Monday, December 21, 2009

Backyard Blitz

Just had to share a funny story from tonight.  I don't know if anyone saw the Backyard Blitz done for the mum of 2 Autistic boys about 2 weeks ago, well we watched it as a family and Troy talked to Kyle about how this mum had 2 boys that were like him.  Kyle didn't move from the TV that night.  Tonight Kyle came up to me and said "what is it that I have, I know it starts with an A." I replied telling him it was Autism. "That's right" he said "I better go on backyard blitz" I told him they would then come for me. His reply " Oh okay then for both of us."
If only!!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Season Greetings

Just wishing you all a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. May it be a good and safe holiday season for us all. Also all the best as we all tackle the holidays with our children, it can be the hardest time of the year for us too.  See you in the New Year.
Elaine

Monday, December 14, 2009

When will you know if you took the right action?

One of the hardest things for me as a parent was the length of time it sometimes takes to know if you are doing the right thing or not,. After all sometimes it takes thousands of repetitions for our kids to learn something simple. ( I estimate 4000 + to teach my son to brush his teeth without needing me standing beside him like the toothbrushing police)

When other kids seem to learn how to do things without even being shown it can seem like you are getting nowhere in a hurry and you are a failure as a parent.

Well I just wanted to share this little story with you.

When my son was in year 2 primary he started loosing his baby teeth and replaced his beautifullly straight teeth with a mouthful of crooked and crossed over teeth. He went from beautiful speach to lisping all the time because of the crossed over teeth.

At that stage I didn't know what we were dealing with ( I now think he would have been diagnosed autistic if there was the same knowledge then as now) I just knew that there was no way he could handle sitting in a chair and having a tooth pulled out.

Over the years as his teeth were replaced with adult teeth the crowding got worse but I still had nothing done. I couldnt afford ot have his teeth extracted under a general anaesthetic and there was no way he would have sat still long enough. It was a trial enough to get a filling done.

Then when he was in highschool the school dentist said to me to take him to the orthodontist. No point in going there until he wanted to get his teeth straightened. I thought. As it was at that time he was not good at looking after his teeth.

So today after his 17th birthday last month he finally got a headful of metal. 2 ops to remove teeth to get ready for it over the last year and he is committed to keeping his teeth cleaned so he has a nice straight smile. It's not the smile that was worrying me but the fact the teeth are so crooked they are very hard to clean.

So today 7 years + down the track I recieved the positive feedback that yes I did make the right choice.

Sometimes the positive feedback comes quickly, sometimes it takes years and sometimes we will never know if we have done the right thing so it is vitally important that as a parent we remember to celebrate to ourselves when we get things right.

Sometimes it is celebrating that we got the support we need to get the outcome we want. Sometimes it is simply that we held onto our temper when our child was meltingdown around us.

And sometimes it is simply knowing that we are hanging in there on those really tuff days when we feel like we are doing everything wrong. (And oh yeah I remember those days when I did EVERYTHING wrong)

Give yourself a pat on the back, your still here after all and remember that in the future you will see the rewards that you cant see right now.

It's very nice to be sitting here right now knowing that I have a son moving into his adult years who was capable of sitting in a dentist chair for 1 1/2 hours while he had his braces fitted BECAUSE I made the choices I did when he was too young to make them for himself.

Celebrate your actions. You make them after careful consideration and with all the information you have at your disposal. You will make mistakes, we all do, that is why saying well done to yourself is more important than anything else I can think of.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Gift meltdowns....and general Christmas tips??

Ok, so we had a situation today.....here goes....

My Dad visited for the weekend and I knew he was bringing Griffin's birthday pressie early. Id pre-warned and talked through the whole "Griffin will get a gift, but its his birthday & so there wont be one for you" etc etc and she seemed ok with that (sort of lol!)

So Dad mentions he has a little surprise for Grace too - and gives her an envelope.....with a gift voucher inside (K-mart)......IMPLOSION!!! Grace completely lost it for almost an hour. Luckily Dad understod she wasnt being ungrateful, and I will be on the phone first thing tomorrow to our speechie for tips.

