So, apparently, a newly released study is stating that being born breech, being a first born and/or being born to a mother over 35 years old makes a child more likely to be born with autism. Of course, every time I read new studies, I run them through my own scenario, and the experiences of others that I know. Wynn was my firstborn, but wasn't breech and I was 29 years old. I wonder what about being a firstborn would make him more of a risk? Also, are more boys firstborn, since this seems to affect boys more often than girls? What is your experience and what are your thoughts? Shannon http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/551657/

John has been in Cub Scouts for 5 years now. Next week he will officially 'graduate' of sorts to crossing over to being a Boy Scout. In order to do this he has to complete a couple more requirements. We enrolled John in Cub Scouts as a means of helping his socialize. Dad became Den Leader as a means of making sure activities would include John and his issues (or despite his issues). John endured close to 5 years of activities which were by far, not his favorites, as he is not an outdoors child :) He would frequently fuss about going to a meeting only for him to return after the meeting with so much to talk about. The next meeting would be the same. Dad would see how it was difficult for John to stay on topic, limit his discussion, focus on the task at hand. But after 5 years, he's come so close to the end. John has always been reluctant to do the work but then at the time of the awards he relishes being one that gets the 'rewards'. So despite his resistance, we're trying to get him through these final requirements. His 2 peers have already done theirs and had their 'ceremony' weeks ago by themselves. Couple weeks back, dh took John to a BS mtg. After HUGE resistance at home (screaming, protesting, having to be practically carried to car) they got to the meeting only to have him first spend 20 minutes in the bathroom, then refused to talk to anyone. All he had to do was participate in one activity. John wouldn't even talk to the leader, even with dad's cohersion. Rather than even stand there, he made faces and actively tried to escape (the fact that he has CP & uses canes made it more evident). Well, this evening, my youngest, Will, Katherine & dad went to a Pack campout. We didn't have any expectation that John would go. Midway into the evening dh calls me asking to bring John over. Seems there was another BS Pack there and John could just watch an activity. So I packed up John & Solomon, telling him we'd go for ice cream after stopping at the camp. We arrived, first John wouldn't get out of the car. Finally, he got out, and I sat down & talked to him. He was very anxiety ridden that these boys were older, would make fun of him, etc. Apparently a recent teasing episode by a younger boy on the bus had taken it's tole and John was extremely sensitive of others' perception of him, having canes, glasses, that his face 'looked funny' (which it doesn't). I tried to calm him, reassure him, talk him through. I tried breathing exercise from his therapist. He'd had his wall up though. I told him I'd go over holding his hand (disguised as a substitute for his cane). No go. Then my youngest son, brought a puppy over to show us. I thought this was a great chance to help calm John as he loves dogs and brushing/rubbing soft things helps calm John. So after petting the puppy a while, I encouraged him to walk over to where the group was playing a game. Reluctantly he walked over. The group of boys, who did not look older than 12 years old were playing an activity where pairs were trying to wrestle the other. One boy from each side would come to the center and do what they could to get the water bottle. In this case the boys were going into a wrestling stance. Well, this act alone intimidated John. They were wrestling. He assumed they would hurt him. Panic was taking over. I reassured him he just had to watch. It'll be ok, I calmly told him. The leaders were already aware of why he was there. But John was making more of an impression by his reactions than the boys would have just by seeing his canes. He was squeezing his eyes shut, making faces, crouching as to turn & get aware. I was torn. I knew he was overcome with anxiety, he needed to slow into this. But I knew if he just got through it'd be better. That he'd be so much prouder at next week's banquet (and if he didn't accomplish this he'd be depressed, embarrassed & upset about not getting what his peers did). I wanted him to just be there. I wasn't pushing to participate yet, just to stand where he was and watch. But he wasn't anywhere near a place to open up, the wall just continued to get higher. He continued to make squealing sounds, he couldn't process what I was trying to tell him. At this point the boys moved on to another game. The formed a circle so the leaders could explain the next activity. One leader said John's name to ask if he wanted to join. He explained to the boys why John was there. But with no more than his name heard, John let out of squeal and once again, panicked and tried to flee. Again, we talked to him, explaining if he tried to join he might like it (which sometimes is the case for him). He didn't budge so I didn't push but I also didn't let him leave. The next activity was a team activity. There was a rope and the two teams had to figure out how to get the team across without touching the rope. Again, I talked to John asking him to think of a way to help the boys. My thought was if he could distract himself by thinking of how to help his anxiety would lessen and he might calm. Dad took the tactic to ignore the protests and redirect him, asking how he would approach getting over the rope. I took this opportunity to leave as 1-Solomon was fussing from the car about leaving and 2-my emotions were getting the better of me. It upset me that it wasn't because of his canes, or glasses that the boys would have an impression of him but rather what they saw of John was what he was showing them. The squealing, squinting, face-making boy who was trying to run from a group who was not paying attention to him. This was the impression he was giving them. I knew if he'd calm he'd be able to actually complete his goal in a matter of less than 15 minutes, perhaps even enjoy it too. It upset me that John's perception wasn't coming true because of the boys (which could have happened) but instead because of how John was acting. But at the same time, it wasn't John that was upsetting me but moreso it was this Asperger thing that I just can't reconcile with. I can't figure out how to help him. How to get him help. We've been trying for so long to find resources to help John with the exact issues that I'm seeing this evening. So I stand there with my daughter trying to figure out why I'm crying. I walk back over, as dad has gotten a good idea from John of something a group could try. Dad told John they would go closer to the group together, and Dad would give the suggest with John simply having to stand. I came back encouraged. Thinking we've made a step toward our goal. Well, the concept of moving toward the group panicked John again. He decided he gave a suggestion and now he could go. We encouaged him to wait as the boys were trying John's suggestion. It worked! But even with this John wasn't remotely affected. He had it in his mind that it wasn't going to happen and that was it. Again my youngest came to tell me Solomon wanted me. So again I left John & Dad to calm Solomon (& myself). I looked back to see a scout walk over to John leaning down to talk to him. I was encouraged. The boy was encouraging him to stay. But after a few minutes, both John & dad came back. John, practically running , which in itself is pretty good for him. He just wanted to leave. I thought this was supposed to be easier as they got older!? Seems that with AS it just keeps rearing it's ugly head with different characteristics I can't figure out! I had promised John ice cream after our stop. Well by this time, the ice cream stand was closed. But we did talk. John explained that he was scared. While I did know this, I did not understand what the fear was due to. I, myself, have social anxiety. Which was why I made a point of going with him to the group, as I would have liked Dad to just go over . But even after working through some issues (perception of 'big kids' laughing at him, etc) these fears did not subside. I asked what was different in this group of new peers than when he started his new school a few months back. He explained that when he walked in on his first day of school, each student walked up (in line) and introduced themselves, shaking his hand "firmly" -he added. So, in effect, he did not know any of these boys' names. This helped. John gave me a couple more reasons for his anxiety. He felt we were pushing him too hard to do this, and that he was just really scared. I explained to John that besides wanting him to get his Arrow of Light, the reason I want him to do this is that not all groups he comes across are going to be like his first day of school. I wanted to help him work through how to deal with situations like this evening. So we came to an agreement. We will try again tomorrow. The plan is to go to his sister's soccer game (which he also does not like doing), then after Dad will take him back to the camp. That he would only be there for a half hour to forty five minutes. I explained the expectation is not to get through the time limit but rather for him to participate in one activity. I explained that if he couldn't physically do that activity that I at least wanted him to talk to one boy about their Pack. He agreed. I told him, that I've seen him do well in overcoming his fears, and that, despite not accomplishing our task this evening, he had made positive steps. The act of just going over to the group was, I know, huge for him and that I am proud of him. So he agreed to tomorrows plan. And as a reward he would get his ice cream cone :) How John reacts in the morning when the situation presents itself has yet to be seen. Will let you know ;) It is always scary trying to determine how much to be firm and whether to let go when in the moment. Whether the tactic or reinforcement being used is correct for the situation. I don't want him let his anxiety control him. I want John to be able to stop and work through difficulties but also I know it's not as easy for him to 'stop and think'. That is that part that's difficult for me to comes to terms with.

