Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Umm, What Was That Again?
Warning--this post contains information of emergency urological kind. If you are squeamish, stop reading and enjoy this picture of lovely flowers. If you dare read on...
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Catching up Again
Oh My! Life sure does get crazy! I'm playing catch up again with the blog. I've been working on some fun projects with the kids as well as serious ones too. Lots to share. I look forward to getting it all down in print.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
We Have An Eagle Scout!!!
Firstborn passed his Eagle Board of Review tonight! I am so excited. This has been such a long road for us. It was actually his first (and very astute) Cub Scout Den Leader who noticed what a hard time Firstborn had in socializing with the other boys. She started us on our path of discovery and understanding about autism.
Firstborn took on a project beyond his skill set (not the least of which was making himself feel comfortable talking to adults about his project--a challenge for any kid--let alone one with Aspergers). My Dad helped him with gain the skill set to put these chairs together for the park service.
Dear Hubby's parents are visiting, so we all celebrated with a delicious chocolate cake. Now I just have to plan the Eagle Court of Honor....
Hope you have happy news in your day!
Firstborn took on a project beyond his skill set (not the least of which was making himself feel comfortable talking to adults about his project--a challenge for any kid--let alone one with Aspergers). My Dad helped him with gain the skill set to put these chairs together for the park service.
Dear Hubby's parents are visiting, so we all celebrated with a delicious chocolate cake. Now I just have to plan the Eagle Court of Honor....
Hope you have happy news in your day!
Monday, April 21, 2014
Success and Failure-Whirlwind and High School
So we have some success, and a failure.
Whirlwind did NOT get into the performing arts high school Firstborn attends.
I'm actually kind of grateful.
It's like pulling teeth to get him to practice. He spends most of his time fighting me on it, walking away and just getting distracted. Twenty minutes of practicing often turns into an hour or more because he interrupts his own playing. (If he'd just buckle down and get it done, he would be done so much faster). I can only imagine what agony next year would be if we had to fight to get him to practice to keep his grades up.
Whirlwind DID get into the STEM magnet program. I have high hopes for him here. I've met with the counselor there and we attended an orientation meeting of sorts. He's pretty excited about this new venture and so am I.
Whirlwind did NOT get into the performing arts high school Firstborn attends.
I'm actually kind of grateful.
It's like pulling teeth to get him to practice. He spends most of his time fighting me on it, walking away and just getting distracted. Twenty minutes of practicing often turns into an hour or more because he interrupts his own playing. (If he'd just buckle down and get it done, he would be done so much faster). I can only imagine what agony next year would be if we had to fight to get him to practice to keep his grades up.
Whirlwind DID get into the STEM magnet program. I have high hopes for him here. I've met with the counselor there and we attended an orientation meeting of sorts. He's pretty excited about this new venture and so am I.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Firstborn's Journey to Diagnosis Part One
In honor of Autism Awareness Month, I thought I would write a little about our journey to getting Firstborn's diagnosis.
Looking back on things now, the warning signs were all there, but I didn't see them. To use a metaphor, I didn't know all the things I was seeing with my son were all pieces of a bigger puzzle. The Autism puzzle.
When Firstborn was about eighteen months, it is apparent to me now that he took us quite literally at our word. We would play a game where he would put his blanket over his head and we would say, "Where is firstborn? Where is he? I don't see him. I can't find him." He would then pull the blanket off of his head and we would act surprised he was there. We would all giggle and laugh and have fun. We thought he would perceive this as a game since Firstborn had reached the milestone where he could find an object we would hide under a pillow.
One day when we were watching a friend's very active toddler, Firstborn was getting visibly overwhelmed. He climbed onto our couch and put his blanket over his head. The little boy climbed the couch as well and proceeded to shower Firstborn with lots and lots of attention. The look on Firstborn's face was one of utter bewilderment. Why hadn't the blanket trick worked? Why was this little boy still engaging him?
When Firstborn's diet became more and more restrictive, we wrote it off as being a really picky eater. Everyone assured us he would outgrow it. The fact that he cried, gagged and sometimes threw up when presented with new foods or textures was all a part of that pickiness. It was weird that my kid cried when I offered chocolate ice cream, but that was all. Firstborn was also able to discern real Cheerios from the generic kind--even if I hid the generic kind in a Cheerios box. He would gag and throw up if I tried to make him take a bite of them after he discovered the difference. He loved pepperoni pizza and the flavor the pepperoni left on the crust, but would not actually eat the pepperoni. If a texture was wrong on even a favorite food (stale, mushy, etc) he would gag and throw up.
We had other red flags too. Firstborn would cover his ears in situations most people would not. We took him to see movie, "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". He absolutely loved Thomas, but spent the entire movie covering his ears. He also covered his ears the very first time we went on " it's a Small World" at Disneyland. Storms have always terrified him.
Firstborn also lined up his cars and would spin the wheels. I thought he was organizing his cars.
He engaged in a lot of parallel play, but was often in the sidelines watching. He didn't seem to enjoy talking to other kids as much as he enjoyed talking to adults. I thought he was just shy.
When he asked to watch a video, he always called it by its full name. He would ask to watch, "Cinderella II: Dreams Come True" instead of just Cinderella II.
We used to have a cling map of the United States we put on our fridge. The map had labels for the states and each week we learned a new state. At three He was better at naming all the states than his high school babysitter.
Firstborn also did not deal with frustrations well. He would shut down and cry or completely freak out in what he perceived as a crisis situation (like if the milk spilled). It was hard for me to tell there was any difference between toddler/preschooler frustration levels and those of someone with more challenges.
When he was a little older he had a lot of anxiety related to school and making friends. In encouraging him to talk to new kids, I asked him, "What is the worst thing that could realistically happen if you talk to them and ask if they want to be your friend?" To which he answered, "They'll want to kill me."
We've worked through some of his anxieties, but as I have learned, sometimes anxiety can sneak back into your life, even when you know it is illogical to feel that way.
As he got older he began attending Cub Scouts. His Wolf Den leader is the one who first spoke to me about the possibility Firstborn might be on the Autism spectrum with Aspergers.
My first reaction I will admit was anger. How could she suggest anything was wrong with my child? He was shy, not Autistic. He could talk to adults just fine, he made eye contact, and he had one on one friends.
When I was younger I had the opportunity to hear Kim Peek, who was the inspiration for the movie, "Rainman" and his father speak at a conference. I did not see any resemblance between Kim and my son.
How little did I know that every person on the Autism spectrum has their own unique set of challenges.
When I calmed down I did some research and began to realize more and more that Firstborn probably had Aspergers. I talked to the school counselor and psychologist. They agreed Firstborn had several traits of having Aspergers. I expressed my apprehensions about labeling and therefore limiting my child. They were happy to comply.
We did get and had been getting supports for Firstborn in the form of individual
Coaching/counseling, small social group meetings, allowances from teachers for extra testing time or verbal testing (he was such a perfectionist he wouldn't write down his answers if he could not make it perfect. It wasn't until his teacher began to verbally quiz him we understood this).
Yet because of my fear and ignorance, I didn't get things written down in any official capacity like a 504 or IEP.
I wish I knew then what I know now.
More of Firstborn's story on another day.
Looking back on things now, the warning signs were all there, but I didn't see them. To use a metaphor, I didn't know all the things I was seeing with my son were all pieces of a bigger puzzle. The Autism puzzle.
When Firstborn was about eighteen months, it is apparent to me now that he took us quite literally at our word. We would play a game where he would put his blanket over his head and we would say, "Where is firstborn? Where is he? I don't see him. I can't find him." He would then pull the blanket off of his head and we would act surprised he was there. We would all giggle and laugh and have fun. We thought he would perceive this as a game since Firstborn had reached the milestone where he could find an object we would hide under a pillow.
One day when we were watching a friend's very active toddler, Firstborn was getting visibly overwhelmed. He climbed onto our couch and put his blanket over his head. The little boy climbed the couch as well and proceeded to shower Firstborn with lots and lots of attention. The look on Firstborn's face was one of utter bewilderment. Why hadn't the blanket trick worked? Why was this little boy still engaging him?
