Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
one autism mom's perspective
I am burdened for the autism community. We all have different stories with similar themes. We truly have been in each other's shoes and know how difficult it is going down the road we travel. This week's report of the mother from Modesto, California who stabbed her 13 year old son with autism multiple times has really made me wonder about how fragile life can be. This was NOT a bad mother. She was by all accounts, an autism advocate who tried to move mountains to help her son. What happened to her and can it happen to any of us? What can we do different?
This week, the autism community in Tuscaloosa held our annual "Evening of Art...and Autism" to benefit the Arts 'n Autism program. Hopefully we all had a fun night of enjoying the children's artwork and socializing. More than that though, it is my prayer that the people of Tuscaloosa will learn more about autism and the needs of the autism community.
I was asked several times heading into this event why supporting the Arts 'n Autism program was so important to me. Yes, I love the opportunities afforded my child through the AnA program. He is really loving his ukulele, photography, and yoga lessons this semester! But more than that, I have full knowledge that there is a group of caregivers that love my child, understand him, and don't judge him. The program takes it beyond that to even care for the families of those affected by autism. They never turn a child away for not being able to pay the afterschool program fee. The money from the fundraisers goes to provide these scholarships along with funding technology that will help children who cannot communicate finally be able to express themselves. The program needs the money to fund new programs like the photography program that allow a child to show the world through his or her eyes and express their personality in new and wondrous ways. The people at AnA support these children, many of which have been told they couldn't participate in regular activities at their schools. They support our support group, they care for our children with respite care so that couples can spend time together strengthening marriages and relationships, they work with our children during all church services so that we can worship without worry. Hopefully and prayerfully, the love and support of our Arts 'n Autism program will keep Tuscaloosa from being the topic of any story like the one from Modesto California this week. It is just one autism mom's perspective, but please support the hope that the Arts 'n Autism program brings to this community.
www.artsnautism.org
Email: artsnautism@gmail.com
Address: Arts ‘n Autism, Inc.
c/o Covenant Presbyterian Church
113 Hargrove Road
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Phone: (205) 758-1193
This week, the autism community in Tuscaloosa held our annual "Evening of Art...and Autism" to benefit the Arts 'n Autism program. Hopefully we all had a fun night of enjoying the children's artwork and socializing. More than that though, it is my prayer that the people of Tuscaloosa will learn more about autism and the needs of the autism community.
I was asked several times heading into this event why supporting the Arts 'n Autism program was so important to me. Yes, I love the opportunities afforded my child through the AnA program. He is really loving his ukulele, photography, and yoga lessons this semester! But more than that, I have full knowledge that there is a group of caregivers that love my child, understand him, and don't judge him. The program takes it beyond that to even care for the families of those affected by autism. They never turn a child away for not being able to pay the afterschool program fee. The money from the fundraisers goes to provide these scholarships along with funding technology that will help children who cannot communicate finally be able to express themselves. The program needs the money to fund new programs like the photography program that allow a child to show the world through his or her eyes and express their personality in new and wondrous ways. The people at AnA support these children, many of which have been told they couldn't participate in regular activities at their schools. They support our support group, they care for our children with respite care so that couples can spend time together strengthening marriages and relationships, they work with our children during all church services so that we can worship without worry. Hopefully and prayerfully, the love and support of our Arts 'n Autism program will keep Tuscaloosa from being the topic of any story like the one from Modesto California this week. It is just one autism mom's perspective, but please support the hope that the Arts 'n Autism program brings to this community.
www.artsnautism.org
Email: artsnautism@gmail.com
Address: Arts ‘n Autism, Inc.
c/o Covenant Presbyterian Church
113 Hargrove Road
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Phone: (205) 758-1193
Monday, September 13, 2010
Link between autism and vaccines
interesting...what does everyone think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsnlifYuhBQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsnlifYuhBQ
Thursday, September 9, 2010
New information/updates
We will not be having our autism workshop this month due to the suspected craziness of the Penn State game. I had wanted to move it to the next Saturday but Dr. Sears is coming to Birmingham that day and I didn't want people to miss either! So we will have it in October and it will been on the third Saturday morning since I will be at the next DAN conference on the second Saturday of October. Hoping to share everything I learn when I get back!!
