Six Benefits of LEGO Play for Children with Autism
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Kids, Parenting
When my kids were finally old enough for LEGOs, I was glad.
Pretty much everything about LEGO is awesome.
What was interesting (though not totally surprising) was how beneficial LEGO play seemed to be for my 6-year-old who has autism.
Interestingly enough, some serious studies are now being done to develop LEGO-based therapy for children with autism.
It makes a lot of sense:
Read the rest of this entry »
The Real Wolverine
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism
Received an article today about Autism in the workplace.
How certain behavioral skills characteristic of individuals with (high-functioning) autism may make them more adept at particular occupations than the rest of us, and how some new companies and non-profits are providing training to foster the strengths of these individuals by providing specialized training with their unique minds in mind.
At first it seems fantastic.
Tags: Autism, nbc, original illustration
Inclusive Education
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism
Our son has Autism.
This fall, he transitioned from an ECP (early childhood special ed) classroom to a typical Kindergarten class.
We did so for a variety of reasons, one of which is the theory that Inclusive Education is beneficial for both the special-needs student and his classmates.
PBS released a really great article about this today.
We never really doubted that inclusion is best… the real question is…
are the public schools equipped for inclusive education?
When our son’s Kindergarten teacher already has 23 children to not only maintain, but to guide, teach and grow… how can she be expected to fully serve my son?
It doesn’t matter how great of a teacher you are, that order is just too high…
When everyone knows it is best… why does my wife have to fight through blood, sweat and tears to get him the aid that he is entitled? (any aid… even one without ASD training)
Of course it’s about money… the scary thing is that with Autism rising and school funding on the decline the future looks very bleak for any possibility that the public schools will be able to meet the needs of their communities.
I guess it’s a good thing that I believe in prayer… because I don’t know what else to do from here on out.
Tags: Autism, original photo
Zev on Amazing Race
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Parenting, TV
Individuals on the Autism Spectrum have never had a voice in the media.
Of course there’s Rain Man (everyone’s first reply when I say “my son has Autism”)…
And the occasional savant on 60 Minutes or something… (which of course results in everyone’s second reply “so is he super good at math or the piano or something?”)
And that is about it.
There’s never been occasion in media where a character with Autism was actually a person… you know what I mean?
That is why I consider this season’s Amazing Race to be groundbreaking…
Because Zev Glassenberg is someone to watch.
As far as I can tell he is the first person ever in popular media to represent individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
While watching this weeks episode…
I chuckled knowingly when he’s concerned about getting his shoes wet while traveling through knee-deep floods in Vietnam…
and I felt so proud… like he was my own son… when he masterfully shepherded a flock of ducks during one competition…
and gave his jacket to a man who had none…
and my heart cheered when his team came in 2nd at the finish line for that leg of the race…
But the thing that really gets me emotional…
is that he’s got a friend.
a real friend.
Because I know I’m in for a lot of heartbreak over the next decade as I try to watch my son relate to his peers… and none of them will really understand him.
But seeing Zev with his buddy Justin gives me hope… just a little hope… that someday my boy can have a friend that understands him and appreciates him the way I do…
a friend who loves his sense of humor and is humbled by his unselfish spirit and touched by his sweet personality and…..
You can follow Zev and Justin on the race via their webpage (which is mostly twitter status updates of funny stuff Zev says on the show)
Tags: amazing race, aspergers, Autism, tv
First Day of School
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Parenting
Sometimes I’m surprised to hear parents excited to send their kids back to school… like having them around is a huge pain that they’d just as soon avoid.
I get that kids are a lot of work and they definitely have a way of wearing your nerves quite thin…
I’d still rather be around them most of the time than not…
My son went to his first day of kindergarten this past week.
It was tough enough with our oldest… we cried the whole walk home from dropping her off for the first time.
But this time is different.
Because he has autism, we have no idea what to expect.
Reassurance comes from friends in the form of “Oh, he’ll be OK… do great… etc.”
Which is more than likely true, but not really the issue.
We don’t want him to be OK.
We want him to get the most out of each day.
to excel…
to fly…
Will dropping him in the hands of an overloaded public school teacher give him that opportunity?
Would keeping him home with mom?
Nobody knows, and that’s just the thing… at some point you have to make a decision…
at some point you have to have faith.
Tags: Autism, Faith, original photo, Parenting, school
Autism and Immunizations
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism
I’ve long given up hope that a TV news magazine would air an honest feature about autism.
Somehow, I still manage to get my hopes up when I hear that a story like last night’s Dateline is coming up.
The feature was promoted as an “in-depth” look at the link between autism and vaccines and the doctor who first brought this debate to the forefront—Andrew Wakefield.
Of course this Dateline was exactly the same as every other TV news magazine feature I’ve seen…
Tags: illustration, original illustration
Eyes of Autism
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism
So very deep
Like a black hole
At the very bottom is a person
But no fear.
The moment his eye looks straight into mine
Can he see that I’m terrified?
Tags: original photo
Ponyo and Autism
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Film
Andy Carver’s recent post for NPR’s news blog caught my eye.
I haven’t seen a Hayao Miyazaki movie since Spirited Away but I do remember it was pretty sweet… and after reading Andy Carver’s unique perspective on Ponyo as a representative of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder… I may just have to check it out.
The character Ponyo is brave, even empowered. She knows she is different from all of her siblings but knows she can make a difference in a little boy’s life simply by loving him and helping those around him. And she, in turn, instills love and hope in the boy, despite her various quirks.
