This afternoon, Louis and I were out the front. He was playing in a garden bed with his electric toothbrush (don't ask). I was cutting back the lavender.
A man ran past, out for a jog. A man wearing flourescent orange, lycra bike shorts and t-shirt. Worn, with flourescent orange shoes. I shit you not! I was literally open -mouthed stunned. To make matters worse, he was absolutely emaciated. He looked like a baggy-arsed, radioactive, carrot stick.
Louis: 'Wow, Mummy!"
Me: "No kidding honey" still staring at the man.
Louis: "He has a windscreen wiper on the back!"
Me: Huh! Wha? Turn to look at Louis.
Louis was looking at a station wagon driving up the street. It had a rear windscreen wiper. He simply did NOT see carrot man at all! Just goes to show how low down the totem pole humans are, no matter how colourful!
Thursday 31 March 2011
Sad day.
This is Black. Black is Louis' cat. He isn't black in colour. He is shades of grey and white. Louis wanted a black cat and so his cat is Black. Or as he pronounces it "Bwack".
We got Louis a cat because he was very attached to my old 16 year old moggy that was dying of cancer. It worked, as in Louis loves playing string games and running around with Black.
Black plays with the dogs. He is a real, wild cat. But oh so affectionate, loving and funny. Being a rescue cat, he wasn't taught how to cuddle and be sooky. He loved to have rubs but would nibble the tips of your fingers when it all got too much.
Black was hit by a car yesterday.
Today, I have to write a social story to explain to Louis that his cat is dead.
He was only 18 months old but so much a part of the family.
We love you little Black. Rest in peace.
Oh, by the way, the 16 year old cat with cancer......now 17 years old with cancer. Irony huh.
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Activate Windscreen wipers.
A fabulous combination of two favourite obsessions. Windscreen wipers and the Octonauts. He is also making one of his new noises.
Wow! In this picture I can really see how big his head is compared with his body. Seriously! Does that look weird to anyone else?
Had a pain in the butt day. Had to wait for hours and then shelled out a fortune for a new car battery to be delivered and installed. Anyway, must finish cooking dinner.
Louis is already eating his gourmet repast of three carrot circles, one plain piece of bread and a yoghurt. Yummo!
Monday 28 March 2011
Two cool things.
Speaking of odd......I mean.... aren't we? Louis keeps referring to his "radio" if he doesn't want to do something. His radio is the palm of his left hand. He pokes at it with his index finger of his left hand, as if using a phone. Interactions now work like this.... Me: Louis, time for bath. Louis: Hmmmm, hang on...beep beep beep. Oh, my radio says no bath. Me: My radio is the boss of your radio kiddo, get in the bath. Etc, etc. I think this is really clever (and not to mention IMAGINARY PLAY!!!!) He knows he gets nowhere by arguing and whining and so he has introduced his radio as a intermediary to discussions. I like it. Sometimes, I let the radio win. I only pray he isn't actually hallucinating a radio! Given our gene pool is not exactly a hotbed of mental health, it is always a worry! Another most excellent occurence from the weekend. I came in from hanging out the washing (no, that isn't most excellent) and I found Louis drawing scribbles on a piece of paper, nearly in tears. When he saw me, he grabbed me and said "I couldn't find you! So I drew a map". Brilliant no?
Sunday 27 March 2011
Stairway to heaven
Louis does this weirdass high pitched keening noise a lot. I don't even hear it most of the time anymore. I only just realised today though, that NT kids don't do this. Strange creatures.
Husband has taken Louis out on their usual weekend excursion. They catch the 'yellow bus' to a coffee shop and have a milkshake. Meanwhile, I get to study or clean (fun never stops!!). The coffee shop is in a shopping centre, but can be accessed with minimal shopping centre exposure for Louis. The appeal is, that it is situated on the top floor and has ceiling to floor windows, providing an uninterrupted view of the train station and bus stop. It is a big hit with my boy.
Anyway, today husband rang me to tell me that Louis hadn't said a word the entire trip, just the endless happy keening noise until he was riding the stairs up to the coffee shop. Apparently, he sighed contentedly "Oh, what a beautiful escalator!".
Autism checklist- item #3749....TICK.
