Saturday, August 26, 2006

TGIF!

I Love Fridays! They are usually the best days at the shop. Today Michael had his school physical. He is 3'7" tall, and 42lbs. He had to get two shots;HEP A and Chicken pox booster. The shots did not phase him a bit--I guess it is one of the drawbacks to taking shots every day. He was an old pro! Other than that, not much going on here. We are heading into the last couple weeks of summer--I am already seeing leaves drop from some of the trees. I love the fall. Now, we get to start planning for Halloween, and all the festivities and sugar.

Nick is doing good. He was easier to get to sleep tonight. HOORAY!! Dont know what our plans are for the weekend yet,but Mike has hinted that he wants to do something. Boys are doing well and enjoying the last few days of summer vacation.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Busy little bees

We have been a bunch of busy little bees this week! Nick has been better about practices since the last post. He is handling them better,and boy it makes our lives easier. The soccer season has gotten off to a rough start. First of all, there were only two 7-8yr old teams, so both the teams had like 17 kids. Way too many!! After some deliberation(and some bribing),Mike has decided to coach a team. He got the roster today,and low and behold,he is coaching MICHAEL. UGH! I did not want Michael to switch teams--not because Mike cannot coach; he can. But for the simple reason that Michael would not do what Mike asks,thinking he can get special treatment. Well,today was the first practice for the new team, and you guessed it,Michael did not want to do some of the drills-just to see if daddy would let him get away with it. He ended up getting a little attitude adjustment from you know who. We will see how the next practice goes, and if his little attitude does not improve, he will switch teams. I made him very aware of this, and I also told him he could not play at all if he does not do what his coach says. Swimming will have to come later, as the practices are on his swim days. We can always start them back up after the season is over.

Nick is still having issues with sleeping. He did not go to sleep last night until 10pm again. It is common for kids with autism I hear to have sleep problems, and a lot end up needing medication. We hope that Nick is not one of them,but chances are he will eventually be given some sort of medication to help him sleep. Maybe it is just a phase,I really dont know right now. All I do know is it drives us crazy.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Sometimes Autism just sucks

This is just one of those evenings where I just need to write. Sometimes Autism just plain sucks. Soccer practice was just such an event. Nicholas was happy for about 10 min-until the parents of about 15 kids showed up,and all the commotion that brings. Even outdoors it is too much for him. He spent the entire hour and 5 minutes of practice screaming. I tried everything-his cup,some snacks,his spinny toy,letting him out of the stroller,letting him BACK in the stroller,holding him,bouncing him,finally I had had enough and the last straw was strapping him in his carseat and just shutting the doors. There is only so much screaming a person can take. It continued when we got home-he wanted nothing to do with dinner,or anybody else. He just continued to scream. I honestly felt like an outcast today among all the other moms on the field. There they were, able to talk among themselves,their children sat quietly and colored with each other,they were all so "normal". Here I had strapped my child down in his carseat because he could not contain himself. None of the other moms would even come near us. Their kids were all playing with one another so peacefully,mine could not stand anyone coming near him. Another thing is SLEEP. This is something Nick finds hard to do recently. He has always been such a good sleeper,but recently he is horrible. He gets up frequently, and it takes him hours to go to sleep. He was up last night at 10pm spinning his shoes;in the dark. The thought of drugging him has crossed my mind I must say. He does not nap during the day,so I know he is tired. He cannot ignore his obsessions and just sleep. I love him to death,but days like these are very hard.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Leave your expectations at the door please!

Nicholas said "Mommy" today. I went in his room today at lunch, and said "Hi Bubby!". A minute later he shrieked "MommiEEE!"

Michael did great at soccer practice today. I would have to say that game is his true love. He has come so far with his growth shots. Everytime I see him out there on the field, I think to myself "This would not be possible without his shots". He simply would have been too small. He is pretty much even with the other kids as far as skills go(even a little ahead of some taller ones). Size wise, there are two other kids who are pretty much his height(maybe an inch taller). My kids amaze and inspire me. My life is brilliant.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Top Ten Terrific Traits of Autistic People

I found this online and thought I would share.


Top 10 Terrific Traits of Autistic People
From Lisa Jo Rudy,

If you're sick of hearing about all the "deficits" challenging people on the autism spectrum, join the club! But for every down side to autism, there seems to be a positive -- an unusual trait that rarely appears among the "typical" community, but shines out among autistic folk. These plusses are well worth celebrating.

1) Autistic People Rarely Lie
We all claim to value the truth, but almost all of us tell little white lies. All, that is, except people on the autism spectrum. To them, truth is truth -- and a good word from a person on the spectrum is the real deal.

2) People on the Autism Spectrum Live in the Moment
How often do typical people fail to notice what's in front of their eyes because they're distracted by social cues or random chitchat? People on the autism spectrum truely attend to the sensory input that surrounds them. Many have achieved the ideal of mindfulness.

