What I feel about school autism

 I'm seeing a lot of parents of kids on the spectrum that are pretty upset that school is not going back in session. Well, some schools are not going back into session. Me, I'm cool with school not going back to being in person. Our school won't go back until around November. Doodle has autism and that's a neurological disorder. With her asthma her getting the virus is not gonna be a good thing.

Parents send their kids to school sick all the time so what makes me think parents won't do that this time around? And it's not like oh you just wake up with a fever. If you raise kids you know that a fever can pop up anytime of the day. So by the time a fever is present by then its too late.

For me I can readjust my schedule at work to better suite teaching Doodle from home. With having a publishing company I can adjust that schedule to be there for my child. I've always been flexible with Doodle's schedule. You never know what is going to happen when you raise a child with special needs. 

School for us doesn't start until September the 1st. For the first time I'm not totally prepared for school. I mean all I will need is just a computer or tablet. I'm more than prepared for that. Anything happens to my equipment I have a company that takes care of all the repairs. Believe it or not for the past year they have been working overtime on my equipment. From upgrading my computer equipment to repairing a shattered iPad to shattered laptops. It happens with raising a child with autism. So I'm not to concerned. 

My child being safe is my utmost concern. Other kids staying safe, that is also my concern. So like I've said, it's not a big deal that we will be doing online schooling again. Though it's only for 9 weeks. We will get through this. And for help on what to do when your kids figit too much in their chairs I have several DIY's for this coming up issue in the magazine to help with that. This isn't my first rodeo and it won't be my last.

If the kids go back to in person learning I support all the parents who send their kids back. For those doing virtual learning, I support that as well. It's a hard decision to make. I understand that. I want my child to be back in the classroom. I also want her to be well and safe. I will be devastated if I lose my child. I've dealt with to much grief from her not to continue living with her quirks.

The private school have all gone back into session so we are all watching how that goes. So far though it's only been 2 weeks it's going pretty good. Some elementary schools have had issues but only the classes have shut down but not the school. Not sure on the comfort level of that one. But everything will work out. And there is a possibility that given the type of school Doodle goes to she might not go back to in person schooling at all this year. No matter the decision I will support it and continue to do what I can to help my daughter succeed. 

To get her out of the house she may possibly be doing a dance class which can be virtual or in person. So that will be how I slowly step into this new roll with her. She hasn't done a typical class since she was maybe 5 or 6 and that was with gymnastics. That was a fail when the coach started flinging the kids in the air. And that's how I found out that my child was afraid of heights. Good times! 

Not all parents can be as flexible as I am and I am thankful for my schedules. So I'm not going to judge other parents about their decisions. Cause it's not an easy decision to make.

So what are your decisions for this school year? Are you sending your kids back or are you going to do virtual learning as well? I support whatever decision you make. 

See you guys on the flip side.   

That's one hell of a meltdown Autism

So this morning should have been like any other Monday. Get ready for school catch the bus and my day should have gone on like any typical day. No, having a child with autism doesn't work that way. It was time to brush her hair. We were somewhat on schedule. Just a few minutes behind. Nothing out of the normal. And that's when it happened. Doodle saw my coffee cup on the wrong side of the desk and dumped it over. Right into the animation computer and the publishing computer.

I thought OMG I need to get that cleaned up. I grab paper towels on my desk and start trying to get the coffee out of the vents of the laptops. And that's when her meltdown started. I was like it's fine, it's fine! I promise it's okay!!! But no it was not okay. Her meltdown escalated. I'm covered in coffee, the laptops are covered in coffee, the floor is even covered in coffee, even my phone was covered in coffee. It was only half the cup and this stuff is everywhere. If anyone should be having a meltdown it should be me!

So much for having on clean clothes. So she's taking a mental break from school today cause there is no way I'm going to subject her teachers to that.

So here I sit, thankful I got the magazine finished last night. I'm a little upset, I will admit that. I have so much to do. That to do list, yeah it's covered in coffee. Most parents deal with there kid tearing up walls. I'm dealing with having to teach this morning and I can barely read my to do list. And it's a doozy of a list. Today I'm trying to catch up on 2 weeks worth of stuff. That way the magazine can be early at the end of the month.

I'm debating just going back to bed. There isn't enough energy to deal with this day. But while Doodle is home for mental break issues I have to keep going. She lost the iPad and I put her to work on being in social situations in public. She even had to push the grocery cart at the stores we went to.

This all went down last week which is why there was no blog. That was a lot of coffee to clean up. It also basically set up the rest of my week. And I was having a really hard week thanks to that one incident last week. So here I am now, still trying to play catch up. And Doodle well, she's now taking naps at school.

So here's what was found out. The reason why her behavior is so bad. She's got a yeast infection. For those who are not aware children on the spectrum normally get yeast infections. Yes, even the boys get yeast infections. So she's now on medication for the yeast infection. We are going to get this under control and get her back to focusing. Because yeah, her behavior is really bad right now. Her first pill was on Friday and her next pill is next Friday. I've taken a good portion of her snack away and instead of juices for snack she gets a bottle water. Healthier yogurt, cheese, fruit and cheese crackers instead of cookies. Her teacher gets a rice crispy treat cause we are headed into IEP season and my kid is absolutely horrible at school. Her teacher needs a pick me up.

Hopefully soon we can get this all straightened out and can get back to what I know to be a normal life. I'm looking forward to that. Because there is no normal when it comes to autism, but it's normal to me. Let's hope this week is much better and I can get work done. I have taken today off from everything and just rest. I can get back to work tomorrow. Hence the reason why the blog is not only a week late but over 8 hours late.

See you guys on the flip side.

What's it really like raising Autism

If you've ever met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism. My life is different from what other parents face. But the situation still stays the same. I'm raising a child with autism. When Doodle was six she had no speech and had been in speech therapy sense she was 2 years old. Yes, she was even in early intervention. Nothing seemed to work. At 6 she wasn't potty trained at all. Poop smearing dominated my life. She was a crafty child and a backwards zip up outfit didn't stop her. What was normal for typical children were tasks that were impossible for her to do.

The first three years of an autism diagnoses are always the hardest because you don't know what to do, where to turn to or how to start some of the therapy that your child needs. Now that Doodle is in school she gets a lot of therapy I no longer have to drag her to. The sound of a screaming child in the back seat, screaming their head off to therapy. Her calming down for therapy and then the screaming all the way home cause she didn't want to leave if she did OT or she wanted more bubbles from speech therapy.

I use a lot of reinforcements to get Doodle to do what she needs to do. At home say for instance I know she will eat food. It's very rare I will see or even hear her have a gag reflex when it comes to food. If she wants dessert she has to eat her food. And yes it takes her forever to eat. She would rather be preoccupied with other things. She's a busy bee so to say. And since Doodle is progressing now positive reinforcement works much better. 

Her routine when she comes home is she has to hand me her school folder so it can be signed. I need her to give me her snack box so I can pack it for the next day. She needs to change out of her school uniform and dress for appropriate weather, putting her shoes in the shoe box where they go and put away her book bag. All before she is even able to get on the iPad. My positive reinforcements used to be small skittles given one at a time for each task completed. But she's outgrown that and can do at least 3 tasks before a reminder of what the next ones are.

Autism is a lot like raising a toddler most days. Some days you know what sets them off and others you don't. It's not all fun and games for me. And I like to think that everything is just a drop in the bucket. I also like to think that her accomplishment bucket is overflowing. Those are what I like to keep in mind the most.

The day before Doodle's birthday we were making a run to Publix for a few supplies. I asked what is tomorrow? She replied with Friday. Birthday. I asked who's birthday is it? And she replied with her name. For the longest time Doodle always had trouble with who and how. Usually, this is a point where I have to hold my finger to my lips and ask the question several times before she could get it. And this time she got it on the first try. I'm proud we have come this far. In all honesty had she not regressed when she was 10 years old she would have been further in progression at this point.

