ASD & Us Blog

What's Been Happening?

2010-11-14T12:45:00.001Z

Parent's Evening - Was a complete success and such a relief and confidence boost. He is doing great and has done some really good work since he started a short while ago. BUT we was told by his class teacher that he is struggling to settle into the class room. When I told her the reason for that will be because in theory it's the first time he's ever been in a classroom, she was speechless!

The whole 2yrs Taylor was at Woodnook, he was never in the classroom at all, except for registration and one or two other things, but only for short periods of times. He had his own workstation outside the classroom, isolated and secluded from the rest of his class and classmates outside the classroom up a corner in the Infant Hall. Then when they decided to move his workstation into the classroom itself, 6 months before he left. They wondered why he didn't like it and wouldn't settle and join in with everyone else and would have a complete meltdown withing 10mins of entering the room.

When I explained that to Taylor's new class teacher she was utterly appalled by it, and said "that explains an awful lot of his behaviour in the classroom, and we'll work on that now with that in mind and see what we can do". The rest of the meeting went great and I am very pleased with the progress he's made so far.

Pontin's - Last one this year!! A great time was had by all, as per usual. The weather was dreadful and cold, but we made the most of it as usual. This time around we even managed to get Taylor into the club 2 nights on the run and join in with the entertainments that was going on. We also managed to get him to go on the Waltzers 3 nights on the run too! He loved it and kept asking to go on them again as soon as we got off them!! The last night was a nightmare, as we decided to go to the on-camp restaurant (The Queen Vic!) for our tea as a treat, and went on the Waltzers straight afterwards and I felt like I was going to fetch back everything I'd eaten!! They seemed to go on forever haha.

Nothing much else has happened really. Christmas is fast approaching and for once I have been really struggling for ideas for Taylor this year, but thanks to the Argos, it's all been sorted!! Here's a list of what he's getting:

Dora the Explorer PC Games - Bought a while back from a local Charity Shop
Haynes Combustion Engine - £14.99 from Argos (was £19.99)
Blast Lab Live Wire - £12.99 from Argos (was £14.99)
National Geographic Water Pump - £9.99 from Argos
Pop To The Shops - £7.99 from Argos
Buzz Off Game - £5.99 from Argos
Pirate Adventure Playset Large - £20 from Wilkinson's (was £30)

I am also looking into getting him a Gameboy Advanced Micro and some Pokemon games to go with it too cheap off eBay. I know you can play Gameboy Games on the Nintendo DS but he has a tendency to want to hold it instead of doing it flat on the table and it's too big and bulky for him. He spent a good 2hrs on and off this morning playing Pokemon on my Gameboy Micro and was managing to hold it properly and play the game fine too. So just as a top-up present, I'm going to see about one of them for him and the other Pokemon games as I only have the one!!

I have a million and one ideas for other stuff, but a lot of them have been put on hold until his Birthday next July, otherwise he would be one spoiled little monster this year! I try to keep his presents BIG and to a minimum of 6 and max of 10 otherwise he gets over-excited and has a complete meltdown because of all his senses working overtime at once!! Plus we go to my Mum's for Christmas Dinner and he has a whole load more to open there too!! It's not the first time we've spread his presents over 2/3 days so he doesn't get too overwhelmed, seems cruel I know but needs must I'm afraid!! Christmas with an Autistic child is NOTHING like Christmas with any other child that age. For one, they are a lot more appreciative of what they get. They look after their presents a lot better and get a whole load more enjoyment out of them too!!

Feel free to pinch my Christmas Present ideas for your own children if you'd like. Taylor is very mechanically minded and very creative, hence the more mechanical presents in that list!!

*Click on the black writing on the Christmas Presents list and it will take you to that item on their website*

School Update

2010-10-09T23:24:00.000+01:00

Okay, so it's been a little longer than a week since my last update as said, but I wanted to see how things were going to pan out over a longer period first. And as I suspected. They turned out great.

They have had their teething problems with him since the last time I blogged about it. And they have been fairly large teething issues, but, still nowhere near as big as the issues he had at Woodnook. I am still living on the edge everyday he's at school, expecting the worse, but it never comes. Okay as mentioned, he's had bad days, some more than good lately, but they haven't been a pacth on what I'm used too.

He has got 2 male teachers that he has (at different times, on different days) in the afternoons and all's going well, but he thinks it playtime when he's with them. He also keeps trying to strangle one of them with his tie. The poor fella!! Must be the colour or pattern or summat lol. Aww I shouldn't laugh, that's not nice is it. *serious face* Anyway, so his Outreach Worker from Hillside went in on Thursday and gave them some tips and advice. She also stayed behind with them after school till 5.15pm and gave them a crash course on Autism. On Friday, Mrs J told us that they had set new boundaries in place and the dinnertime transition with his male teaching assistand went really smoothly and it's working great. He has never had male teachers before, so I think he's somehow trying to push them to see how far he can get!! Not very far, if they have their way! They are brilliant at sticking to their guns with him and showing him whose boss!! I love them for that!! It's his first parents evening there this Thursday, so I will update again about school then.

What Do I REALLY Want!?

2010-10-05T14:25:00.002+01:00

After much deliberation and careful consideration, I found myself wanting only 1 thing for my Birthday this year...£30 worth of donations from friends and family to send to The National Autistic Society.

In 2 weeks I will be turning 30yr old *winces* hence only wanting the small meesly sum of £30 in donations. I suspect on the quiet we will get a lot more, but that all of course depends on how generous people are! I had intended on having a big party, but funds for that came up short, so the idea got shoved to the side-lines. Then as time went on, I decided what I really wanted was a holiday. Okay, I know, I've never been off them lately. But all I actually want to do for my birthday is chill out, not have to do anything at all in means of housework and running around after anybody and spend time with my kids. I find I am getting rather sentimentle in my 'old' age!! My husband kindly offered to pay for my 'birthday holiday' and so it is booked. 5 nights at Pontin's in Suothport - YAY!

I then still found myself short of answers to give to everyone else who kept asking me what I want. What I want? What I want is peace and quiet for a change! But, (funnily enough) the answer came to me by way of an email. It was an email I received from The National Autistic Society saying they are having some more fun fundraisers in local areas and would I be interested in joining in or hosting one myself. THAT'S IT I thought to myself. THAT'S what I want. I want for anyone who so wishes to waste their money on presents for me, to instead give it to someone who truly needs it. So I have asked each and every one of them to send me a Cheque made payable to the NAS and on the 19th November (exactly 1 month after my birthday) I will gather them all up, see how much it comes too. Double whatever they come too and send them all off to the NAS along with a letter telling them what I have done.

And so it begins! I will update on my progress in 2 weeks time...my birthday! Keep your fingers crossed everyone, and wish us luck xXx

New School, New Start

2010-09-12T16:22:00.003+01:00

8 school days have now passed since Taylor started his new journey into a better education. He started at St Anne's & St Joseph's on Sandy Lane in Accrington on Thursday the 2nd September and has been absolutely loving it. They have been brilliant, and though I know it's early days yet, they have shown already that they are more than equipped to deal with him and his many ever changing moods and personalities.

Out of a full 8 days they have only had 1 bad day with him and that was on Friday. His support worker said he wouldn't co-operate or do his tasks, so he didn't get any of his rewards which didn't go down well with Taylor. But he came home with a smile on his face and in a great mood. I am very hopeful that things will carry on as they are and that bad days will be very far and few between, but I am also skeptical and anticipating a few teething issues before the term is out!! I shall keep you up to date on his progress on a weekly basis

Statement Review & Reports

2010-07-01T12:25:00.006+01:00

Well, yesterday's review went swimmingly. I can not believe that after 2yrs of fighting, tears and tantrums that Taylor is finally leaving Woodnook Primary and going to St Anne's & St Joseph's in September. All together, including myself and Tony there was 15 people present at that review yesterday! That's the biggest meeting we've ever had!

We went through all the reports (see below) then went through his Statement making amendments. I will receive the updated one in the next few weeks & will post that too. Everyone gave their advice and there was a few hard decisions to be made, but we all managed it amicably between us. That is the first review I have ever been too where I haven't wanted to scream and cry and wrip some body's head off in frustration. Anyway, it's been arranged for his new class teacher and TA from St ANJO's* to go into Woodnook this Friday afternoon and spend some time with him as he is going to ANJO's for the day on Thur 8th July for a chance to see his new school, classroom, friends and teachers etc before starting in September. I am so excited, I can not believe it's really happening! I know there will probably be teething issues at first but BRING IT ON!! xXx

*ANJO's - Abbreviated name used by parents for St Anne's & St Joseph's school

Hillside Autism Specialist School Report

2010-07-01T10:57:00.004+01:00

I have been supporting Taylor since the reception year. He has a diagnosis of ASD and displays difficulties in communication, social understanding and rigidity. He also has sensory processing difficulties. Taylor has been in the foundation stage group this year and from my observations it is clear that, although he has made some progress, he has found the lack of structure difficult. He would benefit from a much more structured environment.

Taylor has been working at a workstation and had work differentiated for him. The class team has done some good work in helping Taylor in his academic progress but his ability to work with other children continues to be a concern.

The advice and strategies I have suggested and provided resources for have been used but not consistently. They are tried and tested strategies that would provide the structure, clear communication, clear expectations and social skills teaching that Taylor needs. It is my opinion that the lack of Consistency has impeded Taylor's progress.

Taylor is a child who has difficulties associated with his ASD and needs the specific support that provides for his needs. If he is to progress in all areas, particularly his social skills, he needs much more visual, structured and consistant approach with some specific social skills teaching 1:1 and in small groups. It is clear to me that Taylor has the ability to develop in all these areas, as well as academically and should continue to recieve his education in a Mainstream school.

OUTREACH ACTION PLAN

Taylor has a diagnosis of ASD and presents difficulties in the areas of communication, social skills, rigidity and sensory processing. Since starting school he has made significant progress in his verbal skills and is learning to read. He understands simple instructions and can name and describe when discussing with an adult who is supporting him. He does need to have visual support for the communication given to him, and can often be overloaded by verbal instructions and expansions. This often leads to challenging behaviour which includes hitting and pushing to get his point across. Often these incidents can escalate because more verbal language is used rather than his timetable and visual support to redirect him.

Taylor's social skills have improved but he remains unable to sustain meaningful interactions and relationships with his peers. He is very controlling and wants to conduct each day on his terms, but staff have been able to direct him by using rewards and short activities at his workstation. Most of the learning is taking place 1:1 at his workstation and Miss B has worked hard to provide differentiated materials for him to work with. Staff have found it difficult to sustain using a visual timetable and choice board although he can respond to this if it is used consistently.

Taylor does have some sensory processing difficulties and has had an assessment done by the LEIS. He finds it difficult to cope in a busy classroom and the noise, movement and multiple interactions confuse him, leading to challenging behaviour and him managing circumstances to get out of the classroom often. Taylor does not understand sharing, greeting others and other basic social skills that may help him have more positive interactions with his peers.

PROGRESS

22nd April 2010
Timetable still not being used. Miss B says she does not know how to organise it as he is in different rooms all the time. We discussed having columns, where and what. I took photos of the rooms and will provide the school with the symbols needed. The Social Story books are working really well with Taylor really motivated to read them every day. Miss B and Taylor have been swapping the character names to Taylor and his sister. Taylor does not readily respond to reminders of the correct behaviour when working alongside other children, according to Miss B, but I encouraged her to use the phrases "Good sharing, Good being kind" etc, regularly and often. I will swap the books to new ones at my next visit.

Rules - Some improvement but more specific symbols needed. I will send some.
Taylor is progressing in that he is spending more of his teaching time in class (where the groups are small in number) and he is sitting at the table and completing the work with intensive support. While I was there he went into the room and completed some work while lying on the carpet. Miss B was calm and redirected him so that he calmly accessed and completed the work. He was able to sound out initial sounds of words, with help was able to write letters of simple words and was able to think of his own words to describe a goat. He is able to sequence a familiar story and make comments about the events and character actions. In class he still shouts out a lot and if sat near others will still often hurt them by punching and pushing. He did bite Miss B recently and says he enjoys hurting others. The current targets are still relevant and Taylor still needs a very structured and well communicated routine. Unfortunately, he does still not deal well with lack of structure in the unit and finds the free choice times particularly unproductive and challenging.

June 2010
Visual symbols have been sent to school for timetables, including photos. Visual rules have also been sent. Taylor needs to use these to understand what is expected of him. It is unclear what will be happening next year but I recommended a much more structured environment and consistency in using visual support strategies as already recommended.

Report by - Lynn McCann
Hillside Outreach Teacher

Class Teacher Report

2010-07-01T10:43:00.003+01:00

Taylor is now fully toilet trained.

Taylor, with the help of his TA, is able to acess the year 1 curriculum (this is not always consistent) Taylor's vocabulary and communication skills have improved.

Previous Targets Set

To interact & play along side a small number of children
To develop social skills
To access more curriculum based activities
To react less aggressively
To develop early Literacy/Reading skills

Summary of Progress

Taylor can now work with small groups of children, if in the right mood and the activity is of his choosing
Taylor's social skills are slowly improving but not consistent
Taylor is better able to access the curriculum based activities even when it is not of his choosing
There are still acts of aggression towards pupils and staff
Taylor finds it difficult to access 'letters and sounds' on occasions - support is given 1:1 with TA

Does it remain appropriate to maintain the Statement? - YES
Is current placement appropriate? - YES
Should support remain the same? - YES

PROGRESS SINCE LAST REVIEW

Academic Information

Maths - Previous CA - N/A - Current CA - 1b
English - Previous CA - Reading N/A / Writing P4 - Current CA - Reading P7 / Writing P7

Report by Class Teacher - Mrs S

Dinner Assistant Advice Form

2010-07-01T10:37:00.004+01:00

I supervise Taylor at dinner times, in the hall and on the playground.

Taylor can now be left for long periods of time eating his dinner. He interacts with two or three children at a time and enjoys this. He plays with children on the playground and very rarely now needs telling to calm down. If Taylor does misbehave he now goes to the wall for his time out with no fuss and accepts this.

Not having big gangs of children crowding Taylor has helped, he has learned to play nicely with a few children at a time but anymore than 5 in his personal space gets him worked up.

Taylor will still need supervision for times when does get upset but he doesn't need close supervision all of the time, i'e: just watched from afar so he can join in independently but still know you are there for him.

Report by Mrs D - Dinner Assistant

Teaching Assistant Advice Form

2010-07-01T10:19:00.003+01:00

Taylor's usual TA (Miss B) has been off sick for 6 weeks now and nobody knows whether or not she will be going back. This report has been done by his stand-in TA, Miss K who has had him every afternoon for the past 6 weeks.

I work with Taylor on a one to one basis providing academic social and emotional support. There are boundaries and sanctions in place if he is unkind to others. Taylor is aware of these. For example, he is rewarded with praise and stickers for good behaviour and is spoken to and given time out when he is unkind to children or adults. He has a structured routine and is comfortable throughout the school day.

Taylor's progress in his development varies from time to time. I feel his progress can be influenced by how settled or unsettled he can be on one particular day. However in the past few weeks I feel his interactive skills have developed slightly. He seems settled and focused from time to time particularly when playing in a small group of 3-4 children. He asks for things from them and suggests ideas and games to play. He becomes angry if toys aren't given to him straight away.

Taylor responds well to calm, quiet tone of voice. He is easily distracted when angry by reasoning with him and suggesting reading a book or going on the laptop. Taylor works mostly with his support. Attempts are continuously made to include him into focused groups in the classroom in which depending on his mood he can either be very disruptive in, or occasionally settled.

I feel Taylor is now at a stage where he can be left alone to work independently for up to ten minutes and should be encouraged to do so.

Taylor can be very aggressive and harmful to anybody around him. He has hurt me on many occasions by kicking, scratching and biting. He has hurt other children and staff too.

Educational Pyschologist's Report - 15 June 2010

2010-06-19T13:46:00.004+01:00

1. INTRODUCTION AND PRESENT CONTEXT

Mrs W, SENCO* requested involvement of the Educational Psychology Service following from a review within school. At this review Taylor's parents had indicated that they were considering a change of school placement for Taylor.

Taylor has ASD*. He has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, full time teaching assistant support and, in addition, specialist teacher support.

Assessment of Taylor's cognitive skills was undertaken and discussion took place in school, individually, with Miss B*, teaching assistant, Mrs S*, class teacher, and Ms C*, acting deputy head teacher / Little Acorns class teacher. Following this discussion took place with Mrs & Mrs Baron

INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT

Cognitive Skills

An assessment of Taylor's cognitive skills was undertaken using British Ability Scales 11 (BAS 11)

Miss B, the teaching assistant who works with Taylor, was present during the assessment.

The Block Building scale could not be completed due to the fact that Taylor would not comply to the task instructions.

Taylor obtained an image equivalent score of 3 years 1 month on the Verbal Comprehension scale. Within this assessment the pupil is asked to manipulate objects in response to instructions. Taylor followed instructions having three information carrying words. He experienced difficulties with two step instructions and the prepositions between and beside. Taylor's age equivalent score on the Naming Vocabulary scaled was 4year 0 months. In this scale Taylor was asked to name objects illustrated in pictures.

Taylor obtained an age equivalent score of more than 8 years on the Picture Similarities scale. Within this scale the child is shown a row of four pictures, on each of the items, and is given a card with the fifth picture. The child is asked to place the card under the picture with which the card shares and element of concept. The score obtained by Taylor on this scale is indicative of a high level of non verbal/visual skills. It also indicates Taylor's ability to focus and persist when engaged in activities that interest him. (Taylor completed thirty-0ne of thirty-three items on the scale).

2. INFORMATION FROM DISCUSSIONS

Discussion with School staff

In discussion with Miss B, teaching assistant, Miss B reported that Taylor has speech problems. He is somewhat controlling and does not like to do what he doesn't want to do. Taylor does not socialise with other children but can become obsessed by individual children.

He does not like to be in the unit, where classes are joined and finds the number of children and the noise difficult.

Taylor finds work on letter sounds and names difficult. He can write his name, his pencil control is improving. He likes books. Taylor follows a speech and language therapy programme in school.

Mrs S, Taylor's class teacher, reports that school have been provided with support and advice from Hillside School* and LEIS*. Taylor has ear defenders which he uses at times. He is provided with a visual timetable and visual prompts. Resources for the use of the PECS*, and Board Maker have been provided.

Mrs S reports that Taylor's number skills are better developed than his literacy skills.

Recent changes within school have led to a lessening of change in routine for Taylor, with Taylor being taught in the same classroom throughout the day. He has a workstation in class.

Ms C reports that it is necessary to be quite firm with Taylor and that she has used the 'when and then' strategy with him to good effect. Ms C reports that Taylor is sensitive to people touching him. He does not like to get hurt and becomes very agitated at times.

Taylor does not like to get changed for PE and it takes him a long time to get changed. Taylor likes imaginative play and enjoys water play.

There have been recent incidents in which Taylor has hurt other children and staff. On occasion Taylor has been sent home. It was observed that other sanctions needed to be put in place in that going home was construed as a reward for Taylor.

Discussion with Mr & Mrs Baron

Mr & Mrs Baron reported, that school have reported that Taylor is making progress. Mr & Mrs Baron consider that Taylor has a limited attention span.

Mr & Mrs Baron report that Taylor's behaviour at home is nothing like that that is reported, on occasion, by school. Mr & Mrs Baron report that Taylor will do things at home, such as pushing people for example, that seem to arise from playfulness rather than aggression. Taylor can be defiant at home and will say 'no'.

Taylor acts out scenarios that he has seen on TV and in cartoons. He will watch some cartoons repeatedly.

Taylor sleeps well but experiences difficulties going to sleep.

Taylor has started to draw at home lately and will will write squiggly lines and 'read out' what this pretend writing says.

Mr & Mrs Baron report that they had concerns with regard to the way the classes had been organised within the Infants and that this seemed to have had a negative impact upon Taylor's progress.

3. SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Discussion with regard to construction, implementation, reviewing and evaluation of Taylor's IEP*, and the Programmes of work within this, will be required within Taylor's next review meeting in school.

SMART targets will be required: that is targets that are Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Realistic and Time limited.

In addition clarity will be required as to:

Who is responsible for the implementation of each of the programmes;
Who is involved and responsible for the monitoring of each of the programmes;
The resources and materials to be used for each of the programmes;
The allocation of time for reviewing and discussing work, and preparation of resources if/as required;
Where the work is to be undertaken;
At what frequency and duration work on each of the programmes is to be undertaken (dates for reviewing will need to be specified);
The strategies to be used in terms of behaviour modelling and management eg. the 'when and then' strategy;
The appropriate and agreed sanctions for inappropriate behaviours;
The date for the next reviewing and planning meeting.

In view of the difficulties experienced by Taylor with sight/sound recognition and his good visual skills it is suggested school consider that a high frequency sight word programme be implemented.

Continued specialist teacher support will continue to be required.

Continued involvement of the SLT* Service as deemed appropriate by that service.

*Mrs W, Miss B, Mrs S & Ms C have only been named by their surname initial on my behalf to protect their privacy.
*ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
*SENCO - Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator
*Hillside School - ASD Specialist School
*LEIS - Lancashire Education Inclusion Service
*PECS - Picture Exchange Communication System
*IEP - Individual Education Plan
*SLT - Speech & Langauge Therapy

Speech & Language Therapy Report - May 2010

2010-05-31T13:03:00.002+01:00

Speech and Language Strengths and Difficulties

Attention - Taylor's attention to language continues to improve. His concentration within conversations is good. He can participate in a conversation (on a subject that interests him) and can remain on topic. He is much more prepared to participate in activities directed by others.

Understanding of Language - Taylor's comprehension of language while delayed continues to improve. This is now not a limiting factor to his access of the curriculum.

Expressive Language - As with his comprehension, Taylor's expressive language continues to make good progress. His sentences are generally now correctly produced. He can make his needs known.

Speech Production - Taylor's speech is intelligible.

Social Communication - Taylor has social significant communication difficulties. He is making progress with this. His ability and willingness to participate with other's activities greatly supports his learning.

Summary and Future Intervention

Taylor continues to make excellent progress with his language and communication skills.
Taylor will continue to receive support from the Speech and Language Therapy service.

Autism Logo Collage

2010-04-10T15:33:00.001+01:00

I did this Collage of Autism Logo's using a program called Picasa which you can download for free from Google. It really is a great little program, that I use on a daily basis now for all kinds of different things.

World Autism Awareness Day

2010-04-02T14:20:00.000+01:00

Autism Awareness

2010-04-01T22:46:00.003+01:00

PLEASE put this logo on your Blogs or Facebook etc profile's to help us raise awareness of this Disability so we can get more help in recognising it and getting more help and support for our children and families that are dealing with it on a daily basis. Thank you xXx

Thank You Twitter

2010-03-05T12:22:00.005Z

I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Twitter. I joined this network last year and have met some wonderful people along the way.

As a lot of you who read or follow this Blog will know by now that we have been experiencing lots of problems with Taylor's school. We recently put in for a transfer to another school, and the outcome in still ongoing. Long before we decided to transfer I looked into Homeschooling Taylor and it completely baffled and bewildered me. I researched it on many different websites, forums and Blogs and just got even more confused, so put it on stand-by for a while.

I got talking to a friend on Twitter a while back and she informed me that Homeschooling really is a doddle. I disagreed! She then informed me that it really is a doddle as she did it with both of her own Autistic children. So, I recently took the opportunity to ask for her help and advice on the matter. Over the past few days we have been emailing each other almost non-stop and I have learnt a great deal from her. She has also offered to send me some of her own books to read through and yesterday asked me what reading books Taylor was usuing at school. He fetched one home yesterday so I told her what it was and she said they have quite a few of them and will sort something out.

If it wasn't for Twitter, I would never have found this woman, even though I can't actually remember how I found her/she found me! But either way I am so glad that we got to know each other. So I will end this post by saying:

@AnnieBannister - THANK YOU very very much for all your help and support. I am and will be forever greatful xXx

Autism Awareness

2010-02-04T14:13:00.002Z

Please put this on your Facebook status or Blog if you know someone (or are related to someone) who has AUTISM. My wish for 2010 is that people will understand that autism is not a disease; people with autism are not looking for a cure but for ACCEPTANCE ...... 93% won't Copy and Paste this, will YOU make this your status for at least one hour?

HELP!!

2010-01-17T12:00:00.004Z

I need some help and advise.

Over the past 2 months we've been trying to get Taylor dry at nights and everything seemed to be going well. I made him a sticker chart for his bedroom door. I got him to gather up all his nappies and put them in a box outside his bedroom door, and told him that Santa would come, take them away and leave him some Spiderman pyjama's (which he did!!) and whipee we cracked it. 3 nights on the run no wet beds, then once or twice we had the occasional accident. Altogether he went about 4 weeks leading up to and over Xmas where he was dry every night. BUT...for the past 3 weeks he has been wet everyday. Not only is he wetting the bed in the morning, but he's now wetting the bed in the middle of the night and on odd occasions, while he's still awake watching his DVDs at the start of the night when he's gone to bed.

He won't use the toilet upstairs at night (he says it's too scary) so we put his potty in his bedroom and he does use it. I really don't know what's gone wrong, but no matter what we do or tell him he's still wet at least 2ce a night/day. We are still using his sticker chart but it's having no affect at all now. I don't want to tell him that wetting the bed like he is is naughty or wrong because it's not. I don't think he's doing it deliberately but I really don't know and can't put my finger on the reason he's doing it.

Does anybody out there have any suggestions or tips that can help us? PLEASE if you do either email me at the address at the top of this page or leave a comment below. We are getting desperate now. I've been advised by a few people to take him to the doctors and get tablets or sprays to help, but before I do that I want to exhaust every natural way of doing it that I can. I know he is capable of staying dry as he's already proven that. I just don't know what else to do except scream!!

Speech & Language Therapy Report - Jan 2010

2010-01-16T16:50:00.004Z

Speech and Language Strengths and Difficulties
Taylor continues to make excellent progress with all aspects of his communication.

Taylor's attention to language is greatly improving. He can listen to instructions and participate in brief conversations on topics that interest him. This is a significant development.

Taylor's comprehension of language remains somewhat delayed compared to age peers, however this is improving, and his improved attention skills will drive progress further in this area.

His expressive language has made significant progress. Currently this is at a similar level as his Comprehension. The amount of information he includes and the complexity of his sentences continues to increase.

Taylor's speech is intelligible to a listener, both in and without context.

Taylor has social communication difficulties. His attentional abilities have enabled him to make strides in this. He is more willing to engage in conversation with both adults and peers. He can focus on language that is directed to him. This will be extremely advantageous in developing his access to the curriculum within school, and wider learning in the world in general.

It is important to state however, that despite Taylor's better attention to spoken language, understanding and language use, his performance in any situation will be dependent on a number of factors, such as his willingness to participate, how comfortable he feels with the situation and his engagement at the time.

Summary and Future Intervention
Taylor continues to make excellent progress with his language and communication skills.
Taylor will continue to receive the support of the Speech and Language Therapy service for the foreseeable future.

Webcam Fun

2010-01-07T16:23:00.000Z

Blue Rose

2009-12-03T12:42:00.000Z

Wordle Art

2009-11-15T16:44:00.006Z

This was done on a website called Wordle. You type as many different words as you like and Wordle mixes them up for you in different ways and colours and fonts!! As you can see above. I based my Wordle picture on words relating to Taylor and after about 30odd times of clicking on 'Randomize' this is the one I decided to stick with lol. To go to the Wordle website and make your own picture click ->HERE<-

Fund Raising

2009-10-21T21:32:00.005+01:00

Received a letter and newsletter from the National Autistic Society on Monday telling me that they are after volunteers for more fund raising events. I did the Thomas Train Walk last May and we raised £228 but I'm unsure of whether or not to do another one so close to xmas!! The Train Walk events will be taking place again next year in June, but they're after people holding a new Tea Party event before xmas called FestiviTea!!

Will mull it over and have a talk to a few people and let you all know what I decide!! If I don't decide to do this one, watch out for details next year of my Thomas Train Walk fund raising event (I'll definitely be doing that one again) xXx

Click Here For FestiviTea Details

Close Your Eyes And Dream

2009-10-06T23:58:00.001+01:00

Somewhere in your dreams tonight

You’ll see me standing there,

You’ll look at me with a loving smile

And say “It isn’t fair”.

I know it all seems hopeless

And you haven’t got a clue,

Please don’t cry for me

Stop feeling sad and blue.

Please take my tiny hand

Walk with me and see,

I’m following the path

That’s been specially made for me.

I’m sure you’ll find a place for me

In this confusing world some day,

Where people accept me for who I’ll be

And guide me on my way.

Close your eyes and dream away

For tomorrow you will see,

Ahead of us a brighter day

For you and also me.

Autism Explained

2009-09-17T10:30:00.006+01:00

The post below was copied & pasted from the website www.medicalnewstoday.com

I have come across many an explanation of Autism and what it entails, but this one seems to keep it simple and understandable! Unfortunately it is way too long to use as a post, so if you want to read you will have to click on the website link!!

I would also like to thank my new follower. Thank you very much for taking an interest and hope you find my Blogs useful. xXx

Myths About Autism

2009-09-17T10:28:00.002+01:00

A person with autism feels love, happiness, sadness and pain just like everyone else. Just because some of them may not express their feelings in the same way others do, does not mean at all that they do not have feelings - THEY DO!! It is crucial that the Myth - Autistic people have no feelings - is destroyed. The myth is a result of ignorance, not some conspiracy. Therefore, it is important that you educate people who carry this myth in a helpful and informative way.

Not all people with autism have an incredible gift or savantism for numbers or music. People with autism are ordinary people... with autism.

Happy Birthday

2009-09-16T23:53:00.001+01:00

What Is Autism?

2009-09-12T14:52:00.002+01:00

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability. It is part of the Autism Spectrum and is sometimes referred to as an Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. The word 'Spectrum' is used because, while all people with Autism share three main areas of difficulty, their disability will affect them in very different ways. Some are able to live relatively 'everyday' lives; others will require a lifetime of specialist support.

the three main areas of difficulty which people with Autism share are sometimes known as the 'Triad of impairments'. They are:

difficulty with social communication
difficulty with social interaction
difficulty with social imagination

It can be hard to create awareness of Autism as people with the disability do not 'look' disabled: parents of children with Autism often say that other people simply think their child is naughty, while adults find that they are misunderstood.

All people with Autism can benefit from a timely diagnosis and access to appropriate services and support.

About Time Too!!

2009-09-09T23:13:00.002+01:00

w00p check out my new background on this page, well chuffed and it's about time too!! It's here to stay on this page now i'm affraid :o)

Adventure Farm

2009-08-19T14:27:00.003+01:00

Children's Adventure Farm Trust

Twitter is turning out to be a very valuable source of information as well as a really great place to make new friends and stalk, erm, I mean follow your favourite celebs!!

I am following a number of celebrities and being female am loving all the gossip lol. I am also following Stephen Fry (@stephenfry), and I left him a message a few weeks ago thanking him for the good work he did with the narration of the Transporters DVD. I checked my followers yesterday as it seemed to have dramatically increased and to my great delight saw that the man himself Mr Stephen Fry is following me too - w0w, I mean rally WOW - never in a million years would I have thought someone of his great status would be following little old me!! Not only that, I received a Direct Message off him saying he was touched that the Transporters DVD made such a huge difference and thanked me for letting him know!! Major shock and I still can't believe it!!

Anyway, I am also following someone called @AdventureFarm and I've found out about a great place for disabled kids across the North West England to go for day visits and also week long holidays via their schools. I have also just been informed that in 2010 they are going to start doing weekend breaks for families but you have to pay. So I am looking into that in greater detail when the new information is available. For information on the farm please click on the link at the top of this post (Children's Adventure Farm Trust) xXx

Mad World

2009-08-12T12:51:00.005+01:00

I must admit this is not a song I particularly like very much. I watched a documentary last night called The Autistic Me and posted the article I found about it on Facebook, which sparked a comment about the lyrics. I googled them and after reading them realised that despite the comment in the article saying it wasn't an appropriate song to have played when dealing with Mental Health issues, it was in fact the perfect song to have played (in my opinion)

I posted the lyrics in a post below, for people who haven't heard it to read, and to me it sum's up how Autistic kids/adults feel about the world on a daily basis. The song Mad World is a Tears For Fears cover about the Vietnam War. But is now more commonly related to Autism because of the lyrics, as they are very apt and a lot of Autistic people relate to the song in a lot of different ways. It was also used as the soundtrack for a film called Donnie Darko in which the character showed Autistic tendencies throughout the film.

In my opinion this is going back to the Rain Man theory. I hear from lots of different people that their child is always referred to as The Rain Man when they tell someone he/she is Autistic. In my experience this is not the case. Because of my age and my friends ages, I tend to get the response of 'like the little boy in Mercury Rising' which is exactly what I thought when the news was broken to us. This was probably mainly because I've never watched the film Rain Man all the way through, whereas I'd already seen Mercury Rising a LOT of times beforehand as I am a huge Bruce Willis fan! I'm suspecting that it's probably the older generations who automatically think of The Rain Man because of the era it was released, whereas the younger generation will think of Mercury Rising because it was a fairly recent film and like myself may not have seen Rain Man. It's a bit like the Banana Boat Song - Day-O. The older generation will tell you immediately that it was Harry Belafonte that sang it, whereas the younger generation will refer to it as 'the song from Beetlejuice' and won't necessarily know the singer's name. These theories go on forever and no matter who or what these songs are written for or about, everyone will always see them as the 'perfect' song for them in some way or another!!

Here is a list of my favourite songs which have nothing at all to do with Autism, that I can relate to myself where Taylor and his Autism are concerned (I hope this gives the general idea of what I was trying to get at by all that rambling!) My list is literally endless, so I will narrow it down to 10 songs and singers. Feel free to click on the lyrics link next to each song to see the lyrics to that specific song:

1) Beuatiful Disaster - Kelly Clarkson (lyrics)
2) Big Boys Don't Cry - Lolly (lyrics)
3) Every Part Of Me - Victoria Beckham (lyrics)
4) Hold On - Wilson Phillips (lyrics)
5) I Know Him So Well - Elaine Paige (lyrics)
6) I Wish I Knew How It Feels To Be Free - The Lighthouse Family (lyrics)
7) I'm Your Angel - R Kelly & Celine Dion (lyrics)
8) Outside - Staind FT Fred Durst - (lyrics)
9) Somewhere Out There - An American Tail Soundtrack (lyrics)
10) Us Against The World - Westlife (lyrics)

Man that really wasn't easy as I have lots and lots to choose from, so I just went through my list and picked 10 at random!

Mad World Lyrics

2009-08-12T12:50:00.003+01:00

All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for the daily races

Going nowhere, going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses

No expression, no expression

Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow

No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles its a very, very

Mad world, mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good

Happy birthday, happy birthday

And I feel the way that every child should

Sit and listen, sit and listen

Went to school and I was very nervous

No one knew me, no one knew me

Hello teacher tell me, what's my lesson?

Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take

When people run in circles its a very, very

Mad world, mad world, enlarging your world

Mad world

The Autistic Me

2009-08-11T23:01:00.001+01:00

Tuesday's TV choice is The Autistic Me, BBC Three, 9pm

In a generally sensitive portrait of three young men, The Autistic Me shows autism is not a one-size-fits-all disorder...

GIVEN the dazzling inability of some men to communicate, you could be forgiven for imagining they might be a little autistic. But being uncommunicative and socially inept doesn’t even begin to cover the real thing.

Tom, 15, attacked his father with a knife (“I was just trying to scare him off,” he explains). Twenty-something Oli has high-functioning autism but can’t get a job. He loved a placement stamping books at the British Library, but already thinks he’ll never find that high again. And Alex, 24, is looking for love, and he’s not a bit picky. He’ll consider any hair colour, ethnicity, or size up to 6ft5in, so long as she’s a non-smoker.

The abiding image we have of autism is Dustin Hoffman’s overblown turn as tic-ridden misfit Raymond in the film Rain Man, but The Autistic Me presents three very different young men growing up with the developmental disorder that affects one in 100.

Autism is characterised by poor communication, impaired social interaction and repetitive behaviour, and those in its grip can perceive the world as a strange place.

Like many of us, Alex from Brighton, who has a form of Asperger’s (one of the milder conditions on the autistic spectrum), trawls the web looking for his ideal woman. He finds a girl and everything seems to indicate a positive outcome until they meet… and sit in silence.

We know how desperately Alex wants a girlfriend, but he finds it virtually impossible to make eye contact, or speak to her. Yet, even with the odds stacked against them, the pair are soon mooning over each other.

If only things were going as well for Tom. Thomas from Kent has bleach-blond hair and a volatile temper, sleeps in late, plays guitar, has rock posters on his wall and Led Zeppelin albums scatter his room. All perfectly normal teen stuff, until mum lets us into a mortifying secret. She digs out an old Sooty video and tells us that this is what gives him the most pleasure.

This is where the difficulty lies: Tom is desperate to grow up, but is not behaving in a grown-up manner, and our hearts go out to him. He says: “When I’m in the car and I can see a group of people playing football and having fun together – I’ve never actually done that.”

Engaging and sometimes distressing, this doc still handles its subjects with care. That is, until glum, jobless Oli is filmed sat in his kitchen with Mad World playing on the embedded soundtrack – not the most sensitive ditty to play on a programme about mental disorders.

Jumble Aid - Great Way To Help Chartiy

2009-08-11T11:17:00.003+01:00

Jumble Aid (<--- Click to take you to the webiste)

How It Works

In a nutshell

When someone has an unwanted item that they wish to use to raise funds for their chosen charity they simply post it on the site – we call these gifts.
Anyone who would like to take a gift registers their interest by making a pledge that they are prepared to pay if successful.
The successful Seeker makes their payment and then collection or delivery is organised between the two.
The payment does not go to JumbleAID but directly into a Charities Trust Account. Charities Trust are themselves a registered charity and are the country’s second largest HM Customs & Revenues approved Payroll Giving Agency.
They process all donations, adding GiftAid where applicable and distribute the funds, less transaction charges, to the nominated charities.
Not a penny of any donation goes to JumbleAID.

Below are further details about the process and how it works – Happy JumbleAIDing!

In detail

JumbleAID is free for everyone to use, all you have to do is register.
Once registered you have two choices, you can be a ‘Gifter’, a ‘Seeker’ or both (so that’s 3 choices then!).

As a Gifter you can:

Convert unwanted stuff into valuable funds for your chosen charity
Keep stuff out of landfill
De-clutter your space
See all pledges placed against your gifts
Select the winner of your gifts
Pass items on to people who have a use for them or a real need
Offer stuff to a seeker who has placed a ‘Wanted Ad’ – this would help your charity too
Keep track of how much you have helped to raise for your chosen charities
Create a Group Scheme and keep track of your combined efforts
Join in with the JumbleAID Community Forum

As a Seeker you can:

Search for specific items that you want
Browse the site for items available locally
Browse the site for items available in aid of your chosen charity
Watch gifts you are interested in
Place sealed pledges for gifts – only the Gifter gets to see these
Place Wanted Ads for items you are looking for
Place JumbleALERTS that will notify you of the listing of a matching item
Keep track of how much you have helped to raise for your chosen charity
Create a Group Scheme and keep track of your combined efforts
Join in with the JumbleAID Community Forum

The process

Having registered, a Gifter places an item on the site – it’s quick and easy.
When thinking about your gifts consider grouping small items together – for instance 5 Thriller Novels or 2 CDs.
When listing an item you give it a title and select a category. Imagine what words you would use to search for this item.
You then select a button to show the general condition of the item – don’t over do it!
You can upload up to 3 images of the item – think about what you would like to see if you were a Seeker. If you use images that are representative of the gift but not the actual item please make this quite clear in the description.
You then complete a short description of the item (be truthful and accurate please!).
You place a ‘Target Pledge’ on the item. This gives the Seeker an indication as to how much you are hoping to raise. It is NOT a reserve price and Seekers may pledge less than your target. Be aware that if you place too high a target pledge, it may put Seekers off.
You then select your chosen charity to benefit from the pledge. You can select any UK registered charity or worthy cause that is registered with the Charity Commission. If your charity is not listed, please let us know and we’ll add them.
In selecting how long you want your listing to last, think about how quickly you want to get rid of your item. The longer it is listed, the more chance Seekers have of seeing it. If you have an item that you want to move quickly you can list it as a ‘Get It Now’ listing. This means that any Seeker that pledges on or over your target pledge, wins your gift immediately.
Finally you select your collection or delivery options. Your choice here will probably be determined by the nature if the gift. If it is bulky it might be collection only – then again you might have a van or a trailer. If it is a small item that would fit in an envelope or a parcel then you may opt for the delivery option. As a Gifter you may consider it worth while paying the postage on a small item in return for a valuable donation to your charity. On the other hand you might opt for the Seeker to pay. In this case it is between you and the seeker to get payment from one to another. You could use postal orders, send stamps, cheques or use PayPal. We have included a link on the site to the Royal Mail Price Finder to help you calculate the cost of delivery.
You can preview the listing before you actually list the item.
You will be informed by email and through our messaging system of all the progress of your Gift Listings and when a listing ends you select the lucky recipient of your gift.
Having registered, a Seeker is able to make a pledge for any gift that they are interested in. The pledge is sealed, nobody else sees it. All you can see as a Seeker is the number of pledges that have been made.
When a Seeker wins a gift they are asked to fulfil their pledge. When this has been successfully received into the Charity Trust Account both parties are informed and the transfer of the gift is done. Both Gifter and Seeker are given email details of each other to aid communication in finalising the collection and delivery details. It is their choice if they wish to exchange telephone numbers but this often helps.

Autism & Films - Keep It Real Plz

2009-08-10T22:08:00.008+01:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8192895.stm

Came across this news article on Twitter not too long since and I just had to post it here and have a good old rant and rave about it. I suppose I should really be doing this on Minxy's Blog, but as it entails Autism, I thought I'd Blog on here!

