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Indoor Play Place

By on September 8, 2010 in Special Needs

Our van has not been drivable for most of the last year. The last time we went to the fast food restaurant that houses this indoor play place, the twins were too young and too tiny to play.

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Elisha slid down the slide with Hosanna and she loved it.

IMG 2549 2 300x224 Indoor Play PlaceDaddy slid down the slide with Zion and he loved it (yes daddy loved it too).

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I have no idea what Moses was pointing at.

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Hosanna checking out the floor. It was soft and rubbery which was something new for her.

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Hosanna attempting to climb.

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Hosanna is sad that she is too short to climb up on her own.

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Now she is just being goofy.

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She was also in a mood to pose for the camera.

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She is my only daughter so I can take lots of pictures of her.

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Isn’t she adorable? I think so.

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Zion and Hosanna exploring. Hosanna climbing the slide.

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Zion’s turn to climb the slide.

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I loved the strange lighting of this picture. This was Zion and Elisha.

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Watching Malachi coming down the slide.

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Malachi, Moses, and Zion.

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All the boys coming down the slide. Elisha, Moses, Malachi, and Zion. I love the expression on Zion’s face. He is such a cute boy.

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Zion climbing the slide again.

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Oh no, here comes a brother (Malachi). Look at the grin on Zion’s face.

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Zion made it to the bottom. Happy boy. He loves being chased by the big boys.

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And here they come… Malachi…

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Elisha… and Moses….

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While I was gathering the images for this post, I was thinking about a time 5 years ago when this big boy wasn’t so big.

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We were at this very same play place and it was very crowded.

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And the boys had played themselves out. (We only had 3 boys at that time).

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And this big boy in front (the one putting on his shoes) had a melt down. It was time to leave and he didn’t want to.

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Instead, he threw himself to the ground like a floppy rag doll. He let his whole body go limp. The world around him stared, but he didn’t even notice.

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Can I just tell you how proud I am of this boy? Well, I am.
He has come a long way in the last few years.

(Note: Elisha has a diagnoses of ADHD, Autism, Sensory Issues, and is highly gifted)

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The Bridge That Elisha Built

By on August 6, 2010 in Special Needs

Elisha has been meeting with his OT fairly regularly for the past year. Since the fall, when our van broke down, she has been coming to our house. Our house is loud, we have five kids. While Elisha has been working on strengthening his fine motor abilities, he also has been learning to working through frustrations and follow a sequence of instructions.

During each visit he has been tackling a project that requires him to work step by step. I am amazed at how much progress we made this past year. I should have been taking pictures of all the projects he has been completing (note to self – take more pictures during OT visits). Here is a bridge that Elisha completed out of Uber Stix.

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We have some fun plans for next year and I can’t wait to share our journey with you. Our OT visits will most likely be bi-weekly during the school year and I will try to make a point to document all the fun projects we do and what we hope to accomplish (skill-wise) through them.

Do you have a child with Aspergers or Autism (or ADHD)?

Do you see an Occupational Therapist?

What skills are you working on with your special needs child?

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When Autism Visits Your House

By on June 25, 2010 in Special Needs

specialneeds When Autism Visits Your House

I had a chat with a mama today who had recently received a diagnosis of autism for her child.

 

It got me to thinking way back to when Elisha was six years old. He was just finishing up his one and only year in public school. Shortly before he started kindergarten, he received a diagnosis of ADHD from the family doctor. That fit, but it didn’t seem like a perfect fit.

 

The school recommended autism testing and I agreed.

 

The testing is quite involved. I had to fill out a very long form and have a 4 hour interview. My son was observed several times through out the school year. He underwent educational testing as well as specific autism testing. I remember how hard it was to focus so much on the negative aspects of him.

 

After receiving the diagnosis you are kind of left hanging. My child has autism… now what?

 

I didn’t have too much trouble because I tend to be fairly resourceful, but I know that other mothers are in shock by the diagnosis and just have no idea where to start. I had a small collection of local resources, so I started there.  I gathered local resources, I read books, I went to workshops and conferences, and I met other mama’s going through similar experiences. If you need help finding local resources, please feel free to contact me (no matter where you live).

 

I read and learned everything that I could. Then I go to the point where I just could not take in any more information. I had to take some time to let everything soak in.  I put the books away and I just took a break. I had to. We still had autism in our family, but I was on information overload and I needed to think about something else.

 

That break took a couple of years. I visited the books occasionally. I went to a support group for moms of special needs kids (which is awesome!) when I could. I had twins. Life got busy and crazy. Elisha had some areas he was struggling in, but overall, he was doing really well.

 

I started researching again for an occupational therapist (OT) to help with some sensory issues and fine motor skills. We had an OT early on in our journey, but we just didn’t mesh with her as she never connected with Elisha. I emailed a few local OTs and we found one that we LOVE. I can’t speak highly enough of her. She is amazing. I think we will keep her forever.

 

Every journey with autism is different. Every child with autism is unique. What works for one family may not work for another family. We tried many things before we found what worked for our family.  Once you find something that works for your family, don’t assume it will work forever, most likely it won’t. I always remember what the psychologist  said to me at the meeting when he announced that our son had autism. He told me to remember that he will have good days and bad days. He will have times where he seems perfectly normal, then he will have times where he is fully showing autistic behaviors and he will swing between the two depending on a great many variables.

 

Autism is not the end of the world. Sometimes it feels like an overwhelming challenged, but that’s what God’s grace is for.

 

I want to leave you with some resources that may be helpful to you on this journey.

  • The Sensory-Sensitive Child: Practical Solutions for Out-of-Bounds Behavior by Karen A. Smith and Karen R. Gouze
  • The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, Revised Edition by Carol Kranowitz and Lucy Jane Miller
  • Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World by Sharon Heller
  • Parenting a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder: A Family Guide to Understanding & Supporting Your Sensory-Sensitive Child by Christopher R. Auer and Susan L. Blumberg
  • Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske
  • The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias


What resources have you found helpful in your journey with a special needs child?

Feel free to ask me any questions. I would also be happy to help you find resources for your family.

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