Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. ~ Albert Einstein
School starts tomorrow. I have high anxiety about it this year. The start of last year boy cried everyday for 2 months. It was a very difficult time for him and we found over the weekend that the majority of the boys from last year are now in a different class so he has a bunch of boys he really doesn't know. Anxiety is high for him too so I'm trying really hard to not let him see how I'm feeling.
So, we will see what happens tomorrow. We are doing therapeutic listening now everyday...I'll have a whole separate blog about that, probably tomorrow. I think I will brush him in the morning too to help ease his stress level.
All of my charts are in line, we should be set to start another fabulous year. Honestly, as much as I hate the fact they have to go back to school, school is really what helps regulate his moods because there is a constant routine that deviates very little from day to day. School provides a better routine than I can ever do on my own so I know it is good for him. I just wish they could stay home with us forever...they grow up too fast. It is sad!!
So, wish us luck for tomorrow...thankfully it is just a half day.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."~ Stephen Covey
Ok so I have been ALL about the schedules and routines and lists and charts and to do lists and been done lists...it is quite overwhelming! But I have narrowed things down a bit and think that the following will be super helpful for us this year, thought I would share with all of you.
Good Morning, Welcome To Your Day chart: this chart represents the things that need to be done in the morning before we walk out the door for school (since school is 6 days away we will work in school mode).
I think adding the sensory items to the charts will ensure that the sensory is not overlooked.
Also, since things are so insanely busy with school starting, I need to create weekday routines for quick reference. For example it would be something like the below...
We also need to go down to a daily @ school schedule that he can keep in his desk at school so that at any given moment of the day he can find out where he is at and where he has to go.
Hopefully these will be helpful and make him more productive if he feels like he is in some kind of control.
Hopeful, ever so hopeful.
Ok so I have been ALL about the schedules and routines and lists and charts and to do lists and been done lists...it is quite overwhelming! But I have narrowed things down a bit and think that the following will be super helpful for us this year, thought I would share with all of you.
Good Morning, Welcome To Your Day chart: this chart represents the things that need to be done in the morning before we walk out the door for school (since school is 6 days away we will work in school mode).
- I have added to the good morning chart a task for him to choose what sensory fun we will do that night
- I have put a variety of sensory fun tasks onto white 3 x5 notecards and based on what we have going on that night, he can randomly choose 1 or 2 cards (blindly choosing eliminates him needing to make a choice (which is a meltdown begging to happen), but still gives him some ownership)
- Pick up cotton balls with tongs
- Pick up cotton balls with tweezers
- Sift rice into cups with one hand
- Play war fast and deal cards
- Play uno, deal cards quickly
- Shaving cream in the shower on the tile
- Shaving cream in ziplock bags with food coloring. Allow them to write and draw on the ziplock (make sure you double bag)
- Shaving cream car wash - drive cars through it
- "Draw" pictures with cooked spaghetti noodles
I think adding the sensory items to the charts will ensure that the sensory is not overlooked.
Also, since things are so insanely busy with school starting, I need to create weekday routines for quick reference. For example it would be something like the below...
We also need to go down to a daily @ school schedule that he can keep in his desk at school so that at any given moment of the day he can find out where he is at and where he has to go.
Hopefully these will be helpful and make him more productive if he feels like he is in some kind of control.
Hopeful, ever so hopeful.
fun sensory things to do
"Art...is an attempt to bring order out of chaos." ~ Stephen Sondhein
We have been working with the Cheerios cookbook that our sensory therapist gave us and there are a lot of fun things in it to be done that can equate to some sensory fun times.
Tonight we made these cute little cheerio peanut butter sprinkle balls. This works some sensory in because boy had to form the balls, which are uber sticky and ick, and then roll them in sprinkles...this is after he helped measure and pour all of the ingredients.
His sensory therapist suggests having him help make different food and teach him that when we cook, we must taste what we make...try to force him to start wanting to try a variety of food, broaden his tastes.
Here is the recipe for cheerio peanut butter sprinkle balls.
1/3c of sugar
1/2c of light corn syrup
1/2c peanut butter
3c cheerios
sprinkles
Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.
Mix the sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until near boiling.
Add peanut butter and stir until thoroughly combined.
Stir in cheerios, mix until well coated.
Form into little balls, roll in the sprinkles and set aside for about a 1/2 hour until they have hardened.
Voila! Enjoy!
