Back to school....

The long (HOT) summer is over. It was great spending time with the boys while they were off from school. We stayed pretty busy.... VBS, Basketball, camps, and a trip to Minnesota. The boys are back in school now. Both full day for the first time.




Bryan is in 4th grade and is pretty excited about his class being tech based. They have laptops, smartboard, video camera and digital camera to use in their studies. He is becoming such a little man and his likes are changing and maturing. He is more into older kid things and is looking forward to being a part of the church youth group and being a teen. (Lord, protect him and keep me sane!!!)

Jesse is in Kindergarten and doing really well. He loves being a big boy and riding the regular bus with his brother. His days are still pretty busy though. He attends a mainstream class, and specials (art, PE, music, Library), as well as speech therapy, Occupational therapy, Physical therapy and works with the special needs instructor. He comes home happy, yet exhausted!



I thought I would have all this time on my hands once the boys were in school, yet I am still crazy busy!! Working on things for the church, helping people out and running this way and that. LOL Had to have an "Off the Grid" day a few days ago and stayed at home watching tv, reading, napping and doing a few chores around here... ignored the door and phone.

Taking a few more steps....

Was asking the boys what they did at school today and after Jesse was done telling me what he had done, he actually asked me what I had done, listened and asked questions while I told him! It was so nice to have a 2 sided conversation with him!

April

Hope everyone had a wonderfully blessed Easter. We spent the day with our church family in the morning and then relaxing at home and BBQing. The kids hunted eggs and played in the backyard. School is wrapping up soon and all the end of the year things have started...

Bryan has state testing this week and next, field trip and field day coming up. Bryan still loves science and math and wants to join the swim team this summer. He has grown up so much over the last year. He is a big help around the house and is starting to act more like a preteen. (Moodiness and all UGH!!!)

We attended Intro to Kindergarten last week for Jesse. He has Kindergarten screening at the end of the month and preschool graduation on May 7th.  I was really nervous at first about him going into Kindergarten but I think he will do well. He has started learning to read, loves spelling, and is picking up Spanish. He can count to 100 in both English and Spanish now!!!

We are going to have a pretty busy summer. Monday night basketball and bible club, VBS, possible Mission Trip to South Dakota, trip to MN, camp and swimming. I think the travel will be good for both boys. Just wishing we could get back to CA for a visit! Been missing family and friends. I hate that it costs so much!

10 Commandments for interacting with kids on the Spectrum

1. Thou shall not yell when speaking to me.

My disability does not impair my hearing and I am extremely bright. Perhaps even brighter than you are.

2. Thou shall not ignore me, talk negatively about me, speak unnaturally slow, or ask questions to others in the room that pertain to me.

I can comprehend what you are saying just fine.

3. Thou shall believe in me and help me believe in my skills and self worth.

Note the good in me and do not merely point out my negative behaviors. Believe in me and I will believe in myself.

4. Thou shall not perceive me as dumb.

I am extremely intelligent. I do not learn in the same way as you, and maybe not as quickly as you expect me to. Have patience with me. Once I recall information, I never forget.

5. Thou shall not judge my behavior.

I can get overstimulated in certain environments. I may be hypersensitive to sound and loud noises may hurt my ears. Fluorescent lights are distracting for me. They have a humming noise, and can pulsate. All the noises in a room can blur together. Please make accommodations to help me.

6. Thou shall not be so quick to scold me.

Do not tell me that “I know what I did”. I do not. Tell me what my infraction was in a simple, concise manner. I want to please you, but I have difficulties inferring meaning within a vague statement. For instance, do not say please clean up your bedroom. Tell me exactly what you want, such as ‘Please make your bed and pick up your toys”.

7. Thou shall not compare me to others.

Please remind me, and note the talents that I possess. This increases my confidence and positive self worth. Learning disabled or not, we ALL have talents to contribute within society. I need you to help me realize what mine is. Believe in me and I will believe in myself.

8. Thou shall not exclude me from activities.

Please do not mimic me, ignore me, or bully me. Please invite me to play with you. It hurts my feelings when I am excluded. I like to run and jump in the playground, and be invited to birthday parties too. Grownups can help me make friends by encouraging other children to play with me. I can be a loyal friend if you get to know me.

9. Thou shall give me choices.

I do not like being ordered about any more than the other children. Give me choices so I know you value my capabilities and opinions. Make them simple and concise. Present two options or so. I get confused when too many questions or directions are given at one time due to my processing speed. For instance, ask me if I would like to wear my blue sweater or green one, rather than asking which sweater I would like to wear.

10. Thou shall not judge me by my diagnosis, but by my character.

I am an individual, just like other children.

A reason to celebrate...

When my son Jesse was 8 or 9 months old I started noticing things about him that made me think he could be autistic. He didn't really interact and loved staring out the window or looking at how the sunlight would play on his skin for hours. He was scared of loud, sudden sounds and didn't tolerate the texture of food well. I mentioned this one day to his DR who told me I was an overly concerned mother and that there was no way we could know something like that so early on. The Dr wanted us to wait until Jesse was 5 to really voice concerns.

As Jesse grew my concerns continued. He wasn't talking, didn't play with toys, didn't walk until he was 18 months old and continued to enjoy being in his own little world.

Thankfully we had a wonderful Parents As Teacher case worker and friend who also was concerned about Jesse and helped us get him in our states Early Intervention program. He started receiving speech therapy, Occupational therapy and Physical therapy. He was also evaluated through this program and received his diagnosis of Mild/Moderate Autism Spectrum Disorder.

I have gone through times where I have been very depressed, angry, hurt and felt like I lost something, but at the same time having his diagnosis has allowed us to help him in a way that we might not have been able to before. His diagnosis is not a label... it was a means for us to reach our son.

Jesse turned 5 last week, and as I sit here and think about everything we have gone through so far in this journey, I realize we truly have a reason to celebrate. We have our son and he is talking, laughing, happy and very unique. I have gained so much in learning about who he is and what it means to find joy in the simple things of life. Had we waited to "become concerned" about him when he turned 5 I am not sure I would have had the joy of a conversation with him about what he did in school today or the fact that he told me he had fruit snacks that had green, orange, yellow and blue but no purple or red. I have learned to laugh about some of his quirks. They are who he is and we are very blessed.

Wow February already...

Things have been crazy so far this year. We have all been battling the flu... each of us having our turn with it and Jesse has had it twice now. Its been going around like crazy in our area.

This winter has been really nice and mild. We are expecting our first snow storm Sunday into Monday. Could get up to 4 inches. A little worried because Chuck will be flying home Monday from Orlando... hoping that his flight isn't delayed.

Jesse will be turning 5 on Monday! I can't believe how fast time has gone by. No more baby. We will be celebrating his birthday on the 19th with a small get together. Nothing to big because we don't want to stress him out.

Bryan is still doing really well at school but has had a hard year with friends. A boy at school isn't being really nice... one minute he is his friend the next he is bullying Bryan or telling others not to be friends with him. I hate seeing how much it hurts him. We have told him to stay away from the kid that he is not and has never been his friend. Bryan is just so forgiving.

I have been sticking to a exercise routine and have made changes in my diet. So far I have lost almost 10 pounds! Very excited about it and have been feeling better too. Maybe this time I can stick with it.

Happy New Year!

We have had a very eventful start to our year. Chuck and I got memberships to the local gym and have really been focusing on making positive changes in our lives. Changing our diet, committing to eating healthier and setting a good example for our boys. I have really enjoyed going to the gym more then I thought I would. I have also decided to try and expand my cooking skills... I am not fond of cooking but its healthier to cook at home.

After my annual eye appointment the DR started suspecting that I had Keratoconus, which happens when the cornea of your eye changes from round to more of a cone shape and the cornea thins causing blindness. Yesterday I went and had a eye scan done and found out that my eyes are showing the signs, so I am high risk and will need to have a scan done every year.

The boys have been really enjoying the warmer weather this winter. We have only had one snow this winter so far and it barely covered the ground... definitely not enough to build a snow man or go sledding. I have been enjoying the weather, even though I missed having a white Christmas. Its nice to be able to take them to the park and let them run.

Bryan's report card came back with straight A's and he has placed all advanced except one area which he brought up from basic to proficient. He has finally found a group of friends that seem to be a nice group.

Jesse is doing a lot better now that the DR has put him back in glasses. He is starting to read again and is having an easier time focusing. We had our first IEP (Individual Education Plan) to close out this year and start preparing for him to enter Kindergarten. I can't help but see how much he has changed over the last few years in preschool and therapy. Can't even imagine where he would be with out it.