shootingstars's blog

Friday was my neigbor's daughter's birthday and she had her kids for a weekend visit. (they are in foster care) After bedtime the adults all just hung around for adult time. After chasing so many kids for so many hours, we all needed conversation that was completely understandable...

I am so used to people saying how they could never handle a special needs child. Or to be able to do what I do when it comes to Michael. I always get a little defensive and take offense, because I do not have any strength any other loving mother has. I was just forced to find it within myself. I have never had a person say they wish they had a special needs child!

Ok I had tried bribes, rewards, sweet talking, lecturing, scolding, punishments, everything to get Michael to stop pooping in his unders and in the toilet. I finally got so frustrated over Christmas Break I told him he would not get to go back to school unless he pooped in the toilet. Sure enough for my mother he did...

Well he fell back into the having accidents and I tried the no more school approach. Since he is not really pooping over the school week, my new rule is he has to poop on the weekend to get to go back to school. I also added something new. Michael loves this little girl named Susy. She is his entire world. He does not understand he can have more than one friend at a time. He plays with other kids, but he will only talk about Susy... Well I told him Susy poops in the toilet, and if he wants to be her friend he has to poop in the toilet. I know it is so cruel threatening no more school or Susy.

We had our annual IEP meeting today at Michael's school. This year everything seemed so much more realistic. His teachers are the ones who wrote it up, and since they know his strengths and weaknesses it was written more directly for him rather than a kid with score levels like his.

He will be starting more PECs which will include a book of pictures for communication. The goal is that he would have to carry it everywhere so that if he gets stuck and cannot think of a word he can get out his book. He has already used PECs for scheduling, but they think this will really help block out some of his tantrums.

They want Michael to go another year of preschool. He turns 5 at the end of this year, but the principal herself told me that not only special education kids are staying longer in preschool now-a-days so there will not be an age difference between him and most of the boys in his graduating class later on. I do admit he really does need another year. Though he is making nice strides, no way is he ready for a stricter enviroment.

The other day I got two issues of Cosmo in the mail and Michael has been flipping though them. Since he cannot read  I figured it was really nothing. I like seeing him interested in any book type material. Last night he insisted on taking them to bed and I guess I just only cared about getting him in bed and out of my hair. He pointed out the advertisement on the back which is of Kiera Knightly wearing only a hat pressed against her chest. He points out she has no shirt or pants.

Apparently this one image has had an imact on a much grander scale. He came home from school and proceeded to stip to his underwear. He refuses to put on his pants because she is not wearing any pants.

http://pink-pistol.net/scans/albums/Vogue/october-2007/normal_chanel-coc... (the image I am referring to)

Today.Com is actually paying people to blog for them. I thought it was too good to be true but after reading the testimonials from the workathomemafia, I decided to go ahead and apply. I would be blogging about the personal experiences as a single mother of an autistic kid... Since that is the life I know :) If I get approved I may start a second blog about random weird things or something. These are not personal journal blogs, but of course from a personal viewpoint I guess. I love to write, and ramble, so why not? But I thought I would share the link with anybody else who is interested. You get paid per a set amount of views, so you would probably want to self promote your blog until it gets some popularity under its belt. And you are able to be paid until your earnings reach 50 dollars. But I am thinking it would be more fun to say I am a writer for Today.Com if people ask. I do not have to admit it is only a blog. And if I can help anybody with ideas, or just be somebody to relate to, then I would feel good about myself.

I read somewhere awhile back that there was a possible chromosome linkable to Autism, and they were hoping to someday be able to test parents to see if they have a genetic form of Autism Genes or something as opposed to that random chance. I am beginning to wonder if I carry such a chromosomal defect.

I have recently reconnected with an aunt and cousins whom I have not seen in 12 years thanks to a fight between my mother and uncle. I never even got to say goodbye just one day she upped and moved me 3 hours north. But besides that...

Yesterday Michael had his appointment with Barb who is the nurse practitioner who oversees everything. Honestly I feel disappointed and simply ignored.

There were several things I wanted to discuss, but she was in such a hurry to get everything done and us out of there. I realize she was working on her day off to fit in those of us who were snowed in a few weeks ago.

I wanted to talk about how I am unable to talk on the phone with more than two people because he is always trying to steal the phone or up in my face. My neighbor knows Michael well enough it does not bother her, and then the other is my mother. It is as if the phone ring turns him into Hyper Mode.

I killed the remaining fish today. I got tired of the dirty water so I decided to change it out. I guess One just could not handle being chased with the net for 20 minutes and then poured from a bowl to a pitcher then to the tank. He started floating immediately. So I fished him back out and into the bowl hoping maybe it was the water temp, but nope, One is dead. I feel terrible. But the tank was nasty.

So tomorrow Ma and Michael are going to pick out new fish. But in the mean time I have been trying to explain to him about dying. I took the Heaven approach, but Michael does not understand things unless he can see them. For an example Santa he met and watch the Tim Allen movies for a month so he understood that concept. But he knows the fish is not in Heaven because the body is here. I feel terrible, I just do not know how to explain it. 

Thank goodness it was only a fish and not a dog or other pet that he really could have bonded with.

We got Michael Kung Fu Panda for Christmas. Michael now runs around doing karate chops and yelling Hiii-ya.

This got me and Grandma thinking. It is too bad there is not a special needs classes like Karate. He would never be able to participate in a typical class with kids his own age. But the whole idea would teach him discipline and such, perhaps when he is slightly older. I could not imagine putting a typical 4 year old in a karate class because they have a harder time not knowing when it is ok NOT to use what they have been taught on other kids. Or on their mother.

In our county, we should all have the chance for independence and success, including the millions of individuals with disabilities and autism. This proposal to the Obama administration will create new job openings in the disabilities and autism service field as well as help those with autism live full thriving lives.

CLICK TO VOTE!!!

Obama's check list:

Implement the Americans with Disabilities Restorations Act which affirms our country’s belief in non-discrimination in employment.

Satisfy the Expanding the Promise for Individuals with Autism Act of 2007, which offers critical intervention services to millions of individuals.

End the waitlists for developmental disabilities by funding the Medicaid Waiver program and thus increasing service provider employment positions.

Pass the CLASS Act (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) to maximize disability independence and choice.