My Autism Insights

  image from Webweaver’s Free Clip Art

Since Gus didn’t have school today, it was a perfect time to get him in to see the doctor to make sure his eyes were all right.  They are fine.  The eye exam says that he has 20/20 vision, although I think I annoyed the assistant when I asked if she wasn’t sure he hadn’t just memorized the line. (Which he did and he proved it by reciting it to me after we were back in the exam room.  Not my fault he has such a good memory.)  The doctor gave me some information on tics and said that we should probably not worry about it, but she gave me the name of a neurologist anyway, in case we were interested.  Gus has an appointment at the end of February to see the neuro.

From what I read on tics, they’re not as uncommon as I had thought.  They are defined as “repetitive, rapid, involuntary muscle contractions or vocal outbursts that usually involve muscles of the face, head, neck, shoulders or respiratory tract.” ~Disneyfamily They can last anywhere from a couple of weeks up to a year  before becoming a serious cause for concern.  The movements are frequently transient, meaning they can start in one part of the body and move to another, and generally end on their own.

The cause of tics is unclear, but has been associated to physical growth, stress and nerve disorders like Tourette’s Syndrome (which can include chronic and severe tics).

Apparently up to about 20% of school-aged children may experience some form of tic, and one study showed that the incidence of these movements increased during the winter months.

The advice for dealing with the tic that we received mostly said to help the child relax and to ignore it as much as possible unless it starts to interfere with daily functioning.   We’re not going to freak out over this.  We’ll try to find out what might be causing stress for Gus and will try to help him relax. Any other information or suggestions are welcome.  Otherwise, we’ll wait to see what the neurologist says next month.

   Now as for our Manic Monday on Snow (prompt from Mo of course), here’s a silly conversation I had with Gus at the bus stop while waiting for MM to get home:

“Did you want to play out in the snow today?”

“Yes.”

“Yes??  What do you mean yes??”

“Can we play in the snow?”

“No!  It’s too cold!”

“Why did you say that?”

“I didn’t expect you to say yes.”

Fortunately, he wasn’t too attached to the idea of going out in 20 degree weather, or else I’d be standing outside cursing my own big mouth.  He actually got a laugh out of it, so it’s all good.  Happy Monday!

image from Jannagraphics

“I am a leaf on the wind…watch me soar.”

Serenity, spoken by Wash…moments before he is skewered by flying debris.

That is one of my favorite lines from the Firefly universe and it creates such a lovely image for me.  Can’t you just picture a bright orange autumn leaf floating gently down from a tree branch, cradled and rocked by a light, crisp breeze?  It reaches the ground so peacefully…all is right with the world on this fine autumn day.  And then some kid comes and stomps on it!  Sometimes things just blindside you.

I’m back to the sleep disturbances, not for any good reason, just being cynical.  Because I can’t really do much else, so I indulge for a moment.

I have an online job that I often do at 5am.  This means dragging myself out of bed at 4:45, no matter what time I went to bed the night prior.  But I make sure to leave myself a few days when I can sleep in (which means until 5:30 or 6 - I’ll take what I can get).  How is it, that my children always seem to know which days I can sleep later, and that they unfailingly choose those days to wake up in the wee hours of the morning?

Friday night we had friends over, but I still made it to bed by 11:00.  We had flu shots and soccer on Saturday, but I could have still slept until 6 and had plenty of time to get everyone fed and dressed to make out 8:00 appointment.  MM woke up at 4; she’d lost her blankets and was cold.  Brought her back to bed, tucked her in, prayed for another 2 hours of rest.  No dice.  Gus was there at 5.  He must have figured I should have been working and didn’t want me to oversleep.  Irony is my middle name, I think.

Seriously, Gus was up because of a stuffy nose & cough - can’t fault the little guy for that.  The same cold brought him in for an early morning visit at 3:30 today.  Couldn’t get mad; I had to let him snuggle in bed with us.  When I can’t be mad, I get cynical, just a little, for a brief moment.  Moment over.