The age of ten for kids is the cut off point. At this point they will either continue with progressing or it stops. It all depends on the teacher. And no matter what amount of work we did at home, because her teacher had her for 8 hours in a day and I had her for 4 before bed time I wasn't able to successfully combat the damage the teacher was doing. When Doodle went on half days, which is a violation of the iep aka against the law. The damage had already been done. I was basically gathering work from the parent teacher store and teaching her on my own. Which is not the funnest thing in the world. With trying to make sure I had everything for my classes I was teaching, learning calligraphy and having to come up with a lesson plan of how I was going to teach my child and what she was going to learn. It was a lot on my plate. Not compared to what I am doing now! But it was still a lot considering it was like I was having to teach my toddler all over again. Grant it she wasn't a toddler, she was 10 years old but that's how far she regressed, to being a toddler. And having to relearn so much all over again. Hand over hand is no fun when your kid fights like Mike Tyson.

So there are good days and there are bad days. I am fiercely private and really am not comfortable with sharing a lot of my life. I'm working on that. Most parents come to this blog for information, but if I'm not sharing the good or bad how honest am I really being? 

I've gone from single students to working on accounts. A magazine that just doesn't seem like much fun as I'm always so tired and I'm getting into some really complicated pieces. I'm worried over will today be the day she freaks out on the bus and hurts another student or smashes her face into the window? Will she scratch her eyes out while on the bus cause the last time she freaked out of the bus, her eyes were the first thing she scratched at.

We all have fears when it comes to autism. And it doesn't help my job as her advocate and protector when in the groups that I'm in I'm seeing parents just giving their kids over to live in group homes or nursing homes all because they can't control them. Add the constant debate that rears it's head every year or so with parents saying they don't want to vaccinate their kids because they don't want a child with autism. That's a lot to depress anyone. Add on winter and the winter blues and that's quiet a lot for one parent to shoulder. 

Doodle is my rock. She's my laughter in the dark. She says some bizarre things which are out of place and seriously funny. Add in her Cindy Brady lisp and sometimes those words are hard to understand. And she likes to change what things are. Currently, she's saying that a lion fish is a porcupine fish. She knows the difference but she wants to change it. There was a time when she was little she called lightening bugs keke bugs. It was so adorable! And I really miss those days, but she's 13 now and they have to be called by their actual name. Sometimes it takes me 30 minutes to get her to say something correctly without dropping the L or the TH sounds. You just have to pick your battles. So there are plenty of days I'm like, cool whatever we've been at this too long already.

For instance last week while waiting on the bus Doodle was watching YouTube video's of fish on my phone. She says look mom, that's a porcupine. I said no that's a Betta and a porcupine. It took me a good minute to realize the fish needed to be called what it really should be called. I corrected myself. That's a Betta and a Lion fish. Dang it Doodle.

I don't know why she wants to change what some things are. Maybe it was because I let so much slide when she had limited to no speech. All I can say is 6 am with little sleep is too early in the morning for my brain to function.

So what is it like raising a child with autism? Some days are tiring. Severely draining. And other days it's a cake walk. She's my child and I wouldn't have her any other way.

See you guys on the flip side.

Call for IEP's and Autism

This post is to make you more aware of your rights and how to get an IEP set up immediately. As a parent who has run this course more ways then you can imagine, you need to be aware that most schools will run the gauntlet with the fact you know nothing. Therefor they will want to accomplish nothing. The less the school has to spend on your child the better they are in their eyes.

But look at it this way. Is your child really getting the help that they deserve? Is your child missing school because of bad behavior and the school wants them at home? That's a violation of FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education). And think of all the therapy your child is missing, which is also a violation of the IEP and could cost the school a lot more.

If your child is having anger issues at school they need to have a ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) set in place. This is the program to help them learn to control themselves. Lots of data involved in this but when the next IEP comes around as per the school calling it, they will be able to tell you the new steps they are going to be doing to help your child. This is where a BIP (Behavioral Intervention Plan) comes into play.

Remember the school is banking on the fact that you have no clue as to what you are doing when it comes to an IEP. In most cases you will need an advocate. Like I've said before, I've run this marathon many times! And I have encountered a school that stood firm in not helping my child at all! That is the case where I have contacted my state advocate and made the school aware that I had one. I don't play around when it comes to my child's education. And I don't play with teachers who remove my child out of the classroom. Most times people at the school will ask what is an advocate. My reply is always, that is my lawyer that is provided for me by the State.

Doodle has been moved to half days at school before and I quickly found out that was a violation of FAPE and LRE (Least Resistant Environment). Doodle was denied LRE because they removed her from the classroom for hours at a time which fostered the bad behavior. It taught her that if she acted up in class they would remove her. The school was not even attempting to teach her in the general education setting. And she was missing speech and OT services which is also a violation and that time will have to be made up with the school.

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is another part of the IEP that is of importance. This part of the IEP gives 13 categories which a student is eligible to receive services and protections by law.

Your child has more rights then you can image but the schools in most cases don't know this. That's why they fight. I like fighting too. It's fun to me. I love seeing the light bulb go off when the school sees that they have broken laws and they can be sued. And they just opened themselves up to that! It's like a Mardi Gras parade to me. Why you may ask? Well, Always remember that an IEP is a corner to corner contract between you, your child, your school and your state. Contracts can not be broken on any end. If it is then someone is in a lot of trouble. And considering that the IEP are rules and guidelines the school has to comply with it boils down to the school breaking the contract. And can be sued!

Each parent or guardian needs to know about every aspect of an IEP. I can't give you every single morsel of what each part goes into depth of but I do want you to research them yourselves for your state. Everything in parenthesis ( ) I implore you to Google. I also want you to Google who your advocate is for your state, and they are FREE. I have mine written down in an organizer and can pull it out at a moments notice during an IEP. Also look up your IEP timeline. In my state the school has to schedule me an IEP within 10 days. Most states I do believe the most days to get you the meeting is 15.

You can call for an IEP meeting at anytime. And you can have an emergency IEP meeting. During an IEP meeting I want you to have your key words written down. IDEA, FAPE, ABA, BIP and LRE. Become familiar with these terms. Know what they are. You can have notes in an IEP meeting. You want the school to tell you all the ways that they are going to be helping your child and the plans they have in place to make sure they are going to help. Write down questions you want answers to. Questions of why they did or didn't do something that would benefit your child and their education. Don't let the school drop the ball.

Once you have your notes, questions and your advocate number, how do you call for an IEP? Well, this one is simple. I can actually help you with this one. You have two ways of getting it to the school. One is by the child, but if they are not allowed to be at school you have to contact the school via email. And always remember that you have to have a copy of the IEP request. I've taken photo's with my phone if I send in a note. If I send it via email, I have the time it was sent and the day sent saved in my email account. So I can go to my send folder and see when it was sent.

Here is the wording for your IEP meeting request. This is the request I use when I want to get someone's attention. At this point in my IEP (career) my letters are now less formal and all the (legal) wording is no longer needed. And remember to change the time frame days if your state requires something that is not 10 days.

To Whom it May Concern,

I am formally contacting you for an IEP meeting request. As per State law, I am required to receive this meeting within 10 days from this notice being sent. I am contacting you regarding Student, (child's full name) at (Full School Name) in (Teacher's name) class in grade (grade level).

I want to meet regarding (issues you are having with school, list in complete detail) as it states I am required to notify you of in the state of (State you live in)'s requirements and guidelines of IEP request.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

(Your Full Name)

If you have sent off this request and have not heard back from the school on the 9th day from when the letter was sent I send off a second request. I will not wait for the 10th day if I haven't heard back from the school. They are already violating my rights and my daughters rights at this point and a point needs to be made. Contact the head of special education for your county or city and get their email address. Your second letter of contact to the school needs to be sent via email to the school and also at the same time to the head of special education.