Here is a link to learn more about our ministry...
http://capstonechurch.org/#/compassion/autism-education
Here is a link to learn more about our ministry...
http://capstonechurch.org/#/compassion/autism-education
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
wishing...
Sat down at computer with too many thoughts running through my mind. I started searching for some good GFCFEF (gluten free, casein free, egg free) food for my son with autism. Everything that was listed as the best gluten free baked goods were not egg free, and I just started wishing that feeding my child food that would be good for him could be just a little easier, and cheaper! Then started down that pity party path and wished I had a few more hours in the day to get things done, to feel like I am ahead of schedule on things instead of rushing to finish them on time, to not feel like I am in the deep end of the pool treading water but rather in the kiddie pool with sure ground under my feet. Then finally got outside of myself and started wishing for others...wishing that someone, anyone, could find a way to help stop autism...which of course brought me here to my blog, aka, my therapy session of words. Whenever I feel defeated, I can type my feelings and regain my strength. I am not created to be lost...I am in this world with a purpose and I am blessed beyond words. I have all I can wish for because of the love that is in my life, love of my God and family that gives me the strength to be Warrior Mom. To all those moms out there that are feeling lost, in the words of Dory the fish, "just keep swimming, just keep swimming" and remember that the highs only feel so good because of the lows that you've gone through!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Another School Year About to Begin
Am I the only one that felt like summer break went by so fast? Tomorrow, school will begin again and my six year old with Asperger's will start first grade. He is so excited, and has no idea of the preparation that has gone into trying to help him adjust to a new routine. We have talked to his teachers, we have made "dry runs" through his schedule at school so he knows what to expect, we got his GFCFEF snacks ready, we have been hyping start of school all summer; but starting tomorrow, it is still going to be a new routine, new class, new teacher, new students that will ultimately be up to him to adjust to. As parents, we want to guide our children in the right ways but a part of us also wants to keep them from ALL harms...We can do the best we can, but we still have to let them experience life, which sometimes includes painful experiences. In order to help him and other children on the spectrum, we are holding our next autism workshop this Saturday at Capstone Church. We will focus on ways to help teach and care for children on the spectrum. Several therapists/physicians/parents will be available to discuss and answer questions for those that are interested in learning more. If you have a loved one on the spectrum, please let his or her teachers/child care workers/medical personnel know about our little workshop.
Details: Tuscaloosa Autism Education
Capstone Church 9am to 10am on August 14th
Details: Tuscaloosa Autism Education
Capstone Church 9am to 10am on August 14th
Thursday, July 22, 2010
My heart is crushed...
After reading this article, I am crushed beyond words. Yes, the woman was sick and will face her jury, but the bigger question here is why? We have so many that don't realize what autism is, that it is treatable, and that these wonderful children are blessings. Please everyone read these words and learn more about autism and how there is so much that an autistic child can offer this world if you just listen with your heart instead of with your ears...
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/21/texas-mom-says-killed-kids-austistic/
To educate and spread awareness is my battle cry and the reason why I started Tuscaloosa Autism Education. We will be having our next workshop on August 14th, focusing this month on child care workers/caregivers to learn more about how best to interact, teach, and play with autistic children. Come learn and see all that these kids have to offer! If you are a parent of an autistic child, please let your child's teachers, medical office personnel, etc come out and learn more so that they will be better caregivers and hopefully gain a better understanding of the ways our auties' brains work.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/21/texas-mom-says-killed-kids-austistic/
To educate and spread awareness is my battle cry and the reason why I started Tuscaloosa Autism Education. We will be having our next workshop on August 14th, focusing this month on child care workers/caregivers to learn more about how best to interact, teach, and play with autistic children. Come learn and see all that these kids have to offer! If you are a parent of an autistic child, please let your child's teachers, medical office personnel, etc come out and learn more so that they will be better caregivers and hopefully gain a better understanding of the ways our auties' brains work.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Stand Up For Autism
This is my first year participating in the Stand Up for Autism committee. I have never been to an event before, but I've seen the footage and am looking forward to listening to these funny guys and Roger Schultz from the biggest loser! This week, however, the phrase "stand up for autism" became real to me in a new way.
A friend at work approached me because she thinks that a child she knows has autism and she is afraid of mentioning it to the mother, a good friend of hers. I encouraged her to read from my binder of autism info to see if it confirmed her feelings or not. She came back saying how much she had learned from the reading and that she truly believes that this child has autism and has not been diagnosed. She is afraid of what her friend will say though, so I shared with her the story of the amazing angel that brought it to my attention that my son needed to be tested. I told her that of course immediately I felt angry that she could think anything was wrong with my precious child. Even as a physician, I still didn't know enough about Autism to see the signs. I was too close to step back and really observe my child's unusual play patterns, as most parents are. The more I learned, the more I recognized those patterns in my child. I told my friend that the lady who suggested I get my son tested, also never let me bury my head in the sand and kept after me to get him tested. I found lots of excuses to put off the tests at first! Now that my son is getting the therapy and interventions he needs, he has a chance to improve his future. A future that wouldn't have been possible without that wonderful lady who had enough courage to tell me what she saw in my son that I had been blind to.
Educate - Don't miss the signs!!! Don't rely on physicians to catch the signs, a well child exam relies heavily on the parents to bring problems to the doctor's attention. Children don't always talk a lot at the visits and the doctor may assume the child is shy and if the parent doesn't think anything is wrong at home, then the doctor will not usually question further.
Advocate - Don't be afraid to "stand up for autism"! We are those children's voices. Be strong and courageous. The autism won't go away if we don't talk about it. We can't ignore it any longer!
Love - Don't forget to appreciate the small victories. Our "auties" have so much love to give and are so much fun.
AUTISM- educate, advocate, and love is where we start so that we can finally get some answers on what causes autism and how to stop it.
A friend at work approached me because she thinks that a child she knows has autism and she is afraid of mentioning it to the mother, a good friend of hers. I encouraged her to read from my binder of autism info to see if it confirmed her feelings or not. She came back saying how much she had learned from the reading and that she truly believes that this child has autism and has not been diagnosed. She is afraid of what her friend will say though, so I shared with her the story of the amazing angel that brought it to my attention that my son needed to be tested. I told her that of course immediately I felt angry that she could think anything was wrong with my precious child. Even as a physician, I still didn't know enough about Autism to see the signs. I was too close to step back and really observe my child's unusual play patterns, as most parents are. The more I learned, the more I recognized those patterns in my child. I told my friend that the lady who suggested I get my son tested, also never let me bury my head in the sand and kept after me to get him tested. I found lots of excuses to put off the tests at first! Now that my son is getting the therapy and interventions he needs, he has a chance to improve his future. A future that wouldn't have been possible without that wonderful lady who had enough courage to tell me what she saw in my son that I had been blind to.
Educate - Don't miss the signs!!! Don't rely on physicians to catch the signs, a well child exam relies heavily on the parents to bring problems to the doctor's attention. Children don't always talk a lot at the visits and the doctor may assume the child is shy and if the parent doesn't think anything is wrong at home, then the doctor will not usually question further.
Advocate - Don't be afraid to "stand up for autism"! We are those children's voices. Be strong and courageous. The autism won't go away if we don't talk about it. We can't ignore it any longer!
Love - Don't forget to appreciate the small victories. Our "auties" have so much love to give and are so much fun.
AUTISM- educate, advocate, and love is where we start so that we can finally get some answers on what causes autism and how to stop it.
Another child with autism?
