Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Doctor doctor give me the news..

I need to get on the ball and make appointments. The worst part about moving has got to be finding new health care professionals. Finding doctors I trust who can handle me dragging my little tribe with me is a daunting task. When I call for an appointment, do I lead with "can you handle me walking in with a 2, 5, and autistic 7 year old?"
We are all due for dental appointments. The boys handle the dentist surprisingly well but I dread finding a child friendly dentist who isn't going to charge an enormous fee.
Gabriel needs to get occupational therapy. Lane and Alex need eye appointments. I need two doctor appointments and a vision appointment Gabriel will be due for the cardiologist soon Throw it all together and I'm quickly overwhelmed.
Tomorrow I need to sit down with our insurance information and make appointments. I have a feeling the next few months will be busy meeting doctors and therapists
I'm adding photos of the boys from the dentist this last June. They did a great job listening and getting their teeth examined.

My horrible blogging grammar

I'm a slow, detailed reader. I notice the smallest of mistakes when I'm reading. This was such a problem in college that I circled the mistakes and sent the information to the publisher. If they charge students an enormous amount of money for a text book, the least they can do is write it correctly. (or so I thought - these errors were distracting to me!)
Now as I reread my posts, I noticed a lot of grammar and spelling errors. I consider going back to fix them. However, Andrew reminded me that we have three young children and I'm lucky to get anything posted for them. In an effort to continue to post an ongoing journal of our lives, I am going to leave these mistakes.
These mistakes still bother me and I know they are incorrect but they are me in that moment. Sometimes I'm blogging while I have children talking to me. Sometimes I'm blogging on my phone, while I'm waiting for the boys at school. These moments don't allow for grammar corrections.
Hopefully these errors won't distract you from reading about our adventures. Maybe one day I will be able to take more time to correct what I write. My quite sure my college English professor would cringe if he read this. I'm crining a little bit too.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Lane sleeps

Lane and I went on a hunt for green and red packs of paper for Alex's class. We went to a learning store and hit the jackpot. We found deals at a consignment store the same day. These deals included .68 shorts! I grabbed a bunch for this coming summer.
While we were eating lunch, Lane curled up on the bench and fell asleep. I'm positive that was a first int parenting adventures. I had another stop to make before heading home.
I carried all heavy, sleeping 30 pounds of toddler into Babies R Us and realized she was completely asleep. I was able to lay her down in the cart while shopping! I snapped this photo and had to share - she still sleeps with her arms above her head

Lane Elizabeth is 2.5

Lane turned two and a half years old yesterday. I continue to marvel at how quickly time is going with our children. I can't believe that we are headed toward age 3 now.
She is a spunky, content, sweet, and charming child. Lane is all girl. She likes to play with my makeup and play with dolls and princesses. Even though she is all girl, she can enjoys playing with her brothers and doing anything they are participating in.
She sings and dances whenever she hears music. Her coordination impressed me Lane enjoys creating artwork and she is very proud of her creations. She is also willing to help when asked which is a wonderful thing.
On Christmas Eve we took the kids out for dinner. Afterward they played in the Celebration "snow". Lane was wild - she had a great time making snow angels and sliding in the snow. An NBA player was there and Lane had him wrapped around her little finger
When we left, Lane was filthy but happy. Her once white tights were black, her hair was matted with soap and small rocks, and her shoes were sticky from the suds. Her happiness was well worth her mess

Cool Whip Eating Contest


Our friends invited us to their home for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. They are very generous to our family and set out a entire meal for all of us. Our two families together have 7 children so this can be a big undertaking.
Things can get busy while we are there with children running and having a great time. The absolute best part of our friendhsip is that they understand what it's like to have a special needs child. When our 7 year old announced his name is "Luigi" without missing a beat, our friend introduced him as Luigi. It's a sense of belonging and ease when I am with them. There is no weirdness when my children are acting like children or when autism rears its ugly head.
We aren't invited to many homes and playdates outside of a play group are rare. I don't know if this is the friends we have or because of our situation, or what but it means a lot to me to be included in a holiday celebration with another family. What an incredible extension of friendship.
The 10 year old discussed cool whip eating with me a month ago. I told him he would never be able to beat me in a cool whip eating contest. Fast forward to a month later, and I am sitting at a table participating in a cool whip eating contest with a 10 and 12 year old, both boys.
I wasn't sure if I could beat them but I had a 100 lb advantage! I shoveled it in like a champ and WON! It felt good to win but my stomach had a large ball of sugar in it afterward and I didn't feel very well. The bittersweet side of victory!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Crafts part 5 holidays 2011