That letter will read as follows:

To Whom it May Concern,

I am formally contacting you for an IEP meeting request. As per State law, I am required to receive this meeting within 10 days from this notice being sent. I am contacting you regarding Student, (child's full name) at (Full School Name) in (Teacher's name) class in grade (grade level).

Regarding, (list in full detail the issues and concerns that you have).

This is my second attempt to contact you for an IEP meeting. As I have not heard back a date from you as per State law for (10) days notice. As you know this is in violation with State compliance. You have (10) days in which to make this IEP meeting happen and become compliant before I contact my advocate, aka lawyer.

A copy of this letter is also being sent to (List Head of Special Education name), the head of Special Education for the County and state of (List the county of the school and the State you live in).

I look forward to hearing from.

Sincerely,

(Your Full Name)

This is your second attempt at getting an IEP meeting set up. I have had a friend who has a school that likes to make sure that they set up meetings when she can't make it. The second letter provided for you is also to be used if the school wants to meet when you and they know that your child has outside doctors appointments during those times. It's an under handed tactic but yes a school will do that. I have only had to send a second notice once the entire span that my daughter has had an IEP.

If you still can't get the IEP contact your advocate. Send them your emails and make them aware that you are not getting any resolution from the school. They will walk you through the steps of what to do next.

If you are able to have a meeting make sure that you take notes in the meeting and question anything your are wanting clarified. Do not sign the updated IEP if it doesn't have in it what you are requesting the school do and don't leave the meeting. If you do the words out of your mouth should be, I see we are not going to see eye to eye on this and you will be hearing from my lawyer. I have not gotten to this point myself but I will waste a schools time by having an IEP meeting every single week. That's when the head of the special education department has to be present at those meetings because I'm holding so many of them. I have made an example of a teacher before and I have also received a better school environment for my child.

Here in the city that I live in there is a 2 year waiting list to get into the best special needs school. It's the school all special needs parents want their child in. My child wasn't even on the list 6 months when she got accepted in. And I was told at every single weekly meeting they would not accept her in because the school was full. The current school my child was at was tired of me. They couldn't stand a parent who knew what they were doing. I wouldn't comply and just sit back and accept what they wanted me to accept. That's not the type of person that I am. I am made for success! I am so competitive it's not even funny! I am number one in my district at work for the classroom. And I will stay number one when it comes to getting services for my child. Even if it's just to tweak her speech therapy to correct one little word. Special note on the tweaking for one little word, yes I've done it but the school therapist has to be on the same page with me. If I'm working on that word at home you had better believe the school needs to be working on it as well. The reason I do that is because my child has autism. They have to be taught something 1000 times before they get it. I will do 500 and let the school do 500 so that she get's it faster.

You and the school have to be on the same page of everything when it comes to your child. If y'all are not working together it's the child that suffers. I insist on work for the holidays so we can all stay on the same page and my child doesn't miss a beat when it comes to days out of school. 

Don't let any school try to take advantage of you. This is your child's future they are playing with. This is a make or break time. It determines if your child can be a functioning member of society when they get older or not. 

See you guys on the flip side. 

Why I won't battle in the vaccine debate, Autism

There are many people out there that love to do the vaccine debate. Many refuse to vaccinate their children from diseases that have pretty much been eradicated because of vaccines. For me getting into a fight over something like that isn't worth my time as there still is not enough research to prove if it is the cause of autism or not. And here's the reason why I won't debate it.

Autism has been around longer then vaccines. If you read up on fairies you will read stories of changelings. These are stories that were passed down from generation to generation, as that's how stories tend to work back in the day. Parents would put their babies and children to bed at night. Normal, healthy littles with no issues. When the parents woke up in the morning their child was different. The same that some of our children are before they are diagnosed. This is how the phrase changeling came about. People used to think fairies would come into their homes and change out their child for a human baby. When Doodle was a baby she was on track with her milestones. At 5 months old she was able to say momma and dada. I got two good days of her babbling those words and yes I know that's a little early for a baby to speak.

When Doodle was brought home from ICU at about 2 weeks of age my husband was bringing her into his mothers house with Doodle in her car seat. My mother in law looked at Doodle and said, "Hi, Precious!" And I kid you not, I heard it, my husband heard it and my mother in law heard Doodle sigh out Hi. It could just be a fluke with the way she sighed at that moment. Don't know. But I will always say to this day my child is special.

Back to the point at hand. Two good days of Doodle saying momma and dada. And yes, she said momma first! Doodle was trying to stand up as much as she could. She wanted her little legs to work and do things quickly. Well, after the second day she stopped and went back to cooing like a NT baby. She didn't crawl until she was a year old and didn't walk until she was two, believe me I tried everything to get her to crawl and walk. And still we had no speech. She never even got her baby teeth until almost a year old. And she rubbed her hair off the back of her head. For a little girl she matched my Uncle Larry in the bald head department. Looked like a little old man!

So do I believe in changelings? Pretty much as that's the way I experienced life with Doodle. It was an overnight change and she did bizarre things. Crossed her legs, tucked her chin in her chest, pulled on her diaper and went ridged. Happened so many times and no one could figure out why she was doing that. At least 30 times or more a day. Nothing I could do to snap her out of it.

It was later determined that it was possibly seizures. She doesn't do that anymore since the age of 6. And I have no answers to this day as to why or what was the cause.

I'm a researcher. It's not actually what I went to college for. But I need research. I don't do hearsay. I need cold hard facts. Doodle was given a vaccine but it was after she lost her momma and dada speech. So I can't connect those dots. But I have researched fairy stories for years as I am just fascinated by them. Would love to write a fantasy fairy story one day.

Back to task at hand. My husband was cleaning out one of the rooms in his grandmothers house when he read a letter from the water board. They were informing everyone in the area that they were going to be putting fluoride in the water. And they did have a list of possible issues with fluoride being added to the water. One of the possible concerns was that fluoride could cause autism in children. This was found after Doodle was diagnosed at the age of 3.

So could this be a possibility? Possibly. Depends on the environment in which you live in. I don't know the conditions of the water systems or some of the vegetation surrounding where the people who have little children who became as they called changelings. As that would be a possible clue.

Now if you look at cancer it's more common today then it used to be. So why the rise in cancer? If you learn the back story of Peter Pan you will learn about the Davies children, well their mother died of cancer. That was in the 1900's. So why was cancer a thing back then? Did you know that women during this time used powder on their faces and bodies. This goes back many many decades of woman doing this habit. I remember my great grandmother and grandmother using giant powder puffs to put powder on their faces and necks. It's talcum powder they used and it was scented. The same talcum powder we use on babies and the same talcum powder that's used in our makeup.

Now those in the makeup world are familiar with Sister Charles and his recent scandal. If you haven't here's the run down. Customer used his newly released makeup pallet. One of the colors I think it was pink would not come off her eyes, she broke out in hives and her eyes began to swell. She tweeted him over and over and even made YouTube video's complaining about it. During this time Sister Charles tweeted her back and told her she needed to see a dermatologist. Another person in the makeup world broke down the science of talcum powder in makeup and said there was a chance that some makeups have asbestos in them and can cause a reaction. That talcum powder is mined in the same place as asbestos and they look pretty much identical. I'm not saying that Sister Charles has asbestos in his makeup. I don't even have any of his makeup. But during the manufacturing stage there is a possibility that talcum powder can be contaminated with asbestos if just one person in the beginning of mining the powder doesn't know what they are doing.

As you know asbestos causes cancer. When Mrs. Davis became sick with cancer there is a possibility that someone messed up along the line and sold her talcum powder with asbestos in it. Either intentionally or not. So before you start screaming you might want to check some of the products in your home that have talcum in it. Especially, if you use talcum powder on a baby, you know the baby powder you put on your child after they get out of the bath and are dried off.

So there is that run down. But back to Autism and vaccines. I believe it's more environmental. Something has changed because autism diagnoses are exploding now more then they ever have before. So what would be the change? It could be the fluoride that they are putting in the water. It can also be the chlorine the water systems are using in our water now. Here, where we live you can smell it! And if you wash your car off in the mornings it eventually eats the paint off the car! No joke!