I absolutely loved the film Mercury Rising long before I even gave birth to our son. It always fascinated me and for a long time I couldn't quite make my mind up whether or not the boy that plays Simon really was Autistic! Now I deal with Autism on a daily basis, I still love the film, but I find myself tending to watch more of what the character Simon is doing and acting like throughout the film rather than the film itself. Although, as said in the article above, Hollywood is 'sexing' up Autism and although promoting awareness via the 'A-list' celebs I do tend to see a lot of our son in Simon's (I don't know the boy's real name) character. The 2 things that really make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when watching the film, is when he spins the wheels on the toy car and when he rolls his eyes to the top of his eyelids when he looks at you. Taylor does (or used to do) that all the time. And also, I must admit I have never watched The Rain Man, I have seen odd bits of it, but i've never sat down and watched it all the way through. I hear a lot that when someone mentions the phrase "He is Autistic" the majority of people's response is "oh right, like The Rain Man?" I must say, I have never had anybody say that to me. My usually heard responses have been "like the little lad in Mercury Rising?" and to be honest, when I was first told that Taylor was Autistic, Mercury Rising was my first though too!!

Anyway, what I am mostly annoyed about is as I said above, Hollywood's desire to 'sex' it up. I totally agree with this statement made in the article:

Dr Murray agrees. As a father of two children on the autistic spectrum, he says he relates more to something like The Black Balloon, an Australian film released last year. The story focuses on a family living with an autistic son and depicts scenes with the boy running down the street naked or throwing himself down on the supermarket floor.

It may not be as romantic as the story of a maths genius, but it's the reality, says Dr Murray.

"We've all had the supermarket thing happen. This rings true to us in a way that somebody doing the square root of a million and nine doesn't," he says.

I totally agree, Hollywood can still make Autism based films and portray the 'real' Autism and make viewers want to watch it and enjoy it. Everyone (women especially) loves a good tear jerker and Autism is just that. Every little thing they do is enough to make you cry. From tantrums in town, to the first time they tell you they love you! After all, if you want to see a fantastic 'real Autism' film hire or buy a film called After Thomas. It's absolutely brilliant, has a few well known actors in it and is a real tear jerker at the end. It's one of my favourite films based on Autism. xXx

You Spin Me Right Round!!

2009-08-10T15:57:00.003+01:00

Taylor loves to spin everything. He turns anything with wheels (pram, scooters, cars, even our suitcases) on upside down and spins them for hours on end if left to do so. When we got his bike he turned that upside down and span all 4 wheels as fast as he could, led on the floor underneath the bike and watched them all go round. When they had finished he then examined the chain to see where it went to, then span the wheels again and tested the break to see how it worked. This went on for about 45mins and only after that would he get on it and play! He still occasionally turns it upside down to spin the wheels.

His latest spin 'obsession' is to sit on my pc chair and hurl himself from the desk to the other end of the dining room (about 12ft) spinning it around as he goes. It frightens the life out of me as i'm never sure if he will fall off it. What completely amazes me though, is the fact he NEVER seems to get dizzy from doing it. Once he has reached the other side of the room, he will then put his feet on chair legs and his stomache and head on the chair seat and use his feet to hurl himself back towards the desk, not giving a care int he world to what or whom he bangs into during the 'ride'.

So i asked Google! Is spinning in Autism a good or a bad thing? I came across hundreds of articles and Blogs and forums, but this one seemed to be the only one that explained the pro's and con's in simple english!!

The negatives... it can certainly contribute to obsessive-compulsive behavior in my opinion if allowed to continue without supervision/time limits, etc. The more one does something... the more one may want to do it... there are certainly issues with the frontal and temporal lobes in these children and damage to the frontal lobe is certainly associated with obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Does that mean "all spinning is bad"? I don't think so. The more I think about this issue and how truly fascinating the human brain really is, I can not help but wonder if spinning may actually play a beneficial role in these children also. Why do I say that?

The frontal lobe is tied to motor functions (something that would certainly be involved in spinning) as well as with motor planning and execution. Again... damage to this part of the brain is known to result in obsessive-compulsive behavior...but... this is also the part of the brain that is involved in speech production, control of emotions, higher thought processes, etc... and these are all functions that all very much appear to be impacted by the cerebellum (at the back of the brain)...one of the parts of the brain known to be among the most impacted in autism. So... could an activity such as spinning be helping to produce new neural connections between the frontal lobe and the cerebellum... a part of the brain now known to be involved not only in motor coordination, but possibly in the coordination of emotions, language and higher thought processes? If indeed this were true, then "spinning" may actually have "a purpose"

Thus... parents need to "weigh" the good and the bad... and if they choose to allow spinning, I am very much of the opinion that it must be limited in terms of "how much" is allowed so that it does not become "obsessive-compulsive behavior"... personally, I now allow some... but I would not allow my child to "spin at will incessantly"... the fact that a child "craves" spinning... does not necessarily make it all good... but neither does it make it all bad. Drug addicts "crave drugs" but we don't give them drugs just because they crave them. However, when it comes to "spinning" in autism... personally, I just don't think we understand enough of the human brain to necessarily say it is "all bad"... that perhaps "some is good"... but too much, in my opinion, could easily become very, very, very, very bad...definitely something I see as a "double-edged sword".

I went back and forth on this issue of spinning so many times... wondering if I should allow it or just prevent it completely. I do think it acts as a "stress relief" for my son - to this day - although he does not spin nearly as much as he used to and a simple "stop spinning" is now enough to make him stop... but, truly... why is it this particular activity that so many of these children do? Could there indeed be a plus side to spinning if indeed it may help with the rebuilding of connectivity between the cerebellum (at the back of the brain) and the many functions associated with the cerebellum that are located in the frontal lobes (speech production, motor functions, control of emotions, higher thought processes, etc.). Truly, spinning in the child with autism, in my opinion, is a fascinating subject indeed and one that may unlock many other mysteries if solved!

Autism & Toilet Training Article Found Online

2009-08-09T20:37:00.001+01:00

As if toilet training were not difficult enough for parents, training a child on the autism spectrum to use the toilet presents additional challenges. Higher functioning children may have only a slight delay, while lower functioning children may not have success for many years, if at all. The positive thing is that parents can work on different strategies to eventually, step-by-step, get their child to a point where minimal supervision is needed and the child is able to independently perform these functions.

Often there are sensory issues involved that slow the process. Other issues are communicative in nature related to not understanding the social aspects of using the toilet. When a child has no speech, being used to diapers and then attempting to remove them and put on underwear makes little or no sense. They are used to going in the diaper and how that feels. When the child is ready, they might begin to imitate some of the things they see. This would likely be an ideal time to work at it. In most cases, urinating is the first success as with typical children. All children are different and the age that they "should" begin to try or learn cannot be defined other than "when they are ready" to begin. Parents can of course get a head start and work with pictures (pecs) and maybe storyboards (social stories) as cognitive tools, but the real deal will be the physical actions, and success should not be expected to happen overnight.

Remember that a child with autism will likely start toilet training later than typical children. Many cannot understand the "why" related to the social areas, and explaining it to them often does little good, especially if they are non-verbal. A lot of resistance may be purely sensory in nature, which can stall the success. There are many parents that use diapers for several years, graduate to pull-ups, (which is a huge gain and sign that you are getting there) and then may get into the underwear (with many messes). Do not be surprised if your non-verbal child is age 8-10 yrs. when you get "close". If you have the opportunity to spend a great deal of time daily with the child and/or can work along with an experienced professional, the success may or may not be faster. There are also cases where development is very low and it may not happen at all. Everything will depend on the level of severity of the autism. The other factor would be the participation of the parent(s) in a planned step-by-step gradual routine. The day that your child finally sits on that toilet and has some success will be worth all those trying efforts! Again, it takes more time, especially if there is no professional intervention and the parent is doing it alone, working with small successes and moving forward from there.

There are books by professionals and even live training for parents to assist in this process. Depending on where you live there may not be an instructor nearby, but contact your local autism society or support group and ask about this topic and where they would recommend you look for help. When you do have success, there will likely be a need for supervision on the "clean up" and some sanitation issues, but at least the child is able to have most of the process under control on their own. This issue is one of many that parents of children with autism face that is not understood by those that have typical children. Always remember that there are many parents like you out there that do understand and you are not alone...keep the faith!

New Look & New Page

2009-08-09T17:11:00.003+01:00

Well, I must say a big THANK YOU to Twitter. For some bizarre reason it has over the past week restored my passion for Blogging again. I have somewhat become addicted to it, I have no idea why because unlike Facebook, I have not yet found anything to do on there, other than follow celebs and people I have never in my life met before in hope they follow you back and upload pictures!!

I have decided that I am no longer going to Blog on this page about MY personal daily ramblings, unless Autism related and have decided to go back to using this page for what it was origionally designed for. Research on Autism and updates on Taylor's progress. I added my own Blog page quite a while back called My Blog but it hasn't been used to it's full potential as it's been all to easy and tempting to Blog everything together on here.

I have also added another page called My Shuffles which is a way for me to quickly let everyone know in simple short Blogs exactly what I am thinking or feeling at any given time! I won't lie and will admit I pinched the idea off Facebook's Status Shuffle. I do write my own statuses on Facebook, but occasionally come across some very funny, inspirational, quirky, sarcastic and emotional Shuffles that I use from time time and may share on here too.

Other than the new page, I have also found a background for this page that seems to work very well. I've tried a number of them in the past for this page, but none of them ever seemed to fit the nature of the blog. I didn't wanna do it in girly colours, as although i'm the one that's Blogging, it's not MY Blog! I also didn't want to do it in boyish colours as some of the other pages relating to Taylor have been done that way. I wanted a neutral background, that was suitable for all topics of this Blog and finally i seem to have found one!!

I hope you all like the new designs of this page and the new one and carry on following my Blogs. Thank you for your support and please keep emailing me with your ideas, questions and experiences of living with people on the Autistic Spectrum. xXx

Tom Cruise - Lost The Plot??

2009-08-05T21:41:00.003+01:00

I stumbled across a quote by Tom Cruise yesterday while doing some research on 'supposed' Autistic Celebs, and it really made my blood boil. I posted the link on Facebook but every time i saw it on my wall i felt myself getting more and more enraged, so i deleted it today.

http://www.entertonement.com/clips/qlnqmpngyl--No-Such-Thing-as-a-Chemical-ImbalanceTom-Cruise-Scientology-Drugs-?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=share&utm_term=-&utm_content=-&utm_campaign=fb_8632

Click the link above to see what i mean, he says and i quote "there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance" and i say HOW THE HELL CAN HE COME OUT WITH A STATEMENT LIKE THAT AFTER MAKING THE FILM RAIN MAN? Surely they spent a huge amount of time researching Autism and what it entailed before making the film?

Ok, so Chemical Imbalance isn't a diagnosis for ASD but technically it's the same thing. I've heard a lot of people (even professionals at times) refer to ASD's as forms of Chemical Imbalances and others say it's like wiring a circuit board the wrong way, certain things don't work as they should and others go into meltdown. I personally prefer to relate to it as a Chemical Imbalance, as i hate to think my son's brain is gunna melt down and blow up!! But when they are trying to put these things into 'simple terms' as a lot of us ask them to do, i can see the logic's in their descriptions.

I am also extremely intrigued to see what he'd have to say if one of his children where to suddenly be diagnosed with ASD or another form of Mental Illness/Disability. Makes me chuckle to myself when i think of his reaction to the Paediatrician's. There's no such thing as a Chemical Imbalance, it's all in their head!! Well DUH!!!!!!!!!! Try telling that to a 5yr old. Scientologist my arse more like brainwashed sociopath!! xXx

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY

2009-07-14T23:16:00.001+01:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAYLOR...wow i really can't believe my lil man is 5 today. Where have all the years gone!? He finishes school next Tuesday for the 6wk holls and I'm dreading how I'm gonna be able to keep him amused!! Gonna start doing some research and see what handy tips i can find! Not too bad when the weather's god cause we can go out for the day, but all we seem to get is rain at the moment. We had some really good weather a few weeks ago but that's just a distant memory now lol

Me & Mum went to Taylor's school assembly this morning and he did really well, really proud of him. He had a few fidgety moments but he managed to stay in line throughout the whole event! We had to pick him up at 3pm today to take him to see his Paediatrician and all went well, as usual he wouldn't fully co-operate with everything they wanted him to do, but other than that everything's fine and we have to go see her again in 12months time!!

Took him to Asda on the way home to choose his own birthday cake and of all the one's there he wanted a purple Bratz one lol..i showed him Thomas, Roary, Football, Ben 10, Tweenies, even a Dora the Explorer one too but nope he wanted a purple Bratz one!! The woman at the checkout found it highly amusing when she said "is it your sister's birthday?" and he said "no not my Dana, it's my birthday cake, i like Bratz" lol. We put it in a bag and headed back to the car and when we got in he suddenly screamed I WANT MY CAKE MOMMA so i told I'm when we get momma's house and he said he wanted to hold it, so i gave it to him to hold and all the way home he kept smiling and saying oooo pretty cake yum yum!!

We got home and he opened all his prezzies (mostly big Tonka Trucks and cars) then he sang happy birthday to himself and i cut his cake and he had a piece, said it was yummy then told me to put it away!! He had a good day,was nice & quiet and he went to bed on time and was asleep by 8.30pm. We're having a party for him on Saturday so things will be more hectic but he should be ok and he loves parties!! xXx

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2009-06-21T14:06:00.003+01:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the Dad's out there, hope you all have a great day and have lot's of fun too, whatever it is you may be doing. My husband is downstairs as I'm typing this watching the Grand Prix whilst I am upstairs in our bedroom with Taylor playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo Wii

Not very much has happened lately except for the Wii finally turning up after 6 weeks of waiting and a refund from Amazon lol. I got Wii Fit and the balance board and have been really enjoying myself playing on that and the good thing is, although it won't recognise Taylor's weight on the board for his own file he has been playing on mine and really loves playing on it. I am kinda glad in a way too cus he has some puppy pounds he really needs to get rid of and with the weather lately being as rubbish as it has we haven't really had the chance to get in the garden to have a run around, so he just ain't shifting it. It's really annoying too because he's on a restricted diet as it is, not for medical reasons but just because we can't get him to eat anything new. I've lost count of how many different ways I've tried to introduce new foods to his diet but he just spits it out, throws it to the dog, puts it in the bin or refuses pint blank to eat any of his food. He really loves his Pasta & Tuna and fruit too..he will eat banana's and apples one after another till they come outta his ears if you let him!! I got some grapes yesterday and I've had to hide them because he spotted them in the fridge and i gave him some then the little monkey got his stool and got them down off the top shelf in the fridge and proceeded to hide in the toilet and eat them all lol. I've had to hide the banana's for the same reason too, as they're for school lol.

Anyway, he has really taken to the Wii Fit and loves the balance games and the hoola hoop one and he especially likes the jogging one, so I'm trying to get him on it as often as possible now before the novelty wears off lol. Right, I'm gunna scoot now because we're going to my mom's for tea and to see my Dad and give him his cards & pressie. Take care & have a fantastic day. xXx

Nappy Free

2009-06-06T15:58:00.004+01:00

WOOHOO..it's been 1 week and 2 days since Taylor was last in a pull up/nappy during the day and no accidents as of yet, well chuffed and very proud of him too. He has even been in underpants for school since Tuesday and been to the toilet with no problems at all.

My new nappy delivery came on weds and they are a lot better than the old ones we used to get for him from NHS..these new ones are coming from Tenna and they are brilliant, typical thing is we have now decided to try our luck and see if we can get him to be dry at nights now too!! He stayed at mums last night as usual and she put him to bed with no nappy on, just his PJ's and was dry when he got up this morning, so we are gunna try him without nappies here tonight and see if we can keep this lucky streak going while it's fresh in his head. I personally ain't too convinced he's ready for it yet but I'm gunna try none the less as he has a habit of proving us wrong all the time lol, so here's hoping and everything crossed!! xXx

Train Walk

2009-05-18T20:06:00.002+01:00

We all got on board the Thomas Train Walk on Saturday 16th May and had a Fund Raising Party at our home between friends & family and managed to raise a really good total of £228 for The National Autistic Society

All my thanks to everyone who got involved, helped us organise it, turned up and of course gave generously to our very good cause. I love you all lot's and look forward to seeing you all again for next years event too. xXx

BBBRRR

2009-05-12T14:51:00.003+01:00

I am seriously considering looking into moving somewhere else. Our housing association are really starting to wind me up summat rotten. Last Thursday our boiler packed up on us, so i rang the 24hr out of services number and was told it could take up to 3 days for them to send somebody out. I wasn't happy but let them go ahead and note the call out. On Friday i rang the Social Services to see if they were right what they said about the 3 days wait with us having Taylor in the house (under 5 and disabled) and they didn't know so i rang The Citizens Advice and they checked and said that yes they are right because apparently the law was changed a few months back. BUT if you have children under 5, disabled children/young people or adults and also elderly people in the household you can ring your housing association/landlord to arrange for them to give you a written consent form saying that, if anything goes wrong and you aren't prepared to wait the 3 days you can call an independent contractor to come fix the problem and they will then claim the money from the housing/landlord people or make you pay and you can claim the refund.

I rang our housing association and asked them and they said they wouldn't do it because it wasn't a major problem and it would be cheaper to make us wait and send their own people. Somebody came out and repaired the boiler Friday afternoon. Everything was fine then it went off again Fri evening/sat morning sometime. My husband rang them back up and they once more said 3 working days (weekends and bank holidays not included) which they hadn't said before when i rang, they just said 3 days. They also then said that it would be Monday (yesterday) before they sent someone as nobody was on call over the weekend, which is complete rubbish because the guy that came Friday rang his mate that was on call at weekend and told him if i rang them back up over the weekend to give us priority and he said yep no worries. The guy came again yesterday to fix the boiler and did allsorts to it, then decided it was the expansion valve that was the problem. Somewhere in the house (more than likely under the floor) we have one all mighty leak as the boiler was completely empty and shouldn't have been. Because the boiler has emptied itself completely every time we use the tap/flush the chain or use the washer the boiler has cut out to stop it overheating and knocks the heating and hot water off. He topped the tank back up and said it'd last a few hrs so switch heating on and warm the house up before it knocks off again, which it did. He was due to come back at 9.30am this morning to sort the problem, it's now 3.05pm and no sign of him so i ain't a happy bunny at all. Not only have we gone all weekend without hot water and heating and all day today, it's looking very much like we're gonna have another night the same unless he gets here before 5pm when they clock off. It's pathetic and I'm appalled by the way we are being treated. I've got a good mind to report them to the papers and disabilities discrimination act, i don't believe for one minute they can leave us without heating and hot water like they have been doing when we have a child in the house, what if he'd have been a new born baby? I bet they'd have come out to us then despite what they say about the 3 days wait. The monkey's running this country need bloody shooting!!

Quick Update

2009-04-12T14:49:00.002+01:00

Mon 6th April 09
We set off to our Haven Holiday at Cala Gran in Fleetwood around 2.30pm. We were all excited and couldn’t wait to get there. Not that it mattered much with being in the car but the weather was really nice. We couldn’t check in till 4pm so we stopped off at McDonald’s on the way, just outside Lythm and had our tea. For once we ate in. Taylor did very well, sat still (had a few fidgety moments inbetween) and ate all his happy meal up, as well as doing some colouring on some sheets that where on the tables to keep the kids amused. I won a free hot drink off my milkshake tub but that was it lol. We stopped about half hour then set off again. We got to the camp somewhere around 4.30/45pm.
Me & Dana got out of the car and went to get the keys to the caravan. When she gave us the keys Dana giggled, the woman looked at her with a confused expression then showed us on the map where abouts our caravan was. Dana giggled once again, the woman asked what she was laughing at and she said, we are in the same place we were when we came last year but a different caravan. The woman then giggled and said oh well, you won’t struggle to find it then. We got back in the car and told mum and off we went. 5mins it took us to find it, last year it took us an hour n half to find the caravan lol. As it turned out when we pulled up on the car park where the caravan’s where, we were in the one right next door to the one we were in last year too!!!
Before we unpacked anything we went into the caravan to be nosy and it seemed massive. Everything was set out differently and even though i’d only booked a 2bed we was in a 3bed one. After having a really good look round we started to unload the car. Whilst putting all the food etc away me and Dana stumbled across 4 and a half full bags of crisps in one of the cupboards (18packs in each bag) nice welcoming gift lol. We got settled after unpacking and i asked Dana if she wanted to go to the Funworks to go to the club and she said no because she were tired, so we got Taylor off to sleep and sat watching TV. Dana went to bed around 11pm and me and mum went to bed about 1am. We sat in bed playing with our Nintendogs laughing and joking and mum laughed while she had a mouth full of tea and ended upspitting it out all over the bed and her dogs!! I think it was around 3am when we went to sleep lol.

Tuesday 7th April
Taylor woke us all up around 8.30am and we watched TV for a bit then we went to Lythm, St Anne’s to the beach. It was warm but really windy. We stayed about an hour then headed back to camp. We played in the Funworks building for a while then went to find out if Dana could go swimming on her own. She were happy because she could do, so we went back to the caravan and she grabbed her stuff and went. Taylor played his Thomas game on the laptop, mum fell asleep and i cleaned up. Dana cameback from swimming when it shut and we had tea then went back to the Funworks building. While she was swimming she made a friend and asked instead of going back to the caravan till later and coming back could she go to the club with her friend and her mum. I spoke to her mum and she said it was fine, so i told her i’d go back and pick her up at 9.30pm when the party dances had finished. She came back herself around 9.15pm. Got Taylor to bed and we watched Harry Potter on the laptop

Wednesday 8th April
I took Dana swimming and was really impressed with how well she can swim since starting lessons at school. She can swim better than i can lol. We got back at dinner time and then went to Farmer Parrs across the rd from camp. It’snot as good as what i expected it to be but the kids really enjoyed themselves and we were there a good couple of hours. Went back to camp and got fish and chips then Dana buggered off into the clun with her friend again, so we went back to caravan and watched another Harry Potter film. I went back for her at 10.30pm...they were a bit later with the party dances because of the Haven’s Got Talent competition, her friend entered and came 2nd!!

Thursday 9th April
We all got up at 9.30am had breakfast then went to Blackpool Zoo for the day. Taylor dragged me round the Dinosaur part about 5 times again then we went to look at the other animals and went for a ride on the train. Dana was getting fed up so we let her go and wander round the zoo on her own, and i rang her when we got to the train and she came to find us. She came on with us till we got to the petting zoo then instead of going back with us she stayed there. We went back and started walking downto meet her and she came running up to us very dissapointed as the petting zoo was closed!! We wandered round a few more times then we took them into the new Play Barn they’ve built at the side of the zoo. It’s £3 per child for 90mins playtime. It’s massive and really well set out, they really enjoyed themselves and stayed in there till 4.30pm then we set off back to camp, stopped off at Asda on the way to get some odd bits. We went n had a play in the Funworks building and once more Dana left us for her friend and went to the club lol. Taylor was falling asleep while walking so we went back to the caravan and put him straight to bed, and once again watched yet another Harry Potter dvd!! I aint a particular fan of them films but got into them all the same!! I picked Dana up from the club at 9.30pm. We packed as much stuff up into the car as we could do then went to bed.

Friday 10th April
We all got up early and packed the rest of the stuff up into the car then went to the Funworks for the last time. We cashed in all our tickets for some prizes then we set off to go to the Sealife Centre in Blackpool. Dana did the easter egg hunt competition and i wandered round with Taylor. He gets easily fed up in there as there’s not enough to hold his attention, so i took him through to the cafe area and watched him play in the kids play house. Dana & Mum come through about 10mins after us so Dana went to play too, then we found a burger stall and got some chips and hot dogs and went back to the car, then we set off for home.

Dana & Taylor were being monsters as usual and fighting and winding each other up so i gave Taylor his DS to play with which calmed him down and he fell asleep, then Dana fell asleep not long after and so did i. The next thing i know mum shouted OH SHIT and crash, we hit some ralings and took out a set of traffic lights and totalled the front drivers side of the car. We all got out and 3 police cars, 2 fire engines and the ambulance turned up almost straight away. They took mum intopolice car to breathalise her which of course was negative, then they bundled us all up into the ambulance and took us to Preston A&E into the children’s department. They checked us all overin the ambulance but Dana was thouroughly checked at the hospital as she has 3 friction scratches across her chest where the seatbelt dug into her. Taylor banged his head on what i suspect was the pram wheels and has a little bump and mark on his foreheadbut they said he was fine and to keep and eye on him for concussion. Me & Mum were ok except being very shook up and in shock. Dad & Tony turned up while i was with Dana when the doctor checked her over. Other than the marks she was fine. We all had minor whiplash and was advised to keep an eye on ourselves and the kids over the next week or so for other injuries creeping in once the shock had worn off.

It is now Sunday 12th April and the kids are fine except a few nightmares and sleepless nights. Mum is ok and thankfully back behind the wheel and i am in complete agony. My back and chest hurt and i think i’ve pulled the same muscle in my arm that i did before xmas so i’m off to the doctor’s when they open tuesday morning, also not sleeping at all up to now and extremely tired. Other than that we’re all ok and thankfully will live to see another Haven Holiday in August lol. xXx

Doomed

2009-04-04T17:09:00.003+01:00

AAARRRGGGHHH Mum has just fetched Taylor home and guess what?? YEP he's not well. He is running a temp and is led on the sofa watching 101 Dalmations, we just can't bloody win can we!?

Tiger Club Here We Come!!

2009-04-04T14:22:00.006+01:00

WOOHOO it's that time of year again when we get to do the world famous party dances and make complete and utter idiots of ourselves and nobody cares lol. Yep you guessed it, it's HAVEN HOLIDAY time. Me, Mum, Dana & Taylor are going back to the Cala Gran camp in Fleetwood. We go on Monday 6th and come home Friday 10th and i can't wait. We're all packed and ready to go and I'm counting down the hours lol.

The past 2 weeks have been hard work. Taylor has hardly been at school, poor little man. He came down with a Viral Infection 2 weeks ago, so had Wed-Fri off school. He went back last Monday and got sent home Wednesday afternoon. Took him to doctor's Thursday morning and he hadn't fully recovered from his Viral Infection so he had rest off week off last week as well. He is a lot better now though so hopefully we'll be bug free for the holiday.

Other than that and a lot of last minute packing, not very much has happened so i will leave it at that for now and update when we come back off our holls. xXx

2nd Report & Action Plan

2009-03-31T16:17:00.001+01:00

This report & 2nd Action Plan has been done by Lynn McCann from a specialist Autism school in Longridge called Hillside. She comes to Woodnook 1ce a month to observe and assess Taylor and the school’s progress, and provides advice and support. below is exactly what has been put into the 2nd Action Plan:

At my visit on 17.3.09 Miss B & Mrs S reported a number of areas of progress.

* Taylor is beginning to join in some class lessons including numeracy, phonics & PE. These are dependant on his moods but are a big step for Taylor.
*Taylor is now in full time school and sitting with other children in the hall at lunch times.
*Taylor is now doing a lot of things for himself such as putting on his coat, dressing & undressing for PE & sometimes independently joining in with the class lesson.
* He is hitting other children less times than he has been before.
* A PE lesson I observed was particularly successful in that Taylor got dressed himself, lined up and followed the teacher’s instructions really well. When he did go off tasks, Miss B was able to redirect him and he stayed for the whole lesson. It was a well set out and visually supported lesson (cones & skittles to indicate clear expectations)
* Taylor is working on set TEACCH structured tasks that are related to the curriculum up to twice a day in a workstation set up outside the classroom.

From my first visit it is clear that Taylor is now making small steps of progress at school. It was clear when I first observed him that he was a child who had great difficulty in coping with the communication, sensory and social demands of starting school, but now he is beginning to overcome this great challenge and is responding to the visual support, communication strategies, routines and timetable that have been put in place for him.

It was also clear that his Autism has impact on his ability to access positive interactions with other children. However, from my observations it is clear that he wants to interact with others and seeks to do so often. It is his lack of skills in this area that lead to these interactions breaking down and unfortunately to hitting or hurting others.

Overall I am very pleased with the progress Taylor is making and can see that he has much potential to succeed in mainstream school. However, his steps will be small and he will need support to learn the many complex social and learning skills he will need. It is important that the school adopt a long term view and make his steps achievable and the support autism related. I feel that the training course has benefited Miss B very much as I can see how she is applying some of the things she has learned on that course.

This Action Plan is intended to build upon the progress made but it is important to continue with the strategies now being used and be very consistent wherever possible.

Target 1: To reduce the number of hitting and pushing incidents against staff and other children (continue to let Taylor manage his timetable by using the Thomas picture)

*Keep a tally chart of incidents to count how many happen a day/week (alongside usual record keeping)
*Use ‘Good Friends’ social story and read with Taylor each day (ONLY when he is calm. Do not use when incident is occurring or just after. This is a preventative measure)
*Continue to use strategies previously suggested to redirect and support Taylor in the classroom.

Target 2: For Taylor to take turns in a structured game with another child.

*Use outside classroom or other quiet area.
* Take photos of other children in class and have Taylor learn their names as a 1:1 activity with Miss bailey
* Use turn-taking board and put Taylor and another pupil’s photos and names on it (each day if possible)
* Play simple turn taking games such as matching/snap/dominoes etc, using board for the children to say who’s turn it is each time (2-3 times a week)

Target 3: For Taylor to sit on the carpet for the duration of his timer (3-5min) at least once a day.

* Have Taylor make himself a mat with a favourite picture on it. Encourage him to sit on this mat in a place which gives him a little space from other children but is near them.
* Use timer to encourage him to sit or if engaged in activity leave him to join in.
* Praise and take photo of Taylor’s ‘Good sitting’
* Use timetable to let Taylor know it is time to sit on carpet and then let him come to it himself if possible.

Target 4: For Taylor to be doing 3 curriculum related tasks at his workstation twice a day.

* Continue with TEACCH workstation and include tasks that are relevant to Taylor’s understanding.
* Continue using Time to Talk and introduce Reception key words as a matching and reading activity.

SCREAM

2009-03-07T12:19:00.004Z

As the title of this post suggests that's what i want to do right at this moment in time. Things have been going well this past week with Taylor. He is still being aggressive at times but not as much as he has been over the last month or two. We've been told a few petty things at school about him which makes us even more determined to get him out asap but then all of a sudden things change in the blink of an eye and everything is going really well.

I've noticed over the last 4/5 weeks that his speech has come on tremendously well and he is now speaking in full sentences and also understands what he's saying or asking. He has had a couple of really good days at school and they also reported to us that he stood with the other children and weed in the urinal rather than using his pull ups or going to the toilet which is a major breakthrough as he won't use the toilet at school at all. He goes to the toilet but will just sit on it with pants and pull ups on and wee in his pull ups, even though he will use the toilet properly at home, so we were all really pleased about that huge milestone for him.

Me and mum called into Taylor's old Nursery yesterday to take them a copy of his school photograph and noticed a big certificate on the wall, they have won the Nursery of the year award so I'm really chuffed for them, they really do deserve it. It feels so weird going back to see them without Taylor. I miss them all a lot and as glad as i am that he's at school (granted not the one he's at now lol) a part of me still wishes he were still at Nursery. He will be 5 in July and it just seems impossible that time has gone so fast. He's not a baby anymore he's growing up and i find that really hard to deal with at the moment. I find it even harder to deal with the fact that Dana will be 11 in November, they grow up so fast these days, i feel like I've blinked and missed it all lol.

Anyway, nothing much has happened since i last blogged apart from Dana created her own Blog on here last weekend called Dana's Gemz of Wisdom, Me and My Brother. The link to it is in the links section on this page. She is in the process of tidying her bedroom at the moment and will be updating it later on today when she's done. She types it all up and i check it for spelling mistakes etc then publish it as she isn't old enough to have her own, so i oversee everything that goes into it before i personally hit the publish post button!! She has done very well, except only doing 1 post, she found her own background for it and chose the colour scheme herself too and it looks really good, I'm very proud of her for being honest in her post too. She wrote it all then asked me about a few things she'd wrote and said i will change it if you want me too but i told her to leave it as it was because that's how she feels. She said she felt a bit embarrassed about leaving it like that because it sounded silly and nasty and to some people it probably will do, but she is only 10yr old and i know what she means and other 10yr olds will understand what she means too, and at the end of the day it was set up like this one and my blog for her to write about how she feels and to get it off her chest, but also hopefully help other children out there see what it is like for her and for the ones who are in the same situation know they are not alone either

Harbingers of Autism

2009-02-16T22:16:00.005Z

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2008/11/06/harbingers-of-autism/comments.aspx

Well, i was all nicely tucked up in bed ready for an early night (due to man flu LOL) when i received a text message off a friend telling me to check out the link above to an American study on Autism and peoples comments on the report. I am absolutely astonished at the naivety (i hope that's the right word I'm looking for) of researchers and people in general on this issue. It's OK saying it's this and it's that and they all showed 'signs/symptoms' of this and that BUT every child is different and develop their 'signs/symptoms' in different ways and different ages.

Taylor's head circumference at birth was only about 2/3cm smaller than Dana's was and she was 5 days late and Taylor was 3 weeks early, but i was told that it was a good size and after the rigorous tests they do after birth was handed what i was told to be a healthy baby boy and that although he was 3 weeks early he weighed a healthy 6lb 3oz and both myself any baby could go home that same day as all tests where satisfactory.

I seriously can't see as to how they can base facts on babies head circumferences at certain ages, Dana's head i was told was rather larger than it should have been around the age of 6 months old, but was still satisfactory. She is now 10yrs old and if she has had a baseball type cap on i have to make it smaller to fit my head, and going off their findings she should be in the category of ASD kids BUT is typically developed and not a trace of OCD/ADHD or ASD in sight. I also (and sorry if i offend anybody here) strongly disagree with the MMR Vaccine 'blame' if you read the comments on that page (click link above..also on that page click return to article to read the article the comments have been based on) a few people have commented about the MMR conflict and tbh i agree with them. To quote one person from the comments:

"If the MMR vaccine causes autism why doesn't every child who has received the vaccine have autism?

which i have said many times before when it's been mentioned, yes Taylor has had all of his MMR jabs and all the others too (polio, diphtheria, meningitis etc) but i noticed 'quirky signs' with Taylor before he had his first MMR like the constantly wanting to be clean and looking at you through the corner of his eyes, although unfortunately never really picked up on it as being ASD at that time. He was a huggy baby and loved being kissed and cuddled but he also took a disliking to men at one stage and would only go to women, and all that aside (I'd be here forever if i got started!!) as quoted above, in that case why is Dana not Autistic too as she is also up to date with all of her Vaccines, as are about 20 other typically developed kids that i know of (all different ages) and not a trace of ASD in sight...stupid (in MY opinion)

I probably will offend some people now, as i also think it's a ridiculous notion that ASD can be 'reversed' or 'cured' and i ain't even going to get started on that one because that is something i do feel very strongly about to be honest and would argue about until I'm blue in the face!! A percentage of me still thinks that it is genetically linked although it is still unproven in England at least. BUT an even bigger percentage of me also agrees with another comment made on that website, ASD is NOT a tragedy, yes it's hard work but it did NOT steal my son (like a lot of other people and websites insist on telling us this 'thing' does) it just simply made me realise i was blessed with a precious gift, that i would need to take extra special care of and at the same time it's made me a stronger person and made me find things within myself i never knew was there. Confidence, Patience, Strength and an overwhelming sense of pride to be his mother. xXx

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2009-02-14T13:44:00.007Z

Thank you to everybody who has been sending me emails asking if everything is OK. I can assure you everything is fine and i do apologise for not blogging for a long time. Apart from a few technical glitches with the PC and Laptop i generally haven't seemed to find the time to update, as well as going through a phase of feeling sorry for myself due to all the issues with Taylor's school, but things although still strained in that area seem to be on the up, so faith is restored, for now!!

I won't bore you all with the inns and outs of what has been happening with the school issues other than we have looked into transferring him to a special needs school, which one and when we are unsure of yet but it does get complicated as there is so much involved in making it happen. Taylor is now (as of 4 weeks ago) in full time school (9am-3.30pm) and seems to have finally settled down but I'm still not convinced it's the best place for him to be. I will keep you informed of the developments regarding this issue as and when the wheels are set in motion.

Well, where do i begin...

My mother kindly woke me up with a text message this morning telling me to get my backside out of bed and check my mail as we are both registered carers with Carers Link and their newsletter came this morning. I was ordered to open it and read it ASAP as a little surprise was in there that would make me smile!! I got up and opened it and had a flick through and as guaranteed i came across a lovely surprise. The address for this blog has been published in the newsletter, and i would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Steph Driver and the Carers Link staff for being so supportive and making people aware of this blog because as quoted in the advertisement in the newsletter, I set this up whole blog/website up in the hope that it would be found by people in similar circumstances to let them see that they are not alone, and it's also allowed me to be able to let off steam through it as it's always good to get things off your chest.

I have been overwhelmed in the last 18 months (almost) since i set this up by the amount of emails i have received via the email address at the top of every page on this blog lending support and giving advice and just people thanking me for making them feel that there are positives that come out of living with disabled children. Your life does not have to end although at first it feels like it has, you just need to be able to find that inner strength you never realised you had and you can deal with anything that's thrown your way. Of course it helps hugely if you have people around you to help and support you and of course we still have emotions and have days where we feel we can't cope and just want to run away screaming and never come back, we are after all human and not super mom's/dad's, but my own experiences have shown me that no matter how bad a day you've had there is always a moment during that day where your friend, loved one or child even will look at you or say something that makes it all worthwhile. I won't lie everyday is a battle, but when they look up at you with them puppy dog eyes and smile so innocently then give you a hug, that alone in my case just seems to make the whole days bad bits fade away and not seem as huge as they were made out to be!!

I am one of the lucky ones who has great family support and a select group of extremely good friends, and my advice to you all would be, get out there show the world you're a proud parent NOT a victim and find as many other people as you can out there who are going through the same/similar thing and befriend them. Join every local support group you can find out there, register with your local Carers Link and all of a sudden you'll find you are NOT alone, there are other people in your area out there who do feel the same as you and know what you're going through. All you need to do is be confident, keep an open mind, have your say and make sure you're voice is heard and pretty soon you will be doing like i am now and trying to find and help as many other people as the ones who have helped you. Good luck. xXx

Update

2008-12-07T15:33:00.004Z

Well everything seems to be getting better with school these days and Taylor is liking it there more and more every week. He's been off for the last week and half with a chest infection and then the snow too. I have an appointment at the doctors with him on Tuesday at 6.30pm for a check up on his chest infection and also to have a test for Asthma. It would explain a lot if it's positive as he does do a lot of wheezing and coughing when he's been running around and also when he's ill. These things are hard to tell with kids sometimes though so I'm not holding my breath.

A woman came to see us on Thursday from the Family Fund to go over our application. She advised me not to go for the driving lessons as if i did we wouldn't get anything else and also wouldn't be able to apply again for 2yrs instead of 12 months time so i told her not to bother. We've applied for a Haven Holiday, TV for Taylor with built in digital and a new Washing Machine as ours is dying a slow and painful death and most probably won't be with us in 6 months time lol. She said she can't say yes for definite but doesn't see there being any problems and we will hear from them in 4-8weeks time yes or no. Fingers crossed!!! I'll keep you posted as soon as we hear.

Apart from me pulling a muscle in my shoulder and trapping and spraining a nerve in my arm and Dana growing two wisdom teeth, one either side at the top nothing much has happened, so not much to report. We went to a family party on Friday and had a great night but Taylor stayed at mums. We try to avoid taking him to parties because of his sensory issues with his ears and the socialising side of it but we, rather I decided it would be a good idea to have a family party here at our house on the 27th December to celebrate Xmas which of course means Taylor will be here and although I'm looking forward to it, I'm also dreading it as up to now except Taylor & Dana there are 5 other kids coming and he only gets on with 2 of them lol. I just hope he copes OK with it. xXx

Parents Evening

2008-11-12T10:04:00.002Z

Well, it went better than expected but still annoyed!! Aparently they have had 3/4 different people come into school to observe and assess Taylor's progress throughout the school mornings on various oaccasions in the last 6 weeks and the reports have come back saying that in their oppinion he is not yet ready to be there for any longer than he already is (which i didn't question aas i know the education office have been involved in at least one assessment due to the fact that he isn't there a full day) i suppose i could have asked for a copy of the reports but i trust them (for now) As long as i don't get socail services n education office banging on my door to find out why he isn't in school full time then i'm (still annoyed) ok with it for now.

We talked about them keeping us more up to date with the 'good' not necessarily the bad things throughout the week. Also at least once a month on a Friday to get together and have a meeting where Tony or Mum can come along and we can see how he's been doing and what he's been doing etc. I also told his teacher that in future if he's been 'naughty' or aggressive and hit someone etc to obviously let me know when i pick him up at diner time but to also arrange for me to go back down at 3.30pm and discuss it with them then, so by that time mum will be here to watch Taylor and i can go down myself and try and get to the bottom of it, maybe the bell or someone shouting loudly scared him and he's reacted by lashing out at the nearest child etc, all that kind of thing. So although we haven't moved up a step with the full days etc at school, i feel we have moved up a step with the communication side of things, but it's early days and we shall see!!! xXx

Happy Birthday

2008-11-09T14:18:00.001Z

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY DANA JADE

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY xXx

Preston North End Football Club

2008-11-06T10:30:00.004Z

I went to a football stadium on Tuesday for the 3rd time in my life (that i can remember anyways lol) to an ASD Seminar and it was really good and very useful. I went alone as mum had to pick Taylor up from school at 12pm for me. Hopefully that matter should be sorted soon, as it's parents evening on the 11th and I'm taking Tony with me to help reinforce the calm as I'm about ready to blow!!! Taylor seems to like his new support worker. In case i didn't mention in previous posts (i haven't checked) the last one he had is leaving to have a hip replacement so somebody else has been brought in from the outside and from what i can gather she's another one who hasn't had any experience with ASD's although she comes across as reasonably confident and he likes her too so that's a good start. She went for the morning on the Thursday they broke up for half term and started properly on Monday when they went back. I was nabbed yesterday when i went to pick him up at dinnertime as apparently he was in a bad mood and spent most of the morning hitting the teachers and her. I am starting to get really mad now as by the time I've picked him up he won't remember what the hell he's done or why, yet they expect me to discipline him like you would any other child. I'm also starting to wonder what the hell is going on in school to make him react that way as we hardly ever have any 'problems' with him at home these days. Yes he still has his moments but they are dealt with quickly and over in a few minutes. I seriously think they need some professional help and advice. His speech therapist is going in today along with Claire (Speech Therapist) from Broadfield. We've had dealings with Claire before and he loves her to bits and will do ANYTHING for her, so I'm hoping that she will work her magic today and show them just what he IS capable of when he's got the support and structure he needs. They are going in to teach them how to use his PECS properly and with them he will go a long way. They are taking him right back to basics with the 'I WANT' and building it up from there, so that should encourage him as he has mastered that brilliantly and doesn't need his visual queues for asking for what he wants but still a good idea to go back and refresh and also to show them that he is capable of learning and quickly too. I'll say that for Taylor, he has a bloody good memory and is always quick to learn something new, if you make it fun. He was reluctant to move on to his 'Now & Next' with his PECS...eg: Now - Drawing .. Next - Balloons etc he just wanted to go straight to the balloons as he loves them, but we got there with him eventually and with help from Claire!!!

