Autism

[Mara]

[Rolinda Bonz]

the Disneyland experiment was a huge success! http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickeyvacation.gif

i had been wondering if Tim would be able to handle an airplane trip.

his vestibular system is extremely sensitive, and its tough on EVERYBODY when he has to wait in line for extended periods of time.

so i picked Disneyland because its only an hour flight and close enough to drive back home if the ride there proved to be too stressful.

and i bought trip insurance.

 

it was extremely noisy and overstimulating at the arrival and departure curbs of the airports, but once we got out of the NOISE, he was fine.

Tim is uncomfortable holding hands which is unnerving in the airport for any parent.

but Tyler, my older son (now 17), and i tag-teamed the poor boy, and Timothy gained no freedoms.

by the grace of God, going thru Security only took us about 20 minutes from start to finish each time.

i kept him fed every 2 hrs and gave him lollipops on the airplane to ease the change in pressure. he did complain once or twice on the way back into PHX tho

 

as it turns out, California is very special-needs-friendly. we were blessed to enjoy Holiday Inn's Movie/Pool party on friday night.

we swam while they showed The Princess and The Frog on a pool side screen, gave out beaded necklaces, popped popcorn, and invited everyone to ice and decorate a cookie. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickeymouse.gif

major kudos to Disneyland for providing us with a free special needs family pass that allowed us to use the FastPass lanes which had very minimal waiting to get on the rides.

they also gave Timothy a birthday button to wear, because he was turning 11. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickey.gif <--Tim

 

Tim LUV'd the rollercoasters. We hit Pirates of the Carribean (i sat down into a puddle as soon as we got on the ride ), Thunder Mountain (i got splashed twice ) , The Matterhorn, Space Mountain (won't do that one again, the flash bulb in the dark left Timothy stunned for about 20 minutes), Autopia (yes, Timothy DROVE ) Splash Mountain (i got drenched ), Haunted Mansion (kinda scary for Tim), Disneyland Railroad (we went around the park TWICE) and the Jungle Cruise with its cheesy jokes. (me and Tyler luv'd those )

Then we jammed past the parade for Disneyland's 55th Birthday and across the mall to California Adventure. We road the Grizzly River Rafts (guess who got soaked? ), California Screamin (!!! seerious coastage !!!) and Soaring (vereh nice).

 

Then we "lost" Tim for about 30 seconds, which was terrifying. Tyler had been taking Tim to the men's rooms all along on the trip, and this time,

Tim had to go so bad that he didn't wait up for Tyler. Except that Tim dashed into the Women's Room instead,

and we had a moment of panic until we heard him "humming" and tracked him down. *whew*

 

We left after that.

 

I had wanted to take Tim on the Monorail after I figured out that was what he was asking for, calling it "bullet train". like *duh*, mom

next year for sure! he has already asked me about 20 times today for "Disneyland".

poor kid's gonna hafta wait a while, but we will DEFINITELY go back.

http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mm-stmbt.gif

[liquidcrystalcompass]

QUOTE (Rolinda Bonz @ Jul 19 2010, 03:27 PM)

