Showing posts with label AUTISM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AUTISM. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Angel Ribbon Ornament DIY




Sparkly Ribbon Angel Ornament Tutorial




Click on the arrow on the left hand side of the screen to play.
If the screen is completely black, just refresh your page and it should pop up. To view my videos on YouTube, please go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/OneVeryHappyBird 

angel made with wired ribbon & jingle bell.


happybirdscraftinghaven.com

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Temple Grandin's Brain Scan Asperger's

Accepted and Loved

Accept Autism

Thank You Please and Aspergers - Autism

MANNERS MATTER

Question:
*Is lack of gratefulness part of Aspergers? This has been an ongoing struggle. MOST think our son is just rude. *


OUR son never say thank you or  please  etc. on his own.  BUT we REMIND him GENTLY  "say please",  "say thank you".   He needs extra help and we step-up as his parents and give that help readily. WE make this negative a positive for him and us as well.

Time To Laugh

Monday, July 29, 2013

Autism Characteristics for OUR son

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTISM FOR OUR SON
Susceptibility to distraction 
Difficulty in expressing emotions and when he offers a hug or kiss  WE take  it  immediately.....we will stop ANYTHING, including the vehicle (safely) for a hug or kiss.
 
Depression

Generalized confusion during periods of stress anything or nothing can cause stress 
Perfectionis
m for every task
Excessive question
s

Sleep difficulties 
Difficulty understanding organizing and sequence 
Unable to accept criticism or correction 
Bluntness is emotional expression

Difficulty in forming friendship with children his age; difficulty in distinguishing between acquaintance and friendship
Rigid adherence to rules and social conventions where flexibility is needed

Difficulty with unstructured
time
Difficulty in judging distances, height, depth
Gross and fine motor coordination problems
Expressing anger is
excessive and uncontrollable
Difficulty in maintaining eye contact
Anxiety in social settings 
Stims (self-stimulatory behavior serving to reduce anxiety, stress or expressing plea
sure) we call it his happy dances
Excellent rote memory
Excellent visual memory
Excessive word repetition and can be repeats what you've just said
Highly
gifted in one or more areas (e.g., science & reading)Strong sensitivity to sound of any kind, taste, sight and smell (e.g. fabric texture, texture of foods, blinking lights etc)
Independent, unique thinking Speech and language hyperlexia
Loves learning and gathering information to point of obsession

Strong food preferences and aversions
Impulsiveness
Distractions happen due to focus on external or internal sensations, thoughts, and/or sensory input

Difficulty understanding organizing and sequence
Unable to seek comfort

Unwilling to stay on task that doesn't draw his attention or his own learning
needs
Schedules must be set and NOT changed in any way
Something as simple as a sudden rain storm during an outing can cause a meltdown or stimming 
Low understanding of reciprocal rules of conversation: interrupting, dominating, minimum participation, difficult in shifting topics, problem w/ initiating or terminating conversation,subject preservation  

Sunday, April 7, 2013

BIG RED SAFETY TOOLKIT LINK AUTISM







http://www.awaare.org/safetymaterials.htm

GREAT SITE for help in SAFETY MATERIAL ideas for Autism.....

check it out.

Blessings onto you and yours! Virginia
Autism Journal 2012

Well, all good things come to an end.  The Psych we were taking our son too decided he's against High functioning Autism children & Aspergers being under the umbrella of ASD. Needless to say we have parted ways. Or, in our son's own words, "Daddy fire him".  We are now pretty much on our own. We do have a primary care physicians assistant that our little boy does trust and that's a huge help.

We are still homeschooling. We use Jumpstart*https://www.jumpstart.com/  (our son's favorite); http://www.playkidsgames.com/;   http://mrnussbaum.com/;  http://www.kidsastronomy.com/ ;  http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/;  and so many more.

http://www.awaare.org/safetymaterials.htm
I encourage ALL parents with child of Autism & Aspergers to go to the above page for directions to this safety kit!  I was blessed to receive one in the mail (a medical doctor requested it) BUT they are no longer available. I have made a kit since then and it's easy!

Our son still has no children friends. The boys tease him without mercy and the girls are getting into more girly things at age 8 years.  He pretty much spends his time with his cocker-hound (his companion  dog). They are best friends and Miss Bear doesn't tease him or made rude comments on his pajama type pants (he can't zip or button).

He uses his huge trampoline daily, weather permitting. He has a small one indoors for weather days. We can see an improvement his his speaking when he has bounced each day.

He's trying to learn to tie his shoes. We have purchased books that actually are for children to show him how. We don't push anything on him, it's all gradual and at his own speed.

