Saturday morning , the lovely people who helped unload and go through all of our pods returned to help us set up for our garage sale. They helped us set up over 14 tables of goodies. We started at 6 am and did not finish until 6 pm.
We had media there, so it was an opportunity for our family to help endorse the University of Texas Autism Project we have come to love so much. The goal of our garage sale was to net $1000.00 for this Program.
I am happy to say that we reached our goal. I am thrilled.
On another note....
Remember Robert, the young man I had met on Friday at the grocery store?
Well, Robert came to our home with his mother, father and Grandmother. He was even more interesting and lovely the second time I met him.
Robert comes from a family with style, grace and mostly love.
He was introduced to everyone and they were equally impressed.
Robert came inside and jumped on the trampoline. He loved it.
I hope Robert and his family can become a part of our extended family. He is one heck of a young man.
After the garage sale, we all gathered in the back yard, around a keg of course. We grilled hamburgers and enjoyed the evening with all of our family and friends.
We have a diverse group of people in our extended family. We have friends that are Democrats and we have friends who are Republicans. We have friends with NT children and friends with children on the spectrum. We can all gather together and get along splendidly. No mishaps or fights among any person.
Why in this world where diversity is so needed, is it so hard to accept Autism? I do not understand what is so hard about that......
About Me
- Mom26children
- I am the proud mother of 6 children. 5 of our children have autism. We do not feel our world has ended, but just begun. We do not chelate, intervene biochemically, give shots of any kind, practice ABA, etc. We treat them as we treat any humanbeing. We treat them with kindness and respect and expect the same from them. They are exceptional children.
Monday, March 19, 2007
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11 comments:
I often wonder the same thing.
In a world where everyone preaches diversity, multiculturalism, accepting others, etc, why is it that my kids can't be themselves? Why do others want to change them so much? There is nothing WRONG with my children. Sure, they have challenges, sure there are tough moments. But aren't there moments like that with NT kids?
You know, we are happy. My kids, my husband, myself, my dog. We are happy. That is all we ever wanted and we have it. I think that is all we need.
Congrats on the yard sale!
gg I do accept autism! What I do not accept is my child in pain due to severe gastrointestinal problems. I do not accept that my son's little 4 year old body is full of poison such as lead, aluminum, arsenic & mercury to name a few. I do not accept a damaged immune system due to the above. I do not accept that I can do nothing to help him become a productive member of society. I do not judge you for your inaction do not judge me for acting to heal my child!
You can help your child be a productive member of society without shoveling potentially harmful treatments down their throats. I can understand helping to alleviate stomach ailments and infections and helping to boost their immune systems, but this whole heavy metal business has gotten WAY out of hand. I find it ironic that the whole movement was started by LAWYERS and not medical people or scientists. And now with most of the researching pointing to GENETIC causes, it causes further wonder!
I don't think anyone is judging that you want to do what is best for your child. We all do! Refusing to chelate your child is NOT inaction. It is ACTION!
Anonymous,
I do not condemn anyone for helping their child who is in pain. I do have issues with unproven treatments such as chelation, IVIG, and HBOT in the treatment of AUTISM. After you get rid of the gut pain, the autism is still there.
Alot of children have intestinal problems and they are not autistic.
For goodness sakes, today I read on the AutismWeb Forum, someone is putting a "psuedo-doctor" on a pedestal for thinking the way they think about vaccinations. If you look into this quacks past, he was legally dealt with in NH for practicing without a license (acupuncture)....now he is someone I want to help "cure" my autistic child. Now, because of that post, many people are going to think he is the end-all, be-all of vaccine damage knowledge....that to me is very sad.
Also, we do plenty of action. Play therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy....we are very busy around this house.
Saw a bumper sticker today in NJ that made me think of you, you probably see them all the time by you
"Keep Austin Weird"
"Support Local Businesses"
Glad to know you're keeping Austin in it's current state (supporting local businesses, I mean) ;)
When we started getting publicity on our "Austin" family...my husband compared it to coming to see the "Freak Show" at the Carnival.....
Glad we could oblige in keeping Austin something...
Is your husband also on the spectrum? Asperger's?
Anonymous,
As far as I know, my husband is not on the spectrum, but anything is possible.
I hope, with all my heart, your significant other loves you as much as my husband loves me.
I am in a social group of parents and children of a wide range of ages and abilities. One child doesn't "fit" with the rest of the group, due likely to autistic behavior. When this child isn't around, the other kids and parents are relieved. The other kids can interact in a far less disruptive manner. I'm writing for your input.
I don't think this child should be put on drugs or overly isolated, but I do believe the mother should take more action to work her child during social situations. She seems to need a break, and I'm sure she deserves one, but the social gatherings are not the way to do it. The parents don't address their child's behavior.(e.g., they never act as if their child has disruptive behavior and seem to hide their child's learning delays.) Though several other parent's believe this child is autistic, no one says anything because it would be inappropriate.
How are these situations best handled? Do you ask the parent to please supervise their child since the other parents don't know how to supervise them or don't feel comfortable doing it? What do you say if the parent gets defensive? After all, the other parents are comfortable supervising each other's kids. Do you avoid asking, "Have you considered getting your child tested for ....?" How can you ask such a question if the parent NEVER acts as if anything is wrong?
This is a dillemma because we do love this family, but we can't go on pretending nothing is wrong.
Hi Anonymous,
First, can you tell me the child's age? Is the child in any kind of daycare?
I would assume the child is very young, because a daycare or teacher would have picked up on the behavior issues, I would assume.
Also, play therapy and Sensory Integration were vital to my children's improvement.
Is this child verbal?
What kinds of behavior or disruptive issues does this child have?
Jeanette
The child is a pre-teen.
Touching walls, shelves, furniture, and generally anything in a room. Fear of simple things that don't normally cause fear. Trouble with games. (Then everyone else stops playing to accomodate the child.) Trouble waiting for turn. (whining) Wandering off from the group. Loud speaking.
The parents must have had some kind of talk from the school because the child was held back. (Assumption based on a how they reply to what grade the child is in.) I heard that teachers can describe abnormal behavior, but they can't suggest a cause. We wonder whether the teachers are almost in the same boat and no one is being honest with this family.
However, they almost never mention anything about school. When everyone else talks about school, the mother say nothing. They do often talk about activities the child is in at church, clubs,and other community groups. It doesn't appear that any of these groups have anything to do with networking with other families with children who have similar behavior. While I'm wondering if it's appropriate to suggest this, I'm also wondering why they wouldn't have done it already. Thus, they may think their friends are trying to tell them how to raise their child. How do you talk about this without hurting someone's feelings? What if they are in denial? Is it appropriate for neighborly friends to be the ones to push the issue?
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