Husband has taken Louis out on their usual weekend excursion. They catch the 'yellow bus' to a coffee shop and have a milkshake. Meanwhile, I get to study or clean (fun never stops!!). The coffee shop is in a shopping centre, but can be accessed with minimal shopping centre exposure for Louis. The appeal is, that it is situated on the top floor and has ceiling to floor windows, providing an uninterrupted view of the train station and bus stop. It is a big hit with my boy.
Anyway, today husband rang me to tell me that Louis hadn't said a word the entire trip, just the endless happy keening noise until he was riding the stairs up to the coffee shop. Apparently, he sighed contentedly "Oh, what a beautiful escalator!".
Autism checklist- item #3749....TICK.
Friday 25 March 2011
Goodnight sweet prince
If there is one thing that I really struggle with, it is sleep deprivation.
There has only been a handful of nights in Louis' life that has slept right through.
He has dreadful nightmares. Well, he wakes screaming and in distress and if I can calm him down enough to talk about it, the nightmares are usually about someone touching his stuff, or the fact that he saw a rooster on the letterbox. Pretty innocuous stuff, but don't tell that to the Lou man. So nightmares suck, because they wake him up and then it is awfully hard to get him back to sleep.
He also just wakes up. As in, who cares if it is 1am....it's play time!! These are the killers. Usually, these wakeups last for a few hours. The worst has been 10 pm to 7am. These decreased when the paediatrician took him off all vitamins. Even took him off formula because of the vitamins in it. He is seriously sensitive to vitamin B and it affects his ability to get back to sleep once he is awake. So we get a bit more sleep and check his blood levels to ensure he isn't suffering malnutrition (thanks to his AWESOME diet!).
We tried melatonin syrup. Yeah, worked like a few shots of vodka when it came to getting him to sleep but had no success in keeping him asleep. Getting Louis to sleep initially has never been too much of a problem, thanks to a bedtime routine run with military precision. Also, the melatonin caused MORE nightmares. So in the end we gave it up.
We have tried homoeopathics, weighted blankets, lights on, lights off, changed diet, massage, block out curtains, white noise machines and probably a million other things. I remember when he was about 3 and I was so desperate to sleep that I found myself looking up feng shui ideas to get the room in a sleepy arrangement. Nothing has worked.
Louis has seizure activity that has showed up on a sleep EEG. It occurs when he goes to sleep. We go back to the neurologist this month. No-one but me seems particularly concerned about it. According to the neurologist, most autistic kids have epileptiform acitivity on EEGs. However, he reviewed the EEG and decided that he needs to see Louis again. We will see where this goes in April.
As of this week, we can add night terrors to the mix. Oh what merry hell is this? For fuck's sake, is anything more freaky than a night terror? He is out of control screaming and freaking out. Can't console him like I usually can with a nightmare. He is sweaty and slippery and trying to rip his clothes off. Then he calms down and goes back to sleep. Meanwhile, I feel like I have tried to calm an electric eel on PCP. By the time my heart stops hammering it's way through my chest and I get back to sleep, Louis wakes up for party time.
My eyes are ringed like a panda and have bags like the scrotum of a meer cat.
How much longer is this going to go on for?
There has only been a handful of nights in Louis' life that has slept right through.
He has dreadful nightmares. Well, he wakes screaming and in distress and if I can calm him down enough to talk about it, the nightmares are usually about someone touching his stuff, or the fact that he saw a rooster on the letterbox. Pretty innocuous stuff, but don't tell that to the Lou man. So nightmares suck, because they wake him up and then it is awfully hard to get him back to sleep.
He also just wakes up. As in, who cares if it is 1am....it's play time!! These are the killers. Usually, these wakeups last for a few hours. The worst has been 10 pm to 7am. These decreased when the paediatrician took him off all vitamins. Even took him off formula because of the vitamins in it. He is seriously sensitive to vitamin B and it affects his ability to get back to sleep once he is awake. So we get a bit more sleep and check his blood levels to ensure he isn't suffering malnutrition (thanks to his AWESOME diet!).
We tried melatonin syrup. Yeah, worked like a few shots of vodka when it came to getting him to sleep but had no success in keeping him asleep. Getting Louis to sleep initially has never been too much of a problem, thanks to a bedtime routine run with military precision. Also, the melatonin caused MORE nightmares. So in the end we gave it up.
We have tried homoeopathics, weighted blankets, lights on, lights off, changed diet, massage, block out curtains, white noise machines and probably a million other things. I remember when he was about 3 and I was so desperate to sleep that I found myself looking up feng shui ideas to get the room in a sleepy arrangement. Nothing has worked.