Blessings onto you and yours! April 2012 Virginia Williams

****I transferred this from my original blog (now closed).



Autism 2011


SO, we were with an online virtual school.......not anymore......they are just being so difficult. My son has Autism & an IEP. I requested, he be given service of physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavior therapy, speech therapy. They decided, unless my son is willing to sit in front of the computer and listen to a pre-recorded therapy, we won't be getting services. My son has severe sensory issues. He wears headset (sound zero) and turns off the volume, now how is this virtual therapy going to help? So, we are being "dropped" for NOT working with them! OH KARMA, please do your work NOW !  BUT, I did find a group of Moms with children of Autism. My "coach"  is she just wonderful. After I got her email, I just cried. Then I talked to her on the phone. When I hung-up I cried.......I finally have a "helper". Someone to listen, someone to share with. Someone to give me advice in what she has done over the years with her son.  Wow, so far, I can see how all her experience will help make a difference in my sons life. That and I spent a week on the phone finding a psych that will follow my sons medications for Autism, allergy and asthma. He's a whole package and all the med's don't work together! Thus, this wonderful program at a Childrens' Hospital.  So, in September, we will be starting a brand new program to this hospital and I for one, am celebrating the Lord's blessing in our life for this brand new program. All things are possible in the Lord. He gives us all we have and is there to help us, through everything.  This virtual school may have slammed the door in our face, BUT, the LORD, opened a much larger and more experienced door and we are at the gates with our "ticket" in hand!

SO with my "coach" advice, I started of thinking of ways to work with my sons sensory issues. I opened a cantaloupe......he scooped out the seeds and then pulled each seed from the pulp......took him severally hours. I was very messy and he had a blast! Something so simple and so rewarding for him. The next day I opened a squash. It was less messy but he totally enjoyed the many hours of pulling the seeds from the pulp.

And going from blog to blog I have found activities that I will post here, for my little boy to have fun, get messy and play.

May the LORD bless each of you with what you need. May he be there at your side on this journey, until HE comes again! Blessings ~ Virginia April 2011

I transferred this from my original blog (it's now closed).

Autism 2013

April is Autism Awareness Month. For this family we are aware of Autism yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly, per second.  It's also my son's birthday month month. I make him homemade cupcakes --- he has anaphylactic shock from eggs.  I use applesauce or plain gelatin in place of eggs. This birthday was like most. My son wants cupcakes that aren't "BROKEN".  When he peels off the cupcake wrapper, if one tiny piece of  cupcake comes off, "it's broken".  Sad eyes full of tears and a meltdown follows. Sadly, this happens each birthday. But the next day he will start eating a "broken cake", because if not they go directly to the garbage. This year he wanted mango-pineapple frosting. He loved it and so the "broken cakes" could be covered with frosting!  Where there's a will there's a Mommy trying to figure out the "fix".

Our little boy  has  "chocolate skin", his words not ours. He melts down if anyone says "black".  "Don't you know your colors, can't you see, are you blind, I am chocolate."  He has even put up a milk chocolate bar next to his skin to show those BOLD enough to make this horrible mistake. We have talked until we were blue in the face trying to explain skin color is NOT important, to our son. BUT until the masses of the world STOP commenting on his skin color, he will lash out verbally to educate anyone that can hear --- he's chocolate!

Going shopping for clothes is nothing short of a NIGHTMARE. First it can't be crowded. If anyone touches him, rubs up against him by accident they get a mouthful of Autism! "Don't touch me, YOU KNOW TOUCH me". Never is it intentional, it's always someone walking by or also looking at clothes. WHOA be to ye that touch this little boy, accident or not!  My little boys favorite colors are Orange, Brown, Green. NO exceptions. It's actually my fault. His bed frame wood - brown (actually lightly stained pine, but he sees it as brown). His walls were painted a light green for a calming effect (we were told by an expert). His sheets were bright orange (for color). And so, as he grew everything had to be these three colors --- and no more are included by my son. While shopping this month he found camouflage pants. He loves camouflage anything. Shoes, jacket, coat, pants, shirts.  I sadly called them "cammy". He had a huge meltdown. NEVER mind that I was in the military and when I was, our units called them "cammy". It's camouflage not cammy or camo and he will NOT make any exceptions.

We have an older daughter. She's married and living in another state. It's becoming more difficult to make our son understand we can't just pile into the SUV and go see his Sissy.  In a very loud voice (like it's going to make a difference) -- "I go see my Sissy NOW".  No map on or off the internet seems to sink into his brain, just how far away his Sissy now lives. Very heartbreaking actually. He tolerates his brother-in-law, since "he took my Sissy". Oh my, it's such a difficult thing for my little boy.

He became so angry, while my husband was rushing me to the ER when I was violently ill. My husband was asked to leave the ER room where I was and escorted to the waiting room. The meltdown continued so an ER Doctor suggested my husband take our son home where he felt more safe. When my hubby and little boy came back to see me in my hospital room, the RN's insisted they leave and not return since my little boy's meltdowns couldn't stop  at the hospital either. It was a very long 3 1/2 days in the hospital for me and our little family.

He's now nine years old. He's bold only when he thinks it matters. Things that matter to him just seem so unimportant to the masses. He loves Care Bears*, My Little Pony* and Spiderman*.  He laughs when someone falls or is hurt.  Life can be very difficult especially when medications don't seem to work on a regular basis. Our lives are a challenge. We only pray, hope we can care for our son in a way that will help him become more independent and intelligent as he ages. We love him, we cherish him. We now know why Heavenly Father didn't bless us with more children (we married later in life).

He is OUR son, our pride our joy or passion. He has Autism. Blessings onto you and yours. 2013 April