Back when Doodle was a bitty I bathed her with Johnson's and Johnson's baby shampoo. They were a company I thought I could trust. They even say it in the commercials. I bathed Doodle with the baby shampoo until she was 6 or 7 years old. Because I wanted the absolute best for her at all times. I stopped when the news broke that the formula for the baby shampoo was the same formula as formaldehyde. If you are unfamiliar with that it's embalming fluid. When you die your blood is removed from your body and replaced with embalming fluid so that the decomposition process slows down. I can tell you for a fact if that gets in our waters and streams and even our grounds that's not good on our environment. And we as parents of itty bitty's are washing that stuff down the drain after a bath. Which either goes to a plant our straight out to our oceans or streams. This is why I make my own soap now. I know what goes into it. I can trust what I put back into the environment. In the back of my mind this is a possibility of why Doodle has autism. But until that research is conducted we don't know the true cause of autism.

Let me give you another breakdown of the chemicals that we use. Doodle used to eat clothing. I would buy her cute little outfits to wear to school and my billy goat would eat her shirts every freaking day! And this was why we couldn't have nice things. About the time of the embalming scare I started making my own laundry detergent. Borax, soda powder, and a bar of soap along with water. Yes, I've gone off the deep end. I'm using a chemical a little girl burned herself with while making slime. Actually, borax in small amounts isn't even harmful. It's a mined rock. I have my hands in this stuff every single week as I've just gone to using only borax to wash our laundry. Fill the washing machine up a ways add the borax and swish it around with my hands. And I made kids slime with borax for a very long time and have had no issues. Anyways, the reason I'm even mentioning this is the moment I no longer used Tide or Gain or any other commercially made laundry detergent Doodle stopped eating her clothing. She hasn't eaten a shirt in a very very long time. So the chemicals that were left as a residue, unseen and unnoticed was like candy to my child.

And speaking of candy, there is a possibility that processed foods we buy at the grocery store could also be a contributing factor in the rise of autism. What all they are giving to the animals or the chemicals that are called harmless but give our foods a longer shelf life. We don't know. There isn't enough research. Just people screaming over one thing but not looking at the whole picture.

And let's get into the tests they preform when you are pregnant. That stuff they had me drink that was nasty and I had to keep coming back for blood to be drawn. I wasn't allowed to eat that day until after the test. I know that put a lot of stress on Doodle when she was in the womb. It's for checking blood sugars they said. Could this be another thing that's causing autism? Don't know.

Everyone has their own opinion. People who have autism are tired of being lumped in with kids who have cancer. Though I kind of see a point with that. Autism and cancer feel like they come out of nowhere. The parents who don't vaccinate don't want a child with autism. I see nothing wrong with a child with autism. They are wonder kids. Love Doodle to death! I wouldn't trade my child for anything. If I got the opportunity to do it all again I would in a heartbeat. I wouldn't change a thing, except for the teacher that regressed her. That I would change! But I prefer to have a child with autism. That's me! I love the work I put in to helping her become a success. When she grows up and looks back on her life I want her to see mom made a difference and she has the best childhood! We are doing things together I never did as a child. Heck if she were a nt child we wouldn't even be hitting up concerts. I do it to push her out of her comfort zone.

Again, I believe it's environmental. I believe that the chemicals in the products that we use, that we take for granted because it's a convenience that we pay for are a contributing factor in what is causing autism. From the water we drink to the products we use on ourselves. And if we truly want to spread autism awareness, we will stand up and demand more research. Not only into the environments where we are raising our children but in the products that we are using in our households.

Most parents who raise children on the spectrum aren't happy that I have a child with autism that on some days doesn't appear like she has autism. Used to have more days like that before the bad school. Now everyone can tell Doodle has autism! Therapy, countless hours working with her and eliminating so much in what she touches or she has contact with has really helped her to focus and become unlocked in her mind. It's time we start helping our kids. It's time we take a stand and find out the cause and looking at all things that could be the contributing factor.

And on that note! I'll see you guys on the flip side.

New Year another day, Autism

Thank you so much that today is the last day for December.

I'm late getting the magazine done cause I was sick with the same stuff Doodle was sick with and that meant I could barely function. But naps were my friend. Doodle has taken to her Christmas presents. I have to push Doodle and keep her out of her comfort zone. Yeah, I know the comfort zone is what keeps our kids calm. Well, I'm not one of those parents. She somewhat loves learning as long as it's not at school. At home learning new things helps keeps her busy and out of trouble.

For the new year I'm going to try my hardest to turn her pictures she drew as a 6 year old into a book. That would be awesome to get that done around her birthday. But I myself am learning a new program for my publishing company. I'm keeping with my goals for myself that I have for Doodle. Stay out of your comfort zone.

Yeah, I know I already have so much that I do already and I am adding more stuff to my plate. I love my kid and I want her to have the same opportunities as a NT child. But she won't get there if I don't push her. No, I'm not gonna push someone else. My job is to push my child. Get my child to learn what she needs to learn. Practice, practice, practice. That's the key to meeting goals.

The saying in the autism community is, "You have to be taught something over a 1000 times before a child on the spectrum learns it". So there you go for how long it takes for your child to get where you can see change.

Today is New Years Eve and tomorrow is New Years Day. Start a visionary board on the goals that you want your child to reach. Just remember the hard work that you have to put in there to get them to that goal. Cause it takes teamwork to make that dream work.

See you all on the flip side and happy new year!

Happy Holidays, Autism

With Doodle being sick and now out of school. The days have been daunting. Add making a ton of pom poms for a craft I feel will never be finished and getting the same crud Doodle got. It's just not been fun.

Plus side is we are ready for the Holiday which is later in the morning. Doodle opened her Christmas Eve gift up and she fell asleep watching Dragons. She kept herself on schedule, which made me really happy.

So as of right now, she's out. I'm typing this while feeling like I'm having a hot flash. I hate this sore throat and congestion but my energy is finally coming back. And I'm not sleeping so much. So there is that.

Another note is the doctor's office mailed the mitts that I mentioned in a previous blog for when Doodle has meltdowns. So of course that has to now be handled with another IEP meeting. But not until the Holidays are over.

So from our family to yours, Happy Holidays! May your day be joyous and bright.

See you on the flip side.

You've got the fever, Autism

When a typical child gets sick it's easy for them to tell you what is wrong with them. But when you have a child on the spectrum get sick with limited speech, well that one is hard to figure out.

Doodle had her Christmas program at school. And she did very well but she wasn't herself. That morning before getting on the bus she was coughing and hacking up phlegm. Signs of an asthma issue. So she had to have a breathing treatment when she got to school.

During her program she wasn't her normal out of control self. But she did the program like a champ and I was so proud of her. I went to her when the show was over and gave her a kiss. And that's when I noticed, she felt like she was running a fever. So we headed to the nurses station. She was running a temp of 99.8. Time to check out of school and head home.

She's pretty much stayed in bed since she's been home. Her fever fluctuates from high 102.6 to 98.8 and she can't go back to school until she is fever free for 24 hours without the aide of of fever reducer. Doodle has requested soups and sprite during this time.

So far she has missed school on part of Wednesday and all of Thursday and at this point she's gonna miss Friday as well. I'm hoping that she will be well enough to go back to school on Monday and Tuesday. If not I will go to the school on the 18th and drop off the gifts for her classmates and pick up her treats and school shirt before coming home.

I hate that she's sick. And the only thing I can do is just treat the fever and cough. I know her throat hurts because the words she can say, her voice is having a hard time staying the octave that it's suppose to be.

Her fever did finally break on Saturday. Which means she's going back to school today and she is not pleased at all! She wants to stay home and watch the iPad. I'm ready for her to go back to school so I can get the last of Christmas taken care of.

