Happy Mother's Day!

We hope all of the Moms out there are taking some much needed 'me' time today.  A time to reflect, rejuvenate and renew.  An often thankless job is that of a mother, so we are saying 'Thank you!" from The Autism Angle.  Thank you for being their advocate, teacher, support and friend. 

A Special-Needs Mother's Day Wish List

By Terri Mauro, About.com Guide  (http://specialchildren.about.com/od/needalaugh/a/momwishlist.htm)

To my loving partner in parenting:
I know you're trying to figure out a Mother's Day present for me (and if you aren't, take this as a big, fat hint). Jewelry is a lovely thought, but not exactly practical, given that our child might steal, break, perseverate on, or require us to hock anything nice to pay for medical expenses. Candy is always appreciated, but since I've just consumed all the children's Easter sweets to save them from obesity, diabetes, and allergens, I'm not really in the mood. Instead, honey, why not pick one of these gifts I'd really love. They may take a little more effort than something in the Hallmark aisle, but they'll make a big difference to me.

1. You know that material I've been asking you to read about our child's disabilities, that stack about 500 pages high? Read it. Now. Really.
2. Do some research of your own for a change and bring me something I haven't seen before. Then explain it to me.
3. Find the home number of every specialist and educator who ever dissed me and make some really good prank phone calls.
4. Offer to stand guard duty at the bathroom door while I take a nice, long, hot bath, free of constant cries of "Moooooooooooooom."
5. Buy some sturdy boxes for storing all the children's school papers, and then believe me when I say I have to save everything they've ever done for possible documentation of learning progress.
6. Buy some sturdy notebooks for storing all the children's specialist reports, and then organize them for me so I can always find the exact one I want in a snap.
7. Sit down with me for one hour to discuss decisions we have to make about our child's behavior, treatment, schooling, and/or future. No TV watching, newspaper reading, or dozing allowed.
8. Next time you're tempted to make some crack about a neighbor or a teacher or a family member that you just know our child is going to repeat out of context at the worst possible time ... don't. Just don't.
9. More precious to me than diamonds and rubies is a good long nap. Make it happen.
10. Next time we have a dispute over discipline, I win. (What's that? I always win anyway? It's the gift that keeps on giving!)



HEAVEN'S VERY SPECIAL CHILD

 

A meeting was held quite far from Earth.
It was time again for another birth.
Said the Angels to the Lord above --
This special child will need much love.
Her progress may be very slow,
Accomplishment she may not show.
And she'll require extra care
From the folks she meets down there.
She may not run or laugh or play,
Her thoughts may seem quite far away.
So many times she will be labeled
'different,' 'helpless' and disabled.
So, let's be careful where she's sent.
We want her life to be content.
Please, Lord, find the parents who
Will do a special job for you.
They will not realize right away
The leading role they are asked to play.
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith, and richer love.
And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for their gift from heaven.
Their precious charge, so meek and mild
Is heaven's very special child.
~Author Edna Massimilla

Autism and Setting Goals for the Future



One of the most common questions parents have is "What does the future hold?".  My answer is never very satisfying because none of us can predict what it will look like for each individual child.  But one thing I do always say is, the sky is the limit.  Have the highest of expectations but live in the now.  It is hard to not think about 10-20 years down the road but also important to not overwhelm yourself in the process. 

What to keep in mind:

• Quality of Life - This is different for every person and also different for every person on the spectrum.  Try not to put desires of society but rather the individual desires.  Happiness and health is what is most important and this looks different for every person depending on what they enjoy about life.
• Social Needs - As with overall quality of life, this may look different than the "norm" for those on the spectrum.  One or two friends that enjoy the same interests as the individual may be satisfying enough.  There are also many of adolescents and adults that enjoy the interactions that online gaming gives.  Sometimes talking through the X-box Live or computer headset can be less intimidating and more rewarding. 
• Jobs - Tied into quality of life, is career path.  There are jobs that can be satisfying for individuals on the spectrum that may not be as enjoyable for others.   Assessing skills for that job are not just what is written in a job description.  Social abilities are tied into many jobs and must be taken into account when choosing a career path. 
• Life Skills - We underestimate how early we need to start teaching skills for daily living.  We become so focused on academics of school; reading, writing and arithmetic.  Life skills are just as important: time management, budgeting, hygiene, cleaning, to name a few.  Start early with gaining independence. 

