Bowling--"ANNUAL TAKING TURNS DAY"

We just had our annual family bowling day (instead of Halloween....which we don't celebrate). My husband calls it our "Annual Taking Turns Day" which is usually quite difficult for Caleb and our younger twins. This year, however, was a great day...especially for Caleb. He knew what the day was, where we were going, and even waited VERY patiently for his turns. He doesn't quite have the bowling technique down, but he did a great job! He cheered for everyone, and knew when his turn was coming. This one game of bowling lasts SUPER long though as we have to wait for the snail rolls to finally reach the pins :) Instead..Andy (one of our 3 year olds) thought every turn should be his own :) So....my husband's title still stands! Just not for Caleb anymore :)

**As a side note** Keep us in prayer as we continue to tackle the school on having a personal aide for Caleb throughout the day. He just isn't catching all the words the teacher says, and thus needs as aide to assist him with assignments, frustration, etc.

Inclusion and ADVOCACY for a child with autism

As promised...here are the inclusion and advocacy links & info.:


Websites supporting inclusion:

http://www.positivelyautism.com/volume2issue1.html
http://www.pbs.org/parents/inclusivecommunities/index.html
http://www.paulakluth.com/inclusive-schooling.html
http://www.iser.com/CAadvocacy.html

Websites on autism law:

http://www.iser.com/CAadvocacy.html
http://www.aboutautismlaw.com/sample_chapter.html
http://autism.about.com/od/termsanddefinitions/g/nclb.htm

Websites specific to Michigan:

http://www.northernautismnetwork.org/
http://www.wmin.org/events.htm
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Michigan/

Helpful resources for parents & teachers:

www.childcareland.com
www.positivelyautism.com
http://members.aol.com/Room5/strat.html
www.specialed.us/autism/structure/str10.htm
www.chileda.org/resources/teaching.htm

What is the law? What should you know going into an IEP?

1. Definition and description of Autism & it's symptoms for uneducated teachers/professionals
a) how autism is mantifested in your child
b) Mom hints on working with your child

Here are some ideas to print off:
-http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatis
-http://www.autism.com/autism/


2. Key terms to understand & use regarding Autism & Law

LRE: Least Restrictive Environment
- to the maximum extent, children with disabilities should be educated with children who are not disabled; this might mean that supplemental supports be included (which must be spelled out in an IEP)

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Act
- to insure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.

FAPE: Free And Appropriate Public Education
-spec. education and related services that are provided in an IEP designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, meet state standards, and are provided at state expense (free to the individual)

NCLB: No Child Left Behind
-improve education by focusing on accountability for results, freedom for states and communities, proven education methods, and choices for parents. Much of this is evaluated through testing. Children with autism may take the tests with accomodations such as extra time, or support from an aide.

We Had A Better Week...hooray!

Things seem to be going much more smoothly now! Hooray for now! We met with the autistic consultant from our county along with the principal, OT, special ed. teacher, and 1st grade teacher. The AI consultant had much advice to give, and once the teacher realized it wasn't a critique of her teaching, but more advice on how best to reach Caleb, things went very smoothly. It seems breakfast was a major source of tension for Caleb because he wanted what he couldn't have. Now, we have a sack lunch (from the lunchroom w/ things he can have) waiting for him in the Special Ed. room after he gets off the bus in the morning. He will get to have his breakfast & play computer games for 1/2 hour in the morning. That should give a good start to his day, and hopefully make it go smoother. The AI consultant also talked to the teacher about the necessity of a visual schedule and visual reminders. The teacher was mostly relying on her words being enough for Caleb to understand what's expected, but it was most likely getting him confused & frustrated. The reminders might not be needed later, but for now (since EVERYTHING has changed from last year), it will be added security for Caleb. I really like the AI lady because she reiterated that it isn't his fault for getting frustrated, that it's part of autism. The teacher had said, "But how will I implement these strategies in a room of 32 kids?", and the AI consultant said, "We aren't going to worry about that now. Let's zero in on Caleb & what's best for him, and worry about the rest later." I SO appreciated another professional being able to get through to the school. So, for now....I'm a bit more relaxed :) Better yet....so is Caleb!

I'll still go in on Tues. and Thurs. mornings to help out, and also I'll meet again with his school team to go over any other trouble spots in Caleb's day, but so far the fight has been successfull! Just think how easy the next ASD kids & families will have it :) Which reminds me....that for our district of 500 students, we have about 8-9 children that are possibly on the spectrum. That's much higher than the 1 in 150 statistic! We're much closer to the 1 in 50 or 60 that England is quoting. All who read this: keep praying for this country, these children, and their families!

Also, I hope to soon have some informational posts on dealing with IEPs, the law on education, and resources in your county. Keep watching!

Disillusionment sets in at School

Well, the excitement was short-lived as reality hit us like a brick. Caleb's educators are NOT trained in autism. I have had a phone call nearly every day this last week because he's not doing something right. This after they let him eat whatever he wants at lunch just to avoid a scene. Finally, we had a meeting with the principal & demanded an aide to be next to him. One that travels from year to year to give him security and boundaries. We also demanded TRAINING! It really isn't the teacher's fault as she is being forced to teach 32 children, 1 possible autistic child, and 1 definitely autistic child (Caleb). This, while 1/2 the class rotates to another teacher a few hours a day. It is controlled chaos! However, it isn't Caleb's fault, and he's TOTALLY capable of handling first grade. After all, the days I went and sat next to him, he did everything the other children did! This was surprising to the educators because they just don't understand his capabilities. We shall see what this week brings as a new aide should arise and training, hopefully, will be scheduled.

TO SCHOOL!

School started TODAY! Here's some great pictures of the kids. (Caleb's in yellow). I hope things go well. The older boys will make sure Caleb finds his class okay & doesn't head to last year's room. Otherwise, I'm praying all day for all 3 of them! Oh...I almost forgot! Caleb learned to RIDE A TWO WHEELER BIKE yesterday!! Hooray! We were at some friends playing volleyball, and all they had were regular kid bikes with no training wheels. Caleb found one his size, pushed off, and away he went! Just like he'd always been doing it! NO MORE TRAINING WHEELS! It was just last year that he learned to pedal, now he's riding a two-wheeler like any normal kid! Hopefully school goes just as well and easy as riding a bike :)

We're ready for SCHOOL!

Good times continue, and I'm just praying that they continue for the start of school next week. Caleb's already looking forward to school. He keeps carrying around his lunch box & says, "Bye! See ya later." We visited his first grade teacher & classroom, & probably will do so one more time before the big day. Hopefully he won't automatically head down to his former classroom. I'm really looking forward to sending the children to school! They're all so ready. Caleb has lately been wanting to go with anyone & everyone who comes to our home. All in hopes of better fun at their house :) He's ready for the challenge, and I'm ready to see what's in store for this year. 8 days to go until school!

LDN (low dose naltrexone) and Caleb

Well I think I figured out a source of Caleb's irritibility! Just in time for school too....yay! I took him off the LDN (low dose naltrexone) cream that he's been on for over a year. I wanted to see if it really was still doing anything or not, and the best time to figure it out is the summer. LDN had really helped fight the immune responses Caleb had to food, and it boosted language a bit at the beginning. Anyhow....it's been much smoother since going off LDN. I use the cell salts like Kali Phos or one with all the salts to help with irritibility, but I've hardly needed anything. He's been great mood-wise for about a week now, which has taken a load off my heart for school coming up. We haven't had major yeast break-outs either, and that's been such a relief. Caleb's traditional response to supplements/medications he doesn't tolerate is to get VERY irritible and screamy. I'm just wondering if that's what started his irritible ball rolling....his not needing LDN anymore because it was no longer tolerated. Who knows, but I pray the good stays for a long while!