Just two days, Doodle. That's all you have to worry about and the last day is a party so you will be fine! I still have to make sure her classmates get presents and treats and the teachers are taken care of too.

At least you have an update, though it's a short one because she is needing a lot of care and she's wanting to be cuddled. Which I don't mind as cuddling is not something she ever wants to do when she's well. I will take what I can get!

Bonus, I haven't gotten sick. So there's that!

See you on the flip side!

Self harming and Autism

Self harming is something almost all children on the Spectrum do. Some parents get lucky and the child will stop self harming. From slapping themselves, beating their heads on the floor to trying to remove their skin, it's not uncommon.

So what do you do when you find yourself in this situation? So many years ago when Doodle was little she beat her head on the floor. She was limited in speech and this was one of her coping mechanisms. Now that she's older and has speech it's not normal behavior out of her anymore. But during that time in her life she wore a ton of winter hats to soften the blows.

But we find ourselves in another boat. And we thought we had it pinned down. But that doesn't appear to be the case. Now we are trying to figure out why Doodle is trying to remove the skin off her body.

Until then we have to condition her to stop. And the only way to go about that is with medical mitts. Good news and bad news of this one. They work to help the person stop hitting or scratching their skin off. Bad news is, there is not a single medical supply store in the lower part of my state that carries them.

And believe me I have called around to every single medical supply store within 50 miles trying to locate some. Our pediatrician even has the prescription ready to go when I find a medical supply store who carries them. Unfortunately, couldn't locate one.

So I called out pediatrician and informed her and I'm at the point right now where I will just make some using genuine leather that I have on hand and the insides will be padded with warm fleece. She can think they are gloves. And she won't try to take them off to scratch herself, because I'm adding a velcro strap.  Then I received a call back from our pediatrician and they have contacted the rep for the medical mitts company and they are waiting on a call back from them.

That is the best news to receive. I will know that during these difficult meltdowns Doodle will be having a hard time scratching her face or her arms or her legs.

The reason I'm having to go this route is last week when Doodle got off the bus she looked like she got in a fight with a rabid dog and lost the fight. Her face was torn up! And it was one of the things she had done to herself according to the bus driver and bus aide.

Yes, the school is investigating the incident.

See you guys on the flip side.

   

Revelations and IEP's Autism

As you all know I've had to do a few extra IEP's due to regression. Wasn't sure what was causing the regression and wasn't sure why she was going through meltdowns, which was something that was not normal for Doodle.

So there I was on Wednesday sitting in the IEP meeting with the Vice Principal and Transportation, the speech therapist, teacher and LEA. Doodle had two meltdowns on the bus last month and I would feel better knowing that my child is being well behaved and not cause issues putting the safety of the driver and the rest of the students in danger. So that round at the table went very well. Vice Principal was on board with trying to find the triggers. It the way I felt. She wasn't having meltdowns at home. And for Doodle to have meltdowns at school and on the bus. That's not normal of Doodle.

When the Speech therapist was going over her data of what Doodle could and could not say and the sounds she was having trouble with she turned to me and said, " You had a death in the family? I wanted to say that I'm sorry for your loss." And that's when it hit me. We didn't have a death in my household family. We had a death in my work family. My co-worker lost her battle with cancer. And Doodle adored her! Even renamed her Jasper. When Trish lost her battle that was the time the meltdowns started. This was Doodle's way of grieving.

I informed the speech therapist of this and asked our teacher if when she got my text about my co-worker passing if that was the time the meltdowns started. She said yes it was. The speech therapist informed me that when that text was sent that's the two days they couldn't get Doodle to even go to therapy.

It all made sense. Now we know how we can better help her. We can help her with her grief and we can help her with those meltdowns. Doodle's not great at articulation which is why we had to do the first IEP. And it didn't help that she was losing speech again. She is at a really good school and there is no reason for her to be losing speech. At this point I can honestly say it's not regression. And it's not tantrums, she's locking herself in her mind because she's trying to convey what is wrong but just can't. Doesn't understand how.

I know of a few parents that can't make their IEP's. To me I'd better be dead to miss one. Because if you are requesting something, you won't get it 9 times out of 10 if you miss the IEP meeting. But to me this IEP was an eye opening one. It took about a month from the first meeting requesting the extra data accumulation so we could try to find out the cause of the loss of speech and the meltdowns. To resolving the problem at the second IEP.

I'm a pretty strict parent when it comes to Doodle and I know to a lot of people I make raising a child on the spectrum look easy. It's my dedication to my daughter, all the excess classes and training to be able to better help her. It used to take over a hundred times teaching her something before she could actually learn something. Now it doesn't take that much. Schedules and calendar of events that help her to stay on task every moment of the day. To me I've got it down to being easy according to most. But it also takes a lot of prep the day before to make sure that everything is ready to go even if her routine changes.

I like to be laid back and easy going and that's not always the case when it comes to autism. But I get through it. There is always so much that has to be done. Her routine means that I have to be on routine. The magazine has to be done. My classes have to be planned. I'm learning a new art form and I'm learning animation again. My life stays busy with me just being a regular mom. But I want Doodle to be independent. And if the laundry fairy doesn't get the laundry done while she's at school, well that causes an issue. If her snack box isn't made, yeah that causes an issue. Even if the vacuum cleaner isn't where it's suppose to be anything can set off a meltdown at home. Which is one of the things I've been lucky enough to make sure is avoided at all cost.

I'm off to get more work done. Have to create templates for online classes that will be coming to my website in March or possibly April.

See you guys on the flip side.

So much to be grateful for Autism

When it comes to autism, my child is going to be different from what your child is like. Not everyone has the same things wrong with them. We need to always remember that. Today we are celebrating Veterans Day and the kids are out of school to honor our veterans. I have a class tonight which means that my schedule will be off because my days will be off. Happens all the time when the kids are out of school.

I can't have Doodle just sitting on the iPad all day. She has to have some responsibility. She wanted to bathe the dog because Sunday I told her we were going to bathe the dog. And she wanted the gerbil cage cleaned cause yeah I opened my big mouth.

So if the dog is getting a bath then she's gonna have to pitch in and help. And she fought me on that one. I had her vacuum the floors and the dog bed while I washed the dogs blanket. Cause if the dog is getting a bath it means the dog gets clean blankets and a fresh bed vacuuming.

If the gerbil was getting it's cage cleaned that means my bed will need to be vacuumed. Because that's the easiest place for me to clean it's cage at. I have no idea why, it just is for me. Doodle can watch the gerbil and I can watch them both while cleaning the cage. Or at least pretend to watch them both cause I'm busy taking the cage apart and I don't have to worry about losing a cute little furry paper shredder.

Kids on the spectrum have to have chores. They have to have responsibility. They have to learn about self care and caring for what's important and that's where they live and being respectful by cleaning up their mess and helping to keep everything clean.

I have no issues with making sure my 12 year old knows how to make her bed, dress herself, though some days I'm sure I get the looks of how could you let your child out of the house dressed like that. Eh, I could care less. I have more important things to worry about other then what people think of me. 

As a parent of a child on the spectrum I am tired but only because I do so much. But I want to make sure that Doodle can live on her own and do for herself if it's ever going to be possible. I still have high hopes. I love my child and I want what's best for her and that means she has to learn something new every single day.

See you guys on the flip side.

Mental breaks Autism

There were many different things I could have spoken about today. But I will discuss why there was no post yesterday. In order to function as parents of children on the spectrum it's important to take time for yourself. I've discussed this in previous posts because it's one of the most important things for your sanity.

Look as parents we take on a lot and have to do a lot. There is no way around that. You are either an overachiever who is burning out quick or you are a parent who is already burnt out and have a lot on your plate that just keeps piling up.

So why was there no post yesterday? Because I was taking a much needed mental break. My best friend and I headed to the movies to watch Bohemian Rhapsody, while Doodle was in school. I still had work last night and still had things to do before Doodle left for school this morning. But that mental break is what I needed.