In an effort to keep the children, busy I made snowflakes with them. I spraypainted craft sticks silver and used my hot glue gun to create snowflakes.
Each child was given their own glue. They had buttons, glitter, and paper shapes to create a masterpiece. And create they did. Lane was able to squeeze her glue bottle and complete everything on her own.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Golden Lady

We went to downtown Disney for dinner. The kids still enjoy trading pins while we are there. Andrew and I enjoyed Wolfgang Pucks for dinner so we all won! Thankfully the smells in the restaurant weren't too strong for Gabriel so we were able to have dinner inside the restaurant. (note: remember to discuss any dietary or allergy concerns with the wait staff. They happily help!)
The entertainers and musicians were great Alex did some dancing for us. I hope pursues some type of lessons with his ability.
Gabriel wanted to see "the golden lady" tonight. He was so excited to go up to her and she bent down to hold him. He was over the moon. I will add photos from tonight His smile is wonderful. Alex later walked up with Gabriel and she played patty cake with them. It was adorable

Let it Snow!

Let it snow! Well, not really here in Orlando and to be honest, thats okay with me. I miss a lot of things about Iowa but winter weather is not one of them
I deal with depression daily and it'd much worse in bad weather. I had a difficult time in Iowa and will blog about that another time. I know some people love snow and ice but something deep in my soul can't survive in it happily
I will admit that when it's 84 and sunny, it does not feel like the holidays. I've has a tough time getting into the season this year. I went through the motions but didn't feel like it was "quite right". Maybe two or three days of snow would work for me.
The kids decorated our dining room window with our version of a snowman. It won't melt and we didn't freeze trying to make it. It didn't help my non-festive mood but it is bright and cheery.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism

Most first graders are readers. Gabriel is not a reader yet. We will take him to have a two hour full vision evaluation done on Friday. We are unsure if he has visual perception issues or something else going on.
The boys were given homework to complete over their two week break. This should be a good time for us to practice Dolch site words. They are not recognizing many of them yet. I feel like there is only so much I can do at home with the time I have but I also have guilt and wonder if I could do more.
I googled teaching strategies for children with autism. I found an interesting article by Temple Grandin regarding the subject. Even though I think about autism and special needs throughout the day, there are points made in this article that I forgot or don't even think about... there is so much I take for granted every day. I can't take it for granted with Gabriel and yet I can't figure out what bothers him on a daily basis.
Lately smells have been bothering him. We couldn't enter a restaurant because the smell of meat was too strong for him. I can relate barely - when I was pregnant with Lane I couldn't enter produce sections in stores. The smell of dirt was too much for me.
Since I'm not affected by that any more, I rarely think about it. Then Gabriel throws a fit and we have no idea what is going on .. he looks like a brat because he's rolling around on the ground. Later we'll discover that the smell of pot roast was permiating the premises.
Here is the article by T. Grandin. I'm sure it's useful for many people.

Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism
Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
(Revised: December 2002)


Good teachers helped me to achieve success. I was able to overcome autism because I had good teachers. At age 2 1/2 I was placed in a structured nursery school with experienced teachers. From an early age I was taught to have good manners and to behave at the dinner table. Children with autism need to have a structured day, and teachers who know how to be firm but gentle.

Between the ages of 2 1/4 and 5 my day was structured, and I was not allowed to tune out. I had 45 minutes of one-to-one speech therapy five days a week, and my mother hired a nanny who spent three to four hours a day playing games with me and my sister. She taught 'turn taking' during play activities. When we made a snowman, she had me roll the bottom ball; and then my sister had to make the next part. At mealtimes, every-body ate together; and I was not allowed to do any "stims." The only time I was allowed to revert back to autistic behavior was during a one-hour rest period after lunch. The combination of the nursery school, speech therapy, play activities, and "miss manners" meals added up to 40 hours a week, where my brain was kept connected to the world.