Louis has seizure activity that has showed up on a sleep EEG. It occurs when he goes to sleep. We go back to the neurologist this month. No-one but me seems particularly concerned about it. According to the neurologist, most autistic kids have epileptiform acitivity on EEGs. However, he reviewed the EEG and decided that he needs to see Louis again. We will see where this goes in April.
As of this week, we can add night terrors to the mix. Oh what merry hell is this? For fuck's sake, is anything more freaky than a night terror? He is out of control screaming and freaking out. Can't console him like I usually can with a nightmare. He is sweaty and slippery and trying to rip his clothes off. Then he calms down and goes back to sleep. Meanwhile, I feel like I have tried to calm an electric eel on PCP. By the time my heart stops hammering it's way through my chest and I get back to sleep, Louis wakes up for party time.
My eyes are ringed like a panda and have bags like the scrotum of a meer cat.
How much longer is this going to go on for?
Thursday 24 March 2011
Social butterfly
This afternoon at the local shops, Louis' had TWO social interactions!!!
They went like this:
Social Interaction number 1.
Group of kids, two girls, two boys, around five or six years old with their mums.
Kids: talking amongst themselves
Louis: races into the middle of them, staring at the ground. Yells "HELLO EVERYBODY". Then does this weird butt wiggling dance and kicks up his heels.
Kids: stare stunned
Louis: Looks up and notices one of the girls has a graze on her face. Stands like a statue and stares. Long, long stare then "Your face is broken". Then kicks up his heels behind him in that weird dance again and runs away.
Social interaction number 2.
Baby in a trolley looks at Louis and smiles.
Baby: "Goo"
Louis: Glaring "I am not Goo, I am Louis R---!"
repeat interaction 3 times until I have to step in, for fear that Louis is about the bitch slap an infant.
School is going to be a fucking blast right?!
They went like this:
Social Interaction number 1.
Group of kids, two girls, two boys, around five or six years old with their mums.
Kids: talking amongst themselves
Louis: races into the middle of them, staring at the ground. Yells "HELLO EVERYBODY". Then does this weird butt wiggling dance and kicks up his heels.
Kids: stare stunned
Louis: Looks up and notices one of the girls has a graze on her face. Stands like a statue and stares. Long, long stare then "Your face is broken". Then kicks up his heels behind him in that weird dance again and runs away.
Social interaction number 2.
Baby in a trolley looks at Louis and smiles.
Baby: "Goo"
Louis: Glaring "I am not Goo, I am Louis R---!"
repeat interaction 3 times until I have to step in, for fear that Louis is about the bitch slap an infant.
School is going to be a fucking blast right?!
Wednesday 23 March 2011
Magma hot
Just a quick one. Will fill you in about Louis' potential new school's open day another time.
I had to dress up. Well, it was dressed up for me anyway.
I wore nice pants and shoes in black and a red mumsy kinda top.
I hated how I looked, like a middle class mummy basically.
Anyway, the red and black must have made an impact. I asked Louis (about 7 times before he bothered answering me!) how I looked.
He stared at me and said "like a volcano".
Nice
I had to dress up. Well, it was dressed up for me anyway.
I wore nice pants and shoes in black and a red mumsy kinda top.
I hated how I looked, like a middle class mummy basically.
Anyway, the red and black must have made an impact. I asked Louis (about 7 times before he bothered answering me!) how I looked.
He stared at me and said "like a volcano".
Nice
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Tao of my day
I woke up thinking about that Zen proverb "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water".
Which makes a change from waking up,thinking about how much I want to go back to sleep!
But I really get it at the moment in relation to acceptance of Louis' autism.
Before acceptance, OT and meltdowns. After acceptance, OT and meltdowns.
It makes no difference how I feel about autism, how frustrated I get, how painful it can be to watch, or how wonderously magical....autism is autism. Some days Louis can be demonstrably affected by autistic characteristics and some days...not so much.
Importantly, every day he is Louis.
Acceptance can been a slippery sucker to hold on to. Some weeks I feel like I just wave to it, as I sail up and down the rollercoaster of denial and depression.
But when I do get it.....it is a peaceful place. It is a place where I can pull back the curtains and let a little light in. The fear and anxiety fade and I get more space to see the magic of who Louis is. I remember that I don't need to fight my son to love him. I am not at war with him, therefore I am not at war with autism. He is autistic. He is a joy and hoo nanny he can be a little shit too!