Long before Doodle could speak she was singing Queen songs. That was also covered in a previous blog to celebrate Freddie for a Day. We didn't have traditional speech but we did have words in song. And for that I am truly grateful.

I can't stress enough how important it is for a parent of a child with a disability to take mental breaks. It's also one of the things that I stress about the most at work. You can't be productive if you can't have a break. You can't do anything properly for yourself, your job or your child.

And though I have a child on the spectrum who has regressed and we are trying to get her back to the last good level of functioning, I can't help her if I can't think straight. She's finally sleeping through the night again. And I can get through the days without the burnt out feeling.

If you can't go see a movie at least get a mani pedi. You have to take care of you. That is the most important thing. Love yourself and you are able to love your life. Don't give up! You've got this.

See you on the flip side.

We have gone over the hump Autism

If you read the blog you know that Doodle had been regressing. The first few weeks of school are basically watching to see if your child will settle down and fall into routine. If this does not happen, after the first month of school is time to send in the note it's time for an emergency IEP meeting.

Doodle was regressing because she has new teachers. And new teachers normally keep all students on the same page. That's not possible with my child. She gets bored easily and will expect to keep rolling as long as she's mastered something. At the school she is in classes the kids can't keep pace with Doodle. She's smart and doesn't want to be held back. Yeah, she needs to learn patience.

And at home I've been trying to do as much as I can on my end. We have a new schedule. I've gone to what was used in a few classes in the past with her. She has a face chart. And what I mean by that is she has 4 levels to be on. A smiley for a great day, an are you serious face?, Oh My Goodness face and a frownie face. I didn't have to go out and buy all new things. I purchased white erase sticky paper at Dollar General when it was on sale for $.75. And with that all I need to use is a dry erase marker.

So far I'm keeping up with 4 weeks of past behavior at home. If she acts horrible at school then it affects her face schedule at home. If she's had a really bad day she has an opportunity to change that the next day. This helps to teach responsibility. She does have normal chores that she does everyday. And those chores are mainly for her self care.

But if she wants a smiley face instead of a frown face she has to do extra work. Vacuum her bed or floor, throw away her trash (for some reason she likes to collect trash), washing hands when she's been coloring with marker before bed, straighten up toys on the toy shelf and so on. I'm trying to teach her to be mindful of what she does that makes my life a little harder and what she can do to make our lives easier. Before the IEP meeting she didn't care about if she got a smile or frown on her schedule.

At school the teacher is getting Halloween candy of small packs of m&m's to focus Doodle in her classwork. I know it's horrible that a parent and teacher would bribe a child to learn something or stay on task. No it's called training. People do it with pets with clickers and treats. We as parents we use treats. Small treats. I cringe at parents who reward their children with suckers (lollipops). That's a way for kids to just say forget doing anything else I have what I want. Small pieces of candy's that give you a taste and you want more you have to continue working to get more. If you have a treat that will last longer then a little taste of you don't have to work hard anymore. You have what you want. So yeah, she's back in training mode at home and school. But we've reversed our roles. Home is normally the treats and school is normally the this is how your day is going schedule. We do what we have to to get to a great end result.

I've also implemented a new thing called a sensory resistance band. When Doodle feels a bit off she just gets in the band and stretches. This relieves the pressure on her muscles and relaxes her. It helps with all that excess energy she seems to have out of nowhere. I really could use that energy she has. To learn how to make your own it will be in the November issue of the magazine by JSN Creative Services. Keep reading to find out where you can get instructions to make your own.

Now that we've had the IEP and the work at school is becoming harder I've noticed a few things at home. She's becoming easier to work with at home and wants to do more to get smiling faces. She's sleeping through the entire night! And now that she's sleeping I am able to get sleep. She's gone from 5 mg of melatonin down to just 2.5 mg of melatonin.

This is the first week that change is really taking place at home and for the past 3 days I've actually been able to get more sleep. I'm able to be more productive and not so tired to the point where I am dragging. I'm no longer worried about getting that nap in the mornings when she gets on the bus and my balance is no longer off. When your body is so tired you can't think straight or walk straight. It's like you are walking around drunk and that's just no fun.

I'm grateful for the rest I'm now receiving. And it's all uninterrupted sleep. When you have a child living on the spectrum you feel like you are living with a newborn no matter how old they are. And remember that Doodle is 12. Some days are easy and some days are hard. She's worth every moment that I learn and grow with her.

If you are not seeing improvement at home during the school year try having an IEP meeting to have the work bumped up. Sometimes our children are bored and they need a challenge. It's what you know about your child that matters because you live with them. You know them very well. Don't be afraid to step in and help with their education. But it wasn't just school work we bumped up. I made sure that speech therapy got bumped up too. They are now going to be working on articulation in speech therapy because she's lost a few of her words. So we are going back to working on that as well. I didn't need to worry about occupational therapy at this time.

And next month while Doodle is out of school I will be ordering things for her to learn while she is out of school on holiday so she can stay on task and I don't have to worry about a regression. And we will be working on making pom poms. Lots and lots of pom poms to make a rug for the magazine. This will help with concentration and hand eye coordination. It will help her when she wraps the yarn and also for cutting. I'm all for projects where kids learn to use scissors correctly. Even if you don't have a child on the spectrum you can benefit from your child using scissors at home. Schools don't really teach that anymore and you would be surprised how many children can't use scissors correctly.

Crafting is one of the most important things that children on the spectrum need to do. They have to learn fundamentals and if they aren't learning it at school you need to kick it up a notch and teach it at home. Your child will surprise you when you work with them at home. Don't get frustrated and don't lose hope. You have to keep working with your child. I can attest that it's not the easiest thing to do but it's worth it.

Keep an eye out for the new issue or go ahead and make a sensory light that has helped us so much at home. On November the 1st you can check out the November issue of the magazine and make your own sensory resistance band for home. jsncreative.com/ezine The December issue will have a weighted blanket for cheap that really works.

See you guys on the flip side!

It's the lost blog Autism

This blog was suppose to go up week before last. And well with it being a holiday from school and work and life and regression, sometimes things get forgotten and it happens pretty easy and often.

So instead of deleting this blog I'm going to keep it so you can catch up with what all is happening.

So we are dealing with a holiday for the next three days. Columbus day, teacher work day and good luck with that parents day.

I have my IEP set for Thursday and right now Doodle is basically like a two year old right. She's in terror mode and my nerves are shot. She's getting into everything and has a pair of scissors she brought home from school. Which means she's cutting everything up she can find.

I have projects that have to be done for the magazine and stuff that has to be purchased for work because there's a cookie class on Tuesday night.

Just two more days to go! I've got this! I know I do. I'm not a happy camper with this regression. I'm still pretty upset with the state that we live in. They are the ones that are tying our hands.

Let's all just try to remember that not all disabled children are the same and they shouldn't be treated the same. Something has to give because kids just can't grow if you keep them contained in a small jar.

So for the time being we will skirt around the rules by the state and push through by bypassing what everyone else is learning. Yes, our children learn at their own pace and sometimes that means that they take in information faster than everyone else.

See you on the flip side.

It's not broken Autism.

An update on what's going on.

Doodle was falling in a regression. I've had the iep and so far I am seeing a little improvement. Which as many of you know that's a good thing.

On Monday I went by the school to drop off supplies for the office and supplies for Science class and I fell trying to bring the supplies in the front door. I did have to head to urgent care to get checked out. It was my fault. I tried to take a step and my ankles said NOPE! Which lead to my fall.

I have sprained my wrist but I am okay. Great news is that it's not writing wrist. But even if it was I can switch hands when I need too. I can paint, draw and write with my left hand if I want too. But I'm mainly a righty. 

I will be back when I can fully type with both hands and my wrist is no longer hurting.

See you guys on the flip side.

Hurricane Season Autism

Sorry there was no post last Monday, but with our own hurricane, schools being out and work it was hard to keep up with days and prep. Thank you for your support while we dealt with our own challenges.

