Preparing for the New School Year

We all hope the children we love never have to endure surgery and that they are perfectly healthy but what happens when this comes up? As a parent perhaps you have run to your doctor for advice about anesthesia, whether your child must undergo dental work or something very serious it is important to know and understand the implications of the drugs used. This is especially a concern for those children on the autism spectrum or with developmental delays.

Summer is a fun time to be a kid. You are out of school and it’s time to play! But summer can be a difficult time if you are a babysitter or a stay at home mom or dad. You have to fill each and every day with activities and you are faced with the challenge of how to keep things fun and entertaining for the both of you. Let us help you do just that!

When you walk into Parent Teacher Night what is one of the first things you see? Art! There are art projects on the walls, on the bulletin boards and more. Art is a part of each child’s life from preschool to high school and for some they continue this passion into their adult life.

Many have read or heard about the damage heavy metals can do to a developing child’s mind and overall health. There are three main ways to test for metals and each is different. It is recommended children with the following symptoms or diagnosis get tested.
• Psychosis
• Autism
• Depression
• Chronic fatigue
• Sleep disorders
• Anxiety
• ADD/ADHD
• Mood swings
• Digestive disorders
• Anemia

A recent series of conflicts left me seriously doubting humanity. With each twist and turn of kindness and flexibly I tried to show, I was slapped in the face with an attitude of entitlement and more demands made in an ugly and hurtful way.
Because I am still pretty irritated with the whole situation, it would give me great satisfaction to list my every right and her every wrong just to make you see how hard I tried to do the right thing. I would also love to share the list of funny (and not so funny) ways I have creatively crafted in my mind to get back at her. But at some point, I need to consciously stop thinking about it and choose to focus my energy on the good I can do in the world instead.
Sometimes I think autism helps me quickly get to bottom of a person’s true character. If someone is kind and welcoming to Lizzie, then I know they have a good heart and can likely be trusted. But if they show irritation or choose to talk down to her, then I know pretty quickly that I need to be on guard with them in other areas of life as well.

It was a long and arduous road, a journey for which I was unprepared to endure. Diagnosed with a learning disability in the first grade at the age of six, I spent the next twelve years in self-contained special education classrooms. In desperate need of additional academic support, my parents did what they felt was best, advocating for me along the way. They attended countless hours of I.E.P. (Individualized Education Plan) meetings, seeing to it that the goals and objectives that were outlined in my I.E.P. were diligently implemented from one year to the next.

We made this flag mural this week in our Social Schoolers Group and the kids loved it. They were able to work together, take turns, encourage each other, problem solve together, come up with ideas together, practice giving compliments and more. They couldn’t wait for us to hang it up so they could admire their work and comment about the art throughout the whole week. It was also a very calming activity which our kids may need amongst all the holiday fun and excitement. It’s also simple and easy, the main reason WE loved it!

Everyone likes at least one genre of music if not several. As adults music can serve many different purposes. We listen to music because we like it. It can help with our emotional states….music can calm us down and decrease our stress. Music can pep us up and get our energy going. Music can help us focus on important tasks. Music can be a social outlet. Music can also help us learn. This is the same for children.

There seems to be so many answers and guidance when your child with an ASD is younger but as they age its scary because the support dwindles away. I read a great article in Autism Digest by Chantal Sicile-Kira about creating Independence and want to share some of my favorite highlights.
The first is self-regulation- this is something that is taught and does not always come easy to a child on the spectrum. Some key points to remember in developing this skill: