Cabin Fever

Winter sucks unless your an avid skier or own a snowmobile.  I've seemed to have been cooped up for the past couple months.  Very strange weather lately.  Thunder and snowfall.  Freezing rain, sleet and the temperature raised up to 35 degrees.  Last night we got about 5 inches of snow and now they are calling for more tonight.  The kids haven't had the chance to make a good snowman yet.  Not enough snow or the snow that don't pack.  At least they can make snow angels...then cry because they get snow in their hats and boots.  It's an easy bribe getting them back in the house...Hot Chocolate!

A couple nights ago we had a family night of shopping and going out to eat.  It has been a long time since we went to a place that serves us.  Never tried iHop and the kids wanted pancakes.  Go figure.  I've never had a bad pancake...bad service is another story.

We got seated about 6 o'clock.  Ordered about 6:20.  Got our drinks about 6:35 and our food around 7!  For as long as we had to wait the kids were pretty well behaved.  I ordered a raspberry ice tea and when I got a refill without asking, brought back was a Mt. Dew.  Okay...Wth is that?  Is that mine...I don't get it.  Oh well, I'll drink it...no big deal.

When we got the food my hashbrowns were not brown.  They were burned black.  The rest of the food was okay.  My wifes omlet the cheese wasn't even melted but at least the kids pancakes were good.  Dane devoured his and Ally ate half.  Like I say...I've never had a bad pancake.  Goodness, I could have bought a box of bisquick and fed the whole restaurant before I got my 2nd unrequested wrong drink of a refill.  Needless to say, the waitress said "Sorry it was so bad"  We didn't even say anything and she gave us the kids meals free...which was nice.  All our cloths also smelled like bacon grease so they had to get washed asap.  I don't think I will be back there for a while.  Again, the kids were good.  Dane was getting edgy and saying out loud "I'm Hungry!"  and "Wheres Food!" 

Dane finally got a long awaited haircut.  I tried to cut it with the clippers but he struggles and twitches and plugs his ears.  He cannot sit still.  I tried just to trim around his ears with a scissors and nipped his ear.  That really freaked him out so I let him calm down over the next couple days.  I let my wife cut his hair.  That is no walk in the park being just a bystander.  50 minutes later he was done and really upset.  She cut his hair to a 1/2 inch.  Very short.  Too short for my liking but I guess it will probably be another 6 months before he lets us near his hair again.

homework

Dane is in the first grade.  He just turned 7.  Every night he brings home math homework.  Something I didn't find out till a couple nights ago is that Dane doesn't get to go outside for recess if he doesn't have his homework done.  Why was I not informed of this?  Dane needs that time to unwind and be a child.  It has been awful getting him to concentrate just to do a few problems.  He knows the work but he does not want to focus.  After school he's very overtired and cranky.

I have started more every night getting him to do his homework.  The teacher crosses off at least half the work.  I cannot imagine all this kids at this age doing this much every night.  I don't think it's fair.  I went to a private school during elementary and I don't remember bringing any homework home until at  least the 3rd grade.

Dane in 1st grade outside Occupational Therapy

Its true.  Kindergarten is like first grade now.  They want the kids to tie their own shoes and show their work on their math.  Are we growing smarter or just pushing our kids too hard?

I have to admit, I'm tired from working all day.  It's good if I can get a half hour nap in so I can be able to read and help Dane with his math homework.  There has been a night or two where I am just like..oh, screw it and I fill in the numbers for him or just tell him the answers.  All I can tell myself is that...hey...his work is done now let the boy go outside for recess.  Don't coop him up in class all day and punish him.

We got a review of Danes goals from the school today.  He is coming along on his reading.  He did poorly on his writing.  I can see this.  He needs to work more on his finger muscles to improve his fine motor skills.  He has troubles still buttoning his jacket and zipping up his coat.  Tying his shoes is not an option right now and we got the school to accept that he needs his velcrow shoes.  He has come a long way and I am so proud of him.

Danes teacher sent home a slip for an after school program.  I don't think so.  His day is long enough.  I don't want him to hate school this much.  No way do I want him staying there any longer then he has to.  Just like me getting out of work.  My job is done...I'm going home.

back to blogger/1 in 80 ASD

For the past year I had a domain name.  Would I have liked to keep it?  I guess but paying for it didn't make me want to keep it.  I was getting weird emails about the name and saying I'd have to spend x amout of dollars to keep it.  Basically it was spam trying to scare me that if I don't act now that someone else could have it...so be it.  I will stick to my free blog and try to enjoy writing what comes to mind.

Dad updated me the other night that on the news, probably FOX, that they had a report saying that 1 in 80 are now affected with autism.  There was a politician who wants a federal investigation to find out why the numbers are growing.  From what my dad told me was that this guy has a child/grandchild who got 9 shots in one day.  Afterwords, the child acted differently.

Dane on Newsline 9

 My attitude is starting to change about these shots containing Thermosol.  You can request to have shots without the preservative in.  The shot will cost more.  Is it worth it?  I don't know the answer.  For a child not getting affected with autism, my answer would be a definite YES!  We still don't have a scientific answer proven that shots are linked.  Will we have an answer someday...?  More importantly, will it be the truth of what is happening to our children?

I would also like to add that Dane had his first TV interview.  Not about his autism but about the Green Bay Packers.  The news reporter came up to him and started asking him questions.  All she really got out of him what that he liked the Packers.  A very short clip on the news but I was so very proud of my little man.

It's been a while

I'm Back!  Yeah, I deleted this blog thinking I have some kind of a writers block.  To catch up to speed...Dane was diagnosed with ADHD on top of his autism.  Not a very big surprise there.  During his re-evaluation of his autism symptoms he barely was on the spectrum.  I think they tested him on a good day.

Dane is doing well in school.  He hates homework!  I don't blame him.  He has homework every night.  At the teacher conference I mentioned how bad it is to get him to do it.  The teacher decided to cross off some of the math problems.  He basically has to do half of what the other kids are doing.

He has made  a couple friends as well.  He has problems asking for help when needed yet and are still working on that.  We got him on a reward chart for every day of the week and when he reaches his goal he gets a surprise.  Nothing big.  Just something that tells him how great he is accomplishing his goals.  He's a little behind his peers still.  Noises and fine motor skills are his weaknesses.  He still concentrates on spinning objects and banging his head on me for stimulation.

Angry birds has been a reward system for him.  He is very good at it and keeps him happy.  It is part of his routine to play it after school.

Time out's have never worked with Dane.  We always had to take something from him to show him that bad behaviour doesn't deserve a reward.  "Do Not Reward Bad Behaviour!"  As I was saying, the sticker/reward chart was one of the best things that helped him understand what his goals for the day are.

I put of the Xmas tree last night.  Hours before he was being really naughty and not listening to anything.  I know he has a processing disorder and when he gets tired he's bad.  I said if he didn't stop that I was not going to put the tree up.  That did it.  He calmed down and the tree went up and he was happy.

His meltdowns have gotten better.  Instead of demolishing everything in his path, he cries.  It's a new emotion for him to get used to.  Sadness.  I feel so bad and heartbroken when he's like that but it's better then him trashing my house not having to try and restrain him from hurting himself.

All of Danes guinea pigs died.  We had two females together in a cage.  1 male in a separate cage.  Somewhere along the line one of the females had 2 babies.  Ally was a little rough with one and it lived for about a day.  The other baby I tried to find a home for it.  Then, the male got sick.  We thought Ally hurt it because it wouldn't eat and it would bleed out the bung hole.  Then in a week or two, it died.

I went to the hardware store where they sell rabbit food/guinea pig food.  I bought a 40 lb. bag for 20 bucks thinking that would be okay for the guineas to eat until I got paid to buy them Guinea pig food.  Then, one of the females died.  Then the baby and at last, the mother.  That sucked for Dane.  I think the food was tainted or something.  They were pellets.  I would think they could have eaten pellets for a week...I guess not.  We do however have the bunny that is still alive and well..for now.  Hopefully it will grow and die of natural causes.  I've buried enough wild rabbits, chipmunks and guinea pigs by my garage.