I think I will keep him home today.  Perhaps we’ll look out the big windows as we’re sharing a box of tissues for our runny noses, and we’ll find that bright orange leaf on the wind, and maybe we’ll find a few seconds of serenity.  If we’re very, very lucky, no one will stomp on it today.

Thanks to Mo of  Manic Monday for today’s theme!

I’m back on schedule!  Here are a few things I’m thankful for today:

1. I am thankful that I’ve got my son back!  No more of this sedated shadow of my boy; I’ve got the real thing back.  Yes, he’s hyperactive, less focused, and needs a lot of redirection.  But he’s also animated and smiling and vibrant again.  I’ll take that over the medicated version any day.

2. I am thankful for my daughter.  For one thing, she’s just an awesome, fair-minded and compassionate kid, often beyond her years, and more so than some adults I’ve encountered lately.  But in terms of her brother, because of her strong and persistent personality, she tends to draw him out and he tries to be a bit more social because of that.  They’re good for each other - this makes me happy.

3. I am thankful for my oldest friend.  We’ve known each other since the first grade and have been calling each other ‘cousin’ since we were about twelve.  Now we live close to each other, and ironically, she also has a son, the same age as mine, on the spectrum.  It’s so wonderful to be able to support and be supported by someone who’s known me my entire life.  It’s different than sharing an experience with someone like a spouse.  Really invaluable.

Please, comment and share your thankfulness!  Have a great weekend!

So another week has gone by and I have a few things to be thankful for:

1. Gus can be a pretty inconsistent kid in the sense that what appeals to him changes quickly.  But, his personality is very consistent.  That helped on Friday when his teacher sent home a not that he’d pushed another child.  I knew instantly that something was wrong.  Turned out he had strep and we were able to get him treated before vacation!

2. School’s out and we get to go camping!  Gus absolutely loves the outdoors and we’ve all been looking forward to this trip for months.

3. Almost as soon as we get back, summer school starts.  Gus is at his best when he has the structure of a school program.  It doesn’t bother him to go to school in the summer - he rather enjoys it.  And it saves me from having to come up with funding that we don’t have to pay for a special needs camp, which (to my knowledge) isn’t available to us where we live anyway.

By all means, please post some happy, thankful, thankfulness below!  And have a great weekend!

Yoga and meditation can be a great way to cope with the stresses of life, especially when autism is a daily part of it. Although I’ve been a yoga teacher for six years, I’ve never been very drawn to classic meditation where you sit on a cushion for log periods of time clearing the mind. For me, the movement through yoga postures is what has usually helped me to focus and get my head back on straight. But yesterday, I decided to take a meditation class and was pleasantly surprised.

I typically have trouble sitting still - my body just doesn’t like it. As a result, I get distracted and can’t find stillness. Yesterday was the second morning in a row that I’d been roused from sleep at 3 am and I was exhausted. I thought I might fall asleep. But for some reason, I found myself able to find my breath and follow it to a quiet spot at the core of my mind. I thought I’d only been in meditation for a few moments, but actually sat for a straight thirty-five minutes! I felt very calm for the rest of the day.

Parents of autistic children can benefit from yoga and meditation because it helps them to find reserves of patience and understanding in those moments when they may feel they’re at the end of their rope. These practices are also quite beneficial for individuals on the spectrum. Yoga and meditation can help build coordination, balance the nervous system, increase focus, and build confidence. Yoga is also wonderful for enhancing brain development.

Gus has taken yoga in the past and loves it. The slower movements allow him to get a grasp on his body despite his coordination being a challenge. There haven’t been any classes lately that we have been able to fit into his schedule, but the summer may prove to be a bit more flexible. And if you’re wondering why I don’t teach him myself, it’s because I’ve tried and the practice becomes oxymoronic and stressful. Occasionally we will play yoga, but there are just too many distractions in our house for him to be able to really benefit.

If you can get out to practice yoga and/or meditation, or if you can find a few minutes at home, I strongly recommend giving these ancient methods a try.