With acceptance comes OT and meltdowns. The same as when I didn't accept autism. What is the difference? More peace. For the both of us.
Sunday 20 March 2011
Pirate mumbles
Well, I didn't go down with the ship last night. Woke up feeling much better. Thank God for the gift of unconsciousness.
Not much went on today. Holed up in the University library to finish an essay. Bit of a treat really to get that much time to myself. Husband and Lou went on an excursion on a bus to have a coffee.
Only moment really worth of note was hearing Louis mumbling under his breath.
Louis: mumble mumble mumble
Me: What did you say, sweetie?
Louis: I call you a scurvy dog.
Nice huh! I was a bit offronted until I heard him calling the cat a scurvy dog too. Must just be the term of endearment for the day.
Night night you scurvy dogs!
Not much went on today. Holed up in the University library to finish an essay. Bit of a treat really to get that much time to myself. Husband and Lou went on an excursion on a bus to have a coffee.
Only moment really worth of note was hearing Louis mumbling under his breath.
Louis: mumble mumble mumble
Me: What did you say, sweetie?
Louis: I call you a scurvy dog.
Nice huh! I was a bit offronted until I heard him calling the cat a scurvy dog too. Must just be the term of endearment for the day.
Night night you scurvy dogs!
Saturday 19 March 2011
Addendum
It is pretty late now, and I have already written a post tonight.
I wanted to write something down though, so that I remember.
It has been a hard day today. Nothing about today has been unusual to other days. There have been plenty of days that have had more drama, more meltdowns, more craziness. Who knows, maybe it is hormones, someone fell asleep at the anti-depresssant switch, my cup runneth over with life in general?
I just feel full of sad. Like I forgot to put on that extra layer of skin this morning and went out into the world a bit raw.
A couple of times today, I saw Louis' face look confused as I snapped at him in irritation about some mindless verbal stimming that was driving me nuts.
I feel shitty for that.
I know that it is only natural as a parent, or human being for that matter, to get irritated by your child.
But I am the one he relies on to help make sense of the world. To do that, I have to make sense to him.
I have seen that confused look too many times lately, as he navigates his way around his mainstream peers. And it makes me sad.
Makes sense that it makes me sad to be the person causing the confusion.
Anyhoo, me and my melodrama are off to bed.
Night.
I wanted to write something down though, so that I remember.
It has been a hard day today. Nothing about today has been unusual to other days. There have been plenty of days that have had more drama, more meltdowns, more craziness. Who knows, maybe it is hormones, someone fell asleep at the anti-depresssant switch, my cup runneth over with life in general?
I just feel full of sad. Like I forgot to put on that extra layer of skin this morning and went out into the world a bit raw.
A couple of times today, I saw Louis' face look confused as I snapped at him in irritation about some mindless verbal stimming that was driving me nuts.
I feel shitty for that.
I know that it is only natural as a parent, or human being for that matter, to get irritated by your child.
But I am the one he relies on to help make sense of the world. To do that, I have to make sense to him.
I have seen that confused look too many times lately, as he navigates his way around his mainstream peers. And it makes me sad.
Makes sense that it makes me sad to be the person causing the confusion.
Anyhoo, me and my melodrama are off to bed.
Night.
Rinse and Repeat
AAARRRRGH!!!!
My head feels so poisonous right now. I can't stand this feeling, when the irritations of the day have been coming too thick and too fast and I have not been able to deflect them with any kind of panache.
I love my son so much, but seriously.....I nearly went insane today. We went and visited a friend who has a son on the spectrum too. The actual visit was lovely. However, the hour long trip there and back was hell on earth!
Louis gets obsessed with certain songs, television episodes and wants to hear/watch them all the time. Yeah, I know......typical autism stuff. At the moment though, there is one song that he wants to hear on repeat in the car. One entire hour listening to this shitting song about a car. In the song, the car speeds up and the car gets faster. Louis shakes his head faster and faster to match the tempo. Rinse and repeat. However, because the car in the song goes faster...he gets agitated that I am not matching the speed of the car to the speed of the song! To make matters worse, if I stop at a red light he shrieks for me to turn the song off. Of course, the second I accelerate again, I am ordered to put the song back on.
