My son loves his very used, hand me down iPod Shuffle. It's the 2nd generation version. It's easy for him to keep track of, since it clips on to his clothing or even edge of his blanket at bedtime. He has a quirky taste in music - Peter Gabriel, Dave Matthews (yes!) and Blue Man Group. Often at night, as he's falling asleep listening to it, you can here him singing snatches of song. It's probably not surprising, that listening to his music gives him the chance to unwind more effectively than when he flaps. It is also far more preferable than the DS - which sometimes elicits a minor skirmish/meltdown when its time to turn it off.
Right now, his current favorite song is the Dave Matthews/Blue Man collaboration "Sing Along." I find the lyrics to the song, especially fitting.
http://www.spike.com/video/sing-along-blue-man/2463330
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
"I Can't Beat The Level!!!"
My son...right at lights out, finishing up on his DS game...comes out into the livingroom in tears. He can't beat the level he's on, in his Sonic The Hedgehog DS game. Oh, if life's problems were only this simple...
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Don't Be Surprised...
by the things my son can do...appearances can be deceiving.
A 3 mile hike, you expect my son to be the straggler who struggles. Instead, halfway through - he's the one leading his peers and even overtaking some of the grown ups. Chances are he can out hike, swim or even run most grown ups.
Don't assume (Ass-U-Me after all) what he can comprehend...he may be struggling to grasp angles, division and grammar...but is methodically working his way through (on his own no less) Tolkien's "The Hobbit."
Don't think he isn't listening to you...so watch what you say. He has an almost word for word memory for what people say and will bring up conversations days later, that he's heard. This can lead to sometimes funny and very often, awkward explanations of the meaning of those conversations.
Don't second guess him, do not lower that bar, do not expect less of him and most of all...never ever think he doesn't have as much to contribute as you or I. Don't be surprised, at what my son can do.
A 3 mile hike, you expect my son to be the straggler who struggles. Instead, halfway through - he's the one leading his peers and even overtaking some of the grown ups. Chances are he can out hike, swim or even run most grown ups.
Don't assume (Ass-U-Me after all) what he can comprehend...he may be struggling to grasp angles, division and grammar...but is methodically working his way through (on his own no less) Tolkien's "The Hobbit."
Don't think he isn't listening to you...so watch what you say. He has an almost word for word memory for what people say and will bring up conversations days later, that he's heard. This can lead to sometimes funny and very often, awkward explanations of the meaning of those conversations.
Don't second guess him, do not lower that bar, do not expect less of him and most of all...never ever think he doesn't have as much to contribute as you or I. Don't be surprised, at what my son can do.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Focus, J is unfocused..losing focus...ha...
Focus, J is unfocused..losing focus...having difficulty focusing...well no shit Sherlock. Tell me something I haven't known since he was two and a half years old. Seriously, this is what you spent your parents hard earned money on at college?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Working on a long overdue post. I'm a ...
Working on a long overdue post. I'm a lousy blogger, but this is for me...so, I'll cut me some slack.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Lazy Dayz Of Summer...
in more ways than one! I have been such a slug about blogging...I'm no where near a prolific blogger - but lately I have been absolutely neglectful!
I wasn't sure how J would do, not going to summer school...if the lack of structure/routine would put him very much out of sorts. See...I could have sent him. However, after discussing the issue with his teachers, we all agreed that he was pretty much past the point where the current summer school setting would benefit him. He's at an awkward stage, where he is passing many of his friends who receive services and yet is not quite on the same level as his neurotypical peers. In light of this, we opted for a once a week tutoring with his sp. ed. teacher, camp, get together with friends and lots of family time. Basically, we wanted him to have a summer like every other kid his age.