Just wanted to let you know that there will be a program on Bravo on Monday about Integrative Manual Therapy and their autism treatment program. We've been doing IMT for about 8 months and have been pretty impressed. We still have a long way to go, but my son's gait is much better and he goes to sleep much easier. Lots of other things are moving in the right direction and our insurance even pays a little because they bill as PT. Bravo TV’s Profile Series will be featuring Ayelet Connell-Giammatteo speaking about Integrative Manual Therapy’s successful approach for Autism. Date: Monday, April 27, 2009 Time: 7am Eastern Time and 7am Pacific Time

Autism Tomorrow- By Bill Davis Autism Tomorrow is a love story. It is also a book that tackles subjects never mentioned or discussed before. Autism Tomorrow is filled with facts, advice and tips. It is also the continuing life story of Chris Davis and his family. The family’s journey is dramatic, humorous and heroic. Tough subjects are explored through anecdotes, the “eyes” of people with Autism, their parents, doctors, PhDs and guest authors. The book celebrates life on the spectrum. Our section, “Pearls of Wisdom” include quotes from Temple Grandin, Donna Williams, William Stillman, Stephen Shore, educators, grandparents and others involved with the world of Autism. Karen Simmons offers bright, loving stories about her boy and interesting, insightful advice for parents and teachers. We dig deep and discuss: families, siblings, hygiene, fitness, safety, women’s issues and exams, puberty, sexuality, abuse, finances, future planning, technology, supplements & meds, DAN doctors, IEPs, schools, jobs and career training, living arrangements, special trusts, growing old, advocacy, police, safety, school bus drivers, exercise, dating, friends, bullying, institutions, new movements and advanced theories. Autism Tomorrow celebrates a teenager who loves his family and holds them together through death, homelessness and displacement. It is Chris’ love for new found friend and “mom” Kate Cannon that eventually demonstrates that there is always a tomorrow. A hopeful future filled with humanity and caring. COMING SOON!!

doesnt anyone know about this??? i wish this would get a little bit of acknowledgement, because the "ERISA Act of 1974" is what my insurance company uses as a loophole any chance they get. doesnt the 10th amendment of the constitution give the state power anyway? i live in TX where it is a state law for insurance companies to provide coverage to autistic children, but all i ever hear out of my wonderful insurance company is "oh no we dont have to abide by that law, this is a privately funded plan" Umm.....#$%^&!!!! so anyway this was proposed january last year i guess and it never even got looked at as far as i can tell....figures. HR 5028 IH 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5028 To amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require that group health plans provide coverage for pervasive developmental disorders such as autism. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 16, 2008 Mr. WEXLER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require that group health plans provide coverage for pervasive developmental disorders such as autism. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Fairness in Autism Treatment Act of 2007'. SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT OF 1974. (a) In General- Subpart B of part 7 of subtitle B of title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1185 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: SEC. 714. PARITY FOR PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. (a) In General- A group health plan (and a health insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage offered in connection with such a plan) that provides both medical and surgical benefits shall provide coverage for pervasive developmental disorders, including coverage for therapeutic, respite, and rehabilitative care for participants or beneficiaries who have not attained 22 years of age. (b) In-Network and Out-of-Network Standards- (1) IN GENERAL- In the case of a group health plan (or health insurance coverage offered in connection with such a plan) that provides benefits for pervasive developmental disorders, and that provides both in-network benefits for such disorders and out-of-network benefits for such disorders, the requirements of this section shall apply separately with respect to benefits provided under the plan (or coverage) on an in-network basis and benefits provided under the plan (or coverage) on an out-of-network basis. (2) CLARIFICATION- Nothing in paragraph (1) shall be construed as requiring that a group health plan (or health insurance coverage offered in connection with such a plan) eliminate an out-of-network provider option from such plan (or coverage) pursuant to the terms of the plan (or coverage). (c) Other Requirements- (1) ANNUAL OR LIFETIME DOLLAR LIMITATIONS- A group health plan (or health insurance coverage offered in connection with such a plan) may not impose any annual or lifetime dollar limitation on benefits for pervasive developmental disorders unless such limitation applies to all medical and surgical benefits and benefits for pervasive developmental disorders under the plan (or coverage). (2) COST SHARING- A group health plan (or health insurance coverage offered in connection with such a plan) may not impose a deductible, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing with respect to the coverage of pervasive developmental disorders under the plan (or coverage), which is greater than the deductible, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing, as the case may be, imposed with respect to medical and surgical benefits under the plan (or coverage). (3) ELIGIBILITY TO ENROLL OR RENEW- A group health plan (or a health insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage offered in connection with such a plan) may not deny eligibility, or continued eligibility, to enroll or to renew coverage under the term of the plan (or coverage), solely for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of this section. (d) Notice Under Group Health Plan- The imposition of the requirements of this section shall be treated as a material modification in the terms of the plan described in the last sentence of section 102(a), for purposes of assuring notice of such requirements under the plan; except that the summary description required to be provided under the fourth sentence of section 104(b)(1) with respect to such modification shall be provided by not later than 60 days after the first day of the first plan year in which such requirements apply. (e) Exemptions- (1) SMALL EMPLOYER EXEMPTION- (A) IN GENERAL- This section shall not apply to any group health plan (and group health insurance coverage offered in connection with a group health plan) for any plan year of a small employer. (B) SMALL EMPLOYER- For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term `small employer' means, in connection with a group health plan with respect to a calendar year and a plan year, an employer who employed an average of at least 2 (or 1 in the case of an employer residing in a State that permits small groups to include a single individual) but not more than 50 employees on business days during the preceding calendar year. (C) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN RULES IN DETERMINATION OF EMPLOYER SIZE- For purposes of this paragraph-- (i) APPLICATION OF AGGREGATION RULE FOR EMPLOYERS- Rules similar to the rules under subsections (b), (c), (m), and (o) of section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall apply for purposes of treating persons as a single employer. (ii) EMPLOYERS NOT IN EXISTENCE IN PRECEDING YEAR- In the case of an employer which was not in existence throughout the preceding calendar year, the determination of