I can cop this on the short journeys we make, to school or local shops but an HOUR! EACH WAY!!
As if this wasn't fun enough, it was a day of on and off rain. Louis' most hated weather pattern. Unpredictable I guess. So every time a drop of rain landed on the car, I would hear "Activate windscreen wipers!". This would be cute a few times, but I am talking EVERY time the wiper was in a horizontal position!
Anyway, deep breath. I have an essay to finish. Later gator!
My head feels so poisonous right now. I can't stand this feeling, when the irritations of the day have been coming too thick and too fast and I have not been able to deflect them with any kind of panache.
I love my son so much, but seriously.....I nearly went insane today. We went and visited a friend who has a son on the spectrum too. The actual visit was lovely. However, the hour long trip there and back was hell on earth!
Louis gets obsessed with certain songs, television episodes and wants to hear/watch them all the time. Yeah, I know......typical autism stuff. At the moment though, there is one song that he wants to hear on repeat in the car. One entire hour listening to this shitting song about a car. In the song, the car speeds up and the car gets faster. Louis shakes his head faster and faster to match the tempo. Rinse and repeat. However, because the car in the song goes faster...he gets agitated that I am not matching the speed of the car to the speed of the song! To make matters worse, if I stop at a red light he shrieks for me to turn the song off. Of course, the second I accelerate again, I am ordered to put the song back on.
I can cop this on the short journeys we make, to school or local shops but an HOUR! EACH WAY!!
As if this wasn't fun enough, it was a day of on and off rain. Louis' most hated weather pattern. Unpredictable I guess. So every time a drop of rain landed on the car, I would hear "Activate windscreen wipers!". This would be cute a few times, but I am talking EVERY time the wiper was in a horizontal position!
Anyway, deep breath. I have an essay to finish. Later gator!
Thursday 17 March 2011
Testing times.
It is no surprise to me but Louis is shitting all over these new assessments his therapists are testing him with. An added bonus is that I am NOT being literal in describing the shitting!
Seriously though, he has made so much progress on his expressive and receptive language. I am beyond proud of him. I feel a lot more confident in his abilities to take on mainstream school - the academic side of things anyway.
There were two things that really stood out for me, as I watched him be tested:
The first was how exhausted he gets processing questions, getting the answer and then expressing it. He takes significant time to process. It is really obvious that he is processing. He goes rigidly still. He often repeats the question in a whisper - a couple of times. His eyes go like crazy over the pictures, as he tries to figure out the answer.
After about ten minutes, his eyes were welling up and he was yawning. His eyes were red and he was rubbing his face and leaning against me when he could. It was amazing to see this little boy, who was bubbling and playing before the test, become so incredibly weary after a few questions. This is something to really keep in mind when I chat to his teachers for next year. I am going to work on tools that Louis can use to have recharge in class.
The other thing that popped out for me, was how incredibly literal he is. I LOVE this about Louis. I love his way of looking at the world. For example, he was insistent that the picture of the cat belonged in the same category as the chair and the table. The reason......"FUR-niture". How brilliant is that!!!!!
I don't think this is something that needs working on. This is a gift of autism as far as I am concerned. It is a unique and straight forward view of the world, that is concrete, practical and less anxiety invoking - less variables. SO, my plan is to keep doing our work on emotional resilience, in the view that if people laugh (I hope delightedly) at his literal comments, he has the ability to be okay with that and see the funny side himself. My husband and I, try to model this by laughing at ourselves all the time. Pointing out when we made a mistake and being okay with it.
Anyway, I have had a slack morning myself. I haven't done the study that I scheduled for myself. Going to try to be emotionally resilient enough not to beat myself up about it. Okay, boring myself now....go on about your business please.....nothing more to read here.
Seriously though, he has made so much progress on his expressive and receptive language. I am beyond proud of him. I feel a lot more confident in his abilities to take on mainstream school - the academic side of things anyway.
There were two things that really stood out for me, as I watched him be tested:
The first was how exhausted he gets processing questions, getting the answer and then expressing it. He takes significant time to process. It is really obvious that he is processing. He goes rigidly still. He often repeats the question in a whisper - a couple of times. His eyes go like crazy over the pictures, as he tries to figure out the answer.