Anyway, back to the football club!! I've only ever that i can remember been to 3 football stadiums/clubs. 1st: My 21st birthday, we had a fancy dress party at Accrington Stanley FC and it was fantastic and lots of fun!! 2nd: Blackburn Rovers FC, i went to the Blues Bar with Deb & Iain (lads mum & step dad) for night out about 3 weeks after i had Taylor!! Then Preston North End FC on Tuesday for the seminar!!! I'm not gonna go into detail about the seminar as to be honest it wasn't too much different than the Blackpool Seminar, plus a lot of what we covered will soon be entered into my new page. We covered the basics of what ASDs are, what triggers tantrums and how to 'handle' them and avoid them in the first place lol. I learnt a lot of this on the Early Bird course me and mum went on and i still stand by my every word and would definitely recommend it to anybody who has a child with ASD, it's brilliant, packed with information and if you're lucky like we were you get to meet some great, friendly people too. I have started another Blog (page) in the links section called ASD & Us - 1 Year On, but i haven't yet finished setting it all out on paper as to what I'm going to put in it. I get started then my mind goes blank as so much has changed in a year or something always crops up as usual lol. I will have it up and running in the next week, even if it's only a few paragraphs. At the moment it has [Under Construction] next to it on the link so keep an eye out as when that's disappeared it means there'll be something there to read!!! I would be grateful for your input and comments about the whole website not just that one page. How do you think i'm doing? Can anything be improved? etc etc. I don't take offense too easily so please feel free to speak openly and let me know if there's anything you would like to see more of or just let me know if i'm doing OK. My email address is posted at the top of every page on this website and you can email me anytime on it, i promise i will replay within a few days to all emails received. Thank you. xXx

2 Days Later & Still - Happy Birthday Momma

2008-10-21T22:51:00.003+01:00

Hehehe it was my birthday on Sunday (19th) and everyday since then Taylor has said Happy Birthday Momma to me every morning. Usually i get "good morning momma, go down steps now" but yesterday and today i got "happy birthday momma" and a hug!!! Then "down steps now please" lol

My support group is doing well in Facebook, there was 72 members last time i looked which was around 10am this morning. Unfortunately not very many people making comments but it's still nice to know they're showing there support by joining the group. Thank you to all of you that have joined and may be reading this.

We still have no news on Taylor going to school for full days yet or even just for dinner. His Speech Therapist rang me on Thursday i think it was to tell me she'd been in and been told that on the 3rd November when they go back after half term, someone else will be taking over as his support worker. School haven't yet mentioned this to me, it's Tuesday now and they finish for half term on Thursday. I'm NOT a happy bunny. But for now i will grit my teeth and wait as it's parents evening on the 11th November so i will see what develops (if anything) and let rip then. I'm forcing Tony to come with me and keep me calm but it's been 6 weeks now and he should be there full time. I know i keep banging on about it and your probably all sick of hearing it but it really is important and so frustrating on all our behalves.

I will try not to post too much more about it as to be honest I'm fed up of typing about it lol. I will probably post next week and let you all know what we've been up to over the half term week and what his new support worker is like when they go back on the 3rd. Until next time, take care, keep smiling and have a fun half term (for those of you who will be stuck at home) xXx

ASD Seminar - Blackpool

2008-10-15T21:51:00.002+01:00

I went to an ASD Seminar today with my friend Tracy and her friend Jess. We had a really good time and learnt some new things and i wrote down loads of notes for tips etc, the speaker Geoff also gave us a few websites to look at too for different things.

We got talking about PECs Schedules and he asked if any of us have a digital photo frame. Me and Jess and a few other people in the room put our hands up and he suggested using them to set the schedule up instead of using laminated ones, which is a really good idea and I'd never though of it either. I remembered that I'd seen some digital photo frame key rings on eBay so i put my hand up and told him about them and he said they were really good as they can carry them around with them all the time and use them for visual aids as well as schedules and most schools accept them too, so although we're not at that stage with Taylor yet it's a good idea for the future. I told Tony about it when i got home and even he said it was a good idea. So I'm going to look into getting one now while they're cheap (roughly about £13 inc p&p on eBay)

It was a nice change today going to Blackpool, even though it wasn't for pleasure!! Just the break from picking Taylor up at dinner routine was really nice, i felt like I'd got my freedom back for the day!! The seminar started at 10.30am and we got there just in time and it finished at 1.15pm so we all went to Funland afterwards for dinner then came home. Had fun and there will be some more seminar's after Xmas and we gave them our email addresses so they can get in contact with us as soon as they know when there on. I will definitely go again.

Right, I'm off to watch Desperate Housewives now hehehe.xXx

Test Results & Facebook

2008-10-12T19:49:00.003+01:00

I got a phone call on Friday from Taylor's Paediatrician (Dr Khine) saying that all his tests came back Negative for whatever it was they were testing him for (my memory is crap these days and i can't remember what it was!!!) so i was very relieved. Then a bombshell dropped (as they always do) although Taylor's tests results came back OK they have found abnormalities with his Chromosomes tests. She didn't specify what but both me and Tony have to go to the doctor's and have our DNA & Chromosomes tests done so they can test to see which of us is the culprit or whether it's skipped a generation!!! As i said we don't yet know what it may be but she did tell us it isn't linked to his ASD but it will affect any other children we may have together and also Taylor's children when the time comes. It's rather worrying to be honest and i think the worrying part is the not knowing what it is. I sorry we have already resigned ourselves to the fact that Taylor is most likely to have kids with ASD when he's older (although they say they can't prove it's genetically linked, i think it is)

Anyway, the sooner these tests get done the better and i hate blood tests (I'm terrified of needles lol) I've told Tony depending on what it is we're dealing with if it's me that's passed it on i want Dana testing and vice versa as the lads are all old enough to have kids now, so they need to know if it may pause a threat. He says I'm over reacting and maybe i am but better to be safe than sorry. I will post the findings as soon as we get the results.

On a brighter note, i decided last night to start a support group on Facebook for parents with Disabled kids, only me being the idiot i am spelt Disabled wrong in the title of the group lol. Despite that i have just checked and i have 39 members so i am really chuffed. It's open to anybody, friends or not that are affected by any kind of disabilities themselves, with their kids/partners or family members. It's also open to people who just want to join to show their support for people like us who are dealing with these things on a daily basis. I got fed up of not being able to find any local support groups and although i found one it only runs on the 3rd Tuesday of every month. Sometimes it's not enough and my group is a place where people can come and share their experiences, ask for advice and if we can we will try and help and just to come and let off some steam and to know that they are not alone with these things. Please feel free to join us if you are a member of Facebook, you don't need my contact details to join, just find the group. It's under Common Interests in Families section and it's called

Parents With Diasbled Kids Support Group (Click on the title and it will take you straight to the group)

If however you would like my Facebook contact details then click on the ASD & Us - My Blog link on this page and i have a Facebook badge on the side panel, all you need to do is click onto it and it will take you to my profile for you to message me. I won't add anybody as a friend until i have confirmed who they are first, but the support group is open to anybody who stumbles across it so it will help if you go in there first for me to get to know you before i add you. All support is welcome, you don't even need to chat if you don't want to, just joining is support enough for me. I hope to see/hear from you all soon. Thank you. Vix. xXx

Muddy Puddles Momma

2008-10-01T10:06:00.003+01:00

I will be so very glad when it decides to stop raining. Took Taylor to school yesterday and i ended up carrying him all the way there as it was torrential rain and he would have been soaked if I'd have walked him down. I picked him up and ran like mad!!! Not so bad going to school as it's all down hill lol. On the way home at dinnertime i made him walk and he jumped in every single puddle possible. Even one that came up to his knees!! Of course it's raining again today so he wanted me to pick him up and run to school with him again but i said no and made him run down with me himself. He laughed all the way there and as soon as we got through the doors he took his coat off and threw it at me!! I went and hung it up and when i came back he ran into his classroom and gave Mrs Seddon (his class teacher) a big cuddle and asked if he could play on the computer. I was shocked but really happy he did it because it shows that he likes her.

The school is pretty much dead today as it's Eid and all the Asians are off for the day. Taylor should like it in the classroom today with it being quiet. I bet he spends most if not all of the morning in there with it being quiet. I think there's about 6 kids in there including Taylor!!! We still aren't any nearer to finding out when he will be going a full day or even just for dinners yet but i have to go and see Ailsa (behavioural psychologist) at Holly House tomorrow at 9.30am so i will take his statement with me and show her and see what she says. I was talking to another woman on Friday at school and her little boy has Downs Syndrome and he is still coming home at dinnertime too but is statemented for a full days funding and support (like Taylor). She was saying that Mary (special needs health visitor) from Holly House went nuts when she found out and arranged a meeting with school for Monday afternoon (i haven't seen the woman since to find out how she got on) as if the kids are funded for a full day and only getting half a day then where is the other half of the funding going to??? GOOD QUESTION!!! I don't see why the school should be getting it for not doing anything, if anything we (the parents) should be getting it as we're the ones who are having to fetch them home and look after them. I know that may sound pretty nasty as a parent but it's school's responsibility to look after them for a full day now, not ours, unless they're ill. The other woman has a baby at home to look after so i can sympathise with her, i on the other hand only have Taylor at home in the afternoons but i don't see why i should be doing their job for them and not getting paid for it. Plus in our case it's not fair on Taylor, as with Autism or any other form of ASD routine is EVERYTHING and he picks up routines very quickly and if they leave it much longer he will get used to the fact that i pick him up at dinnertime then when he does go for dinners or a full day he won't be able to cope because it's NOT his routine anymore. Trust me kids (probably adults too) with ASD hate change itself let alone a change in a routine they have built up so god help them if they don't sort it out soon.

I didn't start off on good terms with the school to begin with as i went down the week before he started and explained to them that he can't wear proper school pants due to his sensory issues. I don't know why i bothered as they were adamant that he would have to wear them sooner or later and i was to take them in and they would try to get him to wear them. I was rather annoyed so i rang Ailsa, explained to her what he was like with these pants on and she confirmed it as a sensory issue and said to go back and tell them not to force the issue of him wearing them, or tell them OK ill take the pants in and they can try and get him to wear them but be prepared for very bad behaviour through frustration or aggravation due to the pants. I went back down the day before he started and they said someone had been in to see them about sensory issues and given them a crash course on Autism and the basics so they understood better now and agreed it wasn't a good idea to make him wear them. Although i was very thankful to whoever it was that went in to see them i was absolutely livid at the fact it had to take a 'professional' to make it clear to them and i felt like they didn't believe me until it had been confirmed. I'm not an awkward parent, i just want what's best for my child and if that means he can't wear proper school pants and 'fit in' with the rest of the kids then tso be it and it shouldn't take a professional to put their foot down and say this is what's going to happen, they should believe and listen to me, after all i live with him and deal with his issues every day.

Things seem to have been picking up a lot in the last week, i signed the form yesterday for his first lot of IEPs and i am reasonably happy with them. I'm just not happy with the fact that he's still not there for dinners/full days yet. I know 3 weeks isn't a long time but if he hadn't have had ASD he would have been there a full day by now no questions asked and i feel like they are using his Autism as an excuse. I was told the other day by his support worker when i asked her about dinners "oh no we don't know yet, it could be a while yet as he pulled a kid off a chair backwards this morning because he wanted the toy the kid was playing with" OK fair comment but deal with his misbehaviour's and move on, but the way i heard that was "he can't come for dinners/full days until he learns to behave himself" well I'm sorry but if that's the case then he will probably never be there a full day as it's not just typical bad behaviour. I thought it was just me that was reading too much into what she said so i asked 5 of my friends (2 of whom don't have kids), my mum and my husband what they thought and they all said the same as me "that's not fair, they're using his ASD as an excuse"

I'm going to go through all this tomorrow with Ailsa and hopefully Sheila will be there too (she did our home video's for the early bird course) and I'm going to have a really good moan at them as that's what they're there for lol and if they think there's anything wrong they will let us know what to do next or let us know if we should get Mary involved. I like Mary and she has had a lot of dealings with Taylor so she knows what he's like. What i like best about Holly House is it's run by Social Services and what they say goes and school can't do anything about it.

That reminds me, i must remember to ask Ailsa how Taylor did on that ADOS assessment we did a while back for them, they said they'd let us know how he did the week after and i completely forgot about it!!! I also need to ring the hospital and find out his results from his DNA & Chromosomes tests as I've heard nothing at all from that. I suppose no news is good news but it's driving me mad not knowing!!!

Right well I've moaned enough for one day lol, so I'm off now to check eBay and see how much I've spent hehehe I'm xmas shopping already and I've got all sorts from the comfort and dryness of my own home lol. Take care everyone and I'll update again at weekend unless something comes up before then. xXx

2 Weeks In

2008-09-25T10:55:00.003+01:00

Well it's been exactly 2 weeks now since Taylor started school and he seems to be settling in well. He still tells me on the way there "i too big for school, i go Nana's house now" but as soon as we get to the gates he can't get in quick enough!! We still have days where he wants to come home with me and clings to me like a baby monkey, but most days now like everyday this week he hangs his coat up, gives me a kiss and love then waves bye bye and off he goes still shouting "bye bye momma"

He has a support worker there for him for the 3hrs he's there. He's still only on mornings at the moment. I am going to ask them shortly if they will up it an hour or straight up to a full day and see how he goes. If they keep him on mornings too long he will get into the routine of me picking him up at dinnertime then when he has to stay a full day eh won't be able to cope with it. That's the only problem with ASDs routine is EVERYTHING without that the whole world falls apart and my god i know how he feels. I am so lost and lonely without him here in the mornings. I am so used to him going to Nursery in the afternoons (for 2years!!) i can't get used to the fact he isn't here running riot and trashing the house lol. I think differently when he comes home at dinner time because he's always absolutely shattered but fights it!!

With the exceptions of punching and headbutting a teacher last week and hitting his teacher, kicking his support worker and head butting the head mistress yesterday he seems to be doing very well. I am annoyed a little bit at school for their lack of knowledge where Autism is concerned after they reassured us they'd dealt with it before. Which to give them their due they have, BUT, the boy they were talking about is very high functioning and didn't have 'behavioural problems' so they haven't dealt with it before and for that i am really mad with them as i told them straight when we went to see them and they still said they'd be OK.

His speech therapist went in on Tuesday and it's a good job she rung me Tuesday afternoon because school never mentioned it, it's Thursday now and they still haven't mentioned it either. She went in to give them some advice and to let them know someone else will be taking over as she is leaving (hence the reason she rang me, otherwise as i said i still wouldn't know about it) the woman taking over is better equipped to deal with him as she either worked or still works (can't remember what she said) at Broadfield, our local Special Needs School and deals with Autistic kids. He might listen to her lol. Although she did say that she's noticed his speech has gotten a lot better and even the new woman (Rachael) commented about how well he's talking too. |I haven't met her yet but apparently she is going to ring me soon to arrange a 'getting to know you' visit!!! I hate them they are so boring!!

Anyways other than that nothing much has been going on lately which is why i haven't blogged. I have finally found a local support group that runs 1ce a month on the 3rd Tuesday in the month, and that's great. I am going to a seminar for ASD in Blackpool on 15th October with my friend Tracy and on 10th, 11th & 12th November me, Tracy and Mum are all going on a 3 days course 9.30-2.30pm in Nelson to learn all about ASDs. We probably know most of it but it covers what an ASD is, tips for communication, practical strategies for education and educational laws and rights (should be interesting) accessing support services and they have added the extra day on (should only have been 2 days) so they can help us come up with simple solutions on how to deal with awkward behaviours (IE: temper tantrums lol) so I'm really looking forward to that one. I'm just hoping Taylor will be at school full time by then or mum won't be able to come. I will keep you posted. xXx

1st Day At School

2008-09-11T18:20:00.002+01:00

My baby went to Big Boys School 2day and i was terrified hehehe. Before we even set off out of the house my legs went like jelly, i was shaking like a leaf and my heart was beating that fast i almost passed out and i swear at one point i could actually hear it beating lol.

I took this picture of Taylor about 5 minutes before we left the house. He was in a very good mood and kept saying "my go school now momma" which was a god thing as he wasn't screaming NO!!! We got there and he played in the yard on the climbing frame for a few minutes then the bell went for registration so i took him to the classroom. He stopped dead at the door and would not go in. He didn't cry or scream, he was quite calm and kept saying "NO i go play now" and ran off back to the climbing frame!!! His teacher came out and said it would be OK for him to play a bit longer to help him settle, so i finally managed to escape and he smiled, waved and shouted "bye bye momma, see you later" then laughed and carried on playing. I came straight home and made a brew and had a cigarette!!!

Mum came at about 10.45am then my friend Tracy came so we all had a brew and typically talked about the kids and wondered if they'd both be OK!! Me & Mum went to pick Taylor up at 12pm (Elliot - Tracy's son stays at his school till 3.30pm) Mum waited in the doorway and i went in to get him, listening for the screams lol. None was heard so that boosted my confidence. I got to the classroom and he was sat at a table with his support worker playing with some cars. He ran over and gave me a big cuddle and very clearly said "my had good day at my school" (i love the way he uses 'my' instead of I when he's talking about himself, it sounds really sweet) we came out with no fuss at all. he spent 5 minutes playing on the climbing frame then we all came home. As soon as we got in he took his coat off and threw it on the floor, walked into the front room, dived on the sofa and said "shoeses off momma, my so very tired now" and lead down with his blanket!!! I put the TV on for him and as i was walking out of the room he shouted "momma, chips and milk please" so i made him some dinner. He ate it all and watched TV for a while then played his Thomas game on the laptop.

At 4.30pm Taylor suddenly decided he wanted me to go and hoover his bedroom, so he came up with me and sat on his bed while i did it and tidied up all his train set. He then got down on the floor with his bag of jigsaws and started making them, so i hoovered the stairs and other bedrooms. When I'd finished i asked him if he wanted to come back down and he said "no fanks, my play now" so i left him to it, came down and made tea. He is still up there now playing with his jigsaws and trains watching his Winnie The Pooh DVD. To be honest i don't think it will be long before he's asleep as he's absolutely shattered. I'm very surprised he lasted as long as he did when we got him home. I had visions of him falling asleep on the sofa as he was dropping on his feet when we picked him up from school. I emailed Nursery this afternoon with a picture of him in his uniform and got one back saying how grown up he looks in his uniform and that he looks like a different person. They're also missing him, they've said it's definitely a lot quieter without him hehehehe.