whether such employer is a small employer shall be based on the average number of employees that it is reasonably expected such employer will employ on business days in the current calendar year. (iii) PREDECESSORS- Any reference in this paragraph to an employer shall include a reference to any predecessor of such employer. (2) INCREASED COST EXEMPTION- This section shall not apply with respect to a group health plan (or group health insurance coverage offered in connection with a group health plan) if the application of this section to such plan (or coverage) results in an increase in the cost under the plan (or coverage) of at least 1 percent. (f) Pervasive Developmental Disorder Defined- For purposes of this section, the term `pervasive developmental disorder' means any developmental disability (as defined in section 102(8) of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15002(8))). (g) Preemption, Relation to State Laws- (1) IN GENERAL- Nothing in this section shall be construed to preempt any State law in effect with respect to health insurance coverage to the extent the requirements of such law at least meet the requirements of this section. (2) ERISA- Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect or modify the provisions of section 514 with respect to group health plans.'. (b) Conforming Amendments- (1) Section 731(c) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 1191(c)) is amended by striking `section 711' and inserting `sections 711 and 714'. (2) Section 732(a) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 1191a(a)) is amended by striking `section 711' and inserting `sections 711 and 714'. (c) Clerical Amendment- The table of contents in section 1 of such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 713 the following new item: Sec. 714. Parity for pervasive developmental disorders.'. (d) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2009. SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986. (a) In General- Subchapter B of chapter 100 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to group health plan requirements) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: SEC. 9813. PARITY FOR PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. (a) In General- A group health plan that provides both medical and surgical benefits shall provide coverage for pervasive developmental disorders, including coverage for therapeutic, respite, and rehabilitative care for participants or beneficiaries who have not attained 22 years of age. (b) In-Network and Out-of-Network Standards- (1) IN GENERAL- In the case of a group health plan that provides benefits for pervasive developmental disorders, and that provides both in-network benefits for such disorders and out-of-network benefits for such disorders, the requirements of this section shall apply separately with respect to benefits provided under the plan on an in-network basis and benefits provided under the plan on an out-of-network basis. (2) CLARIFICATION- Nothing in paragraph (1) shall be construed as requiring that a group health plan eliminate an out-of-network provider option from such plan pursuant to the terms of the plan. (c) Other Requirements- (1) ANNUAL OR LIFETIME DOLLAR LIMITATIONS- A group health plan may not impose any annual or lifetime dollar limitation on benefits for pervasive developmental disorders unless such limitation applies to all medical and surgical benefits and benefits for pervasive developmental disorders provided under the plan. (2) COST SHARING- A group health plan may not impose a deductible, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing with respect to the coverage of pervasive developmental disorders under the plan, which is greater than the deductible, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing, as the case may be, imposed with respect to medical and surgical benefits under the plan. (3) ELIGIBILITY TO ENROLL OR RENEW- A group health plan may not deny eligibility, or continued eligibility, to enroll or to renew coverage under the term of the plan, solely for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of this section. (d) Exemptions- (1) SMALL EMPLOYER EXEMPTION- (A) IN GENERAL- This section shall not apply to any group health plan for any plan year of a small employer. (B) SMALL EMPLOYER- For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term `small employer' means, with respect to a calendar year and a plan year, an employer who employed an average of at least 2 (or 1 in the case of an employer residing in a State that permits small groups to include a single individual) but not more than 50 employees on business days during the preceding calendar year. For purposes of the preceding sentence, all persons treated as a single employer under subsection (b), (c), (m), or (o) of section 414 shall be treated as 1 employer and rules similar to rules of subparagraphs (B) and (C) of section 4980D(d)(2) shall apply. (2) INCREASED COST EXEMPTION- This section shall not apply with respect to a group health plan if the application of this section to such plan results in an increase in the cost under the plan of at least 1 percent. (e) Pervasive Developmental Disorder Defined- For purposes of this section, the term `pervasive developmental disorder' means any developmental disability (as defined in section 102(8) of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15002(8)).'. (b) Conforming Amendments- The table of sections for subchapter B of chapter 100 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new item: Sec. 9813. Parity for pervasive developmental disorders.'. (c) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to group health plans for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2009.