So, to sum up our summer so far:
July 1st: The five of us headed down to Port Canaveral, FL. There we met up with my Sister In-law, her husband and five kids to go on a 7 day Carnival Cruise with my In-laws. We had a wonderful time! Some of the highlights for J - Camp Carnival and all its wonderful activities. Hearing about how well J did snorkling in Nassau for the first time. He struggled a bit, but didn't give up and ended up having a great time. Dinner! J had soooo much fun ordering from the adult menu. He would carefully make his selection from each course and order in such a serious and discerning tone. He even tried sushi, lobster and chilled soups to name but a few things! His favorite was this melty chocolate cake type dessert (ok, that was everyones favorite). The waterslide! Running to the room at night to see what the latest towel animal would be...and lastly, the breakfast buffet - the boy is all about the food!
July 27th - August 7th - Camp! J and his older sister both did two weeks at a local YMCA camp. Swimming, archery, canoeing, horseback riding - they do it all there. Its just a day camp at this point, but they came home every day dirty, tired and very happy. J even won an award in archery! I just wish it weren't so expensive, or I would send them for another two weeks. Its worth every penny. The best part is J is assigned an additional counselor that works with him and other students with LDs. He used to get an actual one on one, but now he shares with other campers who are starting to move out of needing such individualized attention. The primary aim now, is socialization - this is as important for his future as an adult as are his academics.
August 10th - present: The rest of the summer, well...other than the Fair, its pretty wide open. Some playdates, maybe a movie, a trip to a waterpark and lots of time outside. Soon, we'll find out who his 5th grade teacher is (fingers crossed its the one we hope for!) and the countdown to school will begin. J is looking forward to seeing his friends, Boy Scouts, math class and LUNCH LOL!! I'll keep you posted...
I wasn't sure how J would do, not going to summer school...if the lack of structure/routine would put him very much out of sorts. See...I could have sent him. However, after discussing the issue with his teachers, we all agreed that he was pretty much past the point where the current summer school setting would benefit him. He's at an awkward stage, where he is passing many of his friends who receive services and yet is not quite on the same level as his neurotypical peers. In light of this, we opted for a once a week tutoring with his sp. ed. teacher, camp, get together with friends and lots of family time. Basically, we wanted him to have a summer like every other kid his age.
So, to sum up our summer so far:
July 1st: The five of us headed down to Port Canaveral, FL. There we met up with my Sister In-law, her husband and five kids to go on a 7 day Carnival Cruise with my In-laws. We had a wonderful time! Some of the highlights for J - Camp Carnival and all its wonderful activities. Hearing about how well J did snorkling in Nassau for the first time. He struggled a bit, but didn't give up and ended up having a great time. Dinner! J had soooo much fun ordering from the adult menu. He would carefully make his selection from each course and order in such a serious and discerning tone. He even tried sushi, lobster and chilled soups to name but a few things! His favorite was this melty chocolate cake type dessert (ok, that was everyones favorite). The waterslide! Running to the room at night to see what the latest towel animal would be...and lastly, the breakfast buffet - the boy is all about the food!
July 27th - August 7th - Camp! J and his older sister both did two weeks at a local YMCA camp. Swimming, archery, canoeing, horseback riding - they do it all there. Its just a day camp at this point, but they came home every day dirty, tired and very happy. J even won an award in archery! I just wish it weren't so expensive, or I would send them for another two weeks. Its worth every penny. The best part is J is assigned an additional counselor that works with him and other students with LDs. He used to get an actual one on one, but now he shares with other campers who are starting to move out of needing such individualized attention. The primary aim now, is socialization - this is as important for his future as an adult as are his academics.
August 10th - present: The rest of the summer, well...other than the Fair, its pretty wide open. Some playdates, maybe a movie, a trip to a waterpark and lots of time outside. Soon, we'll find out who his 5th grade teacher is (fingers crossed its the one we hope for!) and the countdown to school will begin. J is looking forward to seeing his friends, Boy Scouts, math class and LUNCH LOL!! I'll keep you posted...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
A Good Scout Saves The Last Candy
to toss to his little sister during our town's Memorial Day parade. My husband and the girls were toward the end of the parade route. J hung on to a handful of candy for Little M and made sure it landed right at her feet.[gallery link="file"]
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