It's September but on the Gulf Coast it's all about Hurricane Season. We get excited about Fall and in a way forget it's Hurricane prep time. This blog is going to focus on what you need to do to prepare your child for such an emergency. Currently as I am typing this Hurricane Florence is knocking on the door of North Carolina. When the blog is published Florence will be weak and possibly nothing but a storm. And we ourselves have already been through the first Hurricane of the season.

Always have an extra large suitcase ready and packed just in case. If you choose not to go anywhere it's great for making sure your child is prepared in the event of the scary weather and a power outage. In this suitcase you want to make sure you have snacks, juices, water, baby wipes and other essentials that are important for the care and upkeep of your child.

The second most important to this package is charge away power boost. You can pick these up at Stables, Office Depot and even Walmart. They are normally $5.00 and well worth the investment in the event the iPad dies. I have two of these and will be investing in more later on in the future. One I have for my purse in the event my phone decides it's just not worth it to cooperate with battery life that day especially while I am teaching. That one I purchased from Michaels craft store during the holidays last year and I can charge an apple product and an android product at the same time.

You also want to make sure you have an old phone in the suitcase that works on internet access only. Here me out. If you can download a few games on this phone that you don't need internet access for that's the most important part. Minions are a favorite game in our household. Just make sure you fully charge the phones before a storm hits.

Craft activities are a complete must for packing. Try looking on Pinterest for crafts that will help with your child's development. Things for sorting, counting and hand eye coordination. Kinetic sand, playdoh, crayons or markers and lots of printer paper. Now is not the time to get technical over the type of art paper to use. Depending on how long your house is without power depends on the art or scribbles your kid makes. To keep all of the paper together I just use a large binder and take my time on hole punching the paper. My child might not keep the paper in the large three ring binder but that's okay. You can use velcro to attach the markers and or crayons to the binder to keep things together.

And most importantly an extra bottle of melatonin. If you are a parent that uses it to help your child's brain to slow down so they can sleep this is an important thing to keep an extra unopened bottle handy.

Always pack up all medications in a large gallon zip lock bag the day before a hurricane comes your way. Place this in the case the day you zip it up. That way you can find it when you need it. Place it in a zippered pouch and make sure it has two zippers to it. That way you can keep your child out of this section for their section by using a small lock that only you and your support system have the key or lock number of.

And just in case you need to evacuate on short notice make sure that your child has a pair of swim shoes in your case. And two pairs of extra clothes.

Children on the spectrum normally have to have a lot of things that keep them happy. Favorite toys, blankets and movies. It's not easy to deal with an emergency and autism but this will at least help to alleviate your autism stress.

For more on preparing for a hurricane that's not autism related check out the blog on jsncreative.com/blog

See you guys on the flip side!

It's Labor Day Autism

This is the second time that I am writing this blog, mishap cause me to lose the other one. The time is flying by and growing even later. I don't know what the issue with blogger is tonight. Which is really a shame cause I worked really hard on the post I lost. So here we go again.

Hardly anyone knows how hard I work every single day. I have a magazine, a publishing company and a job I do on the side teaching art at a well known corporate craft store. You throw autism into the mix and the autism obsessions and well it can sometimes be a bit too much.

But this is my life and this is what I chose to do. The hustle is hard. Life has it's ups and downs but the question comes are you going to stay down or get back up and keep going? I don't rely on reselling things like many entrepreneurs do. I make everything myself and that includes my own soap line. It's a soap that I enjoy using because it removes all of the inks, dyes, resin residue, paints and the glues from EEG's.

At this point there is a waiting list. And this waiting list has been growing for quiet some time. And if I play my cards right I can get this soap in a few shops around town. I can either try to keep my soap local or go nationwide. It's all in what I chose to do. That's the beauty of life. You make it what you want it to be. The life of an optimist.

I'm not going to have this blog be long. I want to enjoy my Monday. Which is why I am working on the blog tonight. After I have finally gotten the magazine done and put up on the website with the help of my best friend. I will be working on the next issue come Monday and that's all I want to focus on besides Doodle. You guys enjoy your day.

See you guys on the flip side.

If you want to see the current issue of the magazine you can read it at www.jsncreative.com/ezine

How have you changed my life Autism

In a lot of the groups that I'm in for Autism the key question happens to be what was life before autism or how has autism changed your life? I understand they are asking these questions because they don't want to feel that they are the only ones who are going through this. I never comment on these threads because if I don't feel the same way as others it usually starts fights. At least every other week this question pops up.

Yes, I have been in the same situation as the other parents but I don't let that define me and I don't live in the past. The day Doodle was diagnosed with autism was a day of relief. I didn't cry and I wasn't upset. The relief was that now we could get Doodle the help that she needed. There was no more wondering what type of help she needed or grasping at straws. When you don't know what's wrong you can't treat what's wrong. I mean if you get a paper cut on your hand you don't get a cast for your leg.

There are stressful days. Days I don't remember to use reinforcements to redirect bad behavior. Or days where my schedule is so out of whack that I have trouble keeping up with Doodle's school stuff. And when I say stressful days I mean I'm breaking out in hives. Normally I thrive on stress but some days I just can't handle the bad days of autism.

I try to keep Doodle progressing. Some days are better then others but that's okay. Not everyday can go the way we want it to. Life is what you make it. If you make everything a struggle all you will do is struggle and stay frustrated.

Doodle stopped poop smearing when she was almost 7. And that was on the advice of our pediatrician. It was something that not everyone agrees on. I was at my wits end and did what I needed to do to help Doodle and it worked! I would say most parents don't approve of this but that would be a lie. It's more like 99.5% of parents don't agree with this. But had I taken Doodle to her pediatrician or the emergency room they would have done the exact same thing. As per her pediatrician. And I've done the same thing for myself. Who knew for me it would be the trick out of diapers and out of poop smearing.

This became the day that Doodle became 100% potty trained and we ran out of the poop smearing phase and diapers. Yes, Doodle was still in diapers at the age of almost 7 years old, not uncommon for most parents dealing with autism. It took about an hour out of my day. And in this hour there was a lot of frustration. Doodle sat on the potty screaming her head off but once she pooped in the potty and saw what she did, never had another issue of poop smearing or screaming for hours. Or laying on the floors for hours trying to hold in poop looking like she was having a seizure. We went through that phase since she was an itty bitty. At 3 months she had started this weird seizure thing she did. And it's rare we even see this behavior anymore. She did have an episode twice this summer.

I'm a firm believer in being a strict parent. We have a strict routine down to the very minute of what she is to do every single moment of the day. And she has to follow this schedule. This keeps me on track and it sometimes keeps bad behavior in check. As she doesn't have time to do anything other then what she is suppose to do. Sometimes she will kick off and have issues but that's because she doesn't want to follow schedule. When Doodle was in the first grade I was informed that children on the spectrum thrived on picture schedules. As long as she knew what to expect or what she was suppose to do she stayed on task. If not she was punished by sitting in the corner.

Before this school Doodle was a wild child. Did as she pleased cause I was thankful that she was diagnosed but no one taught me what a child on the spectrum needed rules and boundaries. I think I felt bad at the time that she was considered disabled. She couldn't help the fact that she couldn't communicate. Though we did a lot of therapy since the age of three. And I mean a lot! Her pediatrician said that Doodle was the only child she cared for that had so much therapy and hasn't progressed. This was by the age of 5 and after 2 to almost 3 years of therapy. She had no speech so communication was always wanting to be held and she used us as tools to reach things she wanted on top shelves. She's always been a smart cookie just couldn't form words.

By the age of 6 1/2 Doodle was given a communication book. And that's when words really started coming out. She would have to flip through her book and point out what she wanted. And she had to try to sound out the words.