Great Easter Weekend, Bring on the World Series (More on My Son part 25) April 13, 2009 First, I'll start by saying, this Easter weekend was great!... no scratch that it was FANTABULOUS!!!!! Saturday was a very busy at our house. We had three major activities lined up: Baseball with the Miracle League, Easter Egg Hunt, and movie. The movie was the reward for good, hard work at baseball. We got to the ball field and had a large number of family supporters there. We had my family, in-laws all total 10 family members not counting my wife and I showed up to watch him play ball. Each player is paired with an older peer (a buddy) at all times through the game to assist them and importantly teach them the game. Our son's line therapist signed up to be his "buddy", while she was checking in 3 other girls offered to be his buddy. And one even commented (he looks just like the little boy from the movie "Big Daddy"). I had to break the news his "Buddy" was here and just checking in. Anyway, he refused to go in the dugout, which we did not push, because that is where his breakdown started when we tried 2 weeks before. Instead he stood just outside the dugout waiting for his turn to bat. When it was his turn, he chose the plastic bat even though I have been working with him using a regular t-ball bat. He hit the ball off the T on the first try and took off for first base. He did want to stop there, but did after he was asked to. Then as the others hit the ball in turn he ran the bases correctly. When has ran from 3rd base to hoime plate, he was running as fast and hard as he could, it was so cute to see. Then when his team took the field about half way the second half he caught on to the idea of after someone hits the ball, the people in the field try to get it and give it back to the pitcher. He chased after 5 of them, he successfully got 3 of them before the other people in the field did. He was beaming and so were the 12 loyal fans in the stands. The only downside to the morning baseball was after 1 inning he decided he had had enough. After talking with him about he should go back out there for several minutes, it became apparent that a breakdown was eminent. Rather than have another one of those over baseball, we decided that we did not want him to associate baseball nor that physical location to something negative, which could lead to worse times in the future. We wanted to end his first participation in baseball on a good, positive note. Between this and all the support from people he knew, he had a great experience and could not have been happier or prouder of him, if he had one the penant single-handedly.