Perhaps once she has been able to buy something SHE chooses, it will help her understand next time. Im just wandering if any of you have had problems with gift vouchers before? Birthdays and Christmas have always been a challenge, the build up, anticipation and expectations get the better of her. How do I get her to understand that

.......sometimes you dont know whats inside
.......sometimes someone else might get something she wanted
.......sometimes someone else might get 6 gifts, and she may only get 5
......it hurts people feelings when she gets angry or crys when opening a gift
......gratitued, even if she doesnt really like her gift

etc etc etc

Friday, December 11, 2009

School orientation

Kyle had a school orientation last Wednesday. Being a small school they did preschool orientation and then included the whole school by moving everyone to the class and room they were going to go next year. It was mainly for Kyle. He did really well and it's given him confidence for next year. We are so thankful the school is behind us in helping Kyle. We did have a quiet laugh when the desks became his focus point, everything about them was wrong including the colour. We just have to wait now to see how he goes next year, first we have to tackle the holidays!!!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Babes In The Wood

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you know about the annual pantomime by the Repertory Club in Busselton. This year it is Babes In The Wood, starting on Jan 1st and running for a 12 show season. Why am I telling you this??? Well, Jamie, my ASD child, is in the show. He has been performing in pantomime every year since he was born, and even while I was pregnant with him!! This year he has a part in the juniors section (a 5 minute segment during the main show) plus has been given a small part in the main cast as well.

Acting and drama classes are often suggested for ASD children as it gives them an environment to practise social skills, emotions and reading non verbal language. Plus they can have no fear of performing on stage as they don't realise it is a fearful situation. Jamie loves being in the pantomime and manages to crack us up every year with his tone of voice and body language etc.

So, if you want to come and check out a great show head down to Callows newsagent in Busselton to purchase tickets (you can only purchase in person, NO PHONE SALES), but it you want to watch Jamie in a great show you need tickets for one of these 6 dates;

Sat 2nd Jan 4pm
Mon 4th Jan 7:30pm
Fri 8th Jan 7:30pm
Mon 11th Jan 7:30pm
Thu 14th Jan 7:30pm
Sat 16th Jan 4pm

The juniors are split into 2 groups and do half the shows each - regulations do not allow kids under 12 to perform for the whole season. Also, Sat 16th is the final show, which always has presentations and speeches afterwards. If you dont think your child can sit through this DONT go to that show.

Enjoy. Amanda

I couldnt help sharing this image my dear friend just emailed me! It was taken at the Busselton Show last month. Such a tender moment, and so true to Gracie's form, she is oblivious to anything around her, completely enamoured by the dove...my heart is full :)

Hanen More Than Words Workshop Feb in Busselton

I just emailed everyone this info....but here is is again :) Deb

A Hanen More Than Words workshop series is being planned to run over 10 Wednesdays from 09.30am to 12.30 at the Busselton Community Health Centre, Mill Rd Busselton commencing on Wednesday February 10th 2010.

The program will be presented by Sabrina de Beer, senior speech pathologist with the Health Department’s Regional Therapy Team.

There will be no cost for participants, but parents are asked to commit to attend the full program. The sessions are run with the parents as a group. Children not attending school will need to be left with a babysitter.

A brief overview of the program is attached below, and further information can be found at:
https://www.hanen.org

It would be ideal if registrations for participation could be made by December 22nd so that pre-programme interviews and videos can be planned and completed prior to the end of January.

To register or to obtain further information please contact Sabrina at: sabrina.debeer@health.wa.gov.au
or phone: 9724 0512

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Gluten and Dairy foods...

We've not headed down this path till now, and after a brief conversation with Donna's delightful daughter, I purchased A2 milk yesterday (assuming Grace would be able to tell it wasnt her 'usual' beverage!) and its delicious! I loved it.....and guess who didn't notice!!! It seems a bit expensive, but if it means keeping dairy in her diet - bring it on! Donna, is there anywhere local that seems to sell it cheaper than Coles??

I also wandered down the health food isle to hunt for the cereal K said was nice (I think she said Crunchola??) but didnt see one that was Gluten free, other than the rice flakes, puffs & muesli...has anyone tried any of these??

This is the website for Freedom foods, they make the A2 milk and seem to produce several other GF options. Click on the A2 icon and it takes you to some interesting media reports on this milk.....specifically mentioning Autism. Im going to pop the pancake mix, cookies and wraps on my next shopping list. Tried the potato chips....which Griffin & I loved, but Grace didnt, will keep offering it and see!

www.freedomfoods.com.au

Ladies - Share your favorite GF product with us! Or if there are any recipies your kids love, or GF cookbooks you use......let us know. Also, anyone know of yoghurt that may be along the lines of the A2 milk??