After about ten minutes, his eyes were welling up and he was yawning. His eyes were red and he was rubbing his face and leaning against me when he could. It was amazing to see this little boy, who was bubbling and playing before the test, become so incredibly weary after a few questions. This is something to really keep in mind when I chat to his teachers for next year. I am going to work on tools that Louis can use to have recharge in class.
The other thing that popped out for me, was how incredibly literal he is. I LOVE this about Louis. I love his way of looking at the world. For example, he was insistent that the picture of the cat belonged in the same category as the chair and the table. The reason......"FUR-niture". How brilliant is that!!!!!
I don't think this is something that needs working on. This is a gift of autism as far as I am concerned. It is a unique and straight forward view of the world, that is concrete, practical and less anxiety invoking - less variables. SO, my plan is to keep doing our work on emotional resilience, in the view that if people laugh (I hope delightedly) at his literal comments, he has the ability to be okay with that and see the funny side himself. My husband and I, try to model this by laughing at ourselves all the time. Pointing out when we made a mistake and being okay with it.
Anyway, I have had a slack morning myself. I haven't done the study that I scheduled for myself. Going to try to be emotionally resilient enough not to beat myself up about it. Okay, boring myself now....go on about your business please.....nothing more to read here.
Tuesday 15 March 2011
Life's a Beach
I took Louis to the beach, upon his request, this morning. It is a fair hike, about an hour or thereabouts by car, as I take him to a beach with a view of the airport across the harbour. Initially, I chose to go to this beach as I thought that watching the planes would be an enticement to touch the sand. I was wrong at the time. Fast forward through much sensory occupational therapy and Louis now loves the sand. However, there is only one beach in Louis' mind. Like most things, the first is the only.
So we trekked off to the beach. It was an overcast morning, though not cold. Quite pleasant really. Sunny days are no good, as Louis can't cop bright sunlight for long periods of time - light sensitive. Also sunny days bring OTHER people. Not a huge fan of OTHER people.
The thing I don't quite understand though, is that Louis refuses to look at or touch the water. It causes him anxiety to be near it and he makes every attempt to completely ignore it. He just wants to play in the sand. MY question is - how is this any different to playing in the sandpit at home? We don't run over the sand. He picks a metre or so of beach and plays the exact same repetitive games we play in the sand at home.
Fills in a morning nicely though. I enjoy getting out. Louis' anxiety and rigidity rarely lets us travel far afield, so an outing that is requested and takes up an entire morning is much appreciated by me!
There is a lot to be thankful for in my life. Especially when considering the shock and loss of those across the waters.
So we trekked off to the beach. It was an overcast morning, though not cold. Quite pleasant really. Sunny days are no good, as Louis can't cop bright sunlight for long periods of time - light sensitive. Also sunny days bring OTHER people. Not a huge fan of OTHER people.
The thing I don't quite understand though, is that Louis refuses to look at or touch the water. It causes him anxiety to be near it and he makes every attempt to completely ignore it. He just wants to play in the sand. MY question is - how is this any different to playing in the sandpit at home? We don't run over the sand. He picks a metre or so of beach and plays the exact same repetitive games we play in the sand at home.
Fills in a morning nicely though. I enjoy getting out. Louis' anxiety and rigidity rarely lets us travel far afield, so an outing that is requested and takes up an entire morning is much appreciated by me!
There is a lot to be thankful for in my life. Especially when considering the shock and loss of those across the waters.
Friday 11 March 2011
You say hello, I say goodbye
Haven't had the energy to blog for a week. I have been host to a virus of biblical proportions. Truly heinous and disgusting.
But I am back!! *cue inspiring trumpet blasts*
Went and checked out a school for the boy on Wednesday. It wasn't a suitable fit - they didn't believe they could challenge Louis enough. Never mind. The field is narrowing.
So autism quirk # 649 has become quite pronounced again. Louis simply will not say hello or goodbye to people. I understand that he hates questions and greetings, but I am struggling because it looks sooooooo rude when a neighbour or acquaintance says hello and he just turns his back on them.
I think I am going to have to do a social story on this one. I do believe it is important. I know he is capable of greetings. This is all I expect. I don't expect him to enter into conversation. Ha! I remember how before he could talk well, he would look at the ground and screw his face up in a filthy expression whenever anyone acknowledged him. If further questioning ensued, he would shut his eyes and make them disappear.
Anyway, I don't care if he farts the national anthem from his armpits at home, but manners in the outside world will go a long way to excuse some of his other, more eccentric behaviours. Quite simply, I insist on respect for my son, only fair that he treats others with respect too.
