April-----> Autism Awareness Month

Let it STOP..Let it STOP...Let it STOP!!!!!

ugh..more snow today and tonight......and tomorrow.

Poor strawberries, poor daffodils, poor Stinger who cant ride his bike, poor Bear-wont be getting walks LOLOL, poor Goatie-whos pen keeps getting wet:(

Man-am I feeling sorry for myself and everyone else or what......LOLOLOL

Monkey Boy-still is coughing-havent decided if another trip to the Dr tomorrow is warranted...but he's been misereable. :( He DOES sound better tonight though....

And yes- the weather is to blame for all the problems in the world right now-LOLOLOL

Wahhhh-I soooooo want Summer to GET HERE!!!! One of my childhood friends from Texas just wrote to me and said that her corn she has planted is starting to peek through the ground already...sigh...yeah only in my dreams will I be planting any of that stuff at the rate we are going.....

Spring Has Sprung! :) WHOOT!!!

Well it is officially here and we JUST made it here in Utah-LOLOLOL

Tonight I started Spring cleaning. Im using a really cool program with Cindys Porch-she sends you emails and works on a specific area once a week :) Do-able-no? I think so...LOLOL Maybee I'll be done by Summer...sigh....
But I tuned the TV to Broadway and time flew tonight :)I LOVE Broadway music-must get that from my sis Kym :)But I finished the laundry room and the school room. Boy-that laundry room was scary. I think thats my worst put off chore-laundry-I HATE it! But now with a nice laundry room-maybee that will motivate me more-LOLOL..okay who are we kidding...LOLOL But I actually found a little bookcase that will be PERFECT for our school stuff upstairs :)
Today I went to the IFA store(a little country store here.)We saw the cutest little ducklings there-OH!!!! I WANTED them!!!!But dh says one critter a year......LOLOLOL
I also got some of those castration rubber band deals-so dh and I will be putting that on Goatie(Bucks new name)this weekend. They dont look very pliable-so I know Ill need dh's help-LOLOLOL. This will work much better than the knife thing I think-I can actually handle this....;)LOLOLOL The guy said just make sure the whole package gets in there-LOLOLOL -well I thought it was funny.....anyway.....:-O He said it will just take care of itself and voila! Cool-eh? We have been putting Goatie out of his pen now and tying him up to the fence line-he LOVES it-and we love watching and petting him.
I got a tun of seeds too while I was there-as they were on sale. We will be putting in peas tomorrow or sometime this weekend. Ive got quiet a bit of prep work still to do...ugh....I got some corn again also-we will try it again this year. The year before last they got infested with earwigs-I HATE those things....but we will have a go at it again this year. I got the usual-carrots, cabbage, watermellon, catalope, cucumbers. They also had strawberry plants and I got some of those as well-this will be my first year with those. Flamingo is VERY pleased-Strawberries are her favorite. I was REALLY tempted to get some grape and rasberry too-but thought Id try strawberries first round. Did you know that strawberry plants have 2-3 seasons in them-I didnt know that-so I think I will put them out front with my tulips and daffodils :)Wont that be purdy?
So anyway-its busy season for me once more and I couldnt be more happy :)I LOVE planting season!! Wont it be nice this year after harvesting to have goatie be able to clean up everything :)LOLOLOL That will be sooo much help for me :)
Oh-I have also decided to go with K12 this year with homeschooling. Im going to be going with a completely different district that everyone says is so much more "friendly". So Ive been busy getting Stinger registered. I had to send them Stingers previous IEP-as its still good(3 years)-so maybee we will get to have accomidations when he is tested *cross your fingers-but dont hold your breath*. Ive talked with the director and she is going to be alot nicer to work with and has been a lot more helpful with my questions and concerns. So Ive been preparing that stuff and sent it off today while I was in town.

"My Kid Told a Lie"-Lisa Jo Article :)

I LOVED this!!!!! :)-Enjoy!


"My Kid Told a Lie!" (and more stories of autistic success)
Wednesday March 18, 2009
Autism success stories ARE different.

Who but other autism parents could cheer with you when you say "My kid told a lie! isn't that wonderful?! it means he really understands that I don't know what he knows - AND he's trying to manipulate outcomes! Whoopee!"

And who but other adults on the spectrum would get it when you say "YES! I finally figured out why that joke was funny/why that person rolled her eyes/when to stop talking at a cocktail party!"?

Autism successes may look small to outside eyes. But the reality, as we all know, is that "small" successes can pave the way to remarkable outcomes.

The child who learns to fib today may discover a talent for acting tomorrow... and even make friends next week.

The teen who learns to read body language today may pick up on sexual signals next week, and develop a romantic relationship next month.

The six year year old who finally uses spoken language may, someday, become a fluent conversationalist.

The ten year old who picks up a violin for the first time and wows her teacher may have the makings of a true virtuoso.

The young adult who exchanges smiles with a co-worker may be on the road to building a solid friendship.

These are not small changes. These are the types of changes that mean the difference between being alive - and really living life. They may even be the types of changes that herald amazing accomplishments.

And what's more deserving of celebration than that?!

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Comments

March 18, 2009 at 6:09 pm
(1) Judith says:

Thank you for this post! It reminds me of when my son finally understood humor and the doctors all wanted to know what I did. I remember telling them that for years, the family explained every joke, pun, play on words, double entendre,etc. until we were blue in the face. Somewhere in middle school, he got it and is now has a wicked satirical sense of humor, reading Dilbert and Spy vs Spy.
March 19, 2009 at 10:59 am
(2) James says:

Humor is one thing. . But it is NOT good for our kids to learn to tell lies. Outside of that they don’t know how to get out of them, once they do lie, it becomes something they get obsessed with. Eventually no one trusts them, and when they tell the truth they can’t understand why they aren’t believed.

