JER= Genius

He is ... he is a genius. John Elder Robinson, that is. Just read this post about the value of neurological testing; he is super wise, super smart & my dh & myself could not agree more. Thanks, JER. One of his commenters says this: "Aspergers = not a brat. People are so much more compassionate when they have a label to work with. And my daughter is MOST DEFINITLY not a brat. " CORRECT-A-MUNDO, unfortunately... thanks to her, too! That is a brilliant perspective that helps justify my behaviors that are meant to deal with the AS in my life.

Ticket Reward System

The ticket reward system is going well. J.'s behavior has actually improved! Improvement is good!!! He receives tickets for small chores, obeying, eating breakfast, getting dressed, taking his vitamins, cooperating at the library, playing educational games, etc.

For rewards:

5 tickets gets him:

watch cartoons, make goo or play-doh, eat ice cream, play with shaving cream, play video game online, get chocolate milk at bedtime.

10 tickets gets him: having a friend over, making a campfire & roasting marshmallows, watching a movie.

20 tickets gets: go to Cici's, go to the playground, an action figure at the store, pick a surprise out of the wrapped gifts bag.

50 tickets gets: a new video game

He is now in the process of saving for the new video game. It will take him about 2 weeks, but that means he cannot afford to purchase anything else in the meantime.

ABC's of Decluttering Your Home

The ABCs of Decluttering Your Home
Having trouble being bit by the organizing bug? It's really as easy as A-B-C. Just follow these simple steps and see a change in your home in a short amount of time.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1594/the_abcs_of_decluttering_your_home.html

Survival Guide to Persons w/ AS

Survival Guide, you ask? Yes, indeedy... that is if they care about being understood, it seems. Others will not just mark it up to being "weird" if they understand... or maybe you don't care... you don't have to, it is up to each individual. COPING:A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH ASPERGER SYNDROME These pages are a copy of the book, 'Coping: A Survival Guide for People with Asperger Syndrome' by Marc Segar. This is a valuable piece of writing which is worthy of as wide a readership as possible - which is why we have put it on the web.

Playdates

My son was invited to play at a friend's house yesterday & the mom came & picked him up for a couple of hours, to ride the Power Wheels in his yard.

It went well... it was a good day for a little break.

Spouse with AS

Another post about living with a spouse with AS. (or is it?) We are loving, family-oriented, prayerful, busy, tired, and agree on which puppy to pick. I cannot put my finger on an issue at the moment... but seems as if something is awry anyhow. Will everyday always feel like this? I am not "looking" for problems... I like the peace. But somehow I feel like it will blow up again, soon- very soon. It is probably MY head issues... I have succombed to it - I don't feel so NT now. Nothing to be done... just keep busy, stay positive & release on this blog.

Rewards System

I have been on the look out for something that will work with my son, to help him understand consequences, reward for hard work & life in general. This is what I found: I am trying the "Ticket System" with my 6 yo son, starting tomorrow. I purchased a roll of tickets at Wal-Mart for less than $4.00, to hand out to him when I catch him being good & when he cooperates during the day.

He will get some t.v. time at bedtime, play Cartoon Network games online or have chocolate ice cream as his rewards. These are the only things that entice him, so I am using it.

We will see how well it works, I will update.

Autism Twitter Day- DEC 16

Will you join us? Autism Twitter Day – Tuesday, Dec 16th pacific standard time – 9AM, 12:30 PM and 8 PM. Prizes will be given out and a panel will be available with information and to answer questions. This is open to twitter members, specifically those who are members of the autism community, whether it be a parent, sibling or relative. If you are on the spectrum you are welcome to take part. Most of the prizes are geared to children and young adults with autism or asperger syndrome. The hashtag to be used for autism twitter day is #ASD. This means when you post a tweet that day which is on the topic of autism – positive autism awareness, please use the hashtag, either in front or at end of the tweet. Open up a window at www.summize.com and input #ASD to follow along with the conversation at the specified times. Most likely they will run longer than one hour. Stay tuned here and to my blog for prize and panel info. We will be testing your knowledge on autism spectrum disorders, this is how the prizes will be awarded. Bonnie has assembled an ever-growing collection of prizes, ranging from a children’s hammock (Charlie is too big for this, I suspect) to software to storytime felt sets. I’m not a big Twitter-er (my Twitter id is autismvox) but will be sure to be Twitter-ing on December 16th, and I don’t think I’ll be alone. So join in and see what you can find out and or contribute. You can follow along #ASD here!

Do You Twitter?

I have discovered that I like the online app, Twitter> www.twitter.com/somewannaknow is my screen name... I have many 'acquantinces' on there that are Autism advocates & I have met some neat people. Thought I would share... Oh, Gavin Bollard is on there, too!

The Zac Browser

The Zac Browser- created by a parent with Autistic children in mind. Works well for any child, in my opinion. Keeps the child on certain sites, with minimal distractions, such as ads, pop-ups, etc.

User-friendly to use & Free to download!

"We have made this browser for the children - for their enjoyment, enrichment, and freedom. Children touch it, use it, play it, interact with it, and experience independence through ZAC." -zacbrowser.com

Watch a AP news report about it here .

Must see! No problems so far... love it, actually!

Making Picture Schedules

Making Picture Schedules & Story Strips for daily life for someone with AS.

Thanks to dotolearn.com for the clip art. I have a 6 yo son with Asperger's, as many of you know. We have a very hard time transitioning him into getting dressed for our Bible Services, especially. He knows he will be sitting, though we allow him to draw, write & look at books while there, hence the non-cooperativeness. He usually opts out of the choices we give him to do while there & wiggles around instead. Understandable, we are lenient in this situation. We allow him to undo his top button & take off his shoes while sitting; which is way more than would be otherwise expected, I think.

So, in light of this, I have made several Picture/ Visuals for him & it helps, so we will stick with it till it stops helping. Thought I would share...