Feet first...going in kickin'...

First Soccer Game!

I couldn't be more pleased with the SPARC program.  Coaches and officials prepared for Chase's first game.  And, his team welcomed him with friendship.

We are excited to give it a try.  Learning how to really play the game first up.  Not tackling next.  Increasing endurance will come.  Working with a buddy will improve success.

Updates to come.

Thanks Liz Becker for our first book review!

Take time to check it out.

What a fun Friday night.  Rushing from the pool during accessible aquatics because the alarms were going off and firemen came to evacuate the building.  Thank goodness for drills at school and great buddies.  The boys did were prepared and took it all in stride.  

That was until they had to stand outside in the rain wrapped in towels.  But, it gave me a good reason to cuddle.
Then off to the Abilities First family night downstairs.  Fortunately we were able to get the boys clothes before their Art Inspired performance time.  

Chase loved the mic!  Nathan ditched the performance because bedtime didn't come until 5 am this morning and there was a balloon artist working feverishly through the each song.  He made it through two songs before getting in line for a green elephant balloon.

He is definitely 11.

I went to Nathan and told him I had a question to ask him.  I said that I wanted him to answer 'yes' or 'no'.  He immediately said, "no!" before I had a chance to utter another word.  

Yes, he is an 11 year-old boy! 
And, I couldn't be happier. 

We took a leap of faith, Chase and I.  Rather than a nice slow transition to the world of soccer.  We jumped right in!

We were late to arrive because aquatics class overlapped practice time.  Practice was in full swing when we got there.  As I watched what seemed to me semi-professionals running seamlessly from goal to goal.  Scoring and stealing the ball all wrapped up together in a symbiotic relationship dance thing...!  I thought do I put Chase in the middle of these young athletes that have been playing for what...2-3 years.  Release him in what I was now convinced was one of the worst parenting decisions I have made in a long time.  So I made him sit and wait until I could talk to the coach.  After practice we introduced ourselves.  I sent Chase to the field where a few stragglers were practicing their kicking.
I told the coach I had felt it was time for Chase to move some of his skills from supported athletics to park-board sports.  I then told her I am thought I made a mistake.  Then as she started to point out some short fallings of the players.  I saw the intensity melt away from these sport driven athletes and my eyes beheld children kicking a ball.  The coaches welcomed Chase with open arms and offered to do extra practices with him to help him learn the game.  
My fear and doubt has faded for the moment.  We will see where it goes.  

Chase spent some time at my office.

He thought I needed to work on the decor.

Back to Dr. Cash.
Wondering why?

Wonder no longer.

Great visit.  Not only did the visit go well, the outcome is promising. The environment was perfect and Chase felt at ease.  That is once I explained the walls were lined with molds of other children's teeth, not their actual teeth.  I told him they were like statues of their teeth.  What clued me in that he was concerned?  He told Dr. Cash's assistant he didn't want the doctor to break his teeth.  Then the staring at shelves of teeth once the assistant left to get the doctor.

So what did the doctor say?  Well to avoid anyone trying it at home I will not explain because I think it is important to get professional guidance. But, I will tell you it involves these....

So if you have a young child whose teeth are coming in like Chase's.  You might want to give Dr. Cash a call.  Early intervention is not just for cognitive purposes.  It is multipurpose.

Reading a story sent by a friend I read this paragraph:

"But what draws kids like Owen to these movies is something even more elemental. Walt Disney told his early animators that the characters and the scenes should be so vivid and clear that they could be understood with the sound turned off. Inadvertently, this creates a dream portal for those who struggle with auditory processing, especially, in recent decades, when the films can be rewound and replayed many times."

"The latest research that Cornelia and I came across seems to show that a feature of autism is a lack of traditional habituation, or the way we become used to things. Typically, people sort various inputs, keep or discard them and then store those they keep. Our brains thus become accustomed to the familiar. After the third viewing of a good movie, or a 10th viewing of a real favorite, you’ve had your fill. Many autistic people, though, can watch that favorite a hundred times and seemingly feel the same sensations as the first time. While they are soothed by the repetition, they may also be looking for new details and patterns in each viewing, so-called hypersystemizing, a theory that asserts that the repetitive urge underlies special abilities for some of those on the spectrum."

This story reminds me of how Disney impacts our live.  It hit so many chords.  It inspires and engages me.  Wants me to do more.  Lets me know I am doing enough.  A great read.

This article is adapted from “Life, Animated” by Ron Suskind, to be published April 1 by Kingswell, an imprint of Disney Book Group. Disney exerted no influence over the content of the book. The author acknowledges the rights granted to him for the use of Disney materials.

Ron Suskind is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of four books about presidential power. He is currently the senior fellow at Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics.

 Nathan was interested for in our big beautiful touch screen computer for about a week.  I had given into this extravagance with him in mind.  Knowing that technology will be a big part of his communication.  Well his interest has been renewed over spring break.  He found the girls' old Blues Clues games.  I didn't even try them.  I figured they wouldn't be compatible.
This must be the feeling my mother had when we played a game of Jacks.  It is a good feeling.  The classics may be different, but the feeling of watching a child take interest in the good ole' games is the same.

What a wonderful experience.  So many individuals eager to learn about ASD.  The attention to what we presented was amazing.  I am eager to do this again.  And, excited for the future of our children.  Their desire to learn and understand is humbling and amazing to me.
The families in the audience were my rock.  When I ever felt like what I was saying might be hard to believe, possibly a little outrageous, I would look at a parent and they would be nodding their head.  So my child ate strawberries dipped garlic powder, another dips his fish crackers in HOT sauce.  That is how we roll.

Speaking tomorrow. Didn't realize I may be nervous, until I found out that another presenter was nervous. Just like when your child looks at you to see your reaction to know whether or not it hurts bad enough to cry.

It should be fun though. In preparing I have been able to think about those early years with the boys. So I will have to work hard not to cry. I get very nostalgic when I talk about my children's early years.

What a joy to work with the wonderfully talented Shayla Patrick.

Thank you Shayla for bringing Project Lifesaver to the attention of our community!

Providing for the safety of individuals, young or old, who wonder and don't always have the defenses needed to keep themselves safe is of utmost importance.

Springbreak old-style!

Scooby Doo, wires and pjs.

What a wonderful group of people.

Tonight I met with the Board of Directors for 

Dynamic Strides.

It is such a pleasure to meet and work with individuals who give of their time and energy to nonprofits.  Sitting on boards so that others can benefit from their efforts.  Expecting nothing in return.  I am humbled to know so many.  This group and many more.