We have been working with the Cheerios cookbook that our sensory therapist gave us and there are a lot of fun things in it to be done that can equate to some sensory fun times.
Tonight we made these cute little cheerio peanut butter sprinkle balls. This works some sensory in because boy had to form the balls, which are uber sticky and ick, and then roll them in sprinkles...this is after he helped measure and pour all of the ingredients.
His sensory therapist suggests having him help make different food and teach him that when we cook, we must taste what we make...try to force him to start wanting to try a variety of food, broaden his tastes.
Here is the recipe for cheerio peanut butter sprinkle balls.
1/3c of sugar
1/2c of light corn syrup
1/2c peanut butter
3c cheerios
sprinkles
Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.
Mix the sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until near boiling.
Add peanut butter and stir until thoroughly combined.
Stir in cheerios, mix until well coated.
Form into little balls, roll in the sprinkles and set aside for about a 1/2 hour until they have hardened.
Voila! Enjoy!
Monday, August 24, 2009
I detest the word "cure"
Ok, the next few lines of my blog may horribly offend many people, but that is in no way my intent. I am speaking only on behalf of my son with Aspergers and if my son were not so "high functioning" I may not at all agree with my opinions here...
So, here it goes.
I am so sick of hearing about how Jenny McCarthy "cured" her autistic son. The reason I am so sick of hearing about this is that I hate the term "cure, curing, cured". Cure, curing, cured makes it sound like it is a disease. And again I am only speaking on behalf of my aspie son when I say this, but for me his Aspergers, which is classified under the term autism, is not a disease. It is who he is. It is just who he is. I have no desire to cure him of it, it is what makes him the quirky little guy that he is. I do have a desire to help him situate himself in the world where everyone else is so "normal" (another term that I DESPISE). But I do not at all hope to cure him. I hope to take his amazing skills and talents and development them into something that works for him.
The word cure just grates on my nerves. Let's not let our children believe that they need to be cured of this disease, let's not let them believe they have a disease. Let's let them know that they are different, as everyone is different, and we are not working towards a cure, but working towards making them the best people they can be.
So, here it goes.
I am so sick of hearing about how Jenny McCarthy "cured" her autistic son. The reason I am so sick of hearing about this is that I hate the term "cure, curing, cured". Cure, curing, cured makes it sound like it is a disease. And again I am only speaking on behalf of my aspie son when I say this, but for me his Aspergers, which is classified under the term autism, is not a disease. It is who he is. It is just who he is. I have no desire to cure him of it, it is what makes him the quirky little guy that he is. I do have a desire to help him situate himself in the world where everyone else is so "normal" (another term that I DESPISE). But I do not at all hope to cure him. I hope to take his amazing skills and talents and development them into something that works for him.
The word cure just grates on my nerves. Let's not let our children believe that they need to be cured of this disease, let's not let them believe they have a disease. Let's let them know that they are different, as everyone is different, and we are not working towards a cure, but working towards making them the best people they can be.
Friday, August 21, 2009
sensory therapy update - this past week
Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
*highlight - classical music really is calming..use it and use it often!
Wednesday boy came out of sensory therapy wearing this huge contraption set of headphones on his ears and something resembling a back brace wrapped about his waist. It was very hard to keep myself from laughing! The therapist was walking behind him chuckling as he walked up to me and started talking extra loud (much louder than his normal level of loud).
Ms. Sue decided to start him with therapeutic listening to help with some of his anxiety and noise sensitivity issues. She was very impressed that he knew the music was Mozart before she even told him, which started a huge discussion (on his part) all about the wonders of the fabulous Baby Einstein...one of his huge previous addictions. I am surprised (and beyond thankful) that the therapeutic listening did not prompt a regression to the world of Baby Einstein...I'm not sure I could survive that!).
Ok so here is the info part - the therapeutic listening system teaches the body how to block out the noise that is disruptive. Has anyone ever said "Hey, do you hear that ringing sound?" and before they asked you didn't hear it, but after they asked you realize it was there the whole time? The fact that you did not hear it meant that your body, on its own, was blocking out the disruptive noise so you could continue doing whatever it was you were doing. Some children do not have the ability to do that. Therapeutic listening is supposed to teach their ear muscles to drown out that noise.
