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It’s All Fun and... Still Growing!
Well along with creating our Sensory Cooking Groups we have plenty of activities to come. In May we have tickets for Seussical Jr. a Desert Foothills Theater Production. We also have some spaces remaining for AZ on the Rocks. Both of these events will be on Saturday, May 11th, one in the morning and the other in the evening. We thought either might be a great way to be out and about to celebrate Mom, since Mother’s Day is that Sunday. We will probably plan something in June or July but so many people go away we don’t always have great turn out.
Life Goes On - We Can Find Gratitude
Autism with a young adult looks different than it does with a child. In our case many parts are easier, but the parts that are challenging are a frustration. They frustrate us, but even more than that, they frustrate Nicholas. We try honesty and good communication but no matter how much we wish we could, we cannot fix everything.
Laura Shares Her Story
Both my boys are on the spectrum & were very much into turtles when they were young. When Isaiah was in 3rd grade he said he liked turtles because they can go in their shell and no one can bother them. When Isaiah would have a tough day at school he would call me & I would tell him to "turtle". He would literally pull his arms into his shirt while sitting at his desk, become a turtle, take some deep breaths until he could relax and get back to his day.
Sensory Cooking Group Classes
Groups take place in North Scottsdale. Small Social Cookng Groups- We have started 5 small social groups. Participants get 3 classes to come together as a group at no charge. After that, options include paid classes or using the website www.sensorycooking.net to provide the groups with recipes and videos that include both language and sensory goals.
All School Play
Once a year, Nicholas school does an all school play. Several grades participate and all students in those grades are given separate parts of the overall play, music or presentation and then all the students congregate on stage to perform in sequential order the overall theme. Every year it was a different theme. The most memorable were the Musical Show and the American Theme. When Nicholas was in kindergarten, the school used the musical theme. The background story was a traveling turtle around the world and the kids would sing different silly songs about the turtle’s travels. The presentation was in the school auditorium that held about 200 parents and a similar number of children.
Halloween to Remember
A magical time of year for kids; the ability to hide in a costume and navigate the neighborhood looking for the best treats. The challenge with the activity is that if you are sensory challenged and don’t eat sweet treats; then it’s not as much fun. The selection of costumes for Halloween was both easy and hard in our household.
Twins
My twins Kieren and David are 5 and are on the spectrum but we haven’t yet received a diagnosis, they are very alike in ways but completely different in others. Kieren is a solitary child (unless he's with his brothers) he too likes order and anything routine I have to go in every one of his favorite shops every time we go out regardless of whether we buy anything or not we still have to go in, he loves straight lines and can draw extremely straight lines on blank paper, curiously enough his favorite letter is w and will spend hours drawing symmetrical w's.
The Power of Cheese
When my son was about seven we were at my Mother’s beach house in South Carolina. We usually spent the summer and sometimes large parts of the winter there as well before both kids were in school, so the surroundings were quite familiar to us. On this summer’s visit my son with autism who is also nonverbal, would get up quite early. So he and I would go and sit on the beach until the rest of the household was awake. John could sit for hours running his hands and feet through the sand and I would read a book and enjoy the smells and sounds the ocean had to offer.
I Don’t Want To Be A Lazy Dog
I don’t attend many of Nicholas’ school day functions. I was able to attend a special one in second grade. The second grade classes in the school were all practicing plays in which the students would have to get up in front of about 40 kids and 20 parents and read their lines from a play. The plays were silly knock-offs from traditional fairy tales. Instead of the story of the squirrel that hid nuts for winter while other animals watched, only to teach the lesson of procrastination– there was a story of a lazy dog, a lazy cat, and a lazy mouse that didn’t want to make a banana split, but wanted to share in the treat when it was done. No costumes to hide behind. No music to talk over. Just 6 kids. 6 Chairs in the front of the room. 40 kids watching. 20 parents watching. And Nicholas.
Mr Lincoln
Much like the all school play, when Nicholas was in 2nd grade, the all school activity was to present an American tribute through the alphabet. Each letter stood for an important figure in American history, or an important event or location across our country. To emphasize the connection of the letter to the person, place, or event– each child was given a line or two to deliver at a microphone when the proper time came. Nicholas was selected for “L” and Abraham Lincoln.
A Hard Plane Trip
When Nicholas was 3 ½ years old, we moved from Columbus, Ohio to Phoenix, AZ. Our course to Phoenix was a rather strange one. The time of year was September and as we coordinated our move of worldly possessions across the country in the middle of summer we ran into the reality of the relocation package. The movers would move anything, but would not guarantee safety of valuables.
Our Favorite Quotes
See some of our favorite quotations for a positive outlook on life and autism.
Autism Resources
As we work with other parents and groups we learn about new organizations and their offerings. We know every family has different needs, we hope some of these are helpful to you. We have not worked with each of these organizations so it is the family’s responsibility to research the links/organizations carefully before utilizing their services.
A Place To Start
We would like to provide you with some information about things that we think have been beneficial to Nicholas and often our other kids as well. We are not experts on High-Functioning Autism, but we are becoming experts on Nicholas and how he is affected by so many aspects of this diagnosis. The things we list below may or may not be helpful but when Nicholas was smaller it would have been so great to have some things to try, a place to start.
Autism - A Brief Description
There are many different definitions of Autism, below is a summary of the major characteristics of Autistic Spectrum Disorder as we understand them.
I Want The Train
Once a year, Nicholas school does an all school play. Several grades participate and all students in those grades are given separate parts of the overall play, music or presentation and then all the students congregate on stage to perform in sequential order the overall theme. Every year it was a different theme. The most memorable were the Musical Show and the American Theme. When Nicholas was in kindergarten, the school used the musical theme.
Nicholas Is Turning 14
Nicholas will be 14 years old in April; he was just out playing football with his dad and brother. Now he’s off to video games and later piano practice. Sounds like a pretty typical kid, don’t you think? Nicholas is not a typical kid at all. He has a depth of character that you see only on occasion in a 13 year old boy.
Playing Basketball
Try not to ever limit your child because of what you think might be best for them. My son is 11 years old and has autism. He has played basketball on a team at The Boys and Girls Club for the past three years. The first two years he did pretty well and the league was not strongly competitive or demanding. This year he moved up a division. He was no longer the tallest on his team. In fact, he was the shortest and the lightest not only on his team, but in comparison to most in his division.