the Disneyland experiment was a huge success! http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickeyvacation.gif i had been wondering if Tim would be able to handle an airplane trip. his vestibular system is extremely sensitive, and its tough on EVERYBODY when he has to wait in line for extended periods of time. so i picked Disneyland because its only an hour flight and close enough to drive back home if the ride there proved to be too stressful. and i bought trip insurance. it was extremely noisy and overstimulating at the arrival and departure curbs of the airports, but once we got out of the NOISE, he was fine. Tim is uncomfortable holding hands which is unnerving in the airport for any parent. but Tyler, my older son (now 17), and i tag-teamed the poor boy, and Timothy gained no freedoms. by the grace of God, going thru Security only took us about 20 minutes from start to finish each time. i kept him fed every 2 hrs and gave him lollipops on the airplane to ease the change in pressure. he did complain once or twice on the way back into PHX tho as it turns out, California is very special-needs-friendly. we were blessed to enjoy Holiday Inn's Movie/Pool party on friday night. we swam while they showed The Princess and The Frog on a pool side screen, gave out beaded necklaces, popped popcorn, and invited everyone to ice and decorate a cookie. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickeymouse.gif major kudos to Disneyland for providing us with a free special needs family pass that allowed us to use the FastPass lanes which had very minimal waiting to get on the rides. they also gave Timothy a birthday button to wear, because he was turning 11. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickey.gif <--Tim Tim LUV'd the rollercoasters. We hit Pirates of the Carribean (i sat down into a puddle as soon as we got on the ride ), Thunder Mountain (i got splashed twice ) , The Matterhorn, Space Mountain (won't do that one again, the flash bulb in the dark left Timothy stunned for about 20 minutes), Autopia (yes, Timothy DROVE ) Splash Mountain (i got drenched ), Haunted Mansion (kinda scary for Tim), Disneyland Railroad (we went around the park TWICE) and the Jungle Cruise with its cheesy jokes. (me and Tyler luv'd those ) Then we jammed past the parade for Disneyland's 55th Birthday and across the mall to California Adventure. We road the Grizzly River Rafts (guess who got soaked? ), California Screamin (!!! seerious coastage !!!) and Soaring (vereh nice). Then we "lost" Tim for about 30 seconds, which was terrifying. Tyler had been taking Tim to the men's rooms all along on the trip, and this time, Tim had to go so bad that he didn't wait up for Tyler. Except that Tim dashed into the Women's Room instead, and we had a moment of panic until we heard him "humming" and tracked him down. *whew* We left after that. I had wanted to take Tim on the Monorail after I figured out that was what he was asking for, calling it "bullet train". like *duh*, mom next year for sure! he has already asked me about 20 times today for "Disneyland". poor kid's gonna hafta wait a while, but we will DEFINITELY go back. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mm-stmbt.gif

Woohooo!

 

It may be even easier on ya'll next time around.

 

 

[Rolinda Bonz]

i almost forgot, we were watching Disney channel in our hotel room when this commercial came on.

 

[GhostGirl]

You're braver than me, Roli. So glad it went well!!!

[Rolinda Bonz]

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c167/RolindaBonz/07172010013.jpg

 

^^^my boyz

 

another thing i forgot to mention, that helped Tim to cope with the noise, crowds, new environment and break from routine, tho in sort of a strange way, was his truck.

you can see it in the A with him on his left.

before we left the house, i told Tim to "pick one car" to bring along. He chose a '57 Chevy Pick Up.

anyway, wherever we went, whenever it was "time to go", i would ask Tim if he had his truck.

ok, yes. then we're good to go.

i think it served as a sort of continual reassurance for him. a little piece of home or something, i dunno.

he hung onto that thing the entire trip!

[GhostGirl]

Good lookin' guys, Roli!

 

It's good that our "babies" have big brothers, huh?

 

[Rolinda Bonz]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jul 19 2010, 02:04 PM)

Good lookin' guys, Roli! It's good that our "babies" have big brothers, huh?

 

Thanx, GG!

 

o i KNO! Thank God for big brothers!

 

not only for a million practical purposes of helping out, but for example setting and affirming me as a parent as well.

 

its so hard to know what to do sometimes, how to raise a special needs child.

 

it makes me second guess myself often. especially when others are staring down their nose at me, ya know.

 

but when i look at Tyler (same ingredients), i am reassured that the challenges we are facing are due to this thing called Autism and not just lousy parenting skilz.

 

its interesting. i know of a LOT of folks whose second child is afflicted, but not the first. what's up with that?