On the whole today has been a very good day and i am so proud of him and glad that he enjoyed his first day at school. I can't wait for tomorrow now to see if he enjoys his 2nd day as much as he enjoyed today!! I will update again soon. xXx

50 Bloody Quid!!!

2008-09-06T14:48:00.003+01:00

OK i am probably going to sound like a real skin flint now but GOD DAMN it cost me £49.93p yesterday to go and get Taylor 3 school jumpers and 3 blue school t-shirts with the school logo on them. I also got Dana a new jumper too. The jumpers (even Dana's) were £7.99 each and the t-shirts were £5.99 each just because they have the school's logo on them. It's bloody pathetic. I got both of them a pack of plain white t-shirts (which they are allowed to wear) from Asda's last week and it cost me £3 for a pack of 5. I couldn't believe it. To be honest i wasn't going to bother with the ones with the logos on for Taylor and just stick to the white ones but changed my mind as he very often won't wear a jumper and all the other children will be wearing the ones with the logos on. That kind of thing really doesn't bother me but as it's Taylor i want him to 'fit in' as much as possible. I know they're only young but even kids at that age can be cruel and he has enough 'problems' to deal with other than them making fun of him because he hasn't got the proper uniform (not that he'd understand anyway)

Dana on the other hand when asked said she didn't want t-shirts with logos on them as they cost too much and she likes the plain ones as they've got a flower petal shaped collar and look prettier!!! The only thing she wanted was a coat with the school logo on and that cost me £39.99 as we got it 2 sizes to big to last her until she leaves in 2 yrs time. I looked at one for Taylor and to get one to last him until the July holiday's next yr it would have cost me £19.95p so after i picked my jaw up off the floor decided against the 'school coat' and opted for just a normal water proof coat. I haven't got him one yet as we ran out of time for shopping yesterday and for the time being he has one at home that will do. I will probably leave it now until he's gotten over his first 2 days then go the following Monday (providing he settles OK)

I know i shouldn't stay in just because he might get upset but because we are literally 2mins away from the school from our house i wanna stay in as much as i can for the first 2 weeks to give him chance to get used to it and settle down properly. He is only there from 9am-12pm to begin with. No idea yet how long it will take for him to be there a full day as they are going to take it slow with him and go by him. The usual routine is 1 morning session then 1 afternoon session then a full day (in the first 3 days) but because they're unsure of how he will settle they are going to keep him on morning sessions until they think he's ready then they are going to up it an hour (so he's there until 1pm and has his dinner there) and do that for a while then up it another hour so he's there until 2pm and so on until he's finally there a full school day (9am-3.30pm) I went to see them the other day when Dana went back and had a word with them and they said that realistically they're aiming for him to start full days after the Xmas holidays. They have a week off in October so apart from that week they're giving him plenty of time to settle down. I panicked a bit when they said about him only going until dinner time and they said not to worry it won't come back on us with the Education laws of having to have your kids in full time school because of his extra (special) needs it will be OK. Plus it's also written into his Statement that he needs extra time to settle, so it's all legal (thank god lol)

I am however going to get in touch with Ailsa (behavioural psychologist) to see about his seemingly sensory issues with school pants as he will NOT wear them yet (although not compulsory) school have took it upon themselves to tell me (in a round abouts way) that he will have to wear them. I am a bit annoyed at this as it could be a sensory thing and if it's going to cause him discomfort in any way he will refuse point blank to go to school as he will associate school with pain and I'm NOT putting him through that. So i need to seek advice from the 'professionals' and see what they have to say on the matter. We covered sensory issues on the Early Bird course we went on with Ailsa and they told us that some sensory issues kids have are with specific clothes and may feel like a itching or burning sensation on their skin, but as Taylor still doesn't fully understand these things he can;t tell us what's wrong he just takes them off and throws them at us or will refuse to put them on full stop. I know he has an issue with cotton and he had a shirt on a few months back and when we took it off him he had a rash all over his arms and it was red raw like a bad nappy rash. I know it wasn't the soap powder as i never change his (he has his own, depending which one we buy) so it must have been the cotton. I am going to ring Ailsa on Monday and see if i can get an appointment with her before he goes to school on Thursday although it's not that important to have him with us, but if i can see her before he starts i can explain to school the reasons why i am unwilling to force him into wearing them and have them back me up. At the moment to them i probably just seem like a fussy parent!! I will update on Monday when i know what's happening. Enjoy your weekend. xXx

Taylor's Approval

2008-08-31T23:34:00.002+01:00

Taylor came home today after staying at mums since Friday while we redecorated the front room and much to our surprise he came running in, stopped dead in his tracks, looked around the room and said "oh wow it's beautiful" we expected him to tell us to 'put it back' or tear chunks of paper off lol. He spent quite a while in there, decided it was good fun to throw all the cushions all over the floor and at Dana (normal routine lol) then helped me put some pictures on the wall. He handed them to me while i was on the ladder, he even held the ladder for me while i was on it saying "be careful momma, don't fall" then when I'd put them up he stepped back and said "let's see" then when i asked him if it was ok he said "yes momma, it's very pretty" then went and told his daddy, Nana, grandad and Dana "come on guys, come see, it's very pretty picture"

His speech has improved a great deal over the past few months/weeks and we can ALL understand him now, just odd little words every now and then we can't quite make out but if you can catch the beginning of his sentences you can usually figure the rest out for yourself. Also another good thing with him now, if you don't understand what he's said he doesn't get quite as frustrated, if you say to him "say again please" he will usually repeat what he's said a lot slower and clearer and it's not very often now that we don;t understand him a second time around. He has turned into a right little chatterbox!! He talks all the time, whether it's to us or himself and he has taken to singing a lot too. Mostly still songs off TV programmes but the occasional nursery rhyme in there too like Incey Spider and Twinkle Twinkle. His favourite one at the moment is Wheels On Bus and the song All Together off the Bratz Babyz film.

He has 11 days until he starts School and i am really excited now although still very nervous. He officially finished Nursery on Friday. I can't believe we won't be getting ready at 12.30pm to take him there, it's gonna feel so weird. I'm sad he's left but I'm also glad as I'll be able to spend the next 10 days on my own with him and prepare him properly for the 'big day'. It will be very strange him not being here during the day when he does start as up until then he's always been at home until dinner time whereas when he starts school he will coming home at dinner time. I'm gonna be so lost and bored!! Dana goes back to school this Thursday so i will be on my own with him for a full week so I'm gonna search the net and see if i can find some interesting new things to do with him on his own at home that will be similar to what he'll be doing at school like dressing up etc

I still haven't done anything to any of the other pages on here yet but i am working on it, I've been reading my books and taking notes so i will be making a start to getting them on the pages soon. Take care and enjoy the week ahead. xXx

Little Green Alien

2008-08-28T20:08:00.003+01:00

Well, I've decided that NOTHING is safe from Taylor anymore. Somehow he managed to get hold of a green CD pen and decided it was hilariously good fun to colour himself green. Must admit it was very funny but i had to give him a bath in lightening speed before it dried out too much as it's harder to remove that stuff than it is a permanent marker pen lol. I was debating whether or not to take a picture but i didn't have time!!!

I am sooo glad I'm not the only one with a rebel child. My m8 textd me last night to tell me her phone was knackered as her son (he's autistic too) decided it would be good fun to dunk it in a brew and try eating it hehehe and as she said we have to laugh or we'd just be none stop crying all the time. There truly isn't a dull moment with these two and i am so glad Dana found them lol. She got to know them through her friend at school, they are in different classes but the same age, and Taylor & Elliot are the same age too, except Taylor is being mainstreamed and Elliot is going to a special needs school. They are so different yet just the same in way's it's really strange!!

When people tell you it really does help to find someone else who's in the same situation as you or join a support group they are 100% right. The Early Bird course helped us in so may ways on so many different levels. We met other people experiencing the same problems as us and some problems we never had a problem with. We all ended up really good friends and are all meeting up again in September sometime to start a support group and we're all enrolled to go on the Early Bird Plus course for 5-7yr olds. The course itself was really good for information and tips etc but the best part of it was the sharing our experiences and worried with the rest of the group. Also like i said finding Tracy helped, for one she only lives around the corner from us and for two we can relate with each other on so many different levels and learn from each other's children as well as each other. And it also helps to have a shoulder to cry on from someone who knows exactly what you're going through. Family if you're lucky enough are just as good but they don't fully understand and other friends too as I've found out. They know the situation but still just think of Taylor as being a 'naughty boy' and it seriously winds me up, to the point where i avoid taking him to certain people's houses at all costs because of the repercussions on us all, the good thing about that is it doesn't in anyway shape or form affect or bother Taylor so alls good lol. I just go on my own when i have the time.

I know i said it yesterday but 2 weeks today until Taylor starts school and I'm starting to get excited now (still terrified) we're taking Dana to town tomorrow to go and get her school shoes and then we're doing Taylor's last minute shopping on Friday next week while Dana is at school. She goes back a week today and it's easier to shop without her sometimes, when they're both together in town it can quite easily become a nightmare scenario as everything that Taylor gets, she wants lol She's nearly 10yr old and still doesn't quite grasp the fact that he 'needs' stuff that she doesn't but she still sees it as him being spoilt and her being left out!!

The papering of the living room is still going ahead tomorrow. Taylor is going to mums until Sunday when hopefully it'll all be done and dusted. My new throws for the sofa came today but they're a bit smaller than i expected so Tracy has come to the rescue with some bigger ones, so we're calling up for a brew tomorrow to have a look. I just hope my new cushion covers come before Sunday or mine won't look right as the one's i have now are gold lol. Never mind, we can't always have everything i suppose hehehehe. xXx

One Day Down, One To Go!!

2008-08-27T22:48:00.002+01:00

Today's attempt to get Taylor into Nursery without a fight went very well. It took 15mins of being chased around outside in the rain by Zoe and a Lazytown CD to get him in but it worked and he went in happy and a big smile on his face so all's well today. Just got Friday to go now then that's it, time to say goodbye *sniffle* he starts Woodnook School 2 weeks tomorrow and i am quietly terrified!!

I've bought the majority of his uniform, just shorts, pumps, jumpers and coat to buy now then we all set. I got him some new school shoes, well they're trainers but look like shoes and for once we didn't have to go through a million and one cartoon character's to get him to wear them. I just got him dressed and put them on him while he was watching Horrid Henry (new obsession) he noticed after about 10mins that he had them on and run around in them then said "Oh wow new shoes" and that was that, he hasn't had them off since!!

I'm quite happy about that as although they are a size too big i bought them as per usual while he wasn't with us (less stressful for all) they are quite wide ones which is perfect for him as length in shoes isn't a problem but width is. They should have been £37 but i got them for £10 in the sale at T.K Max in Blackburn. I've never heard of them before, they're called Duffs. They're a really good make and with the looks of them very hard wearing. They are also fairly flat inside and as Taylor is flat footed they are perfect. We was advised to keep him soft shoes or shoes without a ridge in the inside and they're not easy to find I've looked!! I'm debating weather or not to go back and get some more while they're on sale and put them away for when these get too small as i don't fancy paying £37 for some new ones in a few months time lol.

I have started updating the website but only by adding a new Blog for me to let off steam in. I find it really annoying to have to sign out of here and into my other account to update my Minxy's Blog therefore i forget or just simply can't be bothered and it's being neglected!! So i decided to add one to this website so i can do them both at the same time. I will still update the Minxy's Blog one but not as often. Nothing much has happened since i last blogged except we stripped all the wallpaper off the living room wall on Monday (bank holiday) we are going to start decorating on Friday when Tony gets home from work. Taylor will be at mums Friday as usual but won't be home until Sunday so we don't have to rush to get it all done in one day. Knowing my luck he'll come home and wrip it all off lol. I will update again soon. xXx

Website Update

2008-08-24T19:46:00.002+01:00

Nothing much has happened since i last blogged, except Taylor has now finished Nursery (or will on Wednesday) as he isn't settling there at all now. He has got too used to being at home and although he loves being there he is getting really upset when we drop him off and i feel as though I'm abandoning him, so on Wednesday we're gonna take him in as usual and if he kicks off like he has been doing we're just gonna let them all say there goodbye's and call it a day. It looks as if he has grown out of his 3 day routine there and i feel horrible upsetting him like that. He's usually fine after about 5/10mins but it's started upsetting me now so it's time to let go, say bye bye and look forward to Big Boys School on 11th September. We will stay in touch with Nursery and it's gonna break my heart having to say goodbye after everything they have done for us and Taylor but it's time to move on.

Anyways, I'm gonna be a little busy for the next week or 2 as we finally bought the wallpaper yesterday to redecorate the front room. We're making a start on stripping all the paper off tomorrow (Taylor's going to mums for the day/night) then we will probably make a start on papering it either during the week when Tony's come home from work or over the weekend next week. I will take some picture's and post them when we've done.

Also this will probably be the last time i blog for a week or so anyway as I've decided that some of the pages on here need seriously updating as a LOT has changed since i first put this website into action 10 months ago. I can't believe it's been that long. Nothing too drastic just a few tweaks and new pages being added as well as updating some of the existing ones. We finished the Early Bird course recently and i think it would be nice to share with you all some of the things we learned through that and i can also use information out of our book we was given. There are some really good pointers and tips in there that may just help you all. Especially one called the Ice Berg Method, we've used that a LOT and it really does work.

Keep popping back and checking on what's developing and i may just blog from time to time if i get the chance (I'm back to blogging in the evenings now Taylor has finished Nursery) We don't have any Speech Therapy meetings coming up that i know of, i think she's gonna leave it until he starts school now and go to see him there but if we do I'll blog and let you know how it goes. I am also still waiting to hear from the Hospital about the results of his DNA & Chromosomes tests so when i get them I'll also let you know. Take care everybody. xXx

New Toy!!

2008-08-15T14:59:00.005+01:00

Well as you can see in the picture Taylor really likes his new pram and so do i (if you can't see the picture properly click on it and it will open up full size in another window), it's a lot bigger than it looks in the picture and as I'm only a little shorty (just under 5ft) I'm going to have good fun pushing it around lol. All i can say is WHAT A BARGAIN. The padded seat cover for it is coming tomorrow and i am ever so greatful to the person i dealt with on ebay. She (once again I'm assuming she was a woman and I'm sorry if you're male!!) was an absolute delight to deal with as i said in my blog last night. I wish everybody was that helpful although I've never had any difficulties buying on ebay, but i think it's really nice when someone will go out of their way to help you 'win' the bargain of a lifetime. So once again my many thanks, we are going to have some very stress free days out now and our lives are going to be a lot easier from now on.

Taylor has been an absolute angel today which i am very thankful for as I've once again hurt my back. I'm putting it down to the way i slept last night as i was fine last night and woke up in agony, but after saying that carrying Taylor from mums to Nursery (about 10 min walk carrying him) on Wednesday probably didn't help!! He's spent most of the day in the garden as it's lovely and warm here today for a change. Then he spent the rest of the time in the front room sat in his new pram watching C.ITV, he even sat in it to eat his dinner lol. He's at Nursery now so I'm taking this opportunity to blog and check my emails etc then I'm gonna go for a nice hot bath (if i can get in it lol) to hopefully ease some of the pain I'm having with my back.

Dana, Mum & Dad are all on holiday in London, they went last Friday morning and are due back tomorrow some time, it's been very quiet and relaxing with Dana not being here but i am missing her now so I'm glad she's home tomorrow. I will probably update again on Tuesday now as he has his Hospital appointment at 10.30am to go for his DNA & Chromosomes blood tests and I'm dreading it. The good thing is it's on a Tuesday so he doesn't have to miss a day of Nursery as we're paying for it now until the 29th August. I just hope he isn't ill and misses Wednesday. Anyway, i will let you know how we get on. Take care and enjoy your weekend. xXx

Hoorah Miracles DO Happen

2008-08-14T21:03:00.003+01:00

HALLELUJAH i have finally after almost 8 months of looking found a buggy (pushchair) for disabled children..It's not in the best of conditions as it's coming via Ebay but i don't bloody care as it only cost me £35 and i also got a padded seat cover for it too and the offer of a shopping basket as and when she gets one in. The woman (i presume it was a woman!!) was an absolute delight to deal with and very very helpful. It should be here tomorrow so finger's crossed.

Speech Therapy 2wk ago was a disaster as bloody usual, he didn't wanna know and wouldn't even go into the room. She made me laugh as he was playing with a wooden toy so after about 25mins she dragged it out of the waiting room into the Therapy room lol. Taylor wasn't impressed but it worked!!! She went into Nursery on Monday this week and he did everything she wanted him to do first time without any hassle at all. I tried it with him and he did it for me too and looked so proud of himself when he got them all right, so we rewarded him with balloon play which went down a treat. He has been doing it all week so it's looking hopeful that we've cracked it now (finger's crossed)

Taylor has started using his potty again, on and off. We had a 'dry' (no pun intended) spell where he stopped using potty and toilet at our house but went to the toilet all the time at my moms house. All he did here was wee on the floor (thank god for wood flooring) and waited until i put a pull up on him then he'd have a poo.

His speech is getting better and better everyday, even the kids are understanding him a lot more now and managing to have a full conversation too where both parties understand each other which is nice as he isn't being ignored as much now because they don't know what he's saying and getting him frustrated to the extent where he'd lash out at them!!

Only 2 more weeks left at Nursery then 2 weeks before he starts Primary School, I'm really excited but very anxious at the same time!! I just can't believe it's gone so quick and he's 4 year old, time really does fly by. Sometimes i wish we could keep them babies forever but i am so proud of him and i wouldn't change a single thing. I keep hearing and reading about all these crusaders fighting the big fight to find that 'miracle cure' and to be honest if they ever do find one i don't think I'd take it, as at the end of the day Taylor is who he is because of his ASD and without that he'd be a complete stranger and i wouldn't be the person i am today without it. As devastated as i was when i found out about this horrible thing taking over my child's life i have a lot to thank it for and i am so glad it found us!! xXx

All Clear

2008-08-05T19:43:00.005+01:00

Managed to get Taylor in to see the doctor today at 10.50am. The receptionist asked me a few questions on the phone then gave me the time and that was that. Took him to Speech Therapy and once again he had an almighty tantrum and wouldn't co-operate at all, so we left him to calm down then persuaded him to name some of the things on his PECS instead of asking him where it was and putting it into the post box (red shoe box with a hole in it lol) he named about 8/9 out of 15 of them so that wasn't too bad and he left on a high note too!!

Took him to doctors and we were there about 5mins then he came out himself to call him in which i thought was strange, on the way into the room Taylor started gasping and gulping for breath then when we sat down he asked us what the problem was so i told him that what he's just been doing as we came in!! He examined him from head to toe and Taylor was very good and did everything he wanted him to do, he even asked the doctor (pointing to it) to take it blood pressure when he saw the thing they use, he looked, pointed to it and said "put it on my arm please" i was shocked at the fact he knew what it was for as i don't think he's ever been with me when I've had it done lol.

After about 15 minutes of examining him and watching and listening to him gasping and gulping he said that he was fine and it's just a habit he's picked up, maybe because he's done it before and likes the noise he made or something along them lines. He said he will eventually grow out of it. What panicked me more than anything was the fact he was doing it while he was asleep and he said not to worry, obviously keep an eye on him but the fact that he's doing it in his sleep proves it's an involuntary thing and as it's now become habit, he's doing it without necessarily realising he's doing it (if that makes sense lol) He also told us just to be on the safe side to keep an eye on him for the next 2 weeks for any rashes or vomiting as if it's something to be concerned about it won't necessarily show up straight away and there are a few nasty bugs going around at the moment. So all in all everything's fine and i can stop worrying now, thank god!! xXx

Very Concerned

2008-08-03T20:55:00.002+01:00

Well as per usual nothing much has happened since i last blogged. I did a thank you book for Nursery and gave it to them on Friday and Sue the Nursery Manager cried and hugged me that tight i could hardly breathe lol he doesn't finish until the 22nd august but I'm going to ask her tomorrow if we can pay cash up till the 5th September as he doesn't start school until 11th September and i think 2 weeks will drive him mad as well as me lol. He is so used to his 3 day routine at Nursery and to be honest i really don't want him to leave, it's gonna break my heart to have to say goodbye. I told them we'd stay in touch, i have their email address and mum only lives 5 mins away so we said we'd call in from time to time to keep them updated!!

Anyways, i am a little concerned at the moment as to Taylor's breathing habits. He has suddenly started gasping for breath a LOT...he has always done it but usually only when he's been running around or after a tantrum whereas now he is doing it all the time and it's scaring me. I am going to ring the doctors tomorrow morning at 8am and make an emergency appointment for him and hope they can fit him in before Nursery at 1pm. I went to the doctors with him about 2 months back now and he was doing it then, he checked him over and said his breathing was fine and not to worry about it but now he's doing it all the time I'm getting very worried and everybody has noticed it now even Nursery are concerned. He's giving himself wind doing it too which can be a nightmare at 3am when he's got belly ache and can take anything up to an hour to help him get rid of it by winding him like a new born baby again!!

My sister-in-law is pregnant again and we're keeping our fingers crossed it's gonna be a boy this time!! other than that there isn't really much to tell you about other than Josh moved back home 2 weeks ago!! I will update as soon as I've managed to see the doctor and find out if there's anything serious with this gasping thing or if it's just another weird obsession he's picked up from somewhere, sometimes it's really hard to tell the difference!! xXx

Momma's Party

2008-07-22T20:41:00.002+01:00

Oh dear is all i can say!! It was Taylor's Nursery Prom on Saturday (19th) and it was a disaster. The Prom itself was brilliant but Taylor really didn't like it and lasted 35mins before his dad had to fetch him home. Too many people and kids, too noisy, too dark, the room (to him) felt closed in and small, basically the poor child went into meltdown and i felt like the worst mother on the planet for taking him. All he kept saying was "i want momma's party, momma's house" and he just ran complete riot then started smacking other kids so Tony fetched him home. He said he was really upset and kept shouting "momma's party" so we had a little party for him on Sunday!!

As cruel as it probably seems, at the end of the day even knowing he probably wouldn't cope we had to try as he could have been completely fine and loved it, but now we know it's not an option again. Not until he's a lot older and can tell us how he feels instead of second guessing how he feels and putting him through all that again. The joys of being parents!! xXx

It's Party Time!!

2008-07-13T21:05:00.005+01:00

Taylor's party was a raving success even with Taylor lol. The cake was made courtesy of a very good friend of mine called Louise from college and i think she did a fantastic job and it was very very tasty and went down a treat, even to the stage of Taylor eating a full piece of it and Taylor DOES NOT eat cake lol. Always a first for everything i suppose!! I am so very proud of him and all the other children that came 5 in total not including Dana & Taylor. They were all very very well behaved, left Taylor alone when he needed his own space and played with him when he asked them too. They were all little angels today so THANK YOU to Dana, Raymond, Antony (who is also 9 tomorrow) Tiffany, Declan and baby Luke (12 months old) and a very big THANK YOU to Taylor for being mommas little star i am so very proud of you all :D and look forward to next years party. It has definately been one of the best parties we've had for Taylor in 4 years.