When Firstborn's diet became more and more restrictive, we wrote it off as being a really picky eater. Everyone assured us he would outgrow it. The fact that he cried, gagged and sometimes threw up when presented with new foods or textures was all a part of that pickiness. It was weird that my kid cried when I offered chocolate ice cream, but that was all. Firstborn was also able to discern real Cheerios from the generic kind--even if I hid the generic kind in a Cheerios box. He would gag and throw up if I tried to make him take a bite of them after he discovered the difference. He loved pepperoni pizza and the flavor the pepperoni left on the crust, but would not actually eat the pepperoni. If a texture was wrong on even a favorite food (stale, mushy, etc) he would gag and throw up.
We had other red flags too. Firstborn would cover his ears in situations most people would not. We took him to see movie, "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". He absolutely loved Thomas, but spent the entire movie covering his ears. He also covered his ears the very first time we went on " it's a Small World" at Disneyland. Storms have always terrified him.
Firstborn also lined up his cars and would spin the wheels. I thought he was organizing his cars.
He engaged in a lot of parallel play, but was often in the sidelines watching. He didn't seem to enjoy talking to other kids as much as he enjoyed talking to adults. I thought he was just shy.
When he asked to watch a video, he always called it by its full name. He would ask to watch, "Cinderella II: Dreams Come True" instead of just Cinderella II.
We used to have a cling map of the United States we put on our fridge. The map had labels for the states and each week we learned a new state. At three He was better at naming all the states than his high school babysitter.
Firstborn also did not deal with frustrations well. He would shut down and cry or completely freak out in what he perceived as a crisis situation (like if the milk spilled). It was hard for me to tell there was any difference between toddler/preschooler frustration levels and those of someone with more challenges.
When he was a little older he had a lot of anxiety related to school and making friends. In encouraging him to talk to new kids, I asked him, "What is the worst thing that could realistically happen if you talk to them and ask if they want to be your friend?" To which he answered, "They'll want to kill me."
We've worked through some of his anxieties, but as I have learned, sometimes anxiety can sneak back into your life, even when you know it is illogical to feel that way.
As he got older he began attending Cub Scouts. His Wolf Den leader is the one who first spoke to me about the possibility Firstborn might be on the Autism spectrum with Aspergers.
My first reaction I will admit was anger. How could she suggest anything was wrong with my child? He was shy, not Autistic. He could talk to adults just fine, he made eye contact, and he had one on one friends.
When I was younger I had the opportunity to hear Kim Peek, who was the inspiration for the movie, "Rainman" and his father speak at a conference. I did not see any resemblance between Kim and my son.
How little did I know that every person on the Autism spectrum has their own unique set of challenges.
When I calmed down I did some research and began to realize more and more that Firstborn probably had Aspergers. I talked to the school counselor and psychologist. They agreed Firstborn had several traits of having Aspergers. I expressed my apprehensions about labeling and therefore limiting my child. They were happy to comply.
We did get and had been getting supports for Firstborn in the form of individual
Coaching/counseling, small social group meetings, allowances from teachers for extra testing time or verbal testing (he was such a perfectionist he wouldn't write down his answers if he could not make it perfect. It wasn't until his teacher began to verbally quiz him we understood this).
Yet because of my fear and ignorance, I didn't get things written down in any official capacity like a 504 or IEP.
I wish I knew then what I know now.
More of Firstborn's story on another day.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Getting Whirlwind Ready for High School
In our school district, we have magnet programs. Firstborn goes to a great school geared towards the arts. He is getting top notch instruction in instrumental playing. Whirlwind hates to practice, yet he has decided to apply to this school because he likes what his brother says about the students and the atmosphere.
In the meantime, another high school has a great STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Whirlwind says he wants to be an engineer someday. I think this is the better path for him. We're encouraging him to apply to this program.
We should know something about both schools by April. I'll post the results.
In the meantime, another high school has a great STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Whirlwind says he wants to be an engineer someday. I think this is the better path for him. We're encouraging him to apply to this program.
We should know something about both schools by April. I'll post the results.
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