Resources:

• Coulter Video - We have previously mentioned Coulter videos regarding siblings.  They are an amazing resource for adults as far as videos to transition to adulthood and articles such as 'Secrets to Job Success'.  Information on this site is invaluable for parents and professionals.
• Autism Speaks Transition Tool Kit - Autism Speaks does it once again.  This great transition kit answers a lot of questions and gives a lot of strategies.  This kit helps to know what to prepare for with community living, self-advocating, employment, housing, etc. 
• Realizing the College Dream by Ann Palmer - Ann Palmer created a perfect guide for parents.  Being a parent of an individual with autism allows her to touch on the most important issues parents are faced with when considering higher education.
• Preparing for Life by Jed Baker - Dr. Baker helps with life skills for success into adulthood.  Conversational difficulties, reading non-verbal cues, dealing with frustration and relationships are a few of the covered topics.
• Life Skills for Secondary Students by Darlene Mannix - This workbook helps go through various activities involving life skills that are necessary for more independent living.

This is only a brief list of things to consider and resources we hope to continue to add to!

-Abby

ACTIVITIES ON THE ANGLE: Matching Mayhem

Tasks, activities, file folder games, adaptive books, etc. are something that if we had all the time (and money!) in the world we would make them for all the wonderful families we work with!  To share our fun with everyone else, we have decided to create a reoccurring post illustrating the excitement with learning that we can have.  Therefore, 'Activities on the Angle' will be ideally a weekly or bi-weekly insight into our creative side; or a peek into the madness!

I am always viewed as thrifty; the nice way of saying cheap!  I am always looking for a good bargain or a way to reuse what I already have.  The results may not always have the most curb appeal but they get the job done.  Trying to incorporate this into making tasks is important for us, as it is for so many parents and professionals.

Matching is a way of putting things that are the same together.  It is a skill that is at the foundation in many academic areas.  Sorting and matching can be overwhelming for the kids we work with because of the disorganization of the materials and/or presenting too many items at once.  Each child needs to be started at a different stage based on their developmental progress, distractability and organization.  Hopefully we will start with a few tasks to get your creative juices flowing for your own situation.  Often, individuals with autism are somewhat driven to match and it can even be a calming process (or at least a distraction from the frustration). 



Number and Letter matching
'Dollar Tree' is a great resource for materials for learning.  Teachers, homeschooling, therapists and parents can find lots of great teaching tasks to use as is or if adapted.  I started with a couple of posters of numbers and one of the alphabet.  On the alphabet poster you will notice extra pictures next to each letter.  There are stickers of 'Toy Story' characters that were added to learn phonics since this was my little helper's big interest ;) 

If I could laminate everything around me I would but it is quite costly and it may not be great for my kids!  When thinking thrifty and time-saving, clear packing tape (or contact paper) is my go to.  Packing tape made these numbers & letters sturdy for lots of matching.  I also try to find alternatives to Velcro as much as possible but for this activity I went all out.  So, with our posters here is what we started with.  Although I printed the numbers and letters, it is super easy to just write on index cards or paper. 

We used an old coffee can to pull the letters and numbers from but recognize this could be overwhelming amount of materials at first.  Giving a smaller amount at a time or covering up a section of the poster at first may be a starting point. 

Card Sorting
These materials can be used to make lots of different activities in one.  Tell people in your life to clear our their baseball card collections (I sure did!).  It is time to part with those cards that have no value and make some fun activities.  Baseball card sleeves are perfect for sorting random cards that are cluttering up closets everywhere.  Little is needed for this task but I did use 'library pockets' (without adhesive but they sell them with sticky backing as well).  Also you can use an envelope to gather loose cards for each page.  A simple three ring binder can contain all your goodies.

 We used some dinosaur cards to sort and match (along with old baseball logos and cards). 

On the matching with animal pictures we added clear words on the card and card sleeve to match.  (These cards are from a children's National Geographic magazine)  Although this child is not at reading level yet, matching the letters was fun for her. 

As stated before, this is the start of an ongoing process for Molly and I.  We thoroughly enjoy making activities that each individual can be successful at and enjoy at the same time.  Finding ways of incorporating interests, can truly make learning fun!

-Abby