 

 

[sundog]

QUOTE (Rolinda Bonz @ Jul 19 2010, 04:27 PM)

the Disneyland experiment was a huge success! http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickeyvacation.gif i had been wondering if Tim would be able to handle an airplane trip. his vestibular system is extremely sensitive, and its tough on EVERYBODY when he has to wait in line for extended periods of time. so i picked Disneyland because its only an hour flight and close enough to drive back home if the ride there proved to be too stressful. and i bought trip insurance. it was extremely noisy and overstimulating at the arrival and departure curbs of the airports, but once we got out of the NOISE, he was fine. Tim is uncomfortable holding hands which is unnerving in the airport for any parent. but Tyler, my older son (now 17), and i tag-teamed the poor boy, and Timothy gained no freedoms. by the grace of God, going thru Security only took us about 20 minutes from start to finish each time. i kept him fed every 2 hrs and gave him lollipops on the airplane to ease the change in pressure. he did complain once or twice on the way back into PHX tho as it turns out, California is very special-needs-friendly. we were blessed to enjoy Holiday Inn's Movie/Pool party on friday night. we swam while they showed The Princess and The Frog on a pool side screen, gave out beaded necklaces, popped popcorn, and invited everyone to ice and decorate a cookie. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickeymouse.gif major kudos to Disneyland for providing us with a free special needs family pass that allowed us to use the FastPass lanes which had very minimal waiting to get on the rides. they also gave Timothy a birthday button to wear, because he was turning 11. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickey.gif <--Tim Tim LUV'd the rollercoasters. We hit Pirates of the Carribean (i sat down into a puddle as soon as we got on the ride ), Thunder Mountain (i got splashed twice ) , The Matterhorn, Space Mountain (won't do that one again, the flash bulb in the dark left Timothy stunned for about 20 minutes), Autopia (yes, Timothy DROVE ) Splash Mountain (i got drenched ), Haunted Mansion (kinda scary for Tim), Disneyland Railroad (we went around the park TWICE) and the Jungle Cruise with its cheesy jokes. (me and Tyler luv'd those ) Then we jammed past the parade for Disneyland's 55th Birthday and across the mall to California Adventure. We road the Grizzly River Rafts (guess who got soaked? ), California Screamin (!!! seerious coastage !!!) and Soaring (vereh nice). Then we "lost" Tim for about 30 seconds, which was terrifying. Tyler had been taking Tim to the men's rooms all along on the trip, and this time, Tim had to go so bad that he didn't wait up for Tyler. Except that Tim dashed into the Women's Room instead, and we had a moment of panic until we heard him "humming" and tracked him down. *whew* We left after that. I had wanted to take Tim on the Monorail after I figured out that was what he was asking for, calling it "bullet train". like *duh*, mom next year for sure! he has already asked me about 20 times today for "Disneyland". poor kid's gonna hafta wait a while, but we will DEFINITELY go back. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mm-stmbt.gif

Awesome!!! I am soooooo happy that this turned out so well!

 

You have made my day reading that!!! :bravo:

[Mara]

QUOTE (sundog @ Jul 19 2010, 07:08 PM)

