My Autism Insights

Today my thankfulness will center mostly around our visit to the neurologist and to see a classroom.

First, I am thankful that we found a neurologist who actually spent time talking with us and listening to us about Gus.  He spent a good deal of time asking questions and observing.  He talked to Gus, was not condescending to any of us, and actually seemed pleasantly surprised by some of the comments I made to him.  (”How do you know all this?” I explained about my blogging.)  He was very patient (unlike the last doctor) when Gus was climbing and touching things he shouldn’t have been.  This guy didn’t even get annoyed when Gus turned the lights off in the room.  I don’t think I’ll have to worry about him shouting at me if we disagree.  It seems we’ve found a keeper!  Gus will go in for an EEG, and we spoke about medication, but I’m not feeling pressured.  Win!

Next, I am thankful that I decided to take Gus to visit the class I saw last week. I still think he’s better off in his current program, but it showed me that he does have options and also that he has the ability to function better than I was aware of.  Watching her interact with him gave me a slightly different perspective than I had during our first meeting - I liked her.  I’m also glad that the teacher saw the unmedicated version of Gus - she seemed to enjoy his presence.  That’s important in a teacher, at least to my way of thinking.  It was a good experience.

Finally, I’m thankful that my husband took the day off to come to the doctor with us and that my neighbor picked up MM so that we could both go.  As I was telling her, it seems to make a big difference when service providers see both parents taking an active role in their special needs child’s care.  I could read a lot into that, but I think it might be a post for another day. For now, I’m just glad that I don’t have to handle everything on my own.

What are you thankful for today?

I rarely post more than once a day, but I just came across this ABC News story about very happy couple, both with autism, and I couldn’t pass up sharing it.

Video

Enjoy!

Mia Hysteria shares her inspirational, humorous and sometimes heart wrenching journey of raising 3 young children, one with special needs, while managing a life of chaos, in her blog: General Hysteria .  Mia has been blogging on General Hysteria since September 5, 2008 about her son, Ben (1), her daughter, Violet (2) and her oldest son, Alex (6).  Alex has cerebral palsy, autism, sensory processing disorder, developmental delays, epilepsy, and ADHD.  Mia is a mother, wife, blogger, and practicing writer.  Candid about her current and pre-insanity-brought-about-by-children life experiences, Mia’s writings will leave you shocked, laughing, and reminiscing. On a laptop, in a cul-de-sac, somewhere in Colorado, she is single-handedly attempting to share her stories, thoughts, frustrations and elations so that no person feels isolated, forgotten or unworthy of their own journey.

He is my first born.  I can still recall doing as many things as possible with him.  I would cut open yard size garbage bags, carefully taping them to the floor before inviting him to sling paint all around.  He wasn’t as interested.  Or placing him with me in the kitchen while I pureed his food rather than buying jar food, talking to him all the while – giving him words to all the crazy things his mom was doing, thinking that would all make me a better mom and him the best raised little man in the world.  I’m far from those ideas these days.

Though I gave up the pureeing of food, I have not wanted to stop the art projects, but those have been hard for us.  The projects that make you feel as though you’re showing your delicately developing child all that the world has to offer; giving your child things to feel, experiment with, explore.  For various reasons, they’ve never worked out for us.  An unfortunate admission from me is years after his diagnosis, and too many times of these best of intentioned projects ending in turmoil or not beginning at all, I threw up my hands and stepped away from showing him this world.  I was wrong.

Today, I am back to wanting to show my Angel more of his world through art projects.  Much of this has come from a better understanding of how his mind works, what his limits are, what he is capable of and what he likes.  Alex has cerebral palsy, autistic features, developmental delays, and more; fun activities can take some planning.  Alex doesn’t have a huge attention span, he can paint with assistance, and patience is a consideration.  This, along with a little sister who interjects herself wherever she deems she’s needed, is perfect:

You’ve all seen these, right?  If you haven’t, go check the dollar bin areas at your local Michael’s Craft Store.  This is Alex’s favorite project. The first hurdle we had to get over, which took just a few minutes…the plane is not in one piece.  We had to work through this one time and now he is versed on what to expect.   The fun begins.The way we work it is to take the pieces out of the bag and then choose our paints.  I encourage him to pick more than one shade of blue (his favorite) and if he’s feeling real good about the project, more colors will be chosen.  We distribute the pieces to the appropriate people (remember his sister is ‘helping’).  Alex always gets the wings.  We paint.

Why this works so great for him is that by the time we need to think about letting it dry so we can paint the reverse side, his attention has been caught by something else…or dinner is ready, or my one year old is pulling at my leg…we can leave the project for later.

Usually, we paint again the next day to its finish.  I glue it at night while he sleeps and in the morning, he’s greeted with a new present, yet another airplane, that he has pride in knowing he made (with his sister’s help).  It’s special for him.  It’s what he loves.  It’s blue.  I showed him another piece of this world.  And he molded this world to fit into his.

What about you?  Are you able to do project activities?  Are there projects that work for you?

Do audio books help individuals with auditory processing disorders to strengthen their listening and processing skills?  It would seem that they do.  According to Christie Berry, Ed. D., in her essay “Reading with your Ears ,” “Listening to unabridged audio books while following along in the book improves language skills, auditory processing, and contributes to an increase in overall cognitive abilities.” This was heartening to find as it validated 2 things I’ve been thinking about.  First, I’m noticing that Gus has a greater ability to focus on something auditory when he’s being read a story and following along (as opposed to listening if I’m asking him or giving an instruction).  So I started wondering if audio books might start to increase the length of time that he can sustain listening. This question was brought about by a second observation I recently made,  this one about myself.

I have terrible listening skills - always have.  Unless I’m very interested in what someone is saying, I zone out pretty quickly.  You can see how that might have been a problem in school since I often didn’t pay attention to what my teachers were saying (except the especially interesting one).  Fortunately, I’m a much more visual learner and a combination of reading and writing things down allowed me to excel, at least through high school.  College was a different story.  I had one teacher, my accounting professor, who droned on so badly that I could not stay awake in his class no matter how many coffees I had beforehand.  Only class I ever flunked.  When I became a teacher years later, there was always a running joke between my co-teacher and myself because neither of us was ever able to listen in the professional development meetings. We’d always say, “we don’t do extended listening.”

Then a few years ago, something incredible and completely unexpected happened.  Harry Potter on CD.  I was already a crazy obsessed fan, so I figured I could listen to them while driving and even if I missed a bunch of stuff, I knew them almost verbatim anyway.  What a surprise to learn that Jim Dale is a wonderful narrator and that I actually did have the capacity to listen to something for a long stretch - if it was interesting.

I’ve since become very fond of audio books and listen to segments of books almost every day.  Even the books I find less engaging to read (Jane Austen) hold my interest with the help of a good reader.  I’m fairly certain I’ve increased my capacity to pay attention to auditory information.  I’m thinking of trying some audio books for Gus (not Harry Potter - my kids don’t share my enthusiasm).  Perhaps they might help him to be able to focus in the classroom a little better over time.

For additional information on how audio books can help with auditory processing disorders, check out “Improving Auditory Processing - Listening to Language” by Sharon Hensley.

Have you had any success with using audio books to develop auditory processing skills?

Tomorrow: guest post from the author of General Hysteria on art projects for special needs children.  Don’t miss it!

Prompt by Mo of Manic Monday

Does allowing an individual with obsessive tendencies to enjoy the object of obsession to a limited degree add fuel to the fire of said obsession? This is what I ask myself all the time.  Let’s use Pokemon as a fairly harmless example.

Gus loves Pokemon.  He’s got encyclopedias of Pokemon memorized and can tell you anything about any of the creatures. Sometimes when he lacks focus in school, the use of Pokemon as a teaching tool has proven effective (add these numbers and find the number of Pokemon in this region).  But there’s always a downside.  Even the most contained fire, if given the right opening, can consume a forest.  He will play his Pokemon video game to the exclusion of many other things, including outdoor activity when the weather permits.

Now, am I really all that concerned about Gus and Pokemon? Not now.  But what if it goes on for the next, oh, 20 years or so?  Is there a point where someone should step in and say, “this is no longer appropriate, so stop now.” And if there is such a point, it would be great if I could get one of those postcards like you get from the dentist when it’s time for a cleaning.

Left field is looking a little too attractive today, so I’ll end here.  Have a great Monday!

And for more on obsessive tendencies, check out Bonnie’s post at Autism Family Adventures .

And later this week, I’ll have a guest post from my buddy at General Hysteria .  Stop by ad check out what she has to say!

The approach of March in the colder parts of the U.S. can bring with it some wacky behavior in all of us  because of a general ‘enough winter’ attitude coupled with a hint of spring fever.  For individuals with special needs, who are often more sensitive than the average person to seasonal shifts, it can be a particularly trying time.  Gus seems to be in dire need of strenuous physical activity, but it’s still too cold for him to want to spend much time outside.

So we went on a little adventure today.  I found a stationary bike that is the perfect size for the house AND for everyone to be able to use, for a bargain on craigslist.  We went to pick it up, taking a lovely scenic drive over a treacherous mountain pass.  We won’t discuss my paranoia - I had several escape scenarios in case we happened to stumble upon a suburban Jason.)  So now, Gus can get his large motor muscles all worked out (he’s loving all the sensory input) and he can play his Pokemon game at the same time.  It’s a win-win situation all around.

Have you gotten any particularly sweet deals on equipment for your special needs child?

P.S. Sorry for the blurry photo - he was moving and I was trying to catch him in a relatively stable position. I didn’t do so well!

Right now I’m thankful that we all got through the morning with no tears.  We came close!

Otherwise, today I am thankful for:

Having a night off from any obligations.  As grateful as I am to have my job, it’s also been a tiring week, and I’m happy for the rest.  Gus had a rough day yesterday and a difficult morning, which was a bit draining for me as well.  Heaven would be to get to sleep before 10:30.

PARP - Parents as Reading Partners.  This year both kids were involved in this reading program at concurrent times.  It’s been lots of fun, and we’ve really enjoyed going through several chapter books together.  Gus’s pick has been the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne.  Historical/fantasy, extremely well researched and loads of fun.  She even wrote reference books for some of the later works in the series.  Another series he loves is Time Spies series by Candice Ransom, again these are incredibly well done historical fantasy, which seems to be the genre of choice lately.  (I’ve even learned quite a bit from both series.) We’re going to try Encyclopedia Brown when we’re done with these.  Both kids also enjoy the Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park, which are hilarious, and even though the character, Junie B., is probably not the best model of socially appropriate behavior for Gus, he seems able to recognize her lapses in social skills, so they are helpful in that way.

Finally, I’m thankful for all my visitors, readers, EC droppers, commenters, Twitter followers and pretty much everyone who has supported this blog!  I don’t always reply to comments because the interface is clunky and annoying, but I just wanted to throw out a big THANK YOU!  Your presence and support is much appreciated!

And now, please share your gratitude as well!  Have a great Thursday!

As I promised the district, I went to visit the class they’ve been trying to convince me to transfer Gus to.  I had spoken to the teacher at length last week.  On the positive side, she is very knowledgeable, has a diverse background, and we see eye to eye on many important topics like mainstreaming and homework.  But we also have some core philosophical differences, which could become a problem like the use of candy as a reinforcer.

I spent a good hour in the in the class.  At the moment, the class is quite small.  Next year it is expected to more than double in size.  Class size was always a concern of mine since it would be bigger than what Gus is accustomed to.  The room is set up to be very open, which I think would be very distracting for Gus, but she has a primarily behavioral outlook (Applied Behavioral Analysis background) and believes that his behavior would just have to be modified.  I don’t know that it is a) possible or b) totally desirable to do that in all instances.  There would be less sensory support for Gus as well, and there would be no internet capability.  So the learning program he’s using now would be out the window.

Academically, this class focuses on much more basic skills than what Gus needs, and there is very little emphasis on Social Studies or Science - his two favorite subjects.  She does have a very interesting take on Math instruction, which I plan to do some looking into.  Overall, I doubt his academic needs would be met, and he’d be bored stiff.

As much as I like the teacher, despite our differing opinions, I can’t see Gus succeeding or being happy in that class.  I’m going to bring him in next week (he’ll be out of school anyway) just to see what he thinks of the room.  But I’m about 99% sure that I’ll be fighting for him to stay in his current school next year.  Either that, or I become a home-schooler.

Since Gus has been doing a good deal of sensory seeking lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to get him sensory input at home.  At school, they’ve got loads of equipment so that he can choose what he needs: giant bean bag, body sock, jumping, and now sugarless gum to provide oral sensory stimulation.  He liked it - yay!  So much better than Starburst! Even better, I found it locally, so I may be able to use it at home as well.  (Don’t laugh - I’ve been looked for a certain flavor of gum on several occasions and haven’t been able to find it.) I’ll let the school work it into his routine first.

One other thing that often does well for him is to be able to utilize his gross motor muscles.  But at this cold time of year, opportunities are limited.  We have a trampoline (and a couch, which is the jumping apparatus of choice) but he doesn’t always want to jump.  He’s got a bean bag chair and a big exercise mat that he likes to roll up in for squishing.  We also have a pedaling thing (if it has a name, I’m unaware of it), which is basically bike pedals without the bike.  They work all right, but they’re a little awkward, and he spends as much time swinging it overhead as he does pedaling.

We wanted to get a small stationary bike, but even the small ones were either too big or too expensive or both.  Well, we finally (completely by accident of course) came across one on craigslist that is not only well within our budget, but within driving distance.  Win!

Hopefully we can pick it up this weekend and we can let Gus ride while he’s watching TV.  I can’t wait!

What sensory support do you use for your sensory seeking child?

Prompt by Mo of Manic Monday .

I haven’t been able to come up with anything for the last couple of Manic Monday prompts, but finally, I’m back in the game.  Today’s word is candy.

We managed to get through Valentine’s Day with a minimum of candy incursions into Gus’s diet.  MM came home with a dragon’s hoard of candy, which I quickly had to confiscate.  So much for the ‘healthy’ drive at her school.  She ate more candy last Thursday than she, cumulatively, in several months.

We learned something interesting when we went to Gus’s school though.  While he wasn’t bombarded with Valentine’s candy (because he was home sick) it has been suggested to his teacher that he be given Starburst as a motivator.  This came from the behaviorist.  Because of his oral sensory issues, chewing on something helps him to focus.  He likes Starburst.  So that seemed like the best choice on short notice.  Carrots were another option, but since he tends to hum when he’s eating them (maybe the crunchiness is a factor?) it’s distracting to the other students.  Since the Starburst is working, I don’t really want to step on the teacher’s toes, but at the same time, I don’t want him eating candy.  He doesn’t process sugar well.

We came to the agreement that she will try to get him to chew fruit flavored sugarless gum (Wrigley’s Extra recently came out with a line) to see if that can replace the candy.  If not, I may allow the Starburst, although I will dislike it.

Any thoughts on what he can chew (he likes fruity flavors) that won’t wreck his teeth and send him into overdrive in the afternoons?  Ideas would be much appreciated, and I’ll thank you in advance if you leave a comment!

P.S. A word on comments: all comments are moderated, so if they don’t show up right away, don’t fret.  They will as soon as I approve them!