Not Feeling It Today (More on My Son part 24) April 9, 2009 Just one of those days I guess. Just not feeling it. After yesterday's entry of him conquering the button, and my high on it for 2 days.... I must admit... just not feeling it today. My wife took him for a picnic today up to the playground only 1/2 block from out house. The park is pretty large a baseball field, 2 tennis courts, basketball court, good sized playground, a couple of picnic tables, and a large grassy field. My wife calls me and it is hard to hear her over him screaming and crying in the background, but she wanted me to try and talk to him to calm him down. I try to, but he is not listening to a phone held up to his ear, I mean come on, he is having one of "his moments". He is not going to immediately calm down and listen to a voice on a phone, even if it is daddy's. I try futily, finally my wife comes on and just says she had to go handle him. I wait very worried and sickened knowing he is having another bad moment right now, and I am 30+ miles away and completely unable to do anything to help her soothe him and bring him back. I know not to call back for a while and possibly interrupt her when she is handling the situation of having walked 1/2 block to the park while he drove his little motorized car beside her. She now has to figure out how to get him calmed back down and get him and the car back to the toy car back to house. So after an agonizing 30 minutes of waiting, I send a text asking her to let me know how things went when she can. She calls back and explains to me the just kept talking softly to him and rubbing his back and hair (we have found that this type of stimulation really helps calm him down and shortens his moments like this). Finally he slowed the screaming and crying, into the sniffling and short inhales all children do when they stop crying and she explained to him that he could not play with a group of much older kids in the big grassy field by the tennis courts. What started all this is when she told him no and he started running over there anyway and she had to chase him down and physically carry him back. Finally she convinced him to drive his car back home by "racing her" saying she can get home before he did. (Challenging him to do something before we do is often very effective to get him motivated to do something especially if we make a big deal out of it, talking to him the whole time and then telling him how good he did it and how proud of him we are when it's over.) He was taking a cool bath and was all calm now. Now I am worried about how this will effect his behavior at therapy this afternoon. And while I KNOW things WILL get BETTER in the long run.... today... I'm just not feeling it.

Another Small Victory (More on My Son part23) April 8, 2009 It happened yesterday around 11:30am. Something we have been working on for months. JJ buttoned his own pants... TWICE!!!!!!! While he has been capable with snaps, hooks, zippers, etc... buttons he has always struggled with. Well yesterday his fine motor skills conquered this obstacle. My wife was getting him dressed to go to the store for some grocery shopping, she laid out his clothes and asked him to get dressed while she got herself ready to go. (Being on Spring Break from school, he got to lounge around the house all morning watching Playhouse Disney.) When she came back in the room about 15 minutes to see how he was doing (when we ask him to dress himself, it usually takes anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes depending on his frustration and distraction levels), he was completely dressed including the button on his jeans. She praised him for it and he got so happy and proud of himself. Just before leaving for the store she reminded hm to go potty before they left. So he went to the bathroom, she heard him go, and he returned with his pants buttoned again. Again a big deal was made of how proud she was of him and what a fantastic job he did of buttoning his pants all by himself like a big boy. She called me immediately and told me the great news. I was so exceptionally proud of him also and related the news to my co-workers and pretty much sat on high the rest of the day at work... thinking to myself how he won another battle in this war. Happy Easter everyone!!

I just read a very thought provoking article about violence. I'm not sure what we do when it gets this way, but my 14 year old has me very concerned. http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2009/03/26/bauer_autism/print.html

Originally posted at http://jeannieanderson.blogspot.com. Check out the link to see the graphics that enhance this post. PART 1 Last quarter I had a student, let's call him George, who failed my class because he plagiarized all the assignments. He wasn't sneaky or covert about it. In fact, he COPIED AND PASTED excerpts from one of the suggested readings from my syllabus. Yes, he was so lazy that he couldn't even find his own source to copy. Needless to say, he failed the class. Then he re-enrolled this quarter. I just read his first paper. About a sentence into it I started doing a little copying and pasting of my own: right into Google. Wouldn't ya know, the majority of this paper can be found on pinkmonkey.com. Yeah, you read it right, this baboon used a site called Pink Monkey to pull the banana peel over my eyes and that just APE gonna happen. In case you're Curious, he's so gonna fail my class. PART 2 I haven't yet had the opportunity to contact Curious George's advisor, but I got the following email in response to the F he more than earned on his plagiarized paper. Hello i just want ask you about the paper, can you please tell me whats wrong with [xxx] paper, would you please tell me why i get a "F" i dont understand please let me know what you actually looking for on the papers,i will a pracieted. please let me konw if i still can do something to change the grade. Oh, how I wish I could say: Seriously, this is how we're gonna play this? What's wrong is you COPIED your paper from http://www.pinkmonkey.com/. You don't UNDERSTAND your grade? I give failing grades to chimps who don't turn in their own work; when you COPY AND PASTE someone else's work into your papers and put your name on it AS IF YOU WROTE IT it's called P-L-A-G-I-A-R-I-S-M. No, there's nothing you can do to change your grade, you have now FAILED this course AGAIN. Put that in your banana and smoke it. As my seventh-grade teacher Miss Ruby used to say: The Audacity! The only thing left to decide is should I email him back right away or make him sweat it out this weekend.

