Discussing Autism

When it comes to Special Education parents often get ignored, thus the need for Advocates, Due Process, and yes, Court.

But, when it comes down to it…I am AJ’s best advocate and I am his parent, the one who knows him best. And I will have to fight for his services…hmmm advocate for his services for another 14 years. I just hate being that kind of parent that I complained about when I was teaching. You know, the one who didn’t agree with the classroom activities or procedures, or how the IEP was being followed, or how the teacher graded a particular assignment. (more…)

I’ve been writing this series on IEP’s for a week now and hoping that you are gathering your information. Is there anything else you want to know? Make sure to leave a comment and let me know.

Today’s topic is Goals and Objectives within the IEP. But before you can do anything with an IEP you must first define your child’s needs clearly and specifically.
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In your line of work you would never go to a meeting unprepared would you? So why would you go to your child’s IEP meeting unprepared?

The key to going to an IEP prepared is to do your research before hand and make sure you share all of your concerns and even suggested accommodations and modifications with the IEP team several days, if not weeks, before hand. This will eliminate surprises from both sides and help facilitate the meeting. (more…)

Do you have questions that you need answered? That your school district won’t answer? That you can’t find the answers to?

Need help with an IEP, how to help your little one with Sensory Processing, Visual Processing, or Auditory Processing?

Email me (or leave comments…I LOVE THOSE!) and I can try to find answers for you!

pickelfam at yahoo dot com

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AJ is giving me a run for my money lately…not that I am complaining. I am actually a little proud. Why? Because he is acting like a NORMAL four year old.

Here is what has me perplexed. (more…)

Last Christmas Grandma gave AJ PECS, the Picture Exchange Communication System from Pyramid Education Products. It worked well for a while, or until we figured out that the pictures we had were geared toward school instead of the home and to get more meant to buy more pictures.

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No, I am not talking about food here folks, I am talking about a diet built for the senses…for kids with Sensory Processing Disorder. If you read my blog regularly, you will know that AJ’s main issue is Sensory Processing Disorder or otherwise known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction. World Renowned Occupational Therapist Patricia Wilbarger coined the term Sensory Diet (as well as the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol).
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The Holiday went as I expected…chaotic but with a little twist. This year instead of settling quietly down after Christmas day we were traveling to Guatemala to meet our future son and AJ was staying with my parents in snowy Chicago. (more…)

Today is Christmas and for us it means AJ will be overwhelmed, overstimulated, and out of control because he just can’t handle it all.

Christmas is not a happy time for us. It can have its shiny moments but overall it is just too hectic for him to make any sense of it all. Remember, AJ does not have autism but he is dealing with the results of institutionalization, neglect, trauma, and has severe sensory integration dysfunction. We also believe that there are some other issues that we are dealing with but we may never know what those are.

What we do know is that Christmas is supposed to be about family. He is just starting to learn what family really means and he is sad about that. He is grieving his birth mother and wanting a sibling, which we told him is in the works. He loves his grandparents, his aunts and uncles (the ones far, far away in India and in Georgia) and the ones right here. He desperately wants to socialize but gets so overwhelmed that he just can’t. So, we escape to quiet rooms and try to calm him but it does not always work.

That is why I am hoping that this year he finds that one toy to latch onto as a security blanket. Last year there wasn’t one and there were just too many toys in my aunt’s basement for him to function. Maybe this year we will take his new slinky’s or the new Rainbow Waterfall. Perhaps those will work.

Merry Christmas!

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As much as AJ is hypersensitive to lights he loves them and can’t get enough. Well, this, I think is much more than enough for him!

I perused all of the Christmas light displays on You Tube and this one is my favorite.

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I discovered yesterday that what calms AJ most is visual therapy, not proprioceptive or vestibular. This is quite contrary to what we have been told or have been doing…interesting? It was sure interesting to me, as I thought he was always visually stimming. Well, perhaps he is in his own sort of way but he is stimming to calm himself.