Trust me, I’ve worked with enough of these kids to know.
March 19, 2009 at 11:17 am
(3) Sandy says:

All of the above are good examples and I can see where some one would be thrilled if their child learned to tell a fib however, I am proud that my child is painfully honest. If he describes what happened, you know that’s exactly what did happen. A child with autism, once learning to do anything, can turn into a habit. I’d be more happy when the day comes when my child can recognize some one is lying to him. I really don’t consider lying a success. You then have to still teach the child it was wrong to do and explain why (before they ever learned it) that’s it wrong.
March 19, 2009 at 11:37 am
(4) autism says:

wow - interesting. when Tom first fibbed we were amazed and thrilled, because it meant he had grasped “theory of mind,” and was able to understand that we really, really didn’t KNOW whether he had anything in his pockets.

Of course, we’ve taught him NOT to lie since then. But acquiring that theory of mind skill seemed like a wonderful breakthrough to me!

Lisa
March 19, 2009 at 12:28 pm
(5) Bill says:

Lisa, you are absolutely right, raising a child with autistic behaviors is lots of little steps, each of which to outside eyes would seem trivial.
To someone who obsesses about them, they are big deals. Speaking as someone with Asperger’s who raised Asperger children, I grant they are milestones, but we didn’t think of them as a big deal, we thought that was within the range of how everybody progressed.
Yesterday you asked why people asked for autism success stories, yet didn’t read autism success stories. I think you answered your own question today by example and inference.
The mother with a child just diagnosed with autism cannot appreciate these little milestones against the noise of the madding crowd pointing fingers of blame. The parent who has already raised children already knows that it is just a series of little steps. To those of us with Asperger’s and who raised some of our affected children before 1994, when Asperger’s first entered the lexicon, and autism first started being separated from retardation, watch with curiosity and amusement at the bellicose parents who’ve just read the “Age of Autism” website, oblivious to the snake oil about vaccines and Amish. I know that neurotypicals have as much or more trouble imagining what it is like to have Asperger brain wiring, as we have understanding normal brain wiring, but try to imagine how you would feel if someone came up to you and pronounced that you “suffered” from something, when in fact you felt you were no more than idiosyncratic, and even your Asperger children fell within your perception of the range of normal. From this obtuse perspective, the little steps the neurotypicals celebrate, is the normal progression of milestones to someone raised in a family of Asperger geeks.
March 19, 2009 at 12:31 pm
(6) Lorna says:

I have always felt a little ashamed of myself when I did a mental “yess!!” when my autistic son displayed a bit of deception or had a good comeback in an exchange with another member of the family. Even my mother who lives with us, will reprimand him to his face but chuckle about it afterward when she is recounting the incident. We see these occurrences as hopeful signs that our child;s social skills are improving. Of course, none of this behavior goes undisciplined.
March 19, 2009 at 12:58 pm
(7) Sandy says:

I don’t think telling a lie is really theory of mind. Not for every child any way and it would also have to extend beyond just a fib to be theory of mind. My kid, if he ever figured it out, would simply consider it opposites.
March 19, 2009 at 1:58 pm
(8) AutismNewsBeat says:

My wife found nits in Chris’s hair Sunday morning, so to making the delousing process easier I shaved his head, Full Metal Jacket style. When he looked at himself in the mirror he said “Now all the kids will make fun of me.” I about fell over. He actually cares what others think! Yes!!!
March 19, 2009 at 2:37 pm
(9) Jen says:

Our son (almost 7) with pdd-nos was in a foul mood and didn’t want his sandwich for dinner last night. We left him in the kitchen and a few minutes later he came out and said he ate his sandwich. But he had thrown it away! He tried to trick us! I had a “how interesting” reaction to it. I think it does represent a sort of milestone and he got a good talking to, but I think this was a good thing.

The Modern Mom: What We’re Missing Out On

The Modern Mom: What We’re Missing Out On

March 14, 2009 by Belinda

I’ve started with the annual start of school fever. I’m finished buying curriculum, minus a book or two. Planning gives me the same energy that shopping gives some women. Even the kids got excited this year about getting new planners. I guess I can say that this was one idea for ordering our day that was tremendously successful. As for my own planner, I definitely fell for packaging in buying my new Mom’s Plan It. This planner has tear-out grocery lists, a huge plus for me. However, as a scrapbooker at heart, I think what I really fell for was the opportunity to use these stickers:



As I got home and started to play with my new toy, I couldn’t help but look in more detail at the stickers, and about the larger implication of what is deemed important to today’s Mom:

* Parties, birthday and otherwise (27 stickers)
* Lunch dates (18 stickers)
* Dinner dates (an additional 18 stickers)
* Haircuts (18 stickers)
* Games (school-related—18 stickers)
* Phone calls (9 stickers)
* Play dates (9 stickers)
* Weekend getaways (9 stickers)

There were 54 total school-related, non-game stickers, including school events, class parties, no school and half-day stickers, open house and field trips. However, I couldn’t help but think, what does this allocation say about the new millennium mom? I don’t begrudge anybody a hair cut, but sadly, the message seems to be that a “busy mom” might be busy because she’s far more consumed with self interests/indulgences than with any higher callings of wife and motherhood. This is echoed in current feminist agendas that look upon the stay-at-home mom with disdain.

I know personally I’d be a lot wealthier if I had a dollar each time someone looked at me and asked something along the lines of, “Do you work at all?” Translation: Is staying at home with your kids all day all you do? What’s even sadder to me is my own emotions as I answer the question. As I continue to grow more comfortable in this relatively new skin, I find that I, somewhat proudly, respond with a detailed list regarding my work history and current income-bearing pursuits (I always state first that we homeschool—hooray for some level of redemption).



I am convinced that as a community of women, we’ve bought—hook, line, and sinker—into a lie that says that something is wrong with a woman whose primary goal in life is to minister to her family. There is even a television show—the 1,000,000th reality show—featuring stay-at-home moms who decide that they want to “see what they’ve missed out on” for a time. I’ve never watched it; having worked “a real job” and then coming home to the “real-est” job I ever had, even the commercial preview bothered me. I would love to ask them, what do you think you missed? Your interests and passions being sucked right out of you with all kinds of organizational policies and politics that have nothing to do with why you’re there in the first place?

I’m thankful that most of these stickers will land in the notebook of a soon-to-be 5-year-old. However, the stickers I used were the ones that are most important—to me and to God. They deal with the uplifting of family, of ministry to them and to others. Every drop of water I pour, every nutritious meal I prepare, matters to Him. May He bless my efforts to serve Him in my own small way.

belindaBelinda Bullard is a wife and homeschooling mother of three, Belinda is an author and the owner of A Blessed Heritage Educational Resources, a literature-based history curriculum featuring African-American presence in history, as well as the contributions of other races to American history. A chemical engineer by formal education, she also serves as adjunct faculty for college distance learning programs.

Tea Party...... Anyone?

Okay WHERE have I been!!!!!!!!!!
I just found out abt this all tonight-WOW!!!!! And yes, I can't help it, there's a huge grin on my face :)


Jim Blazsik
a culture of life, a civilization of love



The Tea Party is Here: Mr. President - We didn’t ask for socialism! Are ‘Hope’ and ‘Change’ Still Tax-Deductible?
2009 March 4
tags: Barack Obama, Manchurian Candidate, Michelle Malkin, Mortgage Plan, Obama, Obamaworld, Rick Santelli, Rush Limbaugh, Tea Party
by Jim Blazsik



Rick Santelli on the Chicago Trading floor. Tea Parties springing up around the country. Rush Limbaugh’s speech at CPAC. All are signs of a good old fashion American protest against tyranny.

When a government uses fear tactics, and closed debate in order to shove legislation down our throats - this is tyranny. When a government saddles our children and grand-children with debt they didn’t ask for and cannot possibly pay - this is tyranny. And when a few decide to “change” our way of life, in order to bring about socialism - this is tyranny!

But the issue really comes down to this: what will you do? Will you just sit back, staring into the abyss of your TV? Will you wait while a few hijack our country - watching your freedoms and your livelihood drain away? Or will you do something?

There is a window of opportunity - there is time before Obama’s road to serfdom is fully in place. We must determine to act now, and make our voices known.

What can we do?

1) Be well informed about the issues, and find news and information sources that you can trust. Hint: it is not the “mainstream” media!

2) Become a news source!

Start a blog, use Myspace, FaceBook, Twitter, etc.to inform your friends of pertinent news and information.

But take it to the next step: ask yourself - what do I really get into? Is it theology, family, politics, social issues, writing, the entertainment industry, music, art, gardening, etc? Become an expert of what you love, and then make it a point to use your expertise and influence in behalf of others.

3) Bring on the heat - contact your elected officials and express your opinion. (That is an experience in itself!)

4) Become involved in the political process.

Run for office, help find good candidates, become part of a political campaign. Changing the House of Representatives in 2010, is the significant first step in protecting our freedoms and our children’s future.

5) Keep up with Tea Party News, attend Tea Party Events, and encourage others to do the same.

May I suggest Michelle Malkin as one of your sources? She has become a focal point in the Tea party Movement, and will keep you informed throughout the day regarding Obama’s road to serfdom.

Here are some other resources:

#TCOT Report
New American Tea Party
Tax Day Tea Party
Re-TeaParty

Please stand up. Make a difference. Start throwing some tea overboard.

My Stinger-Concise and Literal

I got this article today and as I was reading it and clearly Stinger does this with me-particularly with me.
Such things as my weight-which I am already sensitive abt and my snoring are constant topics of his-sometimes I just laugh-other times I get upset with him. He'll just look at me with a face as if to say "what did I do?"
So this article really helped me in understanding these types of situations that I find myself in with him....just got to remember it....enjoy :)


"My son is often rude in the way he talks and we can't get through to him that this is not acceptable. How can we teach him to speak more appropriately?"

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Children with Asperger's Syndrome can be concise and literal in conversation to the point of rudeness. This is a very common problem. Some are able to address the problem, work on appropriate interactions, and improve the situation, but others are not for various reasons, such as an inability to understand that there is a problem, an unwillingness to address the problem, or lack of resources for help.

Humans desperately want and require human bonds, connections, and emotional relationships. If your son cannot learn to form those bonds effectively, that side of his life will remain unfulfilled, a very sad situation indeed.


People with Asperger's often get a reputation for being rude and selfish because the give-and-take of normal conversation is foreign to them. They may be very blunt and abrupt, may dominate, or monopolize the conversation. They do not pick up on social cues that indicate they have said something that upsets others and do not respond appropriately. They often focus on their own fields of interest and have little tolerance for other people's ideas. They may throw screaming tantrums when something goes wrong or they become overwhelmed by a situation. This is not the Aspie's fault, but seriously limits his or her ability to interact with others in positive ways.

Still, many people with Aspergers are kind individuals, if you can get past the potentially annoying behavior and tactless remarks. Unfortunately, a certain "mindblindness" in people with Aspergers contributes to the problem; in your son's world, he is certain that his behaviour is correct, does not accept the fact that there's a problem, and may even have a somewhat arrogant attitude, along with an unwillingness to change. That is why he ignores your advice and attempts to teach him acceptable speech.


Praise may be helpful. Whenever your son responds well in a social situation, praise him (privately) and let him know you are proud of him. If he is old enough, you might sit down with him and ask him how he feels about his social life, his friends (if he has friends), and any problems that he has noticed. As you talk, you may be able to convince him that some changes in his manner of speech would help solve difficulties he is having. Try to give real life and concrete examples, not just ides and theories.

You don't say how old your son is, but these communication difficulties can be improved with help starting at a young age. Children with Aspergers can learn strategies that will help them relate to others appropriately. Social skills are often taught by communication specialists or in social training groups. Consider finding such help for your son. These new skills should include:

• Learning nonverbal behaviours, such as the use of gaze for social interaction,
using appropriate hand gestures, and smiling;
• Interpretation of nonverbal behaviour;
• Processing visual information simultaneously with auditory information;
• Social awareness; and
• Learning verbal behaviours.

We Surround THEM!!!!

Dh and I watched this Tivo'd last night! It was AWESOME!!!!!!
Glenn has it right on!!!!!It was great to see how many people ard the globe had rallied to watch him-united :)Man-It had my eyes tearing up right along side his!
Needless to say Glenn on Fox has been set to record....LOLOLOL






We Surround Them Mosaic

March 13, 2009 - 16:40 ET

The mosaic shows the faces of just some of the thousands of people who understand that our power may be limited as individuals but it’s limitless when we bond together. After all, one picture is just a picture, but thousands of them put together can make a powerful statement.

Thinking Abt Pulling Your Child Out? ---update!

Well It looks like I almost have her convinced!!!!At least to go through K12 :)
WHOOT!!!!!! Another ASD child saved!!!!!!
Man-made my day!!!! :)

Thinking Abt Pulling Your Child Out?

This was received on a list I am a member of. Boy-did it sound VERY familiar. I am posting it as just a reminder to all you parents out there struggling with this same dilemma. We are NOT alone in this!!!! My reply that I sent is also included at the end :)


"i have posted here a few times since i recently became a memeber and i have received lots of help and kind advice here. i am writing now to just see what anyone think about this situation as i am at the end of my rope and am about to pull my son out of school altogether and quit my job.

As i have explained here before, he is 3rd grade, has been in sped since 3 yrs old, has bounced from school to school and classroom to classroom every year and often several time a YEAR - this year he is now on his 2nd school after someone smacked him at his previous one. anyhow, he is PDD NOS, ADHD, Tourette's OCD - he has communicaion problems and emotional issues and is just a lot going on inside. he requires TREMENDOUS work, strategies, constant thinking, lots of work - he is also extremely bright, high IQ yet lots of "behavior" problems - i.e., he expresses his internal problems in a negative way, although he is motivated not to, he cant help it, he doesnt have the SKILLS in his mind to react otherwise.

sometimes the environment can help him, like at home we have little little amounts of behavior problems to none. this is because we are smart people and know what to do, how to talk to him, how to see through behaviors to what is wrong really, how to HELP him through things. we dont exacerbate things for him while at the same time teaching him about personal responsbility, having to listen and the basic things people need to get by in the world. he has but ONE teacher since K who has known AT ALL what to do with him, how to help. ALL TEACHERS SEEM TO KNOW HOW TO DO IS DEMAND, CONTROL AND TALK SO MUCH THAT IT WOULD DRIVE ANYONE CRAZY. yes, sorry, i am at the end of my rope. bottom line is, my child is HARD. not hard for me because i am priveleged enough to understand people like him and what they need. but for the schools, the LOW quality, low intelligence, low standards school employees, he is like presenting quantum physics to an infant - they just dont GET it. And the problem is that by the TIME i get my lawyer and i get a good IEP and i get the school trained in the right things and i get the teacher trained and i get all these high quality, researched based methods and approaches implemented at his school, HE WILL BE 50 YEARS OLD.

so my point is this - i have to forego a FAPE for my son because of the above?!?!?!?! i have to give up on public schooling because not only are they incapable now of helping and educating him, but it would probably take at LEAST the next year to get all the good pieces in place? and i dont have a year to wait?! what is this nonsense? this is beyond between a rock and a hard place, beyond a catch 22 - its like, YES, the things my son needs are out there, they are available by law and the law even states they should be practiced, (IDEA 2004 about high quality progamming) i am willing to do anything i need to in order to get the school to that level qualitatively, YET MY SON CANT HAVE IT IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, IF THAT EVEN?? this discrepancy, this sabotaging of FAPE, this STEALING FAPE from parents is madness.

id appreciate knowing if others see it this way as well, what they have or havent done, if they have given up like i am about to and have been told to by other parents, and what are we going to do for future generations so they can actually have FAPE and not this lie, if we cant do it for ours? i am desperate!"