1.Many people with autism are visual thinkers. I think in pictures. I do not think in language. All my thoughts are like videotapes running in my imagination. Pictures are my first language, and words are my second language. Nouns were the easiest words to learn because I could make a picture in my mind of the word. To learn words like "up" or "down," the teacher should demonstrate them to the child. For example, take a toy airplane and say "up" as you make the airplane takeoff from a desk. Some children will learn better if cards with the words "up" and "down" are attached to the toy airplane. The "up" card is attached when the plane takes off. The "down" card is attached when it lands.
2.Avoid long strings of verbal instructions. People with autism have problems with remembering the sequence. If the child can read, write the instructions down on a piece of paper. I am unable to remember sequences. If I ask for directions at a gas station, I can only remember three steps. Directions with more than three steps have to be written down. I also have difficulty remembering phone numbers because I cannot make a picture in my mind.
3.Many children with autism are good at drawing, art and computer programming. These talent areas should be encouraged. I think there needs to be much more emphasis on developing the child's talents. Talents can be turned into skills that can be used for future employment.
4.Many autistic children get fixated on one subject such as trains or maps. The best way to deal with fixations is to use them to motivate school work. If the child likes trains, then use trains to teach reading and math. Read a book about a train and do math problems with trains. For example, calculate how long it takes for a train to go between New York and Washington.
5.Use concrete visual methods to teach number concepts. My parents gave me a math toy which helped me to learn numbers. It consisted of a set of blocks which had a different length and a different color for the numbers one through ten. With this I learned how to add and subtract. To learn fractions my teacher had a wooden apple that was cut up into four pieces and a wooden pear that was cut in half. From this I learned the concept of quarters and halves.
6.I had the worst handwriting in my class. Many autistic children have problems with motor control in their hands. Neat handwriting is sometimes very hard. This can totally frustrate the child. To reduce frustration and help the child to enjoy writing, let him type on the computer. Typing is often much easier.
7.Some autistic children will learn reading more easily with phonics, and others will learn best by memorizing whole words. I learned with phonics. My mother taught me the phonics rules and then had me sound out my words. Children with lots of echolalia will often learn best if flash cards and picture books are used so that the whole words are associated with pictures. It is important to have the picture and the printed word on the same side of the card. When teaching nouns the child must hear you speak the word and view the picture and printed word simultaneously. An example of teaching a verb would be to hold a card that says "jump," and you would jump up and down while saying "jump."
8.When I was a child, loud sounds like the school bell hurt my ears like a dentist drill hitting a nerve. Children with autism need to be protected from sounds that hurt their ears. The sounds that will cause the most problems are school bells, PA systems, buzzers on the score board in the gym, and the sound of chairs scraping on the floor. In many cases the child will be able to tolerate the bell or buzzer if it is muffled slightly by stuffing it with tissues or duct tape. Scraping chairs can be silenced by placing slit tennis balls on the ends of the legs or installing carpet. A child may fear a certain room because he is afraid he may be suddenly subjected to squealing microphone feedback from the PA system. The fear of a dreaded sound can cause bad behavior. If a child covers his ears, it is an indicator that a certain sound hurts his ears. Sometimes sound sensitivity to a particular sound, such as the fire alarm, can be desensitized by recording the sound on a tape recorder. This will allow the child to initiate the sound and gradually increase its volume. The child must have control of playback of the sound.
9.Some autistic people are bothered by visual distractions and fluorescent lights. They can see the flicker of the 60-cycle electricity. To avoid this problem, place the child's desk near the window or try to avoid using fluorescent lights. If the lights cannot be avoided, use the newest bulbs you can get. New bulbs flicker less. The flickering of fluorescent lights can also be reduced by putting a lamp with an old-fashioned incandescent light bulb next to the child's desk.
10.Some hyperactive autistic children who fidget all the time will often be calmer if they are given a padded weighted vest to wear. Pressure from the garment helps to calm the nervous system. I was greatly calmed by pressure. For best results, the vest should be worn for twenty minutes and then taken off for a few minutes. This prevents the nervous system from adapting to it.
11.Some individuals with autism will respond better and have improved eye contact and speech if the teacher interacts with them while they are swinging on a swing or rolled up in a mat. Sensory input from swinging or pressure from the mat sometimes helps to improve speech. Swinging should always be done as a fun game. It must NEVER be forced.
12.Some children and adults can sing better than they can speak. They may respond better if words and sentences are sung to them. Some children with extreme sound sensitivity will respond better if the teacher talks to them in a low whisper.
13.Some nonverbal children and adults cannot process visual and auditory input at the same time. They are mono-channel. They cannot see and hear at the same time. They should not be asked to look and listen at the same time. They should be given either a visual task or an auditory task. Their immature nervous system is not able to process simultaneous visual and auditory input.
