My Family's Experience with Autism: Always Something To Worry About

Monday, October 15, 2012

Always Something To Worry About

Well, if it's not one thing, it's another......

First it was as they were getting ready to start kindergarten......could Ballerina handle the general ed classroom? Were we pushing Music Man too far with this near-mainstream program?

Then it was the wedding......how would everything work out?

Now we're back to IEPs......yup.....it's time for another meeting. On Wednesday, we're having Ballerina's first Review Meeting to determine what's working, what's not and what (if anything) needs to change. And, trust me.....there's a LOT that needs to change.

I keep hearing bits from her teacher or from one of the learning specialists who she's been working with -- she needs help for all academic time, she needs a behavior plan.....you name it. I was hoping things would be getting better at this point, but it seems like things are just staying the same.

I will be visiting her tomorrow, trying to be an invisible observer. I plan to be there before she returns from PE (Physical Education) and will stay until after she leaves for lunch (so about 1.5 hours). I will find a place to sit and I won't move. I won't ignore anyone, but I will do all I can to not draw attention to myself. I will hopefully get to see what is REALLY going on in that classroom. I will get to see a couple of transitions, both into and out of the classroom. And maybe I can start to understand what the teacher is dealing with.

I hate being in the dark like this. By this time, when Big Brother was in kindergarten, I was already a classroom volunteer. I can't bring up the subject until the meeting is over on Wednesday. Hopefully, the teacher will consent and I'll be able to begin that role next week.

I just hate not knowing what's happening in the classroom because I'm not sure I'm getting an accurate picture in the reports. She seems happy to go to school and happy to be picked up. But I'm not sure what she's getting out of the classroom.

I just need answers.

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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)