QUOTE (Rolinda Bonz @ Jul 19 2010, 04:27 PM) the Disneyland experiment was a huge success!  http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickeyvacation.gif i had been wondering if Tim would be able to handle an airplane trip. his vestibular system is extremely sensitive, and its tough on EVERYBODY when he has to wait in line for extended periods of time. so i picked Disneyland because its only an hour flight and close enough to drive back home if the ride there proved to be too stressful.  and i bought trip insurance.  it was extremely noisy and overstimulating at the arrival and departure curbs of the airports, but once we got out of the NOISE, he was fine. Tim is uncomfortable holding hands which is unnerving in the airport for any parent.  but Tyler, my older son (now 17), and i tag-teamed the poor boy, and Timothy gained no freedoms.    by the grace of God, going thru Security only took us about 20 minutes from start to finish each time. i kept him fed every 2 hrs and gave him lollipops on the airplane to ease the change in pressure.  he did complain once or twice on the way back into PHX tho  as it turns out, California is very special-needs-friendly. we were blessed to enjoy Holiday Inn's Movie/Pool party on friday night. we swam while they showed The Princess and The Frog on a pool side screen, gave out beaded necklaces, popped popcorn, and invited everyone to ice and decorate a cookie.  http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickeymouse.gif major kudos to Disneyland for providing us with a free special needs family pass that allowed us to use the FastPass lanes which had very minimal waiting to get on the rides.  they also gave Timothy a birthday button to wear, because he was turning 11. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mickey.gif  <--Tim Tim LUV'd the rollercoasters.  We hit Pirates of the Carribean (i sat down into a puddle as soon as we got on the ride  ), Thunder Mountain (i got splashed twice ) , The Matterhorn, Space Mountain (won't do that one again, the flash bulb in the dark left Timothy stunned for about 20 minutes), Autopia (yes, Timothy DROVE  ) Splash Mountain (i got drenched  ), Haunted Mansion (kinda scary for Tim), Disneyland Railroad (we went around the park TWICE) and the Jungle Cruise with its cheesy jokes.  (me and Tyler luv'd those ) Then we jammed past the parade for Disneyland's 55th Birthday and across the mall to California Adventure.  We road the Grizzly River Rafts (guess who got soaked?  ), California Screamin  (!!! seerious coastage !!!) and Soaring (vereh nice). Then we "lost" Tim for about 30 seconds, which was terrifying. Tyler had been taking Tim to the men's rooms all along on the trip, and this time, Tim had to go so bad that he didn't wait up for Tyler. Except that Tim dashed into the Women's Room instead, and we had a moment of panic until we heard him "humming" and tracked him down. *whew* We left after that.  I had wanted to take Tim on the Monorail after I figured out that was what he was asking for, calling it "bullet train".  like *duh*, mom   next year for sure!    he has already asked me about 20 times today for "Disneyland".  poor kid's gonna hafta wait a while, but we will DEFINITELY go back. http://usera.ImageCave.com/RolindaBonz/Rolinda2/mm-stmbt.gif Awesome!!! I am soooooo happy that this turned out so well!   You have made my day reading that!!! :bravo: How much fun for all three of you! on the roller coasters! It's really great that Tim had such a good time. Glad you 3 got to do this.

[Queen of Megadon]

RB--SO glad the Disney experiment turned out well! Such a relief, I know.

 

Just a few things I've picked up along the way...

 

I usually travel everywhere with a set of earplugs. Daniel still has some sound issues at age 15. For really bad noises--especially thunderstorms, we have the noise reducing ear protectors you might use at a gun range. It adds a nice level of comfort for him.

 

I too, have taken my son to Disney, TWICE. And thank goodness for that pass! I rarely wave the flag or ask for special considerations for my son...there wont always be a special pass in life, ya know?...but that one? oh yes indeed. It makes the experience just that much more tolerable, and enjoyable.

 

One caveat for that...we've also used it at Six Flags, and Daniel likes the roller coasters too! So we managed to get on SEVEN roller coaster rides. One should not try to do 7 roller coaster rides in a day. It will leave you green at day's end.

[Rolinda Bonz]

thank you sunny, mara and ms. megadon

 

 

and thanks for the tip about 6 flags!

tyler suggested we go to universal studios next time,

since tim did so well on the rides...luv'd them actually.

we'll add 6 flags to our wish list, too.

 

one thing i forgot to mention was "single file".

timothy doesn't seem to understand traffic,

not the danger of being in the street or parking lot,

not to get out of the way of on-coming carts in the grocery store,

nor to even avoid bumping into other people walking.

and crowded places are extremely difficult on BOTH of us.

i'm afraid he will get separated/lost from me,

and he doesn't want to hold hands for any extended period of time.

 

but Disneyland was sooo very crowded, that we got pretty good at walking single file.

i would lead, tell timmy to follow me and have tyler bring up the rear.

and sometimes, i would let tyler lead, and i would make sure tim didn't waver.

it worked quite well, since there were 3 of us.

 

chalk up more points for teh big brothers everywhere!

[GhostGirl]

This is a great article I found this morning.

 

7 Easy Ways to Help a Family Diagnosed With Autism

 

All wonderful ideas. Sometimes it's hard to ask for help, you know? Share this with someone you know who wants to help. Almost everyone knows a family affected.