My reply:

Hi-
First off let me give you some well earned hugs{{HUGS}}
I was right in your place two years ago. My son was in 3rd grade too, had bounced ard schools, had been placed in numerous timeout rooms(boxes). I had gone to FAR too many an IEP meeting, to be completely ignored, belittled, told THIS was their only option, that this was my son's only option. At the time I thought they were right, I trusted them-I thought they had my sons interest. So year after year I watched my son slip behind as their only way of teaching my son was disciplining him.
You sound like you are on the same path that we were on. This path finally crumbled when my son came home with bruises and scratches and I learned later that they had been restraining him without my knowledge or permission.Yes-he was acting this out one day on his sister...sigh.... They also had been dragging him to his timeout box(hence the bruises on his wrists)They had been letting him wet himself in that time out box.He was missing his lunches or they were being delayed. I had enough-I was sooo upset. I couldnt believe the ones who were supposed to be schooled, the ones who were supposed to have a little bit of understanding were abusing my child.
My son was diagnosed at 6 as having Apergers, OCD tendancies, ADHD characteristics,and many anxiety issues.My son had behaior issues while he was in public school. He would run away. Climb up trees and not want to get down. He would hit, he would push he would scratch, he would throw things. The school had me thinking I had a monster. So he was put on meds to try an dcontrol this...but the behaiors still continued. I didnt understand it as none of these behaviors were exhibited at home..
No-its NOT fair. Yes-our children by law are intitled to a FAPE. But I finally realised no amt of advocating, research, or anything I said was going to give this to my son. I took him out that summer and we have never looked back.
This will be our second year homeschooling. He is now in 5th grade. He is doing WONDERFUL. I never have the issues they had at school. His behaviors are close to nill. We have hard days when lessons we are studying take a little more time, but nothing we can not go more slowly with and learn through. Writing is still a challenge-but we work through it slowly and he gets it done. He's going to a social group still. He actually LIKES going now. He used to go straight off the bus from school and they saw the same behaviors as he was displayed at school. Thats was the effect so much stress and anxiety the school was giving him. The social group personnel were astounded at the change in behavior since I have brought him home to be homeschooled. Not a group week goes by when they dont have something GOOD to tell me abt how he did. He's talking now to peers, he's interacting now. The change has been slow, but he has turned complete circle and I couldnt be more proud of my little guy.
This was not what I had invisioned. I was supposed to go back to work when the kids were all in school. So we do without a second pay check. We do without finer things that we could have if I was working. But right now homeschooling my child and making sure he is getting a FAPE is up to me-THIS is my true calling at this time. One that I wouldnt trade for anything. I know hes in a much happier place. He actually gets upset come the weekend when we take a break from schooling-LOLOLOL He ENJOYS learning-and homeschooling makes this possible. He gets the 1:1 that he NEVER got in school. We can branch out and go into depth with subjects that really interest him, that he has a passion abt-History/ Science. At school they woudl tell him to be quite..sigh...He's learning more than he ever learned in a brick and mortar school. He took some placement tests when I took him out as I wanet dto see exactly how much he had been learning. He tested 2 grades below in Language Arts and one grade below in Math. All this and NO notification from the school that he was so far behind....I KNEW I could do better.
Will he ever go back? I honestly dont know. I have HUGE trust issues now with the Public Schools regarding their treatment of him-and I dont think it can ever be resolved-at least in my mind and heart. Not a day goes by that I dont wish I had pulled himout sooner-that we had started this wonderful journey sooner. That I had found out alot sooner what was really going on-why his behaviors were so out of control at school. Why had I trusted the schools to do the right thing?
I dont look at it as giving up-I look at it as doing what is best for my child. I could no longer stand by and let things keep going on as they were-it seamed to be getting worse and what was worse than what was already happening? No-Its not any better for the kids who are still stuck in that school. I pray for them night and day- that their parents will see the light and the damage that is being done to their precious children. But I could no longer keep fighting and sacrificing my childs safety in the process. I had to make a decision and my sons safety had to come first.
I know branching out on your own can be scary-It was for me as well. But there are TUNZ of resources, online help/ groups, homeschool co-ops and support out there. We dont feel alone anymore. We feel supported and encouraged.
Taking him out was hard-I felt like I was loosing a security blanket that I needed. I sooo did not need it!!!LOLOL Sounds silly, but thats how I felt at the time. But I took the leap and I have never looked back on that decision :)It has been the best decision I have EVER made for my son.
You can do this{{HUGS}}You CAN do this{{HUGS}}

"Sizzle Life" article

Wow! This was a great find this morning-totally reminding me of things I fall to short on ...frequently....... and need to be reminded of....frequently....LOLOLOL
Anyway-LOVED it!!!!



We received a letter from a mom who finds herself calling out her child's name frequently....VERY frequently, and she's wondering about how to break the cycle. Take a look.

My poor eHere are a couple of thoughts in response.

CORRECTION, BY ANY OTHER NAME, WOULD SMELL AS SWEET
He may hear "Calm down Jason" so much that it has become like wall paper, just fading into the background, no longer even penetrating his brain. So are there other ways to say the same thing? What if there were code words created between you that shared the same meaning?
Instead of "Calm Down Jason", what if he heard

• The Cavalry's Coming...or
• The wind is picking up...or
• Threat level....now at orange" or...my favorite pick
• Mommy will soon need her medication

Doing this keep things light and fun, but also, when our in public, it doesn't make it so obvious that he's being corrected.

CHOOSE YOUR MOMENTS OF CALM
I know that we have to keep these kids a bit more tightly reined in because if they cross a line of excitability, anything can happen. And it usually does. So we try to keep them on a calmer plane, not just because it is more pleasant for us, but because it is better, and safer for them (and often, others as well). All that said, it would still be worth asking yourself WHY you are asking him to be calm. If it is necessary in order for him to do the work at hand or for protection against possible repercussions, then by all means, direct him to be calm. But if possible, there may be times when it's worth allowing him NOT to be still and calm. . If the pencil tapping is allowing him to vent that pent up energy (think perpetually stretched rubberband again) in a non-destructive way, then try letting it pass.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN FORM OF FIDGET
These kids move a lot. Not because they just like to, but because they need to. Not only does it vent off excess energy, it's part of HOW they process information. If you ask them to learn AND be perfectly still, you would never achieve success. They cannot process without movement of some sort. Owning the fact that they need to move is essential. But THEN, choosing HOW they move will greatly improve your world. If you leave it up to them to choose the movement, they'll end up doing something really annoying or even destructive. More than once my daughter has mindlessly dug holes into the wood of her desk or the table with whatever instrument is handy. (I won't be investing in good furniture till she's a junior in college). So you must choose the motion.