14.In older nonverbal children and adults touch is often their most reliable sense. It is often easier for them to feel. Letters can be taught by letting them feel plastic letters. They can learn their daily schedule by feeling objects a few minutes before a scheduled activity. For example, fifteen minutes before lunch give the person a spoon to hold. Let them hold a toy car a few minutes before going in the car.
15.Some children and adults with autism will learn more easily if the computer key-board is placed close to the screen. This enables the individual to simultaneously see the keyboard and screen. Some individuals have difficulty remembering if they have to look up after they have hit a key on the keyboard.
16.Nonverbal children and adults will find it easier to associate words with pictures if they see the printed word and a picture on a flashcard. Some individuals do not under-stand line drawings, so it is recommended to work with real objects and photos first. The picture and the word must be on the same side of the card.
17.Some autistic individuals do not know that speech is used for communication. Language learning can be facilitated if language exercises promote communication. If the child asks for a cup, then give him a cup. If the child asks for a plate, when he wants a cup, give him a plate. The individual needs to learn that when he says words, concrete things happen. It is easier for an individual with autism to learn that their words are wrong if the incorrect word resulted in the incorrect object.
18.Many individuals with autism have difficulty using a computer mouse. Try a roller ball (or tracking ball) pointing device that has a separate button for clicking. Autistics with motor control problems in their hands find it very difficult to hold the mouse still during clicking.
19.Children who have difficulty understanding speech have a hard time differentiating between hard consonant sounds such as 'D' in dog and 'L' in log. My speech teacher helped me to learn to hear these sounds by stretching out and enunciating hard consonant sounds. Even though the child may have passed a pure tone hearing test he may still have difficulty hearing hard consonants. Children who talk in vowel sounds are not hearing consonants.
20.Several parents have informed me that using the closed captions on the television helped their child to learn to read. The child was able to read the captions and match the printed works with spoken speech. Recording a favorite program with captions on a tape would be helpful because the tape can be played over and over again and stopped.
21.Some autistic individuals do not understand that a computer mouse moves the arrow on the screen. They may learn more easily if a paper arrow that looks EXACTLY like the arrow on the screen is taped to the mouse.
22.Children and adults with visual processing problems can see flicker on TV type computer monitors. They can sometimes see better on laptops and flat panel displays which have less flicker.
23.Children and adults who fear escalators often have visual processing problems. They fear the escalator because they cannot determine when to get on or off. These individuals may also not be able to tolerate fluorescent lights. The Irlen colored glasses may be helpful for them.
24.Individuals with visual processing problems often find it easier to read if black print is printed on colored paper to reduce contrast. Try light tan, light blue, gray, or light green paper. Experiment with different colors. Avoid bright yellow--it may hurt the individual's eyes. Irlen colored glasses may also make reading easier. (Click here to visit the Irlen Institute's web site.)
25.Teaching generalization is often a problem for children with autism. To teach a child to generalize the principle of not running across the street, it must be taught in many different locations. If he is taught in only one location, the child will think that the rule only applies to one specific place.
26.A common problem is that a child may be able to use the toilet correctly at home but refuses to use it at school. This may be due to a failure to recognize the toilet. Hilde de Clereq from Belgium discovered that an autistic child may use a small non-relevant detail to recognize an object such as a toilet. It takes detective work to find that detail. In one case a boy would only use the toilet at home that had a black seat. His parents and teacher were able to get him to use the toilet at school by covering its white seat with black tape. The tape was then gradually removed and toilets with white seats were now recognized as toilets.
27.Sequencing is very difficult for individuals with severe autism. Sometimes they do not understand when a task is presented as a series of steps. An occupational therapist successfully taught a nonverbal autistic child to use a playground slide by walking his body through climbing the ladder and going down the slide. It must be taught by touch and motor rather than showing him visually. Putting on shoes can be taught in a similar manner. The teacher should put her hands on top of the child’s hands and move the child’s hands over his foot so he feels and understands the shape of his foot. The next step is feeling the inside and the outside of a slip-on shoe. To put the shoe on, the teacher guides the child’s hands to the shoe and, using the hand-over-hand method, slides the shoe onto the child’s foot. This enables the child to feel the entire task of putting on his shoe.
28.Fussy eating is a common problem. In some cases the child may be fixated on a detail that identifies a certain food. Hilde de Clerq found that one child only ate Chiquita bananas because he fixated on the labels. Other fruit such as apples and oranges were readily accepted when Chiquita labels were put on them. Try putting different but similar foods in the cereal box or another package of a favorite food. Another mother had success by putting a homemade hamburger with a wheat free bun in a McDonald’s package.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Holiday crafts part 4: 2011

The kids helped me make gifts for their teachers and other school staff. We had a lot of fun putting the snowman candy bars together.

The boys picked out the buttons and patterns for their snowmen. Unfortunately, they both decided it was necessary to touch the hot glue gun. Gabriel hardly winced but Alex complained for about an hour. I'm not exaggerating.
We also made avocado cucumber soap together. I think it turned out cute. I hope they appreciate the effort that went into it

I had fun with packaging this year. I bought everything on clearance last year and I think it makes a difference. The gift cards looked more presentable in little packages.

I made cookies for the teacher cookie exchange this year. It's a real treat to have homemade cookies at our house. I had to eat the broken ones - who could resist chewy brownie cookies? Yum!

BRAT

We took the kids to the wall that says Celebration on it for holiday photos. We got some adorable photos of the kids but quickly realized that we would need to crop the Celebration out in order to see the kids. When it was cropped, this is what showed:

Palmetto Bugs

A few years ago, Gabriel was given a black plastic palmetto bug from an airport employee. I'm unsure why it was given to him but it became a running prank between Andrew and me. We hide it from each other in an effort to frighten the other one.
In case you uncertain what a palmetto bug is exactly. from Wiki: The Florida woods cockroach (Eurycotis floridana), or palmetto bug is a large species of cockroach, which usually grows to a length of 1½ inch to 2 inches. It is black in color, and has a wide, glossy body, and appears at first glance to be wingless, however it does have very short wings just beneath its head, which are useless for flying. The cockroach, when disturbed, often emits a strong, disagreeable odor, which leads to it being referred to as the "stinking coackroach".[1] The Florida woods roach looks remarkably similar to the female Oriental cockroach, and the two could be mistaken for each other by the casual observer.

The roach is slower moving than other species. It prefers damp locations, lots of moisture, and does well in warm, damp climates. It is found in its native habitats, such as Florida, and the West Indies. The roach can wander indoors at times, especially into damp locations, such as bathrooms, however, it is found mostly outdoors and is not considered a major pest in the home. It is cold intolerant and requires a warm, sub-tropical or tropical climate. It can often be seen in sheltered outdoor locations, such as under leaf litter, in tree holes, and under lumber and boards, and other crevices. It is often seen in bushes and wooded areas. Often it can be seen on Palmetto trees, which gave it one of its early popular names, the Palmetto bug.[1]