On the goodbye thing, it might be tougher. He has this idea that if he says goodbye he is allowing the person to leave. Fine if he doesn't like you....he will goodbye you minutes after walking in the door, but if he likes you....he will NOT say goodbye.
This is morning at our house:
Daddy: "Bye Louis, have a good day"
Louis: "NO goodbyes from Louis!! Get your goodbyes from Mummy"
Tickles me no end!
But I am back!! *cue inspiring trumpet blasts*
Went and checked out a school for the boy on Wednesday. It wasn't a suitable fit - they didn't believe they could challenge Louis enough. Never mind. The field is narrowing.
So autism quirk # 649 has become quite pronounced again. Louis simply will not say hello or goodbye to people. I understand that he hates questions and greetings, but I am struggling because it looks sooooooo rude when a neighbour or acquaintance says hello and he just turns his back on them.
I think I am going to have to do a social story on this one. I do believe it is important. I know he is capable of greetings. This is all I expect. I don't expect him to enter into conversation. Ha! I remember how before he could talk well, he would look at the ground and screw his face up in a filthy expression whenever anyone acknowledged him. If further questioning ensued, he would shut his eyes and make them disappear.
Anyway, I don't care if he farts the national anthem from his armpits at home, but manners in the outside world will go a long way to excuse some of his other, more eccentric behaviours. Quite simply, I insist on respect for my son, only fair that he treats others with respect too.
On the goodbye thing, it might be tougher. He has this idea that if he says goodbye he is allowing the person to leave. Fine if he doesn't like you....he will goodbye you minutes after walking in the door, but if he likes you....he will NOT say goodbye.
This is morning at our house:
Daddy: "Bye Louis, have a good day"
Louis: "NO goodbyes from Louis!! Get your goodbyes from Mummy"
Tickles me no end!
Sunday 6 March 2011
Dinner is served.
Louis' diet is severely limited in quality and quantity. This does not stress me out as it used to. I used to get so upset about it and every meal time was a gut churning, battle of wills. My husband finally sat me down and explained to me that "when you can't win....you can't win". Then there was some zen bullshit about letting go of what you can't control, blah blah blah. I ignored him as he levitated slowly towards Nirvana.
BUT...it is true. I simply cannot force Louis to eat. He has texture based sensory oral problems. Food has to be a room temperature or cold. One food must not touch other foods. Preferably food is crunchy and dry. A food must not be multi-texturous (put that one in the dictionary, Oxford)....for example, a cherry tomato has a smooth skin but a wet and fleshy inside...ditto with a grape. First time Louis tried a grape, he spat that sucker 20 mtrs across the room. Then he screamed for a good ten minutes.
Additionally, Louis has less ability to eat as the day goes on. I put this down to accumulative sensory build up as the day goes on. He seriously eats a tiny amount of food.
The last blood test showed he was okay, but with borderline iron. Good enough for this mumma.
The point of this post is this: are there any recipe books out there on how to make up party plates? I am soooooooooooooooooo bored with arranging raw apple, carrots, dry bread and dry crackers (this was his dinner tonight). I need ideas people!!
BUT...it is true. I simply cannot force Louis to eat. He has texture based sensory oral problems. Food has to be a room temperature or cold. One food must not touch other foods. Preferably food is crunchy and dry. A food must not be multi-texturous (put that one in the dictionary, Oxford)....for example, a cherry tomato has a smooth skin but a wet and fleshy inside...ditto with a grape. First time Louis tried a grape, he spat that sucker 20 mtrs across the room. Then he screamed for a good ten minutes.
Additionally, Louis has less ability to eat as the day goes on. I put this down to accumulative sensory build up as the day goes on. He seriously eats a tiny amount of food.
The last blood test showed he was okay, but with borderline iron. Good enough for this mumma.
The point of this post is this: are there any recipe books out there on how to make up party plates? I am soooooooooooooooooo bored with arranging raw apple, carrots, dry bread and dry crackers (this was his dinner tonight). I need ideas people!!
Thursday 3 March 2011
In a perfect world
As I have written, we are having a difficult time finding the right fit -school wise - for Louis next year.