When I first started noticing some of the warning signs of autism in my youngest son Jake, I had the overwhelming urge to say, "God, please don't put this on me". Those two seconds of self-pity passed and then I cried for Jake and not myself. I am no longer afraid of autism, as I was when facing the diagnosis with Will. I mourned that my second child would have to face the same struggles as his older brother. God comforted me in my grief and my new attitude about autism was born. My response to the possibility of fighting these battles against autism with Jake also was "BRING IT ON!" and I became the warrior mom. As much as I had learned for Will's battles, I knew I still had more to learn to help Jake maneuver these waters of autism. My biggest fear in the early stages with Will's diagnosis was that God couldn't reach my concrete thinking son and make Himself known. I don't doubt anything anymore when it comes to what my God can do, and if Jake does get diagnosed with autism, I know that God will be glorified through the process. In spite of the autism, or better said, because of the autism, God has great plans for my boys and for me and I trust that He will see those through; and I promise to not get in the way with my doubts and fears. My battle with autism is entering a new phase as I learn more about the therapies for autism and how to bring them to my boys and other wonderful children with autism. God keeps my hopes soaring and my expectations low so that I rejoice in the daily victories and don't despair in the TEMPORARY defeats! Raise your swords fellow warrior moms and let's go battle for our children!! See you on the frontlines...
Me and Autism
Autism affects my speech and social skills. I am a quiet person by nature, but ask me a question about autism and I'll talk your ears off. Before autism, I would be invisible in a room of people. Now I want to tell the world about my wonderful son and how they can better understand him so I helped start a group called Tuscaloosa Autism Education, where parents, therapists, and educators provide free workshops for any group (daycare, church,etc) interested in knowing more about autism.
My beautiful boy lives in a world that is full of stimuli that hurts him but he goes out into it everyday and tries to be a part of it. I can't protect him from sensory overload at times, but I continue to try and fight this battle along with him. When Will was diagnosed wth autism, I felt lost as a mother, not knowing how to parent a child with autism. I wasn't winning any awards for mother of the year before the diagnosis, but I at least felt like I knew the "basics". All of a sudden, the basics weren't applicable and I had to start over from scratch and learn about how to get my child to listen, to make eye contact, learning the difference between an overstimulated anxiety tantrum versus a regular three year old tantrum, being on constant guard hoping to prevent an anxiety attack and feeling completely helpless when one occurred. I know that autism made me a better mother, growing my patience and appreciation of the daily victories. I know that God has something special and wonderful planned for my son. He changes people's minds and hearts and has an amazing perspective on the world that draws people to him.
Yes, autism has affected my voice. The quiet shy girl from before is now a advocate mom who will speak to anyone that will listen and not be quiet until everyone has heard!
My beautiful boy lives in a world that is full of stimuli that hurts him but he goes out into it everyday and tries to be a part of it. I can't protect him from sensory overload at times, but I continue to try and fight this battle along with him. When Will was diagnosed wth autism, I felt lost as a mother, not knowing how to parent a child with autism. I wasn't winning any awards for mother of the year before the diagnosis, but I at least felt like I knew the "basics". All of a sudden, the basics weren't applicable and I had to start over from scratch and learn about how to get my child to listen, to make eye contact, learning the difference between an overstimulated anxiety tantrum versus a regular three year old tantrum, being on constant guard hoping to prevent an anxiety attack and feeling completely helpless when one occurred. I know that autism made me a better mother, growing my patience and appreciation of the daily victories. I know that God has something special and wonderful planned for my son. He changes people's minds and hearts and has an amazing perspective on the world that draws people to him.
Yes, autism has affected my voice. The quiet shy girl from before is now a advocate mom who will speak to anyone that will listen and not be quiet until everyone has heard!
What Autism Did To Me
Three years ago my world was rocked by three little letters. The letters ASD changed my life forever in a few short moments.