So....what should you choose for them to do?

GREAT QUESTION! So great in fact, that I've decided to forego discussing it here, and instead, to go into in depth over the next two weeks, sharing new ideas and revisiting old ones on how to put motion into learning. There's just too much to put into one email. As for now, consider this a little advertisement. :-)

Lastly...

BALANCE OUT THE REPRIMANDS
These children really DO require more corrections than other children. They are constantly failing to notice things that are essential to their work, or their activities, sometimes even their survival. "Son, can we now agree that trying to shimmy down the laundry chute is a bad idea?" Other children need correction too, but at a seemingly lessened rate. Why is this? Well, for one thing, Sizzlers have a greater volume of activities. If a typical child, does 10 things an hour, only one of which requires correction, you can assume that your Sizzler, will need correction 10 times in that same hour. But this is because Buzz has done 100 thing to Charity's 10. The volume of activity is simply greater. Thus, even at the same rate of infraction, they will still need far more correction.

BUT also, let's be honest here. Sizzlers not only do more things, they do more risky things, things that other kids wouldn't even consider. We will never find Charity on the roof. Nor will Peace roll the baby down the hall because she wanted to follow your clear instruction NOT to carry the baby anywhere.

All that being said, you WILL find yourself calling out the name of this child more frequently. It cannot be completely avoided. But what you can do is make a point of also calling out his name in praise, in encouragement, and in support. It will take an effort, because you are already tired from the corrections. But the effort is essential if he is to maintain the self-confidence to continue trying.

How many times can you hear your name called out in correction before you come to believe you're defective?
Imagine that at every staff meeting at your work or every committee meeting you ever attended, you heard your work corrected at 10 times the rate of others.
-- How long would your confidence remain?
-- How long before you would feel your contribution wasn't worth it?
-- How long before you'd just quit trying?

Acknowledge the real struggles your child faces. Show compassion toward the frustration. And then remind him of the good side to that intensity, the positive result that can be produced from so much energy, the vast number of inventions that emerged from minds that think outside of the box, and the delight in not being dull, typical or usual. Lastly, regularly remind your child that God always has a plan for good, amazing plans that we would never have predicted. Given any combination of things that WE would consider to be lost causes, God can take and make something breathtakingly beautiful. We are his palate of artistic expression.

Carol Barnier
From your friends at Sizzle Bop!

This is from Lisa Jo Rudy-I think she's her in Salt Lake and writes for the Homeschool Examiner
She has been through it all, walked where I have walked, and I really relate to her :)

Homeschooling your child with autism: yes, you can!

February 19, 11:21 PM · Add a Comment

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Parents of kids with autism are veteran do-it-yourselfers. From the moment their child seems even slightly "off," autism parents dive head first into research. It's parents who push for a diagnosis. Parents who choose therapies. Parents who - as often as not - learn new skills in order to provide 1:1 therapy for their own children.

Some autism parents take on the entire therapeutic program. They build their own occupational therapy rooms, hire consultant/teachers to bring them up to speed, and spend hours a day actually providing their child's therapy.

When their kids are ready for school, these same parents spend unending hours researching special education law. They hire advocates and learn from them. They come to school IEP meetings armed with reams of paperwork. They may even take on the job of training 1:1 aides, teachers or therapists in techniques they believe are best for their kids.

When things start to go wrong in school, autism parents don't shrink from the tough battles.

Yet so very often, when someone asks "would you consider homeschooling your child?," autism parents shake their heads. "No way," they say. "I could never handle that!"

From the trenches, having gone both routes, I have a message to autism parents for whom the school battles are becoming a little too much. The truth is - after all you've done, learned, and managed - homeschooling is a walk in the park! The work you've done in learning about your child, his needs, his learning style and his rights is already complete. Now comes the fun part: exploring the world together!

More About: homeschool autism · Homeschooling Parents · autism and public school

Go to Lisa Jo's Page

Our Airport Fieldtrip and this and that

Well today was super fun! :)
Stinger and I left early this morning to go to Logan with our homeschool group. We got to see alot of interesting things. Stinger was all smiles today and was having such a good time.
The weather didnt really work out-we ended up getting a bit of a snow storm, but it was still a nice time and of course Stinger didnt seam to mind the weather one bit-LOLOLOL.
There were some silulators there too with some students being taught in them. Stinger REALLY liked that -it was like so many of his flying games he likes to play on the computer. Everyone was getting ready to leave and there was Stinger glued to the simulators wanting to see them land...LOLOLOL I guess they have a 4 year program there and many students from USU go there to get their flying hours. The whole program costs abt $45,000 and thats not counting the classes you'd have to take at University. I had NO idea it was so costly to go through a pilot program. Seams the best deal would be to join the military* no bias here;)* and get all your hours and training through them, then go out and get a job if you wanted to go to someplace like Delta etc.
But anywqay we went and saw all the different planes and got to see them taking apart and working on some.
Then we stopped off at the Cheese Factory and got some cheese curd and followed up with a trip to McD's. Stinger was pleased :)
It was alot of fun just having a day with him though-he hugged me when we got home and said "Today was sweet Mom!"
That boy can sure melt my heart !!!

Tonight we just got done watching "Australia" with Nichole Kidman-GOOD movie!!!!!!!REALLY good!!!!
We are fixin to watch "Mirrors", S-C-A-R-Y! now that the kiddoes are in bed-should be really good too....but a WAY different kinda good! LOLOLOL The kind of good only when dh is home-LOLOLOL I'm such a wuss......
Tomorrow we are going to Logan again-looking for some pants for Dh's work-ones that wont fall part like his jeans do. So we will be going to the Mall-WHOOT!!!! SHOPPING! Flamingo and I will have a ball! ;)We are also going to try out a new restaurant called Firehouse Pizza. Should be alot of fun----and loaded with calories day.......! :( ;)LOLOLOL

The Flying Aggies :)

College and the Homeschooled Kid....

Okay-I know w eare not near thsi point for a long while-but mainly posted thsi in case anyone else was interested and for me to keep and look into.....
This is from Michelle Bartlettes overview on college admissions class she was teaching this week..

Michelle shared her experiences regarding how she enrolled her two homeschooled teens at USU. These homeschoolers (ages 16 & 15) not only were approved for admission, but also received four-year scholarships too. We were all very impressed.


High School/College Credits

• When our kids are middle school or high school age, we should begin looking into Concurrent Enrollment and/or Advanced Placement Classes. These are classes offered at high schools that allow your child to earn "accredited high school classes" for their transcript, but also allow them to count towards their college degree.
• I am still a little murky on the difference between the two programs, but from what I understand Concurrent Enrollment requires your child attending high school classes to receive the credit, while an AP class gives you the option of attending the class or just showing up to take the exam. I believe that with an AP class you must pass the test to get the credit, while the concurrent enrollment might just require the attendance.
• Advanced Placement - Cache Valley
  http://www.ccsdut.org/departments.cfm?subpage=501
  Listing of AP classes offered at local high schools.
• Concurrent Enrollment - Cache Valley
  http://www.ccsdut.org/departments.cfm?subpage=500
  Listing of Concurrent Enrollment classes offered at local high schools.
  

ACT/SAT

• Your child will need to do either the ACT or the SAT entrance exams. USU seems to prefer the ACT.
• Good study source is "English From the Roots Up" (available from many homeschooling booksellers).
• Michelle's advice was to buy (or check out from the library) ACT study guides to help your child prepare for the test. Many come with an interactive cd.
• You can sign up to do the regular ACT or the "residual" ACT. The residual ACT is done at USU (instead of a high school) and is graded immediately. The bonus is that you get your scores so much quicker (which can take several weeks the regular route). The drawback of doing the residual is that it is ONLY good at the school you take the test at. However, if you know that you only want your kids to enroll at a particular school... this is not an issue. For Michelle, since her children were still young, she only wanted them to attend a local university.
• Important to know is that if do the ACT several times - they will take the best score from your best score of your first three tests. (Therefore, if you blow it on the first 3 tries... but do awesome on the 4th... that score won't count.)
• ACT "Residual Testing"
  http://www.act.org/aap/infosys/residual.html
  Information on how the "Residual Testing" process works.
  

Preparing Admissions Paperwork

• The paperwork Michelle submitted to USU, along with the application, included: a high school transcript; portfolio (resume, list of leadership abilities, community service experience, & college entrance essay); and letters of recommendation.
• Michelle's high school transcript her children had done at home PLUS any concurrent classes they had participated at the local high school. For a "school name", Michelle used the name their family has always used to call themselves.
• Michelle's transcripts were organized by grade. She then listed the name of the class, a letter grade (ex. A, A-, etc.) and then credit hrs for each class.
• Michelle stressed that it is never too early to begin thinking about what to include in your child's portfolio. Every contest they win, award they earn, co-op they participate in, etc. should be written down or saved in a folder... to be added in when you need it.
• Michelle also urged us to keep out an eye out for opportunities our children can participate in that will look good on the resume (ex. City Youth Council, Photography or Writing contests, 4H wins, etc.)

Scholarships

• When you submit your child's application to USU they are also evaluated for any scholarships for which they qualify.
• If you apply earlier (November instead of January) your have more change of obtaining scholarships.
• If you don't get a scholarship when you apply, check to see if there are any department specific scholarships you qualify for.
• Check with your local high school to see if they have any information about scholarships you can apply for. (Ex. Mountain Crest puts out a booklet called "Mountain Crest High School - Post HS Education Planning Handbook)
• You can research national scholarships online at: http://www.fastweb.com/

Some other websites worth checking out:

High School Graduation Requirements - Cache Valley
http://www.ccsdut.org/departments.cfm?subpage=2288
This is useful for signing up for AP or Concurrent Enrollment classes... OR for creating high school transcripts for your child.

Utah Electronic High School
http://www.schools.utah.gov/ehs/faq.htm
They offer FREE online classes to homeschoolers in UT. The classes are accredited classes that can be used on your child's high school transcript. Students are responsible for paying the costs of any text books needs (and possibly, the cost of the final exam).

Utah E-Learning Connection (formerly UT Electronic College)
http://www.uec.org/index.html
This is NOT a free service because it is college level correspondence online classes with 10 different UT colleges/universities (including USU). They do allow "high schoolers" to enroll and take classes and consider it "concurrent registration", which I assume counts as both high school and college credit.

Early College (UT Gov't Website)
http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/Early_College/AP.htm
Good website for getting information about Advanced Placement (AP) Classes, Concurrent Classes, & Scholarships available for college.

