share your experiences with animals that have touched your life, please leave a comment below. I'll pick one random winner from the comments to win a digital copy of any of my backlist books. 

Thank you for stopping by. Please make sure to visit all the bloggers and authors who are participating in the hop daily.

Hugs,

V.L.