Today I went in search of some stocking stuffers to fill that little stocking of his (which, by the way, he pulled off the mantle yesterday and learned the hard way that stocking metal stocking holders really hurt).
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Is your little one afraid to see Santa this year? Is he overstimulated by the mall and all the glittering lights, afraid of all the people, conscious of every detail around him, ready to flee at the slightest movement of someone in line, refusing to put on that shirt and tie for grandma? In my search for tips on how to prepare AJ to visit Santa I only found two posts…This one and this one so it was obvious that it needed to be addressed.

Every parents’ dream is to get that beautiful picture of their son or daughter with Santa for the very first time. (Well, at least I know my dream was and I know that my mother pushes me to get my son all dolled up every year and take the most perfect posed shot I can.) But it is just not a reality for kids with autism or SPD, for children with developmental delays like PDD or anxiety.
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I have collected a series of articles for you, my readers, on how to survive the holidays with your children.

First, look at yesterday’s review post

Airport and Autism We have traveled several times with AJ and things have always gone smoothly (well, except when he had to potty during landing. That was our fault for not taking him earlier). We took the essentials: the DVD player, his weighted blanket and vest, his favorite toys and fidgets, several snacks and drinks (they allowed the drinks due to allergies), and his sleep medication (we pinpointed travel for night time). Our only issue was a night terror during one flight and because I was holding him (he does not like to be touched) it was not easy to calm him. He did great going through security and was easily calmed in other situations.
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I recently spoke with a mother from my special needs group who told me she knew her son had autism when he was just 3 months old. Is that possible?

Sure, it is possible to know your child has Sensory Integration Dysfunction at that early age but is it actually possible to see signs of autism at 2-3 months?

Developmental Milestones for a three month old include: developing a social smile, raising head and chest, watching faces, and smiling at the sound of your voice. She said he was doing none of that in comparison to her friends’ children.

By seven months he was showing major delays but her pediatrician was not seeing them…he seemed alert to him. He had major sensory issues, refused to cuddle and was impossible to console at night, did not track with his eyes or respond to his name, had difficulty mouthing objects and eating, did not turn his head to locate sounds, did not sit up with help by six months, and on…she even commented that there was little personality there.

But, if her pediatrician did not listen at that early an age who was she to get to listen?
Diagnosis is rare before the age of two but is inching into the 18 months age range because of pediatrician training and referrals to specialists. However, it is possible to recognize symptoms in infancy and pediatricians need to take notice. They need to look at gaze, social development and play, and hearing according to Gillberg.

Parents need to be aware as well. No, we don’t need to constantly compare our children to the ones down the street or on the next block because children all develop at different paces. We certainly need to be aware of the social skills, language, and behavior of our children though. Are they interacting appropriately? Are they developing language skills in a timely manner? Do they play with toys without lining them up constantly?

Learn about First Signs and Early Autism Screening.

Take this online autism screening quiz.

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What have your favorite posts been? It looks like you all want practical solutions to problems in the daily life. Here is a recap from the last 6 months.

How to Avoid Holiday Meltdowns: We have already entered our holiday meltdown mode… and the giggles and wiggles are in full force. The only saving grace we have found this year is plain ole’ quiet time. We have altered our holiday plans this year to include less family time, less busy on the go time, and a lot less lights and glitter.

I Want Candy, GFCF Solutions:…This is not just for Halloween! This came in handy just today when we were making our Gingerbread Train, a new holiday favorite of AJ’s. I chose all candies that were GFCF…gumdrops, wreaths, reindeer corn, peppermints, and even marshmallow santas (which were a big hit).

Aspergers and Top Model: Heather, from America’s Top Model, was certainly intriguing…and she made it a long way. But, was Top Model using her for her disability or did she really deserve to be there?

Jenny, Enough: Despite the fact that I like what Jenny had to say in the beginning the entire McCarthism Autism Vaccination Era needs to come to an end…Vaccinations do not cause autism.

A Successful Halloween: You all loved this post and I am assuming it is because it had advice on how to deal with the biggest kid holiday in the fall…how to allow your child to have fun without darkening his/her night. And, the good thing is that it is possible. Did it work?

Billing Codes May Prevent Autism Screening: Well, because we can’t let this happen, can we?

Fisher Price Lead Disaster: The post that started it all…well, after Thomas the Train collapsed the market. Make sure to check out my Lead Free Toys List over at My Two Boys and I still have two toy giveaways going on over there!

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