A Great Start To A New School Year

          This school year has started off great so far. I have met with my son's teachers at a grade level meeting to discuss his needs and to introduce my Intervention Plan I made for him. He has been doing very well with his classwork and has not needed any assistance from his teachers. He has passed his NJASK  math section this year with a score a lot higher than last year. I am so proud of my son!!!!!! I knew he could achieve his goals, I am just glad I was able to guide him in the right direction. He has shown so much confidence in his ability to do the classwork it melts my heart to see how happy he gets. My 3 yr. old daughter has also made some HUGE HUGE improvements with her education this year. She has learned some new words like "bread", "book", "pull- up", "car", "pink", "purple", "me", "Katelyn", "Three", "Mom" this time she refers to me!!! And this one it's sooooo cute... "cheesecake"!!!!! She has learned to say some sentences too like " My name is Katelyn" and " I am three years old". " Are you proud of me?"  She has even learned to read the words "milk" and "eggs" from a book!!  She makes me proud everyday. I love to see improvements even if it doesn't happen for long time. I am very proud of all of my children's progress this year!! My hard work and dedication has paid off. But it doesn't mean I can just stop and lay back, no it means I have to continue teaching, advocating and fighting for my children to receive ALL the help they can get. Looking forward to the rest of this school year!!!

Don't Know What Autism is?

         This is my daughter and she has Autism. You ask but how could that be? There are no physical disabilities. Well because Autism is a developmental disability not a physical disability. Autism affects the learning, social and emotional process. She is a very normal, happy little girl. She has abilities that shine through everyday. She can become social and emotional and learn.
       She has to be taught how to learn new things and shown to become social and emotional. All of this is present she just has a hard time showing it because she doesn't know how. Its not that she cant. So when you hear Autism please don't think "oh my god, poor child". There is nothing wrong with my child because her abilities are stronger than her disability. If she wanted to become a doctor, nurse, lawyer, judge guess what, she can. You might think she cant, how?
        If you do not live with autism you will never understand. Even if you learn about autism you will still not understand. You see, what my daughter shows me is unexplainable. She is unique in her own way and she makes me proud. The reason she is able to strive and show her potential is because she has a family who supports and knows she can achieve what she sets her mind to. That is what Autism is.

Can You Tell The Difference?

      With the recent J Cole and Drake comments about autism it had me thinking, we have a serious issue going on here. Its not okay for people to degrade our children and use autism in a negative way. So, here is a scenario for you.... Its a beautiful sunny day and you are at an outing with your family or friends. You see parents with their children. As you are trying to enjoy your day you see the children are upset and crying, running around, stomping their feet and maybe even throwing themselves on the floor. The parents are doing their best to calm their children down, but its not working. As all people do they stare with a confused face and make a comment like " if that were my child I would have better control over them and they would not act like that". Am I right? Probably, everyone who doesn't deal with autism will have a rude comment like that. My point is, don't be so quick to judge because that child that is crying, running around and stomping their feet, that is my child and she has autism and you wouldn't know. There is no deformality. Especially if you don't know autism and what to look for. My child does that, all children with autism do that. Even neurotypical children do that. They are human and they have feelings so if you are quick to judge then you are just ignorant. Learn the signs of autism and educate yourself about it because stares and rude comments really hurt our feelings. Our children are just children, looking to have fun and find their place in this world and we cant do that if there is hate towards them, because autism doesn't define who they are. I hope this helps you to understand and sheds light on this issue.

My Summer With Autism

            So far my summer has been great. I have had family time and had a blast. We have gone to the park, swimming and a water park. My daughter has been attending summer school. She has shown so much improvement and is starting to be a little vocal. I have been working with her and teaching her how to say sounds and two to three letter words. She is so interested in imitating it comes naturally for her. This is the moment I have been waiting for. Now she still can't hold a conversation with anyone but can say some words. I have taught her how to say her name and age. She is such a fast learner, she learned it in a matter of a couple days. It is one baby step at a time but there is progress. By going to the park it has increased her interest in becoming social. Teaching her how to swim has gave her that confidence that she needs to know that she can do it. Everyday its something new and when your dealing with autism you have to be patient and have hope because my daughter is capable of accomplishing anything. All of these accomplishments may seem small to other people but to me it means the world. Its like when a mothers first born begins to talk, crawl, and walk. Well for me, and every autism parent no matter their childs age a small accomplishment is a big one. We still have a long journey ahead of us, and so much more to teach and learn, but looking back at the beginning of our journey until now she has come a long way and I am very PROUD of her and myself. It has been tough but we push through everyday and never give up. I hope she sticks to that as she gets older because there will be obstacles and struggles but in order to succeed you cant give up!!