Happily *insert sarcasm here* I have had many many hours each night to fantasise about the perfect school for Louis, (note, this is a fantasy for Louis' needs not for all autistic kids)
This is what I have come up with so far: A series of single level buildings. All buildings would be different colours to denote different years. Each child is assigned one classroom for an entire year. They will sit in the same seat every single day.
Beautiful, safely fenced grounds with playgrounds to suit sensory seekers and sensory defensive kids.
Kids with Aspergers and autism are the primary enrolled children. Neurotyppies will beg to be included due to the kudos that hanging out and learning with spectrum kids brings. The government realises that these kids are our future and throw money at these schools for resources, expertise of teachers and a range of educational experiences. Each child has an individual highly trained aide who is respectful, flexible and professional.
As well as the normal curriculum, which is taught by tayloring to the special interests of the individual, children are taught social skills in a dignified and realistic manner. All children are assessed regularly to address uneven skill development. Children are assigned daily lesson time to pursue their special interest, individually or with mentors. Teachers will use special interests to motivate and expand on the curriculum.
Whoever wants to stim can stim. Children will be encouraged to bring regulating items into the classroom.
Neurotypical children are allowed to join school for the subjects that they can manage. They are taught how to say what they mean and to mean what they say.
Team sports are optional. Sporting options are varied and non-competitive.
75% of the library is devoted to non fiction.
Ten minute sensory breaks at the top of every hour of learning.
Teachers will wear the same hairstyle/jewellery/style of clothes for easy recognition. No perfume allowed.
No bells or ringers to change class. A sign with light up green when it is time to change class.
Lessons are taught at the same time each day. The teacher will allow for processing time and will not issue instructions or information that is not followed up with visual explanations.
No Homework.
Any child can utilise a communication device of their choosing. Handwriting is not preferable to typing.
Kids eating a gluten or casein free diet are given their lunch break before non diet kids, so as not to be tempted by food of others.
All medications and supplements will be distributed by a nurse on site.
All aides and teachers will communicate by email or other means to parents daily regarding their child's day. Parents are encouraged to come and watch their child's class in action through a one way mirror (so as not to disturb the children).
Okay....must go and study now. Did I mention I am studying Special Education at Uni? Watch this space baby!!
Happily *insert sarcasm here* I have had many many hours each night to fantasise about the perfect school for Louis, (note, this is a fantasy for Louis' needs not for all autistic kids)
This is what I have come up with so far: A series of single level buildings. All buildings would be different colours to denote different years. Each child is assigned one classroom for an entire year. They will sit in the same seat every single day.
Beautiful, safely fenced grounds with playgrounds to suit sensory seekers and sensory defensive kids.
Kids with Aspergers and autism are the primary enrolled children. Neurotyppies will beg to be included due to the kudos that hanging out and learning with spectrum kids brings. The government realises that these kids are our future and throw money at these schools for resources, expertise of teachers and a range of educational experiences. Each child has an individual highly trained aide who is respectful, flexible and professional.
As well as the normal curriculum, which is taught by tayloring to the special interests of the individual, children are taught social skills in a dignified and realistic manner. All children are assessed regularly to address uneven skill development. Children are assigned daily lesson time to pursue their special interest, individually or with mentors. Teachers will use special interests to motivate and expand on the curriculum.
Whoever wants to stim can stim. Children will be encouraged to bring regulating items into the classroom.
Neurotypical children are allowed to join school for the subjects that they can manage. They are taught how to say what they mean and to mean what they say.
Team sports are optional. Sporting options are varied and non-competitive.
75% of the library is devoted to non fiction.
Ten minute sensory breaks at the top of every hour of learning.
Teachers will wear the same hairstyle/jewellery/style of clothes for easy recognition. No perfume allowed.
No bells or ringers to change class. A sign with light up green when it is time to change class.
Lessons are taught at the same time each day. The teacher will allow for processing time and will not issue instructions or information that is not followed up with visual explanations.
No Homework.
Any child can utilise a communication device of their choosing. Handwriting is not preferable to typing.
Kids eating a gluten or casein free diet are given their lunch break before non diet kids, so as not to be tempted by food of others.
All medications and supplements will be distributed by a nurse on site.
All aides and teachers will communicate by email or other means to parents daily regarding their child's day. Parents are encouraged to come and watch their child's class in action through a one way mirror (so as not to disturb the children).
Okay....must go and study now. Did I mention I am studying Special Education at Uni? Watch this space baby!!
Wednesday 2 March 2011
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