My Family's Experience with Autism: It's A New Month....

Sunday, November 1, 2009

It's A New Month....

.....and a new attitude has emerged.

We actually took a "day off" on Friday -- since I'd already canceled Rachel's ABA session to attend something at Daniel's school, I declared Friday, October 30, 2009 as an "Autism Free Day". We didn't quite make it that far, but we were close. We attended a playgroup that we hadn't had the time to attend for MONTHS. We didn't have to rush home for an ABA session with CSAAC. I didn't even stop Simon from "stimming" on toys, as long as things didn't get out of control. And I think we were all the better for it.

And now we're back to reality. Halloween is over. November is here. And the world is a better place for me right now. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I'm just happy it has. Tomorrow, ABA sessions begin again in earnest, and Daniel will be home (no school for some reason). But I've arranged a playdate for him so he should have fun and I should be able to spend a little time with Simon.

So, we're ready for the new month around here. And hopefully the new attitude will stick around for a while......

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A Little Bit About Me and My Family

Every once in a while, something happens to a family that seems to change everything, whether that change is positive, negative, or in an uncertain direction. One such thing happened to us in March 2009, when we were informed our 26 month old twins (girl/boy) were BOTH on the autism spectrum. Their older brother (nearly 4 at the time) had always been ahead of the curve for most developmental milestones, so we had never really considered that some of the delays the twins were having had anything to do with autism. Well, we were wrong. Since then we have been learning about learning techniques and doing everything we can to make sure they get any and all help they need so that they can live normal lives. This blog chronicles that journey.

The Autism Pizza

I don't know where this came from originally, but I found it on a post on Circle of Moms. It's a good explanation of how things line up on the spectrum.

1. The Crust: Lack of Social Interaction (poor eye contact, not sharing interests with you, no pointing/gesturing)

2. The Sauce: Impaired Communication (possibly no speech, poor conversation skills, repetitive language, echolalia, no make-believe play)

3. The Cheese: Stereotypical Activities & Interests (extreme routine, strong interest in certain things, stimming [flapping, atypical play, etc.] -- like spinning wheels, lining toys up, stacking, etc.)

If you have all of those things: crust, sauce, cheese, you made an Autism pizza. It might have different toppings, but you can look at it and know it's still a pizza. If your pizza doesn't have sauce, that's Aspergers's. If your pizza is missing more than that but still kind of looks like a pizza, that's PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified)