The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun

When it came to activities for our child, we used to turn to therapists and doctors for everything. Most of the activities that we had for Matthew were usually limited to what he also performed in therapy sessions and speech therapy. We've reached a point however that when activities are repeated too often, Matthew becomes less enthusiastic and less compliant. Tantrums aren't too far away if you force him to do activities that he feels he has already done well in the past.

Good thing my wife was able to spot a copy of The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun, Revised Edition: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder at National Bookstore. And it was on sale at the time! Every September, National Bookstore has a half price sale for a lot of their stock. This is a yearly book event that I actually look forward to.

Anyway, back to the book. The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun is just full of activites that you can use to help you child get better with certain skills. Like one activity that we have Matthew do to make him cooperate with the next activities. We have him blow balls of cotton across the floor using a cut piece of straw. The blowing helps Matthew develop the muscles used for speech. He also has to move while he is on his hands and knees for this activity and that improves his tactile sense. Another activity we got from the books was marble trails. It's painting with marbles! Using marbles dipped in paint, Matthew can create a 'painting' by rolling around the marble in a pan lined with paper. He can use different colors, using a marble from each of the paints.

The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun has already helped us, and we haven't even gone through a fourth of the games in it. It will surely be useful still in the future. If you want to buy a copy, The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun is available in Amazon for just US$10. I am sure it will be a great resource for any parent, therapist and care provider of children with sensory disorders.

Matt Turns 7

Today we had a party for Matt. As with any sort of event that we have to accommodate Matt in, we had to make sure the party would be enjoyable for his special needs. We also wanted to make it meaningful. The party had to be short, no more that an hour and a half at most. We also had to have some sort of way to divert his attention away from the music being played on loudspeakers. He actually loves music, but wants to always be in control of what's playing. We've often had to watch him and warn him beforehand at parties not to "turn off the CD". He often gets away with it anyway and that manages to upset some party hosts. And then we wanted the celebration to be meaningful. So key things were that it had to be short, meaningful and the music had to be something he wouldn't want to "turn off".

As a way of accomplishing what we set out to do, we invited kids from the Children's Joy Foundation. We set it up so that guests were informed ahead of time that instead of gifts for our son, they should bring along any donations they would have. We wanted to give these kids a good time and at the same time we promoted their particular organization.

They did share a wonderful gift for Matt. They played songs for Matt, live! Matt had no way to "turn off" the music. He sat attentively while watching these kids perform. In a very rare moment, he behaved so calmly.

Overall, the party was a success. We were able to gather about 10 small bags of clothes and school supplies. A few friends also shared cash for the kids. There were also a few guests who asked if they could have the kids perform at their events as well. So we were able to make it enjoyable for Matt and at the same time meaningful. It was moving to see smiles on these kids' faces. It felt like we were making a big difference, even if just for a day.

Key Dates in Autism History

If you'd like to see a timeline about autism, the Washington Post published an article about the Key Dates in Autism History. I also included this in my Del.icio.us bookmarks. I hope you find this useful.

Pain all over

Today, Matthew was not himself. He was crying in pain. The joyful good mornings are greeted with a tears and screams. He is suffering from a bad case of dental carries. Tsk..tsk..tsk.. a nightmare for every parent and kid to endure.

Like most babies, Matthew was bottlefed. He would suck until he falls asleep. All the acid the milk produced had destroyed the enamel. He never liked water so he drank lots and lots of apple juice. It was a bad habit but we had to suck it since not drinking any fluids other than water was bad for him. We chose the lesser evil and bought hundred bottles of Mott's Apple juice. Secondly, he was so mad at his toothbrush. All the prodding Elmo did and the rest of the Sesame Street Gang was futile. We would run around the kitchen, sing "The Wheel on the bus goes round and round, round and round, round and round. " I would go down with him on the floor just to brush his teeth, which I found ineffective. It left him furstrated and tortured.

We thought that by the time he reached 6 yrs of age, all his baby teeth will fall off and permanent tooth will come out and that will be our time of redemption for inflicting harm to his health.

By the time he turned five, he knew how to use his toothbrush. Thanks to creative people of Colgate who created a brush with a handle shaped like a neat car. But it was too late. He only knew how to brush his front teeth.

We went to the dentist at 10 am . The kind doctor explained the situation that a simple extraction may be done but in children, the procedure may be difficult. Kids are scared and afraid to let anyone see their mouth. At Matthew's age, it is mine vs. yours mentality. The doctor also said that as much as possible, extraction is not recommended but a pulpotomy, like a root canal to numb the nerve endings which are responsible for the pain sensation. He knew much about it since his child, a toddler had undergone the same procedure three years ago. He was ashamed that a child, with a dentist father was not able to help in preventing tooth decay. The culprit was also bottlefeeding.

While the doctor was explaining, Matthew was tinkering the dentist's chair, faucet, mirror and other paraphernalia. He was so relaxed that he was able to greet the dentist and sit comfortably on the dentist's chair.

It was recommended that we go to Philippine Children's Medical Center in Quezon City and look for Dra. Salcedo. She is known to do such procedures for children with a help of an anestheologist. Her clinic being inside the hospital gives another guarantee that the procedure is easy and is regulary done and most importantly, is safe. It would only take an hour for it to be done. Only localized anesthesia is given to keep him quiet and steady.

Now, the challenge for us is to have him immediately brought to Manila for consultation and prepare ourselves for the operation and expenses. I pray I can pull all my resources today and tomorrow for a worry free trip on Friday.

Favorite Entry

As I was looking at my inbox, I found this email from a dear friend commenting on the entry made by my hubby last 2007 holidays. All the contents and comments I received from this entry never fails to bring tears to my eyes. Tears of gladness that some folks understand what families like mine undergo. Yes, the most simple endeavor an ordinary child can do may easily be forgotten, but this event has brought tremendous joy to my soul and gratefulness to the Lord. It brought faith and continuous hope inspite of all the tensions it brings to my marriage and to my wit. It brought laughter inspite of all the furstrations and anger everytime I try new methods on how to get through to Matt. It washed away my fears of giving up easily and made me realize that this is the gift we receive.

Read on and I hope you learn to appreciate all the simple everyday and ordinary things in life that happens may suddenly be big miracles (or gifts) for some.
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Earlier this morning, we brought our son Matt to his school's Christmas presentation. I was a bit worried as I stood backstage with him. He was fidgeting, as the noise and chaos was getting to him. It was noisy and people in colorful costumes were running around. It was sensory overload for him. I worried normal people wouldn't understand if he "misbehaved". I held his small hand in mine as long as I could. As one of the teachers led the kids to the stage area, I held my breathe.I saw the teacher lead Matt to the open area beneath the front of the stage. There were too many kids to fit into the small elevated stage. As the teacher (my son's favorite, actually) climbed up the stage, I saw my son running in a panic and then bolting to climb to the stage. I almost ran to him. I told myself, if no one steps in to guide him, I'll do it myself. Good thing another teacher saw him and guided him to an open spot on the stage. She was patient enough to talk to him to get him to stay on the same spot. The music came on and they began to sing. Matthew sang along.After the performance, the teachers marched the children down the stage and Matt was one of the first. I gladly took his hand as one of the teacher guide him over to where I was. I breathed a sigh of relief, the ordeal was over. My son had coped and made his mother proud.

The thing that gets me is for parents of children with autism, simple milestones like these are special. It doesn't take much to make us happy or proud of our children. Small steps make the biggest impressions on us. Things that normal parents with normal kids most likely just ignore, we treasure. It's both a blessing and a cross to bear. These contradictions will never see light in the perspective of regular people.
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Matthew got bored waiting for the rest of his classmates get their formation right. From down the stage, he went up to get a nice spot. He was still walking when the music began. He stopped immediately and just sang loudly the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer with all confidence and in the right tune and lyrics.

I was definitely the proudest and happiest Mommy that day.

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Wow! ala kung asabi.

I am also proud of you, both. I know how it feels for you to have Matt and how he makes you proud especially for times when you are counting on him. Several children and parents alike have that same blessing, as I have met and talked, and live with them. I know that both of you are very kind and well in guiding Matt to the normal path, but what is normal is what you are right now. A proud mother, a very strong father, a deserving child. One happy family....

Happy New Year!

piNong

Autism Is Also A Class Issue

As I read an article published in PSL Website, I found myself nodding as I went. I can definitely understand how frustrating the costs can be. For our situations, therapy costs account for roughly 15% of my salary. Though I may be seen as fortunate by some, It still takes a toll on the budget.

Parents in the US have it better in terms of research and advances. They also bear the brunt of higher therapy costs. In the Philippines, or at least where I live, the costs are a whole lot lower. I expect to have spent around 37,000 pesos this year for therapy costs alone. We are fortunate that we started therapy at the time that we did. Booking therapists is getting to be a frustrating affair for parents who been asking schedules lately. The waiting lists seemed to have increase exponentially during the last few months. We already have our slot and we are sticking to it. We can't change schedules now unless the therapists have free slots. The demand in our area is that big. As the months roll by, more children are seeking treatment.

I can just imagine how hard it would be for parents who earn less than I do. It would be difficult enough for them to get a slot for therapy. They also have to contend with the costs.

Web Browser for Children With Autism

One of the things that has always amazed me in the open source development circles is the rise of grassroots developed applications. Users who are capable of programming often develop applications because they need them to do specific tasks and behave the way they want them to. They then share them to others so these apps can be debugged or improved.

Another source of great software applications would be individuals who want to create something for their loved ones or for causes. One such piece of software would be the Zac Browser. It was created by a grandfather who wanted to help a grandchild with autism browse the web safely and independently. The Zac Browser helps autistic kids focus their attention by using a simplified interface. It protects them as well by limiting their exposure to inappropriate content, filtering out any violent of otherwise disturbing content. The sites have been pre-selected by the developer and is updated regularly. The best part of it is that it is free to anyone who would want to try it.

I discovered this little gem while browsing for news about autism. AP featured it in a news article. I posted a video featuring the Zac Browser below:

The Zac Browser can be downloaded as an installer package or a "just run" no-install package. It works with Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows ME and Windows 98.