Originally posted at http://mamabusypants.blogspot.com Life on the Spectrum recently wrote: "Someone said that they were tired of some parents with children who have autism, painting autism as if it were some sort of cool adventure. Autism is hard, depressing and sometimes unbearable." That resonates. Mr. Busypants has mild autism, which translates into autism is only mildly a pain in my ass. Sometimes I feel guilty about his mildness. I'm stuck in the middle: my kid's not quite normal, but he's also not completely, hopelessly, overly frustratingly autistic. So while I deal with the "autistic moments," I do not deal with them at the great frequency that many others do. Initially, the diagnosis and subsequent transitions from babyhood to toddlerland to preschoolville were hard, depressing, and sometimes unbearable. But now, while Mr. Busypants is in Kindergarten at least, the challenges are not much larger than the average parents' (different, but not more overwhelming). That may change, but I feel privileged to just love his mind and the unique perspective he brings to life. At least for now, I get to see it as a cool adventure. To be honest, I fear my neuro-typical (NT) daughter, Miss Chattyshoes, drama queen that she already is, will be way harder to raise. She already has an opinion about everything. When she really, really wants something, she repeats herself, each time at a higher decibel, until only dogs in the neighborhood and the dolphins at the Brookfield Zoo are able to hear her. I'm constantly being ordered to "sit down mama," as she plants her chubby cheeks (yes, the other ones) onto the couch and pats the spot right next to her. It's often frustrating because there's an endless list of things on my To Do list (like laundry, major clean up, grading, dishes, more major clean up, Facebook), but recently I decided to fall in line with the little drill sergeant. I mean, she'll only be little once. So now I'm getting caught up on all kinds of reading. It's distracting to do my Bible study with Elmo in the background, but somehow I manage. As for Mr. Busypants, well, so far he is wildly navigating the line between having autism and being a regular kid. He has a lot going for him in that he wants to partcipate with others, but he also has obstacles less known to those who are neuro-typical. He's coping with the sensory bombardment that's magnified because he has autism, the obsessive/compulsive need for structure and repetition as he processes the world around him, and the emerging knowledge that he is indeed different. Life is often a cool adventure (autism or not), but it's also hard, depressing and sometimes unbearable. The key is to take what you have (autism or not) and do the best you can with it, taking joy in the beautiful moments and sorrow in your losses. For what it's worth, God can take the crap-pile that is your life and turn it into something amazing--autism or not.

A place for me, writing about the things I love: writing, teaching, living

Read about the Adventures of Mr. Busypants and his chunky sidekick, almost two Miss Chattyshoes.

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when christian was much smaller he ate everything you put in front of him. he would even steal food off your plate. now he hardly eats anything. of course there are the staples..chicken nuggets, pizza, grilled cheese, cake, ice cream, etc. he will NOT touch ground meat of anykind. he wont even eat unbattered chicken. how much of this is autism/sensory processing, and how much is just being a brat? i hate to say that about my own son, but hes no stranger to pushing the limits to see how far he can go, hes very strong-willed. so we will sit at the dinner table for an hour coaxing him to take just one bite of this or just one bite of that and then you can have ice cream or cake or whatever. this is a daily occurance unless i make something like whats listed above. its really exhausting. and it really bothers me that hes not eating more than half the time at dinner. how can you sleep well when you're hungry?? but then again going to bed is a whole new ballgame... anyway i have heard many wonderful things about the gf-cf diet and of course my biggest concern is that hes gonna starve to death! its kinda expensive and then what if its all shot to hell from just one weekend at their dads house?? my former mil still cant get it through her thick skull that we dont give the kids artificial food coloring. another battle.. i dunno im just drained from practically begging my 5 year old to eat something at dinner and prolly dont make much sense. he did take some bites of most everything in the end albeit very small bites, but he did taste it. and of all things, ALL THINGS, he was more into the cauliflower........