The Autism Truths From a Parenting Perspective

People don’t understand what autism is and they think they can figure it out from Google. That is not the case. I don’t ever recommend looking things up on Google; I learned this the hard way. I tried to find the right tools and resources time after time but met dead ends.

I tried to ask people questions and they always responded “every child is different.” I got the answers that I didn’t want. They say that you know your child better than anyone else, and I was always like sure I do, but how do I help him progress in a normal way?  

I ask myself many questions…

 

  • Will my child be normal? This is the constant battle I go back and forth about daily. What really is normal? I can’t define it so why does it even matter? I define “normal” as not flapping his hands and stimming all the time. I define it as doing the activities and having the behavior that regular kids do… you know… everything. My kid is special and unique in his own way and there is nothing I can change.
  • Will he be in special ed?? Well, that is a question that I do not know the answer. I know that currently he is getting all the help that he can, but in the future it might still affect him. Only time will tell for this one.
  • Will he ever talk?? I am positive that he will, it is just a matter of time before he does. It is a never-ending crusade, but I have complete faith. Each day we make small strides that lead us in the right direction.
  • Will he ever calm the stimming down? Stimming is when he makes noises and flaps his hands. This behavior arises when he tries to adjust to stress, boredom, life, or whatever the case may be. It can be pretty constant. I am sure in time this will fade away as well. Once he can talk, I am confident that this reaction will decrease just because of the fact that he won’t be as stressed or frustrated.

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Being an autism parent is hard because I put a lot of the blame on myself. I know that it isn’t my fault, but as a parent we want the best for our kids and try to fix everything. When we can’t, we beat ourselves up and tend to find ways to escape.

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TOP SHOE PICKS FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR

Shoes may be the last thing your kids put on before they go out the door, but they are the most important part of their outfit. Adding style, comfort and personality into their back to school gear, here are three of our top shoe picks for the upcoming school year.

Disney X TOMS Pink Sleeping Beauty Youth Luca Slip-ons

You need to check out TOMS new Disney Sleeping Beauty Collection, which feature original character sketches. These Luca slip-ons are perfect for the princess who dreams big.

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Grade School UA X Level Prospect

Under Armour’s newest arrival in boy’s running shoes are fun and colorful, but more importantly they are made with a breathable, lightweight mesh upper and anti-odor technology to keep active feet fresh. They also feature an adjustable hook and loop strap closure for easy on and off.

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Boden Fun Low Tops

Bring a sprinkle of magic to the schoolyard. With glitter, leather and velvet options, these shoes mean little feet will be a sparkly blur in the playground. Boden’s comfortable pin spot canvas lining and easy touch-and-close fastening make speedy getaways even easier.

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The Top 5 Items For An Autism Preschooler

We have been prepping for pre-school behind the scenes. The truth is, I am a nervous anxious mama. Like all mom’s I am sure. However, I just don’t think my son is ready, so I decided to do some research and find somethings that can help Antonio get ready for preschool. These items help with the fine motor, gross motor, and even the letter and number recognition. They have been working wonderfully for us, and I know fellow mama’s could appreciate this!

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Do you have something that we are missing out on and you know we would enjoy? Comment below and let us check it out!

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Help Your Nonverbal Child Communicate with PECS

The truth is when you have a kid who isn’t talking, you are beyond frustrated. You see kids his age talking and you just wish you were up to that level. But then you take a step back from this make believe world, and realize all you have is non-verbal communication. Through strategies and time, we will get there.

Antonio’s ABA teacher has given us so many great options for getting him to communicate with us. Every time a new idea is suggested, I get overwhelmed because I wonder if it will be effective and how it is really going to work.

One of the new steps that we have tried is PECS (picture exchange communication system). This has been proven to help children communicate and talk. So, basically what it entails is printing out pictures of items that we use everyday and laminating them.

Whenever he wants to communicate, he has to hand us the card and we say the correlating word and take the card from him. This form of communication has worked incredibly well for food times and daily activities (bath time, vitamins, etc). We even have it down to a pattern now that he knows the correct order each component happens in!

Though he isn’t communicating verbally, this has helped us to keep the frustration at bay because we both know what he wants now. It is a great feeling! At first, I thought this was a dumb idea without much merit. But when I saw great results, I knew that this system was leading us in the right direction.

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The Top Reasons for ABA

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a great tool for autistic kids. It really helps them get the help that they need in order to be successful and learn properly. It covers so many topics, ideas, and curriculum. At first, I was scared of this program because I was still in denial about my child being autistic. I am not certified in any of this, this is all my opinion from a parent standpoint. 

This program takes some time before you see results. Nothing will happen overnight and for the longest time I had to keep telling myself that. Here are the top 4 reasons why I would recommend ABA for anyone who is autistic:

  1. They still get social interaction: There are other kids in the program and they do circle time in addition to fun activities. Most of the time people claim the children don’t get the interaction they need, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!
  2. Non-verbal communication: Before we started ABA, communicating was a complete mess. We tried sign language. We tried a lot of things. Now, we are able to actually communicate either with pictures or sign language. Obviously, our end goal is verbal communication but we were able to really gain a lot from this and not be as frustrated!
  3. Celebrate small victories: You can see the progress that your child makes. The program keeps you updated and lets you know what they are working on. This way, when your kid does it at home you can celebrate and keep track of each accomplishment!
  4. Get a break: This might sound kind of rude, but parents need breaks. Especially when you have a special needs child. When I send my kid to ABA, I know he is in excellent care and is receiving the 1 on 1 he needs that sometimes I am not able to provide.

I am not an expert when it comes to ABA, I am just a parent who has her own personal thoughts and feelings. I’d love to hear how you feel about ABA and what has worked for you!

Our favorite Autism Finds

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8 Fun Activities For Kids

I don’t like having my son watch tv or play on the iPad all day – or even simply just play with the same toys every day…. I was having a hard time finding what to do to keep him occupied, so I created a list of activities/exercises that we have enjoyed.. and they are SUPER simple.

Try These For a Fun Screen-Free Time:

  1. Create a Gymnastics Area in the House. Lately, Antonio has been loving the gymnastics thing and likes to pretend to walk on a balance beam + do somersaults so we set up an area and take it down as needed.
  2. Paper Plate Ring Toss. This is super easy and enjoyable. Just cut the plates in the middle and toss on to an old paper towel roll. You could even color the plates and make it more fun and colorful if you’d like!
  3. Masking Tape Car Track. This is uber entertaining for boys especially. You just grab masking tape and put it all over with a line in the middle. Have the kids put their cars on the “tracks” and play away.
  4. Under Hammock. You put a hammock under a table, square, bed, or even a playground. This will be a sure hit for warm days; let them bring a toy or book with them.
  5. Pool Noodle and Rubber Band Activity. This is a cinch, a delight, and great for fine motor skills. Cut pool noodles in half and let the kids put rubber bands on the noodles. You could even get creative and have different colored rubber bands!
  6. Cardboard Tube Drop Chute. Collect all the paper towel rolls throughout the week and put the little brown pieces on a wall, or floor, etc. Allow them to create a chute with about 5-6 of them. You will need to tape them together, so make sure you aren’t worried about possibly losing some paint on the wall. Once again, have a good time with painting the paper towels!
  7. Cardboard Bead Threading Activity. All of those extra toilet paper rolls now have meaning and a purpose. Save them and allow the kids to make a really large thread. You will need to put the paper rolls on a really long and strong piece of string or yarn.
  8. Pool Noodle Stringing Activity. Cut the pool noodles into about 10-15 pieces. You will need to put the noodles on a really long and strong piece of string or yarn just like you did with the toilet paper rolls.

When you get done with these fun activities, there are so many other great and engaging activities:

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Simple Tricks To Advocate For Your Child at School.

 

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and caught up in the muck of school. This is your baby after all! Keeping emotions in check to work through tough situations can be super challenging. To work most effectively with your child’s team, use a few simple tricks to advocate for your child at school.

  1. Keep an open mind
    You see one side of your child at home. They are comfortable with you and in their environment. This can lead to different behaviors and work habits.
    At school, they could feel less sure or work hard to be on their best behavior. Which means that things you see often, might not ever happen at school. Or the opposite might happen: school is seeing things that don’t happen at home. School can only act on what they are seeing and what the data reflects. If they don’t see it in the school environment, they can’t address it. Additionally, school might have resources or treatment options that you might not have considered. It is really easy to zone in on one therapy or education program. There could be other options out there available through the school that you might not have considered. Keeping an open mind could help you to see things from a different angle or find new solutions.
  2. Lead with the positive
    When you want something, it pays off to soften them up with a little positivity. In meetings, pay compliments to team members. Via email, sandwich your request or concern between two positive statements. Leading with positivity helps everyone remember the silver linings and the benefit of the child. The teachers and therapists will feel warm fuzzies for you and your child. That makes it easier for them to say yes to your request or answer your concern. Your positive statements don’t need to be huge. Pick something that you genuinely like or feel is going well. It could be as simple as thanking someone for their kindness and concern for your child. A fun field trip, an interesting experiment, or even a cool book could be your positive thing.
    Setting an uplifting tone early, or often, can help the meeting stay on track and find solutions that work for everyone.
  3. Know your rights. There are a few rights and laws that can help you. FERPA gives you access to your child’s records and can help you correct errors. IDEA governs IEPs and special education plan implementation. Section 504 control how 504 Plans are created and put into place. Additionally, at every IEP meeting you should be offered a copy of procedural safeguards. Make sure you have at least one copy in your files at all times. This document outlines your rights and options, as well as timelines for special education procedures in your state/district. Certain deadlines vary by state, so making a cheat sheet to help you keep track of everything can be a total lifesaver.
  4. Ask for help when you need it. Parents have options for assistance. Many districts offer volunteer parent advocates or mentors to help parents find solutions. Every state also offers a parent education center. These centers have lists of local advocates and other resources, like trainings, to assist parents for low or no cost.
    For targeted assistance, parents always have the right to hire a private advocate or attorney. Bringing a professional on board can make a huge difference when things get really contentious.
  5. Always have a plan. Before your meeting, write out your goals, concerns, and questions. Gather all your data and color code it. What really helps is to write out a script and then practice repeatedly. Having a guide of what to say helps you stay on point. Practicing will let you get comfortable with how to speak and the tone of voice to use. Prepping this way helps you to stay in the moment and keep your emotions in check. Remaining logical can help you make your case for an additional service, change in placement, or extra test.
  6. You’re all on “Team Child” At the end of the day, you and the school want the best for your child. You might just have different ways of handling it. Propose solutions to the teaching team and back them up with data or evidence of effectiveness. Keep an open mind when the school shares their data or ideas, too. How do you advocate for your child at school? Share your best tips in the comments!

Guest Blog Post — MilKids Ed is an education blog and advocacy service providing easy K-12 solutions for busy modern families Meg Flanagan founded MilKids Ed in 2010 as a military family-focused tutoring business. MilKids Ed has since grown into a flourishing education blog. Since 2015, MilKids Ed has been a reputable source of education tips, advice, and support for families around the world.

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View some of our favorite items for autistic kids.

  1. elmo tub 
  2. elmo letters
  3. cookie drop roll 
  4. potty songs 

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Easy Green Home Projects

By Christine H. The more you read, the more you learn our modern habits disrupt natural processes. From the energy you consume in your home to your driving habits to what you buy at the grocery store, there are a hundred different ways that you can better limit your environmental impact. Many of these changes feel like large undertakings–changing to solar energy, for example. However, there are also a lot of little changes that you can make in your home–just once–to reduce the amount of energy that you use each day without changing anything at all in your daily habits.

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So if you have a moment to check a few simple items off of your to-do list, read through the article below and pick one or two things that you can do today to go a little greener at home.

  1. Bottle in the Toilet Tank: Each person uses 80-100 gallons of water a day, and the vast majority of that water usage is in toilet flushes. That’s why reducing the amount of water used with each flush going to be such a significant way to reduce your water bill. And a quick way to do that is to add a bottle in your toilet tank. This simply makes it so that your tank registers as full when it has about a liter less. To do this, fill an old soda bottle with water, twist the lid back on, and stick it in the tank. Note that this is especially useful for old toilets that use excess water. However, if you have a new tank (that uses 1.6 gallons or less per flush) then you won’t want to use this method. It could interrupt the functionality. However, you can still increase how efficient your water usage is by making sure that the flapper and float are working properly. (See here for tips.)
  2. Weather-Strip the Doors: The vast majority of a home’s energy usage goes to temperature regulation. Whether you’re countering winter’s chill, or creating a cool haven from the summer sun, your home is constantly working to keep your home a comfortable temperature to eat, sleep, and play. However, if you don’t have measures in place to retain the proper temperature, you could be wasting up to 50% of your energy usage. Insulation in the walls and roof are important. But one of biggest ways that heat and cool escape your home is through the cracks under and around doors. The good news is that it’s an easy under-an-hour project to weather-proof your door. Just buy some weather-stripping at the hardware store. Installing it is as easy as placing a (really long) sticker. If your door has a bit of a gap at the bottom, you should also think about installing a bottom sweep, which will also reduce the amount of pests that can get into your home.
  3. Eliminate Phantom Energy Drain: Did you know that phantom energy drain costs up to 100$ per year in energy bills? This is the term used for energy drain that happens when electrical appliances and machines are plugged in, even though they’re currently off and just on standby mode. That means that even when your microwave isn’t in use, it’s still draining a little bit of electricity out of the walls as long as it’s plugged in. Each minute, the amount of electricity used is negligible, but between all the things plugged in in your home, day after day, it adds up. You can reduce phantom energy drain each day by unplugging things when they’re not in use (especially laptop and phone chargers.) However, you can also institute a one-time solution, if you have a hard time remembering to unplug. Install a couple of power strips in your home–especially around the entertainment center, the desktop computer, and in the kitchen. Turn off the whole power strip when it’s not in use, and you’ve suddenly cut phantom drain in half, at least. Power strips aren’t all that expensive, and if you use some zip ties or sticky velcro, you can usually find an unobtrusive spot for them. Again, this project will take you under an hour.
  4. Garden Greener: If you like to garden, that’s wonderful! However, it can also use a lot of extra water and chemicals, if you’re not mindful about it. Set up a compost pile to fertilize your garden with, install a rain barrel to use for watering the garden, and research organic pest control methods like these. You can usually install a rain barrel easily in a day. Just make sure that your downspout funnels in properly, and that the barrel is covered to avoid debris and pests getting in.
  5. Change the Lightbulbs: At least 5% of your energy budget goes towards lighting. You can save almost $100/year by switching to more energy-efficient bulbs. It might be more money up front, but more energy-efficient bulbs will also last longer, which reduces waste and pays for itself after a few years. So, take some time to buy CFL or LED lights for your home and replace those old incandescent ones when they burn out. Old incandescent lights waste a lot of energy by converting it into heat, which is useless for your home.
  6. Learn a Few Vegetarian Recipes: Whether or not you have moral standards about eating meat, you should know that meat production industries take more energy and contribute more to environmental pollution than just about any other food. That’s why you can greatly reduce your environmental impact simply by opting for meatless days once or twice a week. So, if it feels like dinner is incomplete without an animal-product protein on the plate, then maybe it’s time to explore some alternatives. Look up vegetarian curries, explore the possibilities inherent in different legumes, and find ways to eat just as heartily, and with just as much protein, without animal products. Again, you don’t have to make a cold-turkey commitment in order to reduce your impact.
  7. Opt Out of Unsolicited Mail: How much paper waste do you end up with each time you get the mail? It’s annoying, but few of us take the time to make it stop. However, if you just decide that you’re going to sit down for an hour and make a few calls, you can greatly reduce this nuisance (not to mention reduce the amount of waste in your home.) You can opt out of pre-approved credit offers simply by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688). You can contact Dex and Valpack online or by phone to prevent them from giving you mail. If you donate to charities that keep sending you mail for more, you can call them and ask for reminders via email instead.

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How ABA Has Helped My Autism Child

With Antonio going to ABA full time now, I find myself seeing some prgression and regression at the same time. I can’t beat myself up about it and I can’t study why or how because it is only natural and will happen. I have to be patient and let things just happen.

All of these small milestones that he has accomplished this week seem like it would be common for kids at a much younger age than Antonio’s age, but we can’t compare kids like this. I like to share our milestones for others who might be going through something similar.

  1. He can brush his teeth!! Without actually hating it!! I still guide his hand a little bit but before we had to literally hold him down. We are now working on adding in new steps soon (like putting it away, etc). This has been a HUGE help!
  2. He does the sign for more then points at what he wants!! This is mega huge he could either do one or the other but never both at once. It is a two step process which is great and is a form of non-verbal communication.
  3. He sits (when asked and for long periods!!!). His attention is is there and he sits when asked, this makes me so happy knowing that her can sit and do some activities together. He can hold attention longer if something new is introduced and is exciting.
  4. He picks up toys and puts them  away when asked. We make him clean up his toys by picking up toys and putting into his toy box. We can do this for a ton of toys and actually be attentive! So we end up turning it into a fun game!!

All of these things we tried to do when he wasn’t in ABA, but it wasn’t consistent. Now, we are able to communicate non verbally! It is amazing how things have progressed and I can’t wait to see more of what will happen!

Purchase Antonio’s Favorite Toys:

 

 

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The 5 Best Stem Toys For Kids 


Whether your child is autistic or not, all kids love stem toys. What does the term stem even mean? Stem stands for Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This is typically used when addressing education policy and choices in schools, to improve competitiveness in science and technology development. These items will help them get the education they need with you right at home. They are all such great resources and tools for you to use.

  1. http://amzn.to/2DKSNzV 7TECH 1000 Pcs Snowflake Building Blocks Stem Educational Toys for kids
  2. http://amzn.to/2Bs8UNn Magnetic Blocks STEM Educational Toys Magnet Building Block Tiles Set for Boys and Girls by Coodoo-24pcs
  3. http://amzn.to/2Ghnf2S Dinosaur Toys Take Apart Toys With Tools – Pack of 6 Dinosaurs – Construction Engineering STEM Learning Toy Building Play Set – Toy for Boys & Girls Age 3 – 12 years old
  4. http://amzn.to/2Fg0zPq Build and Play STEM Learning 148 Pieces Playset, Educational Construction Engineering Toy Set for 5 models by Joyin Toy
  5. http://amzn.to/2DFOpmz ETI Toys | STEM Learning | Original 101 Piece Educational Construction Engineering Building Blocks Set for 3, 4 and 5+ Year Old Boys & Girls | Creative Fun Kit | Best Toy Gift for Kids Ages 3yr – 6yr
  6.  BONUS http://amzn.to/2DQttIU Kidwerkz Dinosaur Toys, STEM Learning (106 pieces), Take Apart Fun (Pack of 3), Construction Engineering Building Play Set For Boys Girls Toddlers, Best Toy Gift Kids Ages 3yr – 6yr, 3 Years and Up

Which one is your favorite?

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