Thank you also to everybody that turned up and for all the presents and gift voucher's. He will have great fun spending them on more Thomas trains no doubt lol. Today was just a great day and i have really enjoyed myself. xXx

Quick Update

2008-07-11T21:57:00.006+01:00

Not much has happened this week, it's been a pretty chilled and quiet week as far as our weeks go lol.

Tuesday 8th July:
Had Speech Therapy at 11.15am and was really nervous as last time we went he threw a chair at her, bit her and kicked her numerous amounts of times. Surprisingly it went very very well. Claire the Speech Therapist Co-ordinator for Autistic children and young adults came to the session and worked her magic like last time lol. He was about 80% co-operative this time but we got along way with him in a short space of time and he was calm and although he had a few tantrums he did very very well and is now happily progressing onto the now and next stage of his PECS steadily.

2.30pm
We went to see Dr Khine, Taylor's Paediatrician for a routine check up and she was happy with his progress and couldn't believe the change in him from whens he saw him in October last year at his diagnosis meeting. He did everything she asked of him (last time he completely ignored her) and we asked her to check his feet as people have been telling us he's possibly Dyspraxic. She had him running around barefoot and jumping, skipping and standing on one foot, although on the last 2 he failed miserably lol. She said his running skills are a little delayed for his age but then when she examined his feet she realised it is due to the fact he hasn't yet developed the arches under his feet hence why he is so clumsy and has issues with his feet and running/walking on tip toe's. She said not to worry and they will naturally form by the time he is 5/7 yr old. She advised us to keep him in soft shoes like P.E pumps, slippers and canvas shoes so they don't hurt his feet or try moulding/shaping them too soon. I told her about him walking on the side of the inside of his feet and she said it's perfectly normal in that situation and not to worry too much, he will grow out of it and it won't leave any long lasting problems.

All in all Tuesday was a very good day lol. He had a bit of a bad night on Tuesday though, so he was very tired on Wednesday but was very good at Nursery. Thursday Sheila from Early Bird course came to do his home video. I had him stood at the kitchen sink playing with water and toys. Sounds fairly boring but it kept him calm and a lot went on. It showed how much his speech, imaginative and communication skills have developed and she was really impressed. It's the last session next week and I'm gutted!!!

Went to town today to get all his party things ready for Sunday. 3 days until his birthday (we're having party a day early) and he will be at Nursery on his birthday so mum bought him a t-shirt from Asda saying It's My Birthday on it to wear for Nursery that day lol. I will post again either Sunday or Monday and let u know how the party went!!
Take care, keep smiling and enjoy your weekend. xXx

School Visit

2008-07-07T21:37:00.000+01:00

What a bloody day is all i can say lol....i had to wake him up at 8am as the little monster slept in!! He has me up most mornings at about 7.30am but on the one day he needed to get up he decided it would be good fun to sleep through!! I woke him up and got him dressed in his bedroom then we came down and he proceeded to eat a banana and 2 peperami's for his breakfast and a slice of toast!! He watched Peppa Pig, Thomas and Pocoyo on channel 5's Milkshake and wouldn't leave until Pocoyo finished so we set off at 8.45am, got there at 8.50am and then Dana found us and proceeded to show him off to all her m8s like a shiny new toy lol. He didn't seem to bothered, he liked all the attention as usual. The bell went at 8.55am so we went in and he stopped dead in the doorway to his classroom. He peeped in and said "wow, what's that" so i told him to come and see and he came in. He stood there a few seconds then took his coat off and gave it to me, 3 kids came over to him to say hello and he stood there, paused a minute then said "hi guys, come on, lets play" got hold of his teachers hand and went and sat down with these 3 kids!!!

I left him sat at the table with the kids jabbering away to them all about spiderman lol. I had to go back down with his Thomas bag as I'd forgotten it and it had his pull-up's and apple in. I dropped it off at reception. I came back home and paced the floors lol. I did all the washing then paced the floors some more and cleaned up in the process then it was finally time to pick him up at 12pm.

I went down to school for him and before i even got there i could hear him screaming like mad, a really high pitched scream. The type of scream that makes your hairs stand on end and bursts your eardrums lol. My heart sank and i ran like mad to the main entrance. He came out with his teacher still screaming and before i could say anything she looked and said "it's OK, this is a good thing" by this time i was almost in tears thinking oh my god what have i done to this poor child. I looked back at her tears in eyes and she said "it's OK, really, he's screaming because he doesn't want to come home, he wants to go back and play in the look out shelter" i nearly passed out lol. The little sod pot. According to them and his book he loved every minute of it, took well to both his support workers. Didn't mind them changing his bum when he'd weed and was giving lots of loves too. I could have killed him lol. But i am so very proud of him and really happy, despite the screaming because he obviously liked it and keeps asking "let's go Dana's school" which is the school he is going to so he really wants to go. Can't wait till September to come now!! xXx

Coco Pops & Milk Make A Bowl Full Of Fun

2008-06-29T22:24:00.003+01:00

Well, i am so glad that Taylor's vocabulary is getting a lot lot better but damn i could kill people who make annoying adverts. He had a spell at singing to songs from Cbeebies programmes like Bits 'n' Bobs (trug where you going can we come too, trug where you going we'll bob along with you) in his own little way. Sometimes hard to make out some words but you could tell what he was singing. Then he sane the Lazytown theme tune for about 2 months non stop. Now he has moved on to the Coco Pops advert as I've put as the title of this blog 'coco pops and milk make a bowl full of fun' that is all we've heard for 3 days non stop. As i am sat here now at the PC and typing this he keeps shouting from his bedroom "momma, momma" when i shout back "what" he shouts "coco pops and milk make a bowl full of fun" not in them exact words but i know what he's saying lol it's so damn annoying lol. xXx

Fast Forward

2008-06-27T20:37:00.002+01:00

Well, as per usual everything seems to be happening all at once again. We went to Woodnook School on Wednesday to Taylor's open evening and he has his first introduction session on Monday 7th July at 8.55am till 12pm. I was told that i could stay if i wanted to but i decided to throw him in at the deep end and stay away lol...We already know that his support workers have been put into place now so they will both be there on that morning and i am literally 2 minutes away from the school so it wouldn't take long for me to get there if i needed too!!!

Speech Therapy has been moved to Tuesday 8th July at 11.15am because Claire the head of the Speech for Autism can only make that date, she is coming in to see if she can help us get Taylor over the tantrum when it comes to do his 'now and next' section of his PECS. She worked wonders on him last time she came to the session, fingers crossed she can do it again lol.

Appointment with Dr Khine at Holly House CDC on Tuesday 8th July at 2.30pm for a general check up. I need to ask her what's happening about Taylor's blood tests for Chromosomes and DNA as i haven't heard anything yet and don't really see as how they are of any use, as we know they can't confirm his Autism so i need to find out why she wants them doing. I also need to see her about Taylor's feet and noise issues. He is back to walking on his tip toes, falling over nothing and walking into door frames and walls and doors or just about anything, I've seen 5 different people and they've all said it's Dyspraxia so i need to see if she can refer him to Occupational therapy or if i have to do it through my GP. I don't think his motor skills are too bad but he's 4 in less than 3 weeks and he still struggles to catch a ball and uses both hands for everything he does except he will always kick a football with his left foot!!

Our Early Bird course has almost finished and i am gutted as i am really enjoying it. I was told by Ailsa (Behavioural Psychologist) that once the course has finished (she runs it) we can go back to our monthly clinic sessions with Taylor, so i am really chuffed about that. Tony is away working again for an overnighter on the 8th July then he's away for 2 straight weeks from the 25th July. Taylor's 4th Birthday is slowly, well quickly creeping up and i haven't bought anything at all for it yet!! I have sorted his cake out and that's about it. My friend Louise from college (maths) is making him a Thomas cake and we pick it up on the 12th. Taylor's nursery vouchers finish in about 4 weeks so he will be back to his 3 days (Mon,Wed,Fri) and he officially leaves nursery on 22nd August and that will be it, his last ever day there *sniffle* lol...They are having their very first Nursery Prom on the 19th July and they all get their hats and gowns to wear and a year book lol I think it's really sweet and i can't wait, although how the hell i am going to get taylor into a shirt and trousers is completely beyond me. Won't wear trousers (school type pants) and can't get him within a mile of a shirt...i wonder if we put a Sportacus logo on it he will wear it lol...I'll think about that one and get back to you!!! xXx

Taylor Is 4 In 3 Weeks

2008-06-23T20:22:00.003+01:00

I can not believe how quick a year has gone. Taylor will be 4 3 weeks today and it seems like 5 minutes ago he was 3 in 3 weeks!! We are having a small party for him (mostly adults) the day before his birthday on the 13th at our house. Hopefully the weather will hold up and stay nice.

Speaking of weather, i am sooooo annoyed right now with Great British weather. I don't know why the call it 'great' as it's really NOT lol...i think we blinked and missed it a few weeks ago!!! I bought a gazebo a few weeks back for Taylor's party for the adults to play in lol. Plus somewhere for me to go and chill away from screaming kids and have some 'me' time without actually leaving the house (well, except out into the garden lol) anyway, i put it up on Thursday last week and managed to buy 2 side panels for it cheap from Woolworth's so we (me & mum) put it all together and sat in there for about 2 hours chillin until the sun went in and we froze to death!!! It stayed nice on Friday so we went back to Woolworth's to see if we could get some more side panels for it and we were in luck so i got 4 more as the 1st 2 i got where blue and the gazebo is green!!! Luciky the panels we got Friday where green so it matched and looked better. We set it all up and once again sat out and enjoyed the sunshine until mum picked Taylor up from Nursery at 5.30pm. Anyway, it rained on Saturday so that was depressing as it said it was going to be sunny again. On Sunday we had gale force winds of 75mph and it just collapsed. Lucikly only 1 of the poles snapped so It was salvageable. Me & Tony took it all down yesterday before it got any worse and put it all away and today it was glorious sunshine and quite warm!!!

We had visitors this morning. A friend of Dana's has an Autistic brother same age as Taylor and i have been texting his mum and today we finally got round to meeting up at my house while i was waiting for the gas man to come to service the fire and boiler. Taylor & Elliot got on very well which was surprising as Taylor can be very possessive over his toys. He had his moments but on the whole was very good and i am really pleased. It's nice to finally know somebody else in the boat as us that's local. She lives about 10 minutes walk from our house. It was good to talk to someone else (other than the people we know at the Early Bird course) about Taylor and hear things about her child too. I know you shouldn't compare kids but sometimes in our situation it's a good idea too as you can both learn from each other different ways of dealing with a particular situation etc i think it's really good and I'm really pleased.

Nothing much has happened since the last time i blogged. Taylor had his Speech Therapy last Tuesday and got himself wound up as he didn't want to do his 'now and next' stage of his PECS and he threw a chair at the Speech Therapist and my mum!! He hit her, kicked her, punched her and also tried biting her too, little monster!!! He was that wound up we had to pick him up from Nursery half hour early. We went to Early Bird course on Wednesday and he was the same there. He was tired for a start as he'd been up since 6am with very little sleep. He threw an all mighty tantrum and was very upset, tired and wound up so he had Wednesday off Nursery too. Other than that he has been very good the rest of the week and also on Friday his final Statement came through, so it's all set in stone (well ink lol) now so i am relieved about that. We have an appointment on Wednesday to go to Woodnook and meet all his teachers and see his classroom etc before he starts on Thursday 4th September. I am soooo excited but also terrified at the same time lol.

I am going to leave on a very happy note tonight. I know this has nothing at all to do with Taylor's blog but me and mum both passed our I.T exam's last week so we are off out tomorrow night for a meal together to celebrate!! xXx

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T22:56:00.000+01:00

Friday The 13th

2008-06-13T19:52:00.003+01:00

Well, despite the day and date nothing out of the ordinary has happened except Donovan having a shower this morning lol. Taylor has been his usual hyper, constantly on the go self and Dana up to now hasn't turned into a psycho child from hell, well no more than she already is hehehehe. So all in all today has been a good day!!!

Nothing much to report on the western front. We got an invite from Woodnook School today to attend their open evening on the 25th this month so that we have the opportunity to meet his teachers, ask questions and look around the classroom he will be in when he starts in September. We also received an invitation from Nursery for Taylor's Nursery Prom on the 19th July which i am really looking forward to and can't wait!! We also got a load of freebies from the Book Start people and we got the book Each, Peach, Pear, Plum book and it's a great book and one of Dana's favourites too. Got a feeling when i tell her we've got it she's gonna want to pinch it lol.

Tony finally managed to get my old hardrive out of the old computer (ebot) and put it into this one so i am mega chuffed as I've got some of my old stuff back that i wasn't able to relocate before ebot died on me!!! Plus all my old programmes are now installed and i can go back to using them properly now. Also he set the new scanner up on my PC so i can now use that again without having to do it on his PC and transfer all my pics to this one via my memory stick!! I'm really happy about that as i have a lot of old photo's of the kids i wanna scan and put on my Facebook and also all my old school photo's as i now have 21 friends from school on my Facebook too and a lot of them are in the pictures lol.

Taylor is at Nana's tonight, Dana is in her bedroom (unusual) playing quietly (very unusual) and i am just checking emails, updating this blog and getting ready to watch America's Got Talent as i missed it last week (boohoo) then i think it's an early night as i am shattered!! Enjoy your weekend and hope you all have good fun whatever you may be doing. xXx

ADOS Assessment

2008-06-12T21:13:00.004+01:00

Today's play based assessment at Wilpshire CDC went great. Better than i expected when he saw the amount of people in the room!!

Before i tell you the details, I'll explain what ADOS is.:

The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) is a widely used, standardised diagnostic assessment tool. The schedule uses semi-structured activities to assess the communication, reciprocal social interaction, play or imagination, stereotyped behaviours and restricted interests of individuals with possible Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). The ADOS consists of four modules which are designed to match individuals’ expressive language ability and age. Each module presents a set of tasks allowing observation of behaviours relevant to the diagnosis of PDD and takes about 30-45 minutes to administer.

Taylor was encouraged to play with a variety of toys with different people, in different ways. He was co-operative up to a point then the "IT'S MINE" tantrums started!! Fortunately they were quickly resolved and the assessment carried on. He was asked to name different toys through play, example, he was playing with a fire engine and a man asked him "what's that" he replied "fire engine, fireman Sam" and so on for an Aeroplane, Ball, Bubbles etc. He was encouraged to ask for things with his "i want" method and to make eye contact which he didn't like very much. He does make eye contact but he tends to flutter his eyelids when looking directly at people he doesn't know too well or people he has never met before. He played with a balloon and completely exhausted himself trying to blow it up by himself!! Shortly after he was slowly draining of energy and started getting a little mischievous but the assessment ended not too long after that. It lasted around an hour and was fun to watch how he handled himself and how others handled him and his tantrums, they were very good with him but they are professionals and probably deal with those things day in and day out with their jobs!!! We will get the results from his assessment and feedback on Wednesday when we go to the Early Bird course as Ailsa and Sheila that run the course were part of the assessment, in fact it was Ailsa that rang me to ask if we'd do it.

They were all so nice and when we were getting ready to go Ailsa came to us with a bag. It had 2 bunches of flowers in it, one for me and one for mum. Dana got a bag of Revels and a Tracy Beaker lucky bag. Taylor got a bubble gun and a water game too. i thought it was really sweet of them to do that and it was very unexpected. Although, after reading the above explanation of the ADOS Assessment we attended this afternoon has puzzled me somewhat. Taylor up to now has only been diagnosed with Mild Autism, but the assessment we attended was for PDD which is a completely different diagnosis, although still Autism. I'm confused and wondering now as to why they chose Taylor!! Was it because he's very active and verbal and usually co-operative which makes him a good case study or are they now going to tell us he has PDD which will mean he's on a slightly different level of the Spectrum to what he is now. I will definitely have to ask about that on Wednesday as i am very puzzled and very curious!!! Still it was good fun lol. xXx

What's going on????

2008-06-10T21:44:00.003+01:00

I am lost as how to start this Blog...Something isn't right and i/we really don't know what?

Taylor has been acting very very strangely over the past few days. He has been very hyper (nothing food wise we can put our finger on) he has been really naughty with throwing things and hitting, biting, kicking and scratching people. He has been waking up at around 2-4am every morning for about 4 days now and today he has been a complete nightmare (to put it bluntly) I went to college so Tony was watching him and he said he'd been really bad. He threw his fire engine up in the air and it almost smashed a big mirror we have on the wall, he said he told him off and he laughed at him and did it again a few times. He said he ended up putting him to bed in the end before he did some real damage. He went to sleep more or less straight away but then he said he woke up and looked as though he didn't know where he was and was very upset and shaking. He said he calmed down and went back to sleep. About 10 mins after i got back from college he did the same again, he woke up and cried so i went to him and his eyes where all glazed over and he looked lost and confused. I sat him on my knee and he screamed "no, go way" and sat on the bedroom floor then a few seconds later looked at me and said "hello momma" and climbed back on my knee and went to sleep again. He's done that 3 times now in the space of 30 mins.

I took him to the doctors on Thursday last week for a check up and he gave me some hay fever medicine for him so i thought maybe it was a reaction from that but he hasn't had it for 3 days as i forgot to give it him (I'm not used to giving him medicine unless he's ill) so i don't think it's that now. Every time i went into him he was shaking as though he was really cold but his temperature is fine, it's not even slightly up which would be a bit more understandable, i just simply can't understand what's going on, this is so out of character for Taylor and it's scaring me. Tony says to keep an eye on him tonight and watch for his temperature to shoot up and see how he is tomorrow and if he's the same tomorrow take him back to the doctor's and get him to check him over again (everything was fine on Thursday) I hope he isn't coming down with anything, i hate it when he's ill and we have an assessment to go to in Wilpshire on Thursday afternoon.

I will post again tomorrow (if i remember) when i get back from college (I've got my Clait Plus Exam tomorrow!!!) with an update on how he's been. xXx

Doctor's Appointent at 2.40pm - Expect the Unexpected!!

2008-06-05T20:18:00.004+01:00

Well, Taylor saw our doctor today for the first time in around 2yrs if not longer lol. I was really unsure of what to expect behaviour wise from him but he was fantastic. He let the doctor examine him and listen to his chest and back and he even pointed to the doctors light pen and put his finger towards his mouth and said "aaahhhh" meaning you can look in my mouth!!! The doctor even though he didn't have to, did do and Taylor thought it was good fun and had him doing it for 5 minutes non stop lol. Our doctor is so patient with kids. He then gave Taylor the pen light and told him to look in my mouth but he proceeded to try and stick it as far down his own throat as humanly possible without being sick lol. The doctor thought it was very funny to watch and told him he was a silly duck. Taylor responded with "duck, quack quack" then at the top of his lungs shouted "a banana" he had spotted the doctors lunch!! A banana and a bunch of grapes on the desk behind him. We managed to distract him long enough not to have a tantrum when he was told he couldn't have it!!

Anyways, he is fine and the only thing wrong with him is a touch of hay fever so he prescribed some non-drowsy medicine for that. He examined my thumb (i hurt it a while back and it's just got worse with pain) and he said i have Tendonitis and has given me some Ibuprofen for it. I've to take 1 tablet 3 times day for a week then as and when i need them for the pain and if it hasn't eased off within 3 months to go back and have it X-Rayed to be on the safe side. It's so bloody annoying though as I'm in agony when i lift the kettle no matter how full it is, i struggle holding a cup of coffee, it even hurts while I'm typing as i use that thumb (right thumb) to hit the space bar when i type. I struggle with my left thumb and usually end up missing the key!! He also gave me some Lorratadine for my hay fever too. I've always had it but managed to stop taking tablets for it about 5 yrs ago and all of a sudden it's come back 3 times worse and my eyes are that itchy and watery i can hardly see most of the time!!! I also have a severe throat infection (possibly brought on by hay fever, or the bad cold i had 3 days ago) which he can't prescribe Antibiotics for as it will interfere with the tablets he's given me for hay fever and my thumb, but he did say with the Ibuprofen and Lorratadine it should start to clear up within the next 3 to 5 days. I can hardly breathe, I'm slowly loosing my voice and every time i swallow it feels like I'm swallowing a bunch of needles!!! Fingers crossed the tablets kick in soon!!! Dana says i sound like I've swallowed a frog, my voice is right deep and husky, then all of a sudden it goes squeaky then really croaky like a frog lol. Taylor thinks it's hilarious and as he knows i can't shout at him he's been a little bugger!!!