[Natch]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Aug 18 2010, 08:50 AM)

This is a great article I found this morning. 7 Easy Ways to Help a Family Diagnosed With Autism All wonderful ideas. Sometimes it's hard to ask for help, you know? Share this with someone you know who wants to help. Almost everyone knows a family affected.

Great article. I think this should be required reading for everyone. It would definitely help alot of people out there.

[Queen of Megadon]

QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Aug 18 2010, 09:50 AM)

This is a great article I found this morning. 7 Easy Ways to Help a Family Diagnosed With Autism All wonderful ideas. Sometimes it's hard to ask for help, you know? Share this with someone you know who wants to help. Almost everyone knows a family affected.

funny...i actually came across this article yesterday as well. Good ideas.

[iluvgeddy05]

Here is an article from my local paper (online) that tells about a guide dog who helps an 8 year old boy with autism (along the lines of a seeing eye dog):

 

http://auburnpub.com/news/local/article_2d...1cc4c03286.html

 

 

I've never heard of this before but it's a great idea if it works for sure.

[Rolinda Bonz]

QUOTE (iluvgeddy05 @ Sep 8 2010, 08:07 AM)

Here is an article from my local paper (online) that tells about a guide dog who helps an 8 year old boy with autism (along the lines of a seeing eye dog): http://auburnpub.com/news/local/article_2d...1cc4c03286.html I've never heard of this before but it's a great idea if it works for sure.

kewl!

 

its hard for me to put that together. we have a black lab, but Tim has never really paid much attention to him,,,other than complain that Turbo steals the ball and won't give it back.

 

i wonder if the advantage comes from other people recognizing a special needs student and offering a lil extra grace?

 

other than that, i don't see the distinct advantage of the dog.

what is the dog helping with, exactly?

[LakesideMaiden]

QUOTE (Rolinda Bonz @ Sep 9 2010, 11:57 PM)

QUOTE (iluvgeddy05 @ Sep 8 2010, 08:07 AM) Here is an article from my local paper (online) that tells about a guide dog who helps an 8 year old boy with autism (along the lines of a seeing eye dog): http://auburnpub.com/news/local/article_2d...1cc4c03286.html I've never heard of this before but it's a great idea if it works for sure. kewl!   its hard for me to put that together. we have a black lab, but Tim has never really paid much attention to him,,,other than complain that Turbo steals the ball and won't give it back.   i wonder if the advantage comes from other people recognizing a special needs student and offering a lil extra grace?   other than that, i don't see the distinct advantage of the dog. what is the dog helping with, exactly? I looked into this a little further...this is from the ASDA's website (Autism Service Dogs of America):   QUOTE Our service dogs provide a physical and emotional anchor for children with autism. With their child tethered to a service dog, families feel they are newly freed to engage in activities as simple as shopping at the mall. On the streets, parents are relieved of the worry their child might run away. In many cases, the service dog accompanies the child to school, where its calming presence can minimize and often eliminate emotional outbursts, enabling the child to more fully participate. Transitioning among school day activities is eased and the service dog provides a focus through which the child can interact with other children. This helps increase the opportunity for the child to develop social and language skills.   Makes a little more sense as to why they are available.

[Rushman14]

Family to Receive $1.5M in First-Ever Vaccine-Autism Court Award

 

The first court award in a vaccine-autism claim is a big one. CBS News has learned the family of Hannah Poling will receive more than $1.5 million dollars for her life care; lost earnings; and pain and suffering.

 

Hannah was described as normal, happy and precocious in her first 18 months.

 

Then, in July 2000, she was vaccinated against nine diseases in one doctor's visit: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, varicella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae.

 

Afterward, her health declined rapidly. She developed high fevers, stopped eating, didn't respond when spoken to, began showing signs of autism, and began having screaming fits. In 2002, Hannah's parents filed an autism claim in federal vaccine court. Five years later, the government settled the case before trial and had it sealed. It's taken more than two years for both sides to agree on how much Hannah will be compensated for her injuries.