Yes, they are nasty and Florida has no control over them. They make us jump if we see them in person and this plastic version has the same reaction. The best location has been in our clothing. It always catches me off guard when I see it.
I was going to post a photo but couldn't find a decent gif. The photos of the real thing are so disgusting, I can't copy and paste one without cringing.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Holiday crafts part 3

There is a boy named Max who is in the hospital fighting leukemia. His holiday wish is to receive one million cards. The school is collecting cards from the students to mail to Max to make his holiday brighter. Lane, Alex, and Gabriel created cards to add to Max's collection. I hope he likes the cards because the kids worked hard on them and we talked a lot about Max while they made their cards. We all hope he isn't in the hospital very long

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Magic Kingdom


I am extremely grateful for the Disney's disability pass for Gabriel. We are able to go to the fast pass lane for most rides and avoid the longer lines. It makes life a lot easier because lines and Gabriel do not mix. We usually stand in line with other guests in wheelchairs. It tends to work out well because they talk to the kids while we wait in line with them.
Today we took the kids to Magic Kingdom for the first time since moving here. The starting point was rocky. Gabriel could not get handle where we parked the van. Apparently it was the wrong spot. Unfortunately, we aren't able to pick another location to park the van. So we sat in the van for a while until he calmed down enough to walk to the tram.
That experience alone is exhausting. He continued to complain and organize his mind for the next hour. We went on the Tom Sawyer ride and explored the island. Life seemed better for him and Alex took his meltdown time. Sometimes we cannot win.
We decided to sit down for lunch. Gabriel could not handle the smell in the restaurant and insisted on staying outside with Daddy. The smell of the pot roast was too much for him. These are the moments I can't predict. Who would have known that the smell of the restaurant would prevent him from entering it? BUT Go Disney! They allowed Gabriel to eat outside AND the chef talked to me about gluten free food available for us. WOW!!
As much as I want to dislike big enterprises that suck the money out of my bank account, I can't hate Disney. My kids throw fits and they go above and beyond to accomodate them.
The kids enjoy trading pins at the park. It's adorable to watch them pick a pin and trade with a cast member. Alex is very funny because he will trade the same exact pin or a pin that Gabriel trades with the cast member. Lane likes the Princess or Minnie pins. Alex hasn't narrowed down his favorites and always surprises us with his selection. Gabriel leans toward Mickey and Pluto.
Overall, it was the worst trip we've taken to a Disney park and we came home exhausted but we did have some good times. The kids had fun on rides including It's a Small World, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and Snow White.
We have also learned to talk to Gabriel about our van on the way out of the parks. It eliminates the flip out moment he has on the tram to the van. It's nearly impossible to stop it if it starts.

Friday, December 9, 2011

An Apology from Your Child's Former Teacher

This is from flippinessis.com and it is fantastic. I think I will print this and share it with all of my children's teachers. I didn't "get it" when I worked with children though I thought I did. I really did. A teacher who taught Gabriel and Alex and I had this converstion at one point... we both have special needs children and it took until we experienced it ourselves to "get it" I think that's true across the board because it's such a deep, personal experience. Once our children reach school age, it's a maze and sea of paperwork. Thank you Flippinessis for writing this. You touched my heart and soul today.

Dear Parents of Special-Needs Children I’ve Taught In the Past,

I need to make a big apology. You see, I’ve been teaching now for fourteen years, but I have only just recently joined your ranks.

I didn’t know. Not even a clue. I thought, mistakenly, that having two special-needs children in my family made me more sensitive to your needs as a parent. It didn’t. And I’m so sorry for operating under the assumption that I did. I’m not attempting verbal self-flagellation here. I meant well. I knew a lot about autism and some about other special-needs conditions. I did care about your child. And I did want to do right by him. But, like a lot of teachers who Just Don’t Get It, I thought doing right by him meant giving him extra time on assignments and not allowing him to fail my class. I thought being extra nice and seating her at the front of the room was what you needed from me.