The headphones and CDs are what the program are composed of. We supply the portable CD player, which he can wear on himself so he can continue with his usual activities. The headphones are special in that they provide different frequency levels (high/low)in each headphone, sound comes in from different parts of the headphones and during the music it will change from normal to scratchy to staticy.
Last year I priced the therapeutic listening programs when we first really started seeing issues with noise. They were over $300. For this program through our sensory therapy we rent out the equipment for $10 for 2 weeks at a time. The $10 is refundable once the equipment is returned. Ms. Sue is going to get it ready for him to take home next week...I am super excited to start this and ESPECIALLY at the start of the year!!!
On another note, can I just express again how much we love our sensory therapist. Boy noticed a cheerios cookbook in her office and was so taken with it she let him borrow it for the week. We came across alot of really good sensory activities and have been working on them.
Sensory cheerio activities that are fun:
*highlight - classical music really is calming..use it and use it often!
Wednesday boy came out of sensory therapy wearing this huge contraption set of headphones on his ears and something resembling a back brace wrapped about his waist. It was very hard to keep myself from laughing! The therapist was walking behind him chuckling as he walked up to me and started talking extra loud (much louder than his normal level of loud).
Ms. Sue decided to start him with therapeutic listening to help with some of his anxiety and noise sensitivity issues. She was very impressed that he knew the music was Mozart before she even told him, which started a huge discussion (on his part) all about the wonders of the fabulous Baby Einstein...one of his huge previous addictions. I am surprised (and beyond thankful) that the therapeutic listening did not prompt a regression to the world of Baby Einstein...I'm not sure I could survive that!).
Ok so here is the info part - the therapeutic listening system teaches the body how to block out the noise that is disruptive. Has anyone ever said "Hey, do you hear that ringing sound?" and before they asked you didn't hear it, but after they asked you realize it was there the whole time? The fact that you did not hear it meant that your body, on its own, was blocking out the disruptive noise so you could continue doing whatever it was you were doing. Some children do not have the ability to do that. Therapeutic listening is supposed to teach their ear muscles to drown out that noise.
The headphones and CDs are what the program are composed of. We supply the portable CD player, which he can wear on himself so he can continue with his usual activities. The headphones are special in that they provide different frequency levels (high/low)in each headphone, sound comes in from different parts of the headphones and during the music it will change from normal to scratchy to staticy.
Last year I priced the therapeutic listening programs when we first really started seeing issues with noise. They were over $300. For this program through our sensory therapy we rent out the equipment for $10 for 2 weeks at a time. The $10 is refundable once the equipment is returned. Ms. Sue is going to get it ready for him to take home next week...I am super excited to start this and ESPECIALLY at the start of the year!!!
On another note, can I just express again how much we love our sensory therapist. Boy noticed a cheerios cookbook in her office and was so taken with it she let him borrow it for the week. We came across alot of really good sensory activities and have been working on them.
Sensory cheerio activities that are fun:
- String cheerios on pipe cleaner to make bracelets
- Make pipecleaner people and string cheerios on them
- Make a mask and glue cheerios to it -- make sure you use the palming technique where he picks up the cheerios with one hand (thumb and forefinger), palms them, then manipulates them out of his hand with his thumb and forefinger again to place them on the glue.
routine chart ideas
As requested, here are the routine charts that I created for my son. They are fairly simple.
Right now we have a Good Morning and Good Night chart. I laminated them and he marks off his tasks with a dry erase marker, which adds a level of fun to it.
When school starts I will be adding a Homework Chart. I also create little charts for him for what his school day entails so throughout the day he can review the chart and find out where in the world
he is at.
I also need to create a detailed shower chart that I can laminate and put in the shower with him. Maybe he can use soap to mark items off. It is amazing how hard it is for him to remember what he needs to do in the shower.
Monday, August 17, 2009
routines, routines, oh how we love our routines
We are strictly enforcing the routine charts now :)
School starts in two weeks, gotta be ready for the super chaos to begin.
So far the routines have been happily accepted, welcomed with open arms. I laminated them and he uses a dry erase marker so that alone makes it seem fancy.
Right now we have a good morning and good night chart. I am also creating a homework and shower chart.
Fun times!
School starts in two weeks, gotta be ready for the super chaos to begin.
So far the routines have been happily accepted, welcomed with open arms. I laminated them and he uses a dry erase marker so that alone makes it seem fancy.
Right now we have a good morning and good night chart. I am also creating a homework and shower chart.
Fun times!
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