30 Days of Autism...the first 10

Lighting him up BLUE today! 

To support April is Autism Awareness Month, I'm doing "30 Days of Autism" on my Facebook page and thought I'd share it here too.


30 Days of Autism: Day 1: Tomorrow is World Autism Awareness Day! Monuments and buildings around the world will "Light it up Blue"...Did you know that Michigan's Mackinaw Bridge will be among them? http://www.lightitupblue.org/






30 Days of Autism...Day 2: Autism now affects 1 in 88 children (1 in 54 boys)! As you can see...W is just like everyone else...only different :)

He plays soccer with his cousin and some other awesome friends and is coached by 2 amazing people! He loves his sports!


30 Days of Autism: Day 3: Last fall I started a blog...it's VERY cathartic for me. It helps me to find the humor and the hope! Today I'm taking it public...hopefully it can also help others in the same situation or at least give others a glimpse into life on this journey. Follow or Lurk if you like athttp://findingweston.blogspot.com/

Parenting a child with autism (or special needs or chronic health issues in general) is stressful to say the least. Researchers have even compared the stress of moms with children who have autism and found it to be similar to the stress of combat soldiers. Sometimes it's just good to know you're not alone.


30 Days of Autism: Day 4 -- elopement (no, not a Vegas vacation that ended differently than you expected) -- it's a problem for approximately 50% of people with autism. They wander for a variety of reasons and this causes a host of concerns.

Because W is one of this 50%, we visited the local Sheriff's dept today. The deputy was great--he instructed W to stay in the yard & not to talk to strangers. He explained that police are there to help him and will help him find us. We provided a photo and profile on W explaining how he might react in an emergency situation, etc. Thanks to my behavior consultant for suggesting this!

To top it off, W got to sit in the police truck and sound the sirens!


30 Days of Autism: Day 5:






30 Days of Autism: Day 6: Looking for a good read this Spring Break? Check out "House Rules" by Jodi Piccoult. This is a fiction murder mystery which centers around a young man with autism who gets caught in the middle. Although it's fiction, Ms. Piccoult certainly did her homework--this is a glimpse into how autism can impact an individual and his family...it definitely got me thinking of what might be to come...


30 Days of Autism: Day 7: Many individuals with autism are challenged by sensory processing disorder, and W is one of them.

Author Ellen Notbohm explains...
“Picture yourself on the world’s grooviest roller coaster….How long could you do your day job while on the Cyclone or the Millenium Force? Could you teach class, write a report, clean the house while enduring the vertigo, the screams of fellow riders, the g-force of the rushing air, the unexpected drops and abrupt changes of direction, the sensation of hair in your mouth and bugs in your teeth? It might be fun as an occasional thrill, but you are ready to get off after the 3-minute ride. For many children with sensory processing disorder, there is no exit gate; it’s a 24/7 affair, and it’s the very antithesis of thrilling.”


30 Days of Autism: Day 8: From the Autism Science Foundation, "What is Autism?"

"Autism Spectrum Disorders are characterized by significant impairments in social interaction and communication skills, as well as by the presence of extremely challenging behaviors. Such behaviors include repetitive motor behaviors (hand flapping, body rocking), insistence on sameness, resistance to change and, in some cases, aggression or self-injury."


30 Days of Autism: Day 9: Unusual interests are another typical "symptom" of autism. We just returned from an overnight road trip...W's favorite parts--stop signs, traffic lights, and of course the ELEVATOR at the hotel! 

Some call these interests, Distractions; the key is to see them as Fascinations and use them for motivation and opportunities for learning. For all my teacher friends, a good resource book for this is "Just Give Him the Whale" by Paula Kluth.


30 Days of Autsim: Day 10: Autism is definitely a controversial subject...from causes, to how to diagnose; from symptoms, to treatments. It's easy to feel lost among what seems like countless parents, medical specialists, special education staff, and other professionals who all disagree...but it's the kids who lose in the end...does it really matter who's "more right"? Could this increase in the population of Autism be a combination of factors that manifests itself in different ways in different kiddos and requires a combination of treatments? Why can't medical doctors buy into some of the bio-chemical theory and treat the "whole" child and why can't educators use evidence-based behavior therapy for academic skill acquisition as one might use for self-help development?

Ahhh, the changing of seasons

Spring sprung early here...a definite welcome change to the dreary, sickly winter we experienced!  BUT it caught me off guard in the world of autism...

I should've been prepared, but it crept up on me again.  Moving from long pants to shorts and long sleeves to short sleeves and boots to shoes can create some havoc in the routine and sensory perceptions of those with autism.

It's hard to explain after months of bundling that 3 blankets is excessive when the weather's crept into the 70s and you're still sporting long johns as pajamas.

If the seasons and their ensuing weather patterns were consistent here, I might be able to star a couple of dates on the calendar to signal me to start prepping for the coming changes and ease our transition.  In the meantime, I'll do my best to offer explanations and slowly adjust our routines -- at least that's a lesson in coping with normal life...we all need to be flexible...just harder for some than others :)

theory of natural consequences...

Let's just say our morning routine lately has been a battle of wills.  I am working diligently with our behavior therapists...but sometimes frustration sets in and I revert to "normal parenting" in a not-so-normal world.  Recently Weston went to school in socks...yesterday he went to the bus stop naked!

After hitting my breaking point with trying to have him don shoes (picture trying to wrestle an octopus while attempting to put shoe on one foot and keep it from removing the other shoe + other articles of clothing)...I said, "Fine, get in the car.  We'll put shoes on when we get to school.  Little did I know that while I was packing up the car, he chucked his shoes from where I had left them and thus, they were left behind that morning.  About halfway to school I realized we had no shoes.  I front-loaded the little bugger, by explaining that we did not have his shoes and that he would have to walk into school in his socks and explain to his teachers why he did not have shoes.

Upon arriving at school, he really didn't seem fazed...he marched right across the parking lot and sidewalk to enter the building.  He was only bothered as everyone we passed questioned him or remarked about the missing shoes.  He even tried to ditch me before we got to the classroom to encounter his teachers as he knew they would have something to say.

He learned that you miss going outside when you don't have shoes at school...kind of a big deal!

The naked bus stop trip was similar...I delighted in the fact that it was COLD yesterday morning and that even walking to the car on the chilly concrete was upsetting for him. (I did provide a blanket in the car--the photo is priceless).  He was a blubbering mess the entire time we waited for the bus...wanting to "go back, start over."  And was not happy with my response that we had to wait for the bus and THEN we would go back.  When we got home, he was still crying (mostly drama at this point)...I pointed to the pile of clothes, instructed him to get dressed and went about my business.  Slowly but surely (and of course with some added destruction to point out his irritation--kitchen chairs were flung over), the kiddo got himself dressed and even asked for help appropriately :)

Unfortunately I don't have oodles of time for these natural consequences, but since he's on spring break, I'm going to take advantage of them!