Living with autism is just like living to breathe. It's not something I'm going to think about every moment of the day. My role as the parent is to be a parent. Teach Doodle the difference between right and wrong and to teach her things that she's missed out on in her life. Like the time she was in school and the teachers didn't want to teach so Doodle regressed. So at home I purchased books based on what I know she could do and the next lessons up. The reason I didn't have issues at home with her was because she was learning at home but not at school. Which is why she had so many issues at school. That summer was rough. Like I said before I use a schedule because she knows what to expect but when everything is mixed up you get a little confused.

I look at Doodle as a regular child because that's how children want to be treated, as normal children. They get enough stares and whispers when out in public. Let's give them a little peace of mind. And I don't ever treat my child as if she's a nuisance. No child should feel they are not wanted. They didn't ask to be here and in my opinion, they are a gift. Most couples can't have children. Here I had a child after 3 miscarriages. I was entrusted with this life. And it's my job to make sure she's challenged, she thinks for herself and grows to be the next Dr. Temple Grandin. Because Doodle has the same form of autism as Dr. Grandin.

My job in this life is to be a teacher, a gardener, a mother, a lawyer and the sun. A Teacher to help her learn. A gardener to help her grow in each season of her life. A mother to hug and comfort her. A lawyer to fight for her and her right to learn. And the sun to give her room to grow always watching over her and give her a bit of myself so she can be who she is and enjoy life.

Doodle teaches me something new every day. She's almost like me but yet not like me. She's a tom boy just like I was at her age. She's an artist that love's Japamation, me I'm an artist but I can't stand Japamation. She's a crafter who is in the same level of crafting as I am. My skill level in crafting is extreme crafter. She's imaginative and that's always the best part of childhood and adulthood. If she keeps up with her imagination just think of what all she can do. For me I use my imagination to come up with wild stories of things around me to make people laugh.

I love my life with Doodle. She was diagnosed as mildly autistic and thanks to regression she hasn't grown mentally the way that she should have. I have to work harder as her mom but that's okay. I'm willing to work harder with my daughter. Most mothers are working hard for their daughters to learn dance, cheer leading, gymnastics or something else. I just have a different form then they do. Autism is all I've known with my child. I mean I used to babysit kids when I was fresh out of college. And some of those kids oh geez I'm really thankful my child doesn't say some of what those kids say. I don't have to worry about my child being selfish. I'm just enjoying how funny she is and how matter of fact, even though her speech isn't that good. She speaks like a one year old. One word responses or extremely fragmented sentences.

I have a really great support system. A few friends and I founded our own autism group on Facebook and we make it a point to remind people that we are the support system. They aren't doing this alone. But we are normal and we push. We answer questions when needed, we give or get advice when needed. We have admins that specialize and different aspects of what you would deal with when it comes to autism and we even included ADD/ADHD because that's a "kin".  I specialize in IEP's as that's what I'm most familiar with in my state. One woman handles 504's because that's what she's proficient with. One for Asperger syndrome, one for autism and one for ADD/ADHD. And shhhh we also have admins that are nurses. But we will never say who they are.

I'm not trying to type up a tome today and there is still so much more work that has to be done before I head into work to teach a class tonight. I just figured it was time to hop out of my comfort zone and answer a question that rears it's ugly head every single week in the autism groups. And as you can see I'm not a negative mentality. I'm an optimist but that glass is always gonna look full for me.

See you guys on the flip side.

School routine, home routine Autism

It's Monday and for this day I'm writing the blog while my other computer restarts so I can work on the magazine. I've kind of been putting it off for about a week or two. I need to get at least 5 projects written out and 5 crafts actually done. October gives me more of a crafting opportunity so I'm going to be working on two magazines for this week.

Doodle has fallen into school routine with no issues. Considering she was on a wonkie sleep schedule for 3 weeks before school started. And she's taken to getting up at 6:15 every morning with no issues. Though she is still waking up to giggle at 4 or 5 am. That's not cool! But I really don't have to do prompts to get her out the door. She did not want to go back to school this year.

The good news is the school is going to be using EDMARK to teach reading this year and all the teachers are learning how to use the program. I'm really happy with this decision, this is the program that Doodles' teachers used when she was 6-8. This is how she learned to read, write and do math. So I'm happy she is back on track to accomplishing her goals of speech and reading. In a way I kind of wish the kids had homework. But it's okay because there are times that I can't do homework with her depending on my schedule with Michaels craft store. I don't work every single night as an instructor but there are days when I barely have time to get her fed and me get out the door to be on time for work.

And Doodle does want a fish. I do not want a fish. In all honesty this fish is coming to our house to die. I won't lie. The gerbil was complaining because he was out of water yesterday. And the gerbil is one of her responsibilities. I did buy her a little fish bowl at the thrift store. I have a new type of class that I'm going to be teaching on Thursday that lots of people have been begging me to teach for over a month. The only problem is I don't have denim jackets. The hottest rage is painting scenes on jackets and pants pockets. I do have some lesson plans I can use for this. And it's gonna be a paid class so no big deal. Any who, she will need to clean that fish bowl and get the bowl ready for for her fish. She will be getting a few things on Friday and on Monday I will purchase her fish. I'm not trying to go broke, but children on the spectrum need to learn responsibility. Wish she would take up to going back on the responsibility of the gerbil. But it is what it is.

So there you have it in a nut shell. I'm currently waiting on the vinyl shop to open, typing up this blog and cleaning up the adobe computer. Being back on school schedule is going great. A large shout out to the bus driver for actually picking up every single day at 6:30 am. Not a time I am able to function. Last year I was rolling out of bed at 6:30 am. And now I wake Doodle up at 6:15 to get her dressed, teeth brushed, hair brushed and out the door with her snack box and book bag before the 6:30 alarm lets us know that it's time for the bus.

See you guys on the flip side.

First day back to school, autism

Yes, you read that title correctly. It's the first day back at school. Doodle is back from her fathers house and though she didn't want to go back to school, that's where she is currently. As I have said in previous posts I don't like for teachers to pay for stuff out of their pockets for their students. So this morning was the drop off of the first day of school. I also had extra items to drop off that her teachers have requested. Yes, you read that one correctly too. Teachers!

At the school Doodle goes too she's no longer stuck in a self contained classroom. She's switching classes like a regular ed student. She has 5 teachers and 5 rooms she has to switch too. Which means she has to learn a schedule of who to go to and what time she goes to them. If she were in a regular school for middle school she would be stuck in the same room all day long and only allowed out for lunch, P.E. and going home. That's not the way that a special needs child should be treated.

This morning I dropped off all of the paperwork that the librarian wanted that I have for crafts. I dropped off feathers her science teacher wanted. Her science teacher was her homeroom teacher last year and she knows Doodle pretty well and knows what motivates Doodle to do work. And her reading teacher requested plastic bin photo boxes that were on sale at work last week.

I ordered Doodle's Friday shirt which will be in on Friday. She can wear last years shirt, that's no big deal. And I dropped off all the medical supplies. Doodle has asthma and can't use an inhaler. Technically, she can but it doesn't work well with her body. Discussing it with our pediatrician we all agreed it was best to just stick with the machine you plug into the wall, it worked better and cleared her airway faster without having to go to the emergency room. I filled out all the paperwork with that, the nurse said she would send my copies home this afternoon.

The first day of school our parking lot was filled to the brim. Parents dropping off all the supplies that would be needed for the kids for the school year and their medical supplies as well. So I wasn't the only parent with extra to drop off. I dropped off the list of supplies when I went in to meet the teacher last week. So I was good that all that was already done.

Doodle has her new shorts and pants for the school year thanks to her father. That was a lot of driving around to find sturdy shorts that will last her through the school year. Pro parent tip, Dickey's pants last a long time. Doodle wears a pair that used to belong to my grandfather. They came to us brand new looking and it's the only brand I have found that so far have lasted to the next school year. Anything else Doodle rips or busts out the seem of. So if you need pants and shorts that last go with Dickey's.

I have first day of school mommy stuffs that I get to do! Best friend time! See you guys on the flip side.