My Emotions

    These past couple of months have been pretty tough,
    AUTISM comes with a lot of stuff,
    I have been overcome with so many emotions,
    It hits me like the big waves that come from the ocean,
    There is a constant reminder that it will be okay,
    But reality is AUTISM is here to stay,
    I see her accomplishments big or small,
    Like when she is playing with a ball,
    The littlest moments are always the best,
    Everyday she is put to the test,
    I sit and watch a brave little girl,
    It brings tears to my eyes as she twirls,
    Not a care or worry that runs through her mind,
    Because her day will come for her to find,
    What she is meant to do with her life,
    I hope one day she will be someone's wife,
   There are times that I have doubts about my parenting,
    It feels like my life is just staggering,
    I do my best and always try,
    Because I want her to strive,
    She is full of potential and will succeed,
    I want her to live her life and be as free as can be,
    This world will always judge you,
    Just keep your head high because you belong too,
    I want her future to shine and be bright,
    Living with AUTISM has shown me the light,
    To my journey and my path,
    It will be bumpy and we might crash,
    I know one thing is for sure,
    My daughter has AUTISM and I don't want a cure,
    I love her for who she is loving, kind and sweet,
    She makes my heart skip a beat,
    I love you my dear child forever and always,
    Remember my love will never go astray.

   Mommy loves you always!! I'm very proud to say you are my shining star!!

  
   

Sibling Acceptance

        Since my daughters diagnosis a little over a year ago I have seen so many changes. The way she learns and the way she interacts with others, especially with her two older siblings. In the beginning it was difficult for her to play because she didn't know how to and they didn't know how to play with her. So I explained to my older children how they can learn to understand her and how they can teach her to understand them. Since then, they have made such a strong bond.
        I see the smiles on their faces when they are together. Seeing my older children play with their baby sister is such a great feeling. They understand what she faces everyday and are always teaching her new things. They are her protectors and biggest supporters. The love they have for each other is amazing. Watching them hug each other makes my heart flutter. I am the happiest mother ever.
        I am glad that they can accept autism as part of our family and also accept their sister for who she is. When they look at their little sister all they see is a beautiful, smart little girl and I'm happy to say that ALL OF MY CHILDREN ARE AMAZING and it makes me proud as a mom!!!!

Summer Safety Tips

Summer is approaching and the kids are going to want to do a lot of stuff to keep busy. There are many activities that will keep the kids busy. There are arts and crafts activities. Going to the library to enhance their reading skills. You can go to a pool, there is a fun filled day of staying cool. For many parents of a child with autism these activities can become our worse nightmare. Especially taking our kids swimming. Many kids with autism love water. They love it so much that we have to keep a very close eye so they dont wonder off. Here are some tips to ensure a safe and fun summer.
1. If you have a child who wanders check out www.projectlifesaver.com and call your local police department for more information and apply. It can save your childs life. Its a GPS device that can locate your child if they wander off. It may be free to you through your local police department.
2.Always make sure you have everything you need to go swimming before you leave the house.
3. Put a life jacket on your child even if you are at a lake or beach and they are only going to sit right on the sand at the water. Kids are quick and can run into the open water with a blink of an eye.
4. Always accompany your child in the water and keep a very close eye on them.
5. Never leave your child alone in the water not even with a sibling. Kids don't listen to their siblings. ( I know I didn't).
6. Take your child out of the water with you if you need to use the restroom or for whatever reason you need to leave the water.
7. Keep your child entertained. Bring a ball, shovel and bucket, coloring book and crayons. Or whatever you think will keep them entertained in case of a meltdown.
8. Explain to your other children how they can help out and make it comfortable and fun for their sibling. ( if they are old enough to understand).
9. Have a great lunch together. Enjoy and laugh together.
10. Have a fun, relaxing, memorable day with your family. Some days may not be perfect and go as planned but there is always tomorrow!!