I went in to see the Nurse after seeing the doctor and she shouted at me for forgetting my injection and i was told NOT to forget again!!! She also said that i am only able to stay on the injection for another 2-7 yrs as between the age of 30-35 they can no longer give it to you and you have to go back to the mini pill, coil, implant etc because if the risks of erm...hmmm whatever the risks are lol (I forgot what she told me) i told her none of the others are even an option for me as knowing my luck I'd end up pregnant again!! She said in that case the next step after being taken off the pill injection would be sterilisation. I waited until Tony came home from work and told him what she'd said so we sat and finally talked about me being sterilised and he said that it shouldn't matter whether he likes the idea or not, it's my body and I'm in charge. But like i said, it matters to me what he thinks and he agreed with me, neither of us want to have to go through it all again and it wouldn't be fair on Taylor if we did, so i am going to leave it a few weeks then get back in touch with my Doctor and ask him to put me on the waiting list. The Nurse said, it's not that straight forward which i knew anyway. I will have to go to some counselling sessions first and then the counsellor will decide whether or not he/she thinks i am mentally capable to cope with the decision and it will be up to them and their report whether or not i can go ahead with it. Which to be honest i agree with 100%...It's so easy to say when you CAN have kids "i don't want anymore" and although sterilisation can be reversed i don't want to have it done then regret my decision so i agree with the counselling sessions first.

Other than that nothing much has happened really. We had Taylor's Specialist Health Visitor around today to take his hip and waist measurements for the free nappied scheme when he turns 4 next month. She also went through his Statement with us and said it is absolutely brilliant and she confirmed that we have been granted everything we asked for and more. She signed my Family Fund application form for me in the Health Professional section and said there shouldn't be too many problems with the application being accepted and if we had any problems to get in contact with her and she'd help us sort it out. She is also going to call round on Monday with a leaflet she has that has listings of all the differemt places in the area that will be doing lots of different sports activities for children with disabilities that may be of interest for us to take Taylor along to. So i am looking forward to that. I told her that i was thinking of looking into swimming lessons for him and she said that would be a very good idea for Taylor and said she has a booklet at work with times and places that do special sessions for swimming lessons for disabled children and that she'd fetch that with her too.

It is looking very doubtful that we will get to go on our yearly family holiday these July holiday's as a shortage of money is a big issue again, so i am a little dissappointed for the kids, but like mum said, they take Dana on holiday every year on her own for at least 10 days during them holidays. Taylor isn't old enough to understand what a holiday is!! and Donovan is 16 yr old next month so it's not like he's a baby anymore and won't understand. I am still gutted but glad that Dana is still going to be able to get a holiday. Mum also said that there is nothing stopping us booking another cheap holiday to Cala Gran again and just me & her take Dana & Taylor away like last time. It would be nice for us all to go but i'll settle for another quiet girly week away. I know we had Taylor with us them 5 days but i got to spend a lot of 1 to 1 with Dana and it was really nice for a change. Will keep you up to date on the holiday decisions.

I'm off now to watch House on channel 5 as i missed it last week because of Britain's Got Talent and what a dissappointment that turned out to be with the final results!!! Lets hope America's Got Talent is a lot better this year, it starts on Friday so i will be glued tot he tv screen again until it's finished lol. Take care and enjoy your weekends. xXx

Statement

2008-06-01T20:20:00.003+01:00

Taylor's Statement has finally arrived woohoo!! It's not the final document yet though. We received it yesterday and i read through it, to be honest none of it made any sense to me the first time round though!! I left it for a few hours, showed mum, she read it and told me what it said. I was gobsmacked so i read it myself again when Taylor went to bed.

It says: Taylor has been allocated not 1 but 2 support workers for the FULL school day. He also has 3 support workers for certain situations. Although it doesn't actually specify what, I'm guessing possibly for school trips, day's out etc. He has been granted a support worker for personal care (nappies, washing his hands, face etc and help with getting changed for activities such as P.E or school plays etc) Someone will be with him at play time's and dinner time's which we asked for, so very happy about that. He is also able to do like he does at Nursery now. Go and choose an activity(s) of his choice for a certain amount of the day then be encouraged to go and sit down with the rest of the class and join in with the class work (curriculum) then be allowed to go back to his choice. They have stated that for 30min's a day everyday he has to be in a group of no more than 6 children to play a group game to enhance his turn taking and joining in skills. School have also told us that they will find him a 'quiet area' where he can go to himself at anytime of the day to sleep, relax, calm down or just get away from it all when it gets too much for him or gets too noisy. It will be just his space and nobody elses, which is really good. He will be able to go and be alone there to play or work etc. He does that now at Nursery and since last weekend at home too and it's working brilliantly so far.

The list of things is endless but most importantly they have given him everything we asked for and a whole lot more so i am very very pleased and my confidence is growing stronger and stronger by the day now that he will be just fine. When we had the meeting at Nursery the lady that will be teaching Taylor & the SEN Coordinator asked loads of questions like does he have a dummy (pacifier) or suck his thumb, have a blanket or a favourite teddy that he may be able to take with him to school that would help to comfort him, i would never have thought of them questions, but he doesn't have a dummy, blanket or suck his thumb, he doesn't even have a favourite teddy!! But I'm glad they asked because that would have been a comfort to know that if he did they would have encouraged it rather than tell him (if he sucked his thumb) stop sucking your thumb (they did that with me at school and i hated them for it - I sucked my thumb & had a blanket until i was 21 and I'm 27 now!!)

Over all we are in very high spirits and looking forward to his first day at school (i am still nervous as hell) and they have also said that we can still take his book to school. We have a blue folder at Nursery that we all write in how he's been and what he's done that day at home (by me - obviously) and at Nursery (by nursery staff) and it's been really useful to us all. School have suggested we carry it on there too, so i am really chuffed about that. It's not that i don't trust them it's just that it's nice to read about what he's done that day, as unlike most 4yr olds he can't tell us what he's done that day or what has been his favourite bit of the day and that saddens me a lot, but i just look forward to the day that he can do and i have no doubt in my mind i will never forget it, like when he said his first words as a baby!!!

Anyways, I'm going to leave on a high note today, so good night and sweet dreams everybody. xXx

Fate or Coincidence??

2008-05-28T22:44:00.005+01:00

OK, you know i am kind of starting to get a little freaked out now about this whole Taylor being diagnosed with ASD and fate thing. I have never really been one to believe in fate and just believed everything happens for a reason. I don't particularly believe in God although i have got an open mind about the afterlife and ghosts. I DO believe that certain people we love and loose never leave your side and are there when you really need them to be. I don't know if it's just a psychological thing with me or whether it's just because i want to believe i have an angel on my shoulder watching over me.

Anyways getting back to fate...i am staring to become a little phased by the whole thing. Some things have suddenly come to mind a few days ago after a conversation i had with a very good friend i hadn't spoken too for absolutely ages and was giving her all the gossip. I told her about Taylor and everything else that has been going on and she suddenly stopped me dead in my tracks and said "do you realise you found out about Taylor the day before your birthday" to be honest i hadn't. We then carried on talking and once again she stopped me in my tracks and asked me to tell her again what date we got our letter through that confirmed in writing he has ASD. I told her 8th November. She giggled and said "that's the day before Dana's birthday" which it is and i was gobsmacked. I am now even more phased at the fact that whilst browsing the Internet for more little picture logo's to add to my Blog(s) i came across the one in this post (above) ....

I knew April was National Autism Awareness month but this picture has a date on it...2nd April...most of you will be confused but to those who know us will know that 2nd April is mine & Tony's Wedding Anniversary. Now you tell me if it's fate or coincidence or am i just going crazy!!!

Meeting Went Great

2008-05-23T10:18:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was Taylor's BIG meeting about getting everything set and in place now for when he goes to school in September. The lady that will be teaching him was there and the Special Needs Coordinator was there too. I know them briefly through Dana so i wasn't too nervous about meeting them for the first time. His speech therapist Vicky was there and she was a great help. Sue (nursery manager) Louise (Taylor's key worker) and Linda Kennish (EYSEN Teacher) where there too.

We all talked about Taylor's good points and bad points and what he can and can't do very well. Mostly his difficulties so that they can work on strategies to help him get better. They have suggested a 'quiet time' table or corner he can go to to 'get away' when he thinks it is getting too noisy or getting to be too much, to help him calm down without the aid of a tantrum. I am all for that as he uses his bedroom at home as his 'quiet time' area. He will ask at say 2pm to go to bed when i know he isn't tired, he will go up and play with his trains or just lie down watching a DVD then shout to come down about an hour later (or when the DVD has finished) They have also just introduced a 'quiet time' table at Nursery too so he has somewhere to go, i don't know to be honest how he's getting on with it though as it was only introduced the other day and he is still going to bed in the afternoon's to get away. That's his 'quiet time' routine at Nursery at the moment. I hope they can get him using the table before he does start school as it will be something familiar to him and he may take to it very well. I have a table at home which I'd thought of using for him at home but I'm not convinced he'd use it. I shall give it a try though. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as my mum would say lol.

The teacher's from school asked loads of questions and i gave them some pointers to control his moods, like when he starts to get frustrated, wound up or has broke out into a full blown tantrum take him to 'wash' his hands. Let him run water over his hands and fingers or put some water in the sink and let him play for a few minutes, he will calm down almost immediately and forget what the problem was in the first place. They were really pleased when i told them that as they said they would never have thought to do something as simple and quick as that. I also told them that he is very clumsy (he will fall over his own shadow) and he can get very tired, very quickly. I don't know if it's the fact that what he's doing physically drains him or whether emotions get the better of him or what!! Every situation is different though and they will pick up within a few weeks on what does what and how he will react to this and that. He tends to be very predictable and you can almost guess what he's going to do before he does it a lot of the time (especially when having a tantrum) I don't think it will take them long to figure him out!!!

I just can't wait now for the July holiday's to go out and buy his new school uniform!!! He has gone back to his Thomas wellies obsession and both the teachers yesterday asked about his feet so we told them about his fixation on his wellies and they said that it was perfectly fine and wouldn't be a problem. I'm just waiting now to hear about his Statement then i know what to do next about asking for additional support at break and dinner times, other than that I'm very pleased with the way thing's went and am now looking forward to September and that first day of school. He will be introduced into school gradually, starting off in the mornings then afternoons then full days. They usually do it over a 3 day period but for Taylor it could take slightly longer.

Nothing much has happened since last time i blogged so not really much to report. Dana finishes school today for a week, Donovan started his GCSE Exams last week and Taylor, well he's still Taylor. An endless bundle of energy and keeping me on my toes, how I'm not stick thin by now i do not know, i hardly find time to bloody eat and I'm constantly running around after him (saves me money going to the gym lol) He has Monday off school as it's a bank holiday then he's in Wed & Fri and back to normal the week after.

Anyways, enjoy your weekend whatever it is you've got planned. xXx

Family Fund

2008-05-16T23:18:00.004+01:00

I was very nicely informed of a website to go and visit for financial help with holiday's, household appliances and driving lessons plus loads more on Wednesday at the Early Bird course which is going very well and i love every minute of it. I have learned so much from it. Taylor is loving it too and has made friends with 2 little boys called Theo and Sonny.

The website is http://www.familyfund.org.uk It's got lots of information on what you are entitled too and also how they allocate you the money. You can get funding for holiday's to Haven (our favourite holiday place) and they open an account with them and the money goes into an account with them that you then use to book either one long holiday or if you have enough funding maybe even 2 holiday's. You are also able to take along additional people but for obvious reasons if it comes to more than what you're allocated funding wise you make up the difference. It sounds fantastic. I rang them yesterday and they are going to send me an application pack through the post. I've been told they ask you for 3 most important things, we have decided on 1. Holiday, 2. Driving lessons (for me) and 3. new Washing Machine as ours is on it's way out and isn't under guarantee anymore. The barrings are going on it and i can't have it on at night as it makes enough noise to wake the dead!!!!

Everything else is going very well at the moment. Taylor's meeting is getting a lot closer and I'm starting to panic a little bit more now lol. I was talking to Sue today at Nursery and she said Vicky (speech therapist) went in yesterday and showed them how to get him to ask for things by saying "i want?" with and without his PECS like we've been doing with him. Sue said he's doing great with them and asking for things all the time now without the PECS but sometimes takes a picture to them when he's not quite sure how to say it!!!

I've just been playing on Facebook and found loads of people i went to school with and a few family members (on my husband's side) through friends i went to school with, which was surprising!! Then again, i went to school with Tony's niece Laura and she obviously knows people i knew so that could account for finding all the people i did through other friends!!! I haven't added many of them, i must admit some of us never got on at school so i can't imagine us getting along now lol. I will accept if they add me, but I'll let them make the first move!! (I'm stubborn lol)

I know i don't normally post in this blog much about what i do personally in my own time but seriously, it's good fun and really gives you a chance to 'get away' from it all even if it's only for half hour a night or week. Give it a try, you never know who you'll meet that you'd forgot about and maybe make some new friends along the way!! xXx

Spiderman's In Trouble

2008-05-10T22:10:00.006+01:00

Taylor's newest obsession is Spiderman!!! He was rather upset last week when Snooker finished!! While watching Snooker he fell asleep on the sofa and when the first session of Snooker finished i flicked over to watch Spiderman 2 and he woke up half way through it and was glued to the screen the whole time. When it finished i put Snooker back on and he told me to turn it off and put Spiderman back on. After about 25 minutes of screaming and eventually heartbroken sobbing i took him to bed and gave him my Spiderman 2 DVD to watch and he calmed down!!! He has watched it over and over and over and over everyday since!!!

All i can say is it's a good job i had it on DVD as god only knows how that night would have ended up without it!!! Tony has suggested trying him with The X-Men next but i don't think that's such a good idea with the character Wolverine being in it, he scratches us enough without pretending to be someone else lol. I'm not too bothered about Spiderman as i like the film so i don't get too bored with watching it over and over again like most films he takes obsessions to. I love Ice Age but he drove me completely bonkers with both them films so Spiderman is a refreshing change for the moment in time (give it another few days before i get fed up of it lol)

On the whole things are going quite well at home and Nursery. He is making excellent progress with his speech therapy and his PECS but without the pictures. His big meeting at Nursery has been moved forward to the 22nd now instead of the 19th so with a bit of luck his speech therapist should be able to make it.

There isn't really much to report. Although i haven't updated for a few weeks there hasn't really been very much happened. Tony & my dad are both taking Taylor to Harrigate tomorrow to a Model Engineering Exhibition so that should be very good fun for them all lol. There will be all sorts there (i once went with my dad to one at London) including lots of Trains!! I'm just glad of a bit of 'me' time and i am planning on spending it with Dana. We are going out tomorrow if the weather stays nice, if not she said she wants to curl up on sofa and have a girly day watching DVDs and munching on junk food and I'm all up for that!!

Take care everybody and enjoy what's left of your weekend. Hope you've all got something fun planned and i hope you get some of the lovely weather we're getting at the moment. xXx

Taylor's Gonna Be Famous!

2008-04-25T16:22:00.004+01:00

I was approached yesterday by Linda while she was at Nursery (Taylor's EYSEN Teacher) and asked if i would be willing to let her do an article on Taylor for a newsletter. She wants to write a review of how Mainstream Nurseries cope with children who are Autistic and have other learning difficulties and she has chosen Taylor as her subject and his Nursery. Considering we are all like one big happy family and they have been through it all with us, from not knowing what was wrong to all his assessments, strangers in and out of Nursery and to his Diagnosis i think he is a wise choice (but then again I'm his mom so i would say that!!)

I'm not sure which newsletter he will feature in (but I'll bug her for a copy lol) or when, all i know is she wants a picture of me, Taylor and Louise (his key worker at Nursery) to go along with the article and she will let us know nearer to the time what information etc she needs off us and when the photo will be taken. My baby is going to be famous lol

Yesterday was good fun. Taylor came into the dining room and found a bottle of bubbles on the shelf. He pointed and said bubbles. I took them down and asked him "do you remember bubbles" he said "yes please, bubbles" i asked "what do you say" he replied "bubbles" i was just abut ready to give him them and he paused and said "i waa bubbles" i gave him a big kiss along with the bubbles and told him "well done, good boy" this was without the aid of a PECS picture as i haven't yet had chance to print them off as we have no ink. I wasn't sure it would work without a picture so i didn't push him but he asked the same way for the bubbles 5 times while we were playing them, taking turns. Later on in the afternoon he came in shouting milk and went into the kitchen to get his cup. As i took the milk out of the fridge i asked him "what do you say" he replied "i wan milk" i gave him the milk and he poured it himself then went into the living room to watch cbeebies. He then came in 5 minutes later and said "i scooter" now all i can say is I'm glad i got him asking for things without PECS as it would have been very difficult to exchange a picture for a scooter!!! he then got his scooter and rode off. A few minutes later he came back without the scooter and said "box" pointing to his tub of rice (less messier solution to sand as he doesn't eat rice!!!) i went to the freezer where the box was and asked him "does Taylor want rice" he said "yes please" and pointed to the box. I asked him "what do you say" he replied "i want rice" after 3 attempts he finally go the word 'want' right and not only that was asking for all kinds of things the way he had done at Speech Therapy but without the PECS, i couldn't believe it.

I tried to ring Vicky (therapist) to tell her what he was doing but couldn't get hold of her, so i just carried on with him. I didn't push him too much but tried to get him to say it for as many different things as possible and it worked. I tried to ring her again this afternoon but still couldn't get hold of her. I will try again on Monday. I will use the PECS if she advises it but just at the moment without ink i can't print any off, i have the pictures on the laptop ready. The ink should be here over the weekend but the way he's going at the moment i don't think he needs the PECS as much as we thought he did. As i said though if she thinks PECS will help him along a little more then i will print them and use them too. I think it's brilliant that he's asking for things without them though at this early a stage. He only had that one session where the woman got him to extend his sentences by the PECS and i hadn't done it with him since his session on Tuesday due to no ink. I can't wait to tell her the good news!!! I am so proud of him, i can't put it into words.

Today has been a little un-eventful but I'm glad of a few hours of peace & quiet. He has come on so much in the last few months/weeks that he now wants almost full attention in everything that he does, which i know is a good thing as he's learning to interact with me more than he did before but it gets a bit too much sometimes, especially when you're used to him telling you to go away and get that half hour to be able to clean up or do the washing without him interrupting you every 2 minutes. He has been calm and quiet today which usually worries me as it usually means he's tired or poorly, but he seemed fine. He didn't eat hardly any of his dinner which once again is usually a sign he is sickening for something but was running around and singing away to cbeebies just like normal. He went to Nursery with no problems and was in a good mood. Except wandering around town to do a few things nothing much has happened today. He did ask for a few things today as yesterday saying "i want" whatever it was but he seemed as though he couldn't be bothered so i didn't push him. When he said it i praised him and when he didn't want to and just took whatever it was off me i said "OK, then try later" and pointed to what he was holding and said "i want" whatever it was and he said "yes" then walked off. I hope the novelty of what seems to him to be a new game hasn't wore off as he is doing so well.

He is at Nana's house tonight and she said she'd try it with him and see if she can spark some enthusiasm in him, but at this early stage i wouldn't hold my breath but am keeping my fingers crossed!!!

Enjoy your weekend and I'll update soon.xXx

I Want Bubbles

2008-04-22T22:17:00.001+01:00

Speech Therapy session went well today. There was another woman there to assess Taylor & his Therapist to see if the PECS really are what he needs, and to give us reassurance and a second opinion. It started really well, we went in and Taylor sat down at the table and said "OK, let's go, scrisps please" she gave him some pictures of crisps, raisins, chocolate buttons and rainbow drops. He immediately picked up the picture of the crisps, gave it to her and said "thank you" before she could give him the crisps. The other woman sat there smiling and watching how Taylor was reacting to each time he exchanged the picture for what he wanted (mostly crisps)

About a quarter of the way through the session she stopped his Therapist and asked if she could try with him. I said it was OK and to give it a try. Taylor took very well to a new person exchanging things with him. She took out a picture and a bottle of bubble liquid. His face lit up like a Christmas tree as he loves bubbles. He said "bubbles" and she pointed to the picture on the table. He picked the picture up and gave it to her saying "bubbles now" she pushed a lever and bubbles floated around the room. Taylor popped the majority of them giggling and smiling. He gave her the picture again and said the same thing. She repeated this with him 3 times then picked the picture up and said "i want bubbles" then gave it to Taylor. He listened to her but didn't respond, he just sat there quietly and then after a few minutes picked his picture up and gave it to her saying "i bubbles" she once again pulled the lever and bubbles floated around the room once more with him frantically running around popping them all. After 3 more tries he finally gave her the picture and said "i waaa bubbles" he didn't quite get the full word 'want' out, he just made the sound of the first 2 letters but it was great as he knew what she expected of him to be able to get his bubbles. 3 more tries and we finally got "i want bubbles" he asked for his milk after that and sat quietly staring at the picture for a few moments then looked her straight in the eye and said "i want bubbles please" without her asking him to say please then he said "thank you very much" and we left it at that.

Up until today i was really against the PECS system the way his Therapist was doing it as she just wanted him to give her the picture in exchange for what was on it, she made no attempts at getting him speak whist doing it. After seeing what the other woman did with him i am strongly for it now, as long as that's the way they're going to stick to. He is fairly good with stringing sentences together himself and asking for what he wants but i think the PECS used in that way will definitely benefit his speech and sentence building a lot and also help him understand the way to ask for things so that we and others can fully understand him. I am confident that it won't take too long for him to get past the aid of PECS so that he will be able to verbally ask for what he wants without the pictures. He is a very fast learner providing it is of interest to him. Once he realises that he can do it with and later on without the aid of the pictures and get what it is he wants, he will become a natural.

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