USU's Admission Policy for Homeschooled Students
http://www.usu.edu/admissions/information/home.cfm
Here's what the basic admission policies are for homeschoolers.

The Educational Prison Cell - Autism and Seclusion Rooms

Wow-If this doesnt make you stop and think.....sad...so sad and yet soooo true......


The Educational Prison Cell - Autism and Seclusion Rooms

December 18, 2008 by Steve
Filed under Autism, Daily Fix, Education & Schools, IEP

Here's the facts.

There are a lot more children with Autism and related learning
challenges in the public school these days than ever before. Schools
are doing a terrible job training teachers how to handle - much less
educate - these children and the result is these children are getting
abused.

They are being abused physically.

They are being abused emotionally.

They are being abused mentally.

They are being abused intellectually.

Am I saying that teachers and administrators at schools are purposely
abusing these children - yes, that's precisely what I'm saying.
Teachers and administrators, because THEY don't understand and because
THEY don't know what to do, are doing things and creating environments
for children with special needs that they would find abhorrent if they
used them on other children in the school. However, because they are
the special ed kids and the troubled kids and the problem kids it's
justified and excused until it's finally accepted. Oh yeah, it's also
usually hidden from the parents too until something bad happens or
there's enough physical trauma that it comes to light.

The saddest part is that if schools did a better job with many of
these children when they were younger they would find that many of
these children wouldn't be as frustrated, aggressive and
confrontational when they get older.

While I can think of no other description besides abusive to describe
what is happening to many children in the school today (right now even
as you are reading this) that doesn't mean that they're necessarily
being abusive on purpose. If they're not doing it on purpose that
what could their reasoning be?

* Ignorance - they don't understand the children, their needs, the
reason for their behavior or how to react to it
* Apathy - these kids cause problems so frequently for them that
they eventually reach a point where they care more about getting the
kids out of their hair then they do about what happens to them
* "Special Ed" Syndrome - they're special ed kids so they really
don't even understand what's going on anyway and besides their long
term potential isn't as important or promising as the "regular" kids
* "It's the system" - it can't be wrong if it's the way things
have always been done …. can it?

School "seclusion room" with cord used by a student to hang himself.
Does this room look like a school or a cell?

The story highlighted here of Jonathon King is a more extreme case …..
but only because he ultimately hung himself. With schools across the
country using these "seclusion rooms" with no oversight, no guidelines
and with untrained, uneducated people supervising them how many other
extreme cases are occurring but not being reported. If Johnathon
hadn't had the cord to hang himself in the room would his case have
been less abusive?

To me the answer is clearly no …. it's still abusive, we just wouldn't
know about it. How about these other cases highlighted in the story:

• A Tennessee mother alleged in a federal suit against the Learn
Center in Clinton that her 51-pound 9-year-old autistic son was
bruised when school instructors used their body weight on his legs and
torso to hold him down before putting him in a "quiet room" for four
hours. Principal Gary Houck of the Learn Center, which serves disabled
children, said lawyers have advised him not to discuss the case.

A nine year old locked in a room by himself for four hours? Abusive or
reasonable?

• Eight-year-old Isabel Loeffler, who has autism, was held down by
her teachers and confined in a storage closet where she pulled out her
hair and wet her pants at her Dallas County, Iowa, elementary school.
Last year, a judge found that the school had violated the girl's
rights. "What we're talking about is trauma," said her father, Doug
Loeffler. "She spent hours in wet clothes, crying to be let out."
Waukee school district attorney Matt Novak told CNN that the school
has denied any wrongdoing.

Locked in a closet for hours for pulling her hair and wetting her
pants. Abusive or reasonable? A child who needs help or punishment?

• A mentally retarded 14-year-old in Killeen, Texas, died from his
teachers pressing on his chest in an effort to restrain him in 2001.
Texas passed a law to limit both restraint and seclusion in schools
because the two methods are often used together.

Pressing so hard on a child's chest that you kill. Accident or abuse
of power?

Other interesting quotes from the story ….

"Teachers aren't trained to handle that," said Dr. Roger
Pierangelo, executive director of the National Association of Special
Education Teachers.

"When you have an out-of-control student threatening your class —
it's not right and it can be very damaging — but seclusion is used as
a `quick fix' in many cases."

It can also screw them up for life and lead them to commit suicide,
become more abusive and more dangerous. Maybe, we should look for the
right fixes instead of just the quick ones.

Former Rhode Island special education superintendent Leslie Ryan
told CNN that she thought she was helping a disabled fifth-grader by
keeping him in a "chill room" in the basement of a public elementary
school that was later deemed a fire hazard.

"All I know is I tried to help this boy, and I had very few
options," Ryan said. After the public learned of the room, she
resigned from her post with the department but remains with the school.

You lock a child in the basement of the school …. and you thought you
were "helping him"? If that's the attitude of the STATE SPECIAL
EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT God help the parents and kids in RI. Maybe
she truly felt that she had few options but here's one that I can
think of …. don't lock kids (any kids) in the school basement.

Michigan requires that a child held in seclusion have constant
supervision from an instructor trained specifically in special
education, and that confinement not exceed 15 minutes.

When a child needs help you help them, you don't punish them.

I wonder how many of these same school officials and teachers, if they
heard about the parent doing this to the child at home, would have
called social services on the parents for abuse?

Funny enough this story comes out at the same time these stories are
hitting ….

* Education Week: Parents of Children With Autism Pessimistic,
Survey Says
* Autism study finds parent are pessimistic — chicagotribune.com
* Autism Strains Families' Pocketbooks, Emotions - On Parenting
(usnews.com)
http://mygreatkid.com/?p=529