hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

I recieved a complementary pdf copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are entirely my own, however. I was very excited to sign up to review this book as I am always on the lookout for books written for children pertaining to Autism/Asperger's. This book was interesting and different than I expected it to be. I like the approach of learning to accept oneself rather than trying to change to fit in. "No matter what I did, I could not change what made me uncomfortable...I decided to go to the river, the place where I knew I could be happy, and learn how to be myself...Rosie, a pink hippo." That sentence is so very powerful. That lesson was, to me the most profound, and I relates to it both as someone who has struggled to "fit in" many times in my life, but also as a mom to kids on the Autism Spectrum. I felt the illustration of the river choosing it's own path was not as clear or concise as the...

I used to dread asking Zak to vacuum. It wasn't only that he tended to miss a lot. This I expect, and can tolerate as he learns. But rather it was the noise that drove us all up the wall. Not the sound of the vacuum, which is loud enough mind you. But the entire time that the thing was running, Zak would be singing or talking as loudly as he could in a chipmunk voice.  The entire time!! Then when summer hit. I noticed that he did the same thing when the mower was running as he cut the grass. Hmmmm... I at first had thought that, being the seeker he is, he was trying to fill some sensory need.  But as I observed him, I noticed more of a pattern. So then I recorded him and began to study his behavior closer. I then remembered something I had read and went back to look up more info on it. And found confirmation of my suspicions.  He is actually extremely oversensitive to very loud sounds and he was attempting to cope by trying to make enou...

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Dr. Temple Grandin, this is you chance to learn more about one of the most outspoken advocates of autism. Born severely autistic herself at a time when autism was completely misunderstood and mistreated, she overcame, persevered, and has become an inspiration to many families. Several years ago, a feature film was made about her early life and how she used her determination and unique abilities to carve out her own special place in the world. The film, called Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes, followed her life closely and presets her challenges authentically. I found it very interesting and thought provoking. Below is a special from the BBC about her. I hope it helps to provide insight into the positives of being on the spectrum.  

Autism and Asperger's from a few different children's point of view:    

 Welcome to Wordy Wednesday!   Todays subject:   MIND-BLINDNESS   This video explains this aspect of Asperger's much better than I can.   Zak certainly displays some difficulties with this, but not as intensely in some areas as in others. he is very capable of being empathetic. Many times spontaneously, especially in regard to animals. Other times he needs to be reminded or have someone's feelings or reaction explained. When helped to reason through a situation, he makes empathetic choices with ease. But it will take continued practice before he regularly does this without assistance or prompting.  

 This is a great video that explains it very well:  

Way back around November or December I found a weighted exercise ball on clearance at Wal-Mart. I was excited for several reasons. One being that it was weighted. That meant no out of control bouncing of the ball around our house. Second I was there to buy one anyway, so to find a weighted one on sale was icing on the cake! I think I paid about eight dollars, it had obvious damage to the box, but all the parts were inside, and I think they just weren't stocking it anymore.   Anyway, this ball gets some major use in our house. All of the kids use it. They do the usual sitting and bouncing, but they also surf off of it, and use it as a chair during frustrating school assignments. I have sat on it many times bouncing a fussy Kitty Kat, sometimes nursing at the same time, even putting her to sleep that way on occasion. I have also just bounced on it when I'm feeling stressed, or to read to the kids, and many other times. Zak can balance on the ball on his kn...

The thunder is rumbling outside. It's a good description of what's going on inside my head, and stomach as well. All of my thoughts are swirling like those storm clouds. Slamming into each other and sending pulses through my consciousness like bolts of electricity. And then settling into a rumble until the next wave of anxiety crashes into my heart again. Kit's evaluation is tomorrow (of course you're reading this today, so it's today). I am really uneasy. I'm anxious. I'm scared. I am so afraid of another person looking at me like I'm crazy or "over-concerned". I cringe at the thought of hearing the words "she's just a baby, let's wait and see"... again. My stomach turns at the thought that these women could potentially leave my home tomorrow knowing full well that my baby has real, evident issues, but not enough to qualify for their help. How much worse does she have to get before she gets better?! My tea...

Stack.   Knock it down.   Stack.   Knock it down.   Over and over and over.   At least she's happy when it falls down. Some kids cry or throw major fits. She saves that for when I take my phone away from her. Or diaper changes, during which I sometimes will let her watch a video on my phone just so that she will let me get her clean and a new diaper put on, but which just results in a massive meltdown when I have to inevitably...take the phone away from her. Oh, and see the canister with a blue lid and slightly different shape than the rest by her leg in the second picture? That is the poor rejected off-brand can. She wouldn't use it on her stack. Even when I would hand it to her, she put it on once, then took it immediately off and tossed it. Every other time it was offered, she would shake her head vigorously and push it away. (Sorry about the fuzzy pics, it's hard to catch good shots of her sometimes, she moves so fast!) ...

First off, I have to share these adorable pictures! A few nights ago Kit was having an especially hard evening. She was over-tired, over-stimulated, brokenhearted that the kids had abandoned her to go to bed, really just one big, cranky, teary mess. So Daddy strapped on her sandals (which totally complemented her pjs), and took her outside for a change of scenery and some swinging time. It was the perfect cure! She  was much happier right away and after a little while she nodded off. What a clever Daddy!                Then Sunday he took her out to play while the kids and I tried to whip the house back into shape, but her early morning caught up with her. We may need to get another one of these for inside the house!     She never lets go, and didn't even drop her strawberry :) Okay, on Friday, I explained Zak's diagnosis , and I'm back now to explain what it has to do with Kit.   ...

I'm sorry for kind of disappearing for a few days. It has been a busy, and at times overwhelming couple of weeks. I think I will be able to get back to my regular weekly features starting next week, but today I'll share what kind of derailed me, but at the same time got us going in the right direction. And to my family and friends, please don't be angry with me for not telling each of you in person, I've barely had energy to function. I certainly don't mean anything ill-spirited. By sharing it here, I can give everyone a much more thorough explanation one time, rather than a hit-and-miss explanation twenty plus times.   ***       Approximately eight or nine months ago, I was busy filling out every symptom questionnaire I could find on everything from ADHD, to Giftedness, to Autism, and finally Sensory Processing Disorder. It was this last category that with question after question I saw my children of concern ...