Wednesday, February 27, 2013

"Winnie The Pooh"

I just got an e-mail from Alex's teacher... She sent me a picture of the words "Winnie The Pooh" and told me that my son had spelled it, there was a letter missing, so he improvised. And only a parent of an Autistic child would know how great and how proud we feel right now.
From a baby who stopped making eye contact, who would scream bloody murder in crowds, from being completely out of control, to now following directions, listening when you speak, to spelling!! Even tho his non verbal (we totally think it's there, but it hasn't clicked yet or his too lazy to speak) this is a huge break through for him, because we can use that as a form of communication for him .
This totally made my day!

Monday, February 25, 2013

7 Tips on being friends with a special needs parent!

Often, I have noticed a hesitation or awkwardness on the part of friends who just don't know what to say or do. I know they care. And I know they mean well. They are, quite simply, at a loss.

Here is what I would like to say to them and others like them, if they were to ask how to be a friend to a special-needs parent:


1. You will probably look up the child's condition online to learn more about it. That's awesome. But try to remember that no condition has identical characteristics. For example, many people are afraid of upsetting an autistic child by touching him. But my son is a complete snuggle-bug. He, like every other person on the planet, is an individual. By all means, ask us about our kids. Feel free to ask, "Hey, I've read some have issues with such-and-such. Does she?" I promise you, we're happy to talk about it. We need to talk about it. And, for a period of time, it may be all we talk about. Try not to resent that. We'll adjust. But we need a little time and a lot of patience.

2. Fight the urge to avoid interacting with our children. If you are nervous about how to hold our children or how to talk to/play with them, tell us. We'll help you. I'm happy to advise someone how to gain my son's attention. It's a wonderful thing to me when others see what I see in him, love him, and have fun with him.

3. Remember that every mother's heart is the same. I don't care what condition a baby is born with, his mama needs to hear how very precious he is. Our special-needs children are...children. They might be different than the other children, but they still do adorable things. And, yes, just like every mama who ever was, we have a desperate need to regale you with those stories. Fawn and coo and pretend to marvel over our kids the same way you would with any others.

4. If you have children, don't leave them unprepared for meeting ours. Children are curious about differences. It's okay to explain it to them. And they aren't being bad if they ask an honest question. How else will they learn? Help them to put themselves into the special-needs child's shoes. People say that children are cruel. But, in my experience, they can show great compassion when they understand the other child's differences and are encouraged to adjust their play.

5. Understand that parents of special-needs kids are inundated with unsolicited advice. Believe me, our kids have a plethora of specialists. We don't need any more. What we want from you is friendship.

6. Know that we will never again be the same person you first befriended. Our interests, moods, and opinions very likely have changed. We are still ourselves, yet we are different. Love us anyway.

7. Never say, "I'm sorry". We are not ashamed of or disappointed in our children. We love them. And they are a source of joy for us. "I'm sorry" implies something bad has happened. But we do not regret their lives. Neither should you.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Losing a tooth....

Well, my five year old lost a tooth. He woke up one day and he was bleed OMG from that tooth and he kept moving it, I pressed a kitchen towel to it to stop the bleeding and eventually distracted him enough to stop touching it.... Which is a pain because once he gets his mind to something is like telling a hound dog to stop tracking... So I let it go, the next day I noticed in the morning that he had lost the tooth, i don't know if he took it out or he swallowed it... 😒 But I know it didn't come out (if you know what I mean) and the thing is, he didn't make a sound, the blood bordered him, but not the loose tooth sensation which I remembered being as being annoying. Anyways, in the picture you can already tell that he already has the other one lined up .... Next horror is .... The dentist!!!!!