Three years ago, my oldest son Will was diagnosed with ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder. By the time we were able to get him tested due to the 6 month waiting list, we had researched the web from start to finish and had a pretty good idea that this condition was what he had. What really sticks in my brain is the first moment that someone mentioned that we needed to get him tested for autism. Even as a physician, what I knew of Autism was mostly vague. I felt like my heart had stopped beating. As I learned more and more of ASD, I knew in my heart that my son had autism. As I came to this conclusion, I grieved for everything I had dreamed for my son from the moment that I first held him in my arms. My son was still the same that he had been before the diagnosis, but I was changed. I struggled to talk to other moms, especially when they were telling stories about their "normal" children. How do I explain to others what I didn't understand myself at the time? I was still struggling with my own expectations and learning how to guide my son through his world. I knew that I had to learn everything I could, so I threw myself into the web even further. I read everything I could find about autism and scared myself silly! My biggest fear of all was my not trusting that God would be big enough to penetrate my son's world and make Himself known. Thanks to a wonderful praying patient who knew my situation, I don't have that fear anymore. This wonderful person committed to praying for my son and myself for 40 days. During this time, we were able to get Will into a great environment where he was finally able to get potty trained, his verbal skills flourished and I was able to make great leaps in finally understanding my son's way of processing the world around him. I was no longer afraid that God wouldn't be able to reach my son and I repented that I had put limits on a limitless God.
Now God has put a passion in my heart for making others aware of Autism. I want to use my talents for medicine to provide better medical care to those affected by ASD, not just the children but the parents and the adults affected. Currently 1 out of 110 children are affected with autism. One of them is mine. I want to help others understand this condition. I want people to understand about it but also about the people affected by it. My son does not mean to be difficult when he gets overstimulated. I want to educate other parents about how the autism brain works and how to understand about the stims, the sensory overload, etc.
Three years ago, my world changed. It made me work harder for and appreciate the small daily victories so much more. I no longer grieve over what my son will NOT do because of autism. I rejoice over the wonderful heart and soul in his little body and know that God will do great things through him because of his autism.
Three years ago, my oldest son Will was diagnosed with ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder. By the time we were able to get him tested due to the 6 month waiting list, we had researched the web from start to finish and had a pretty good idea that this condition was what he had. What really sticks in my brain is the first moment that someone mentioned that we needed to get him tested for autism. Even as a physician, what I knew of Autism was mostly vague. I felt like my heart had stopped beating. As I learned more and more of ASD, I knew in my heart that my son had autism. As I came to this conclusion, I grieved for everything I had dreamed for my son from the moment that I first held him in my arms. My son was still the same that he had been before the diagnosis, but I was changed. I struggled to talk to other moms, especially when they were telling stories about their "normal" children. How do I explain to others what I didn't understand myself at the time? I was still struggling with my own expectations and learning how to guide my son through his world. I knew that I had to learn everything I could, so I threw myself into the web even further. I read everything I could find about autism and scared myself silly! My biggest fear of all was my not trusting that God would be big enough to penetrate my son's world and make Himself known. Thanks to a wonderful praying patient who knew my situation, I don't have that fear anymore. This wonderful person committed to praying for my son and myself for 40 days. During this time, we were able to get Will into a great environment where he was finally able to get potty trained, his verbal skills flourished and I was able to make great leaps in finally understanding my son's way of processing the world around him. I was no longer afraid that God wouldn't be able to reach my son and I repented that I had put limits on a limitless God.
Now God has put a passion in my heart for making others aware of Autism. I want to use my talents for medicine to provide better medical care to those affected by ASD, not just the children but the parents and the adults affected. Currently 1 out of 110 children are affected with autism. One of them is mine. I want to help others understand this condition. I want people to understand about it but also about the people affected by it. My son does not mean to be difficult when he gets overstimulated. I want to educate other parents about how the autism brain works and how to understand about the stims, the sensory overload, etc.
Three years ago, my world changed. It made me work harder for and appreciate the small daily victories so much more. I no longer grieve over what my son will NOT do because of autism. I rejoice over the wonderful heart and soul in his little body and know that God will do great things through him because of his autism.
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