 

In acknowledging Hannah's injuries, the government said vaccines aggravated an unknown mitochondrial disorder Hannah had which didn't "cause" her autism, but "resulted" in it. It's unknown how many other children have similar undiagnosed mitochondrial disorder. All other autism "test cases" have been defeated at trial. Approximately 4,800 are awaiting disposition in federal vaccine court.

 

Source

 

 

[GhostGirl]

QUOTE (Rushman14 @ Sep 10 2010, 01:39 AM)

Family to Receive $1.5M in First-Ever Vaccine-Autism Court Award The first court award in a vaccine-autism claim is a big one. CBS News has learned the family of Hannah Poling will receive more than $1.5 million dollars for her life care; lost earnings; and pain and suffering. Hannah was described as normal, happy and precocious in her first 18 months. Then, in July 2000, she was vaccinated against nine diseases in one doctor's visit: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, varicella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae. Afterward, her health declined rapidly. She developed high fevers, stopped eating, didn't respond when spoken to, began showing signs of autism, and began having screaming fits. In 2002, Hannah's parents filed an autism claim in federal vaccine court. Five years later, the government settled the case before trial and had it sealed. It's taken more than two years for both sides to agree on how much Hannah will be compensated for her injuries. In acknowledging Hannah's injuries, the government said vaccines aggravated an unknown mitochondrial disorder Hannah had which didn't "cause" her autism, but "resulted" in it. It's unknown how many other children have similar undiagnosed mitochondrial disorder. All other autism "test cases" have been defeated at trial. Approximately 4,800 are awaiting disposition in federal vaccine court. Source

I don't doubt that this may prove important to some families. However, I cannot imagine letting someone give my child NINE shots in one day! Once, Stephen got 5 and it still makes me sick to think of it.

 

He never had the reactions that some kids do post-vaccine, so I don't think they played a role in his autism.

 

Something did, for sure, but in his case it wasn't shots.

 

I hope the money really helps the family involved. God knows we could use some funds. Having a child with autism is expensive.

[Arleen2112]

Found this article and thought you might be interested in reading it

 

Canadian researchers find possible cause of autism

[GhostGirl]

QUOTE (Arleen2112 @ Sep 15 2010, 06:50 PM)

Found this article and thought you might be interested in reading it Canadian researchers find possible cause of autism

Really interesting stuff, thank you Arleen.

[nettiesaur]

After today, I finally understand what the haircut mess is all about. My little student had a haircut yesterday, and all of the work I've been doing with him went out the window for the entire day. He just couldn't get it together, and he's not that severe.

I can't imagine what his mother went through last night.

to all of you who have to live this over and over.

[Queen of Megadon]

QUOTE (nettiesaur @ Nov 2 2010, 09:12 PM)

After today, I finally understand what the haircut mess is all about. My little student had a haircut yesterday, and all of the work I've been doing with him went out the window for the entire day. He just couldn't get it together, and he's not that severe. I can't imagine what his mother went through last night. to all of you who have to live this over and over.

Nettie..

 

oh I remember those days. It got better...and thankfully we have a wonderful barber who was very patient with him.

 

 

My son trusts him so much now that he lets the barber give him a (electric) shave. My how far we've come!

[nettiesaur]

QUOTE (Queen of Megadon @ Nov 3 2010, 12:12 PM)

QUOTE (nettiesaur @ Nov 2 2010, 09:12 PM) After today, I finally understand what the haircut mess is all about. My little student had a haircut yesterday, and all of the work I've been doing with him went out the window for the entire day. He just couldn't get it together, and he's not that severe. I can't imagine what his mother went through last night. to all of you who have to live this over and over. Nettie..   oh I remember those days. It got better...and thankfully we have a wonderful barber who was very patient with him.     My son trusts him so much now that he lets the barber give him a (electric) shave. My how far we've come! This kid got a buzz. He must have screamed the entire time, because he hasn't stopped whining for 2 days. Really, I don't know how any of you do it.