3) People with Autism Rarely Judge Others
Who's fatter? Richer? Smarter? For people on the autism spectrum, these distinctions hold much less importance than for typical folks. In fact, people on the spectrum often see through such surface appearances to discover the real person.

4) Autistic People are Passionate
Of course, not all autistic people are alike. But many are truly passionate about the things, ideas and people in their lives. How many "typical" people can say the same?

5) People with Autism Are Not Tied to Social Expectations
If you've ever bought a car, played a game or joined a club to fit in, you know how hard it is to be true to yourself. But for people with autism, social expectations can be honestly irrelevant. What matters is true liking, interest and passion -- not keeping up with the Joneses.

6) People with Autism Have Terrific Memories
How often do typical people forget directions, or fail to take note of colors, names, and other details? People on the autism spectrum are often much more tuned in to details. They may have a much better memory than their typical peers for all kind of critical details.

7) Autistic People Are Less Materialistic
Of course, this is not universally true -- but in general, people with autism are far less concerned with outward appearance than their typical peers. As a result, they worry less about brand names, hairstyles and other expensive but unimportant externals than most people do.

8) Autistic People Play Fewer Head Games
Who was that woman, and why were you looking at her? I know I TOLD you I didn't mind if you went out, but why did you believe me? Most autistic people don't play games like these -- and they assume that you won't either. It's a refreshing and wonderful change from the Peyton Place emotional roller coaster that mars too many typical relationships!

9) Autistic People Have Fewer Hidden Agendas
Most of the time, if a person on the autism spectrum tells you what he wants -- he is telling you what he wants. No need to beat around the bush, second guess, and hope you're reading between the lines!

10) People with Autism Open New Doors for Neurotypicals
For some of us neurotypicals, having an autistic person in our lives has had a profound positive impact on our perceptions, beliefs and expectations. For me, at least, being the mom of a son on the autism spectrum has released me from a lifetime of "should" -- and offered me a new world of "is."

Important product disclaimer information about this About site.
Updated: August 15, 2006
Lisa Jo Rudy is a veteran science writer and author of dozens of articles and educational materials for organizations including the National Geographic Society and the National Science Foundation. As the mother of a boy with autism, she is also an active member of the autism community.




We had a typical day yesterday. Our big chore for the day was to get all the school supplies. So, we woke up around 10am(more on our nightmarish night later), Michael ate some cereal,Nicholas had his ever favorite strawberry Pop-tart for breakfast, and I had cereal. Mike got up shortly after and I informed him of our plan for the day. He said he wanted to come with us, and as I picked my jaw up off the floor, he got ready to go. Finally, around noon I had everyone dressed and primped up and we were out the door. Nick was giddy with excitement as he got to fully experience the bumpy,yellow,concrete safety ramp as we walked to the entrance. Hands flailed,he did his little "Happy Dance" and shouted "Bobbiiieeee!!!" He could not resist bending down to touch the bumps. We entered the store, and Nick was having a great time going between the carpeted jewelry section,to the smooth tile floor. We thought all would be hunky-dory, and then we got to the school section. We went to the main school display in the back of the store, and the screaming began! We tried in vain to calm him,but nothing worked...he was absolutely terrified. I followed his terrified look to the display ads. They were mounted on cardboard bins and were turning in circles. There were about 4 of these displays, and poor Nicholas was absolutely petrified. He was shrieking with fear. I began a desperate search for anything he could twirl....pencil,marker,ANYTHING. Damn it if they were not all in packages!! My efforts failing and Nick shrieking louder and louder, I did the only thing I could do; I got the heck out of there and quickly went into one of the aisles! With our school shopping accomplished,(plus some extra stuff),we made our way to the checkout where Michael screamed "I GOTTA go PEE!!" Mike agreed to take both boys to the restroom, and you can guess where this is going! Mike came out and his first words were "Did you hear that??" I said "No, hear what??" "Nick screaming the entire time we were in there!" We had both forgotten that Nick hates public restrooms--and he kindly reminded us. After our Target fiasco, we went to the grocery store, and then to get my tire fixed on my car. It was a very productive day.

As I was saying earlier,Friday night was not our best. Nick stayed up until 1am. No matter how tired he was,he could not help himself but to turn lights off and on,and peel stickers. I am not kidding when I say I have woken up at 4am and found him doing this in their bedroom. Michael has moved to the couch on some nights because it wakes him up. As a last resort(short of drugging him with Tylenol),I taped the switch in their room down. Almost immediately he went to bed and fell asleep. It was like he could not ignore the urge to flick the switch or peel any sticker that remains in their room. We had a better night last night. He only stayed up until 10pm-and that was with NO nap. We will see how it goes today. Michael starts soccer tomorrow. We found out his practices will be on Mondays and Wed. from 5pm-6:15. I am glad that it is not on Tues. and Thurs. because he has swimming on those days. Life is about to get even more insane around here! Stay tuned!