My Family's Experience with Autism: My Big Boy

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

My Big Boy

Yesterday, we tried an experiment......we tried to send Music Man to a camp day at The Little Gym. Ballerina went last year and it was successful, but since Music Man wasn't potty trained, it wasn't an option. Since he really doesn't like the classes there (unlike the other two), I didn't have much hope for him enjoying this experience, but I felt he deserved to try it.

He and Ballerina went together yesterday afternoon. From 1:30 to 4:30, they were going to be there, without me or Big Brother, in our little experiment. Things looked good when we left....they were both going into the gym and doing their "thing" -- we know Music Man really doesn't want any direct contact with people (except myself, Dad and his twin [and SOMETIMES Big Brother]) so when he isolated himself, I left just simply realizing "That's Music Man".....

The three hours past without a phone call. So I knew that there wasn't any disasters going to pick them up (that would have warranted a phone call). When we arrived, Big Brother and I saw Ballerina sitting with the group getting ready to leave for the day. Music Man was no where to be seen, but he wasn't causing any trouble. Then they showed me the moment.....

As I've written here before, Music Man's biggest problem with The Little Gym is the Air Track. It's loud and a popular game and he just wants nothing to do with it. He always leaves the gym when it comes out and he doesn't want to go back in until it's GONE.

Well, they pulled it out yesterday. They were prepared for him to leave the gym and the puzzles were waiting for him in the lobby. But he didn't leave. He covered his ears and waited. When it inflated, his ears were still covered. Then the music turned back on and the ears were briefly uncovered. Then he saw everyone jumping and he inched his way over. Then, before anyone knew it, he had climbed on and ran across. By the end, he jumped across about 6 times before it was time to put it away.

When we left, I asked if we should plan to give him more of the days we had purchased. It was their feeling that he wouldn't do well going every day, but he should definitely come back. So, while Ballerina is going Monday - Friday after ESY (Extended School Year) is done, Music Man will going Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

So, our experiment was a HUGE success!!!!!

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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)