But you needed more. And I didn’t understand that. You needed communication. A lot of it. You needed me to understand your depth of worry. You needed me to understand that, if you’ve met one special-needs child, you’ve met one special-needs child. You needed me to understand that I was teaching your child, not an I.E.P. You needed to know, not assume, that I would go out on a limb to make sure your child’s needs were met all over the school and not just in my classroom. You needed to not worry that, when your back was turned, I was still doing everything that I promised as well as thinking of better ways to meet your child’s needs. You needed to talk about your child in meetings and not worry about the clock.

I know better now. In just a few months, I am going to be placing my special little boy into the hands of the public school system. Because he is non-verbal, I will have no way of literally knowing how his day went, if he is being treated well, and if those to whom I am entrusting his care really do care about him. This kind of fear is paralyzing. And more so because I know just how little training (read almost none) that most of the staff in a public school have in dealing with children like my son. They, too, will mean well. But they won’t know. They won’t get it. I now know why you carry The Binder of Epic Proportions to every meeting. Mine is getting bigger by the day.

I look back now at all of your children and wish that I had picked up the phone more, written quick notes home more often, challenged your child more often rather than less, and make you feel certain that someone else loved your baby in your absence. For that, I’m sorry. I promise to do better for those kids in the future. I promise to not assume anything about your child’s unique situation and needs. I won’t just react to bullying of your very different child. I will actively be on the lookout for it. I will remember your child and her possible confusion on activity bell schedule days. I will take more time each day to get to know her. I promise to do my best to push, cajole, educate, and even take to task my colleagues who don’t get it in the years to come. I pray that teacher training will improve in the future and that my son will reap the rewards of that. And I hope that I am just as patient, kind, and understanding with his teachers and schools as most of you were with us.

And those of you who weren’t? I get you too.

Sincerely,

Your Child’s Former Teacher

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Autism Night Before Christmas


Autism Night Before Christmas
by Cindy Waeltermann

... Twas the Night Before Christmas
And all through the house
... ... The creatures were stirring
Yes, even the mouse

We tried melatonin
And gave a hot bath
But the holiday jitters
They always distract

The children were finally
All nestled in bed
When nightmares of terror
Ran through my OWN head

Did I get the right gift
The right color
And style
Would there be a tantrum
Or even, maybe, a smile?

Our relatives come
But they don’t understand
The pleasure he gets
Just from flapping his hands.

“He needs discipline,” they say
“Just a well-needed smack,
You must learn to parent…”
And on goes the attack

We smile and nod
Because we know deep inside
The argument is moot
Let them all take a side

We know what it’s like
To live with the spectrum
The struggles and triumphs
Achievements, regressions…

But what they don’t know
And what they don’t see
Is the joy that we feel
Over simplicity

He said “hello”
He ate something green!
He told his first lie!
He did not cause a scene!

He peed on the potty
Who cares if he’s ten,
He stopped saying the same thing
Again and again!

Others don’t realize
Just how we can cope
How we bravely hang on
At the end of our rope

But what they don’t see
Is the joy we can’t hide
When our children with autism
Make the tiniest stride

We may look at others
Without the problems we face
With jealousy, hatred
Or even distaste,

But what they don’t know
Nor sometimes do we
Is that children with autism
Bring simplicity.

We don’t get excited
Over expensive things
We jump for joy
With the progress work brings

Children with autism
Try hard every day
That they make us proud
More than words can say.

They work even harder
Than you or I
To achieve something small
To reach a star in the sky

So to those who don’t get it
Or can’t get a clue
Take a walk in my shoes
And I’ll assure you

That even 10 minutes
Into the walk
You’ll look at me
With respect, even shock.

You will realize
What it is I go through
And the next time you judge
I can assure you

That you won’t say a thing
You’ll be quiet and learn,
Like the years that I did
When the tables were turned…

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Gabriel has autism

This morning was a rough one. Most mornings are tough because the kids aren't overly cooperative when getting ready. Today, though I had to hide my tears and walk away from the kids while they ate breakfast.

Gabriel hit his head repeatedly and BEGGED us to get rid of his autism. It about killed me. If he only knew how much I would love that for him. What I would do to get rid of it for him!
Yes, I love Gabriel for who he is and what he can do. I just wish we didn't have this ugly demon called Autism chasing us everywhere. As he gets older, it's becoming more obvious that he isn't typical. It hurts. I don't always like explaining that he has autism but I need to in certain situations.
I need to advocate for my son. I need to help educate other people. I need to make it a friendlier, more tolerant place for my son to live. If I don't do it, no one will. It's at those moments, several times, every day that AUTISM rears its ugly head.
So Gabriel continued to beg us to get rid of his autism this morning. It broke my heart. He came up with a creative solution to his problem - cut off his head and replace it with a new one. (sigh)
I think we moved on by the time we buckled everyone in the van. He was munching happily on a cucumber and parsnip. He wants to be in second grade and he wants me to pick him up early from school. I simply say "ok" to avoid a meltdown. Thank goodness he can't tell time yet.
I wasn't prepared for this conversation today. I didn't know it would ever come up. At least I'll be more prepared next time.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Dress code

The boys wear uniforms to school now. I mostly love it. They wear a collared shirt that's either navy blue, white, yellow, maroon, or green. Their pants are khaki, dark blue denim or blue. They have to wear a belt and closed-toe shoes as well.
Days I hate uniforms are when Gabriel has a tough time wearing the required color and when I look at their wonderful clothing and realize how little of it they wear now.
Kindergardeners aren't required to wear a belt. I think I'm supposed to cut the belt loops off but I haven't done that. Alex came home with a white plastic "belt" one day. It was so funny and unexpected



He actually prefers this type. Belt over regular belts, this making it difficult to get him to wear one. They look uncomfortable but they must not bother him.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Florida snow!




It's been snowing in Celebration four times nightly. We took the kids out to dinner and listened to music. Alex and Lane can't help but dance when they hear live music. I have to admit, it's pretty darn cute



Then we went to the snow area. The first thing the boys said was - this isn't real snow! True. It's soap. But it was a lot of fun! The kids ran, made snow angels, and crawled in it.



They were covered in snow. The snow angel making was the most fun to watch.






The kids had to learn not to put it in their eyes. Silly kids. Gabriel was thrilled to make a mustache with his snow.




Santa's elves


Andrew has always wanted to watch Christmas movies with his children while decorating the tree. Our kids are finally at the age where they can sit and watch a video so this was the year to make Andrew very happy. Andrew strung the lights and Rudolph started to play. It was a laid back, sweet afternoon with our three beautiful children. A few of the decorations are up and things look ready for the holidays.
Gabriel pointed to the tv and called Santa's elves - "Santa's slaves." Clearly he's missed a point when he learned that bit of history in school. When I was in first grade, I wrote a paper that said that if I was president... I would free the slaves. It must be a part of history that doesn't make sense until we get older in my family.

Holiday creations 2011 part 2


Alex brought home an assignment to decorate a paper ornament. I made copies for all three children and we got the glitter and stickers out. The kids had fun creating their ornaments



Lane loved using stickers and even put them on herself.



The kids really loved the glitter. I don't always think to take it out for them but it's fun. Who doesn't love sparkly things?!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Free printables

I found a site I love today. It's someones blog and has lots of free educational printables. The blogger does a fantastic job with visual and hands-on activities for kindergardeners and first graders.



Today I printed a cute Mary and lambs "sh" activity. The kids can match the beginning and ending words as well as learn "sh" words. I printed one for at home and one for the first grade teacher. I don't know if she can use it but it was too cute to pass up. I also used my laminator in two projects today - very fun!



I also printed and laminated a reindeer noun/verb game. It looks like a fun game for school too.
I printed a cute snowman poem to hang in the playroom. I also found a dear Santa letter. I think it will be good for the kids to practice writing. I'm trying to find fun ways to incorporate educational and developmental activities for the kids. Hopefully I hit the mark with these printables. Do you have any free printable sites to share?

Holiday creations part one


In an effort to teach the kids the importance of giving, we started making holiday gifts. Our first round was coloring wooden ornaments and paper bookmarks. The kids worked very hard on their art work. Despite wanting to teach them about giving to others, I'm going to be selfish and keep their ornaments. No one else will love them as much as I will any way.