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:
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Pepperoni Pizza
Posted by Troy | Filed under Humor, Parenting
He was going to be a hippo
Then it was a pirate
Then a frog
Finally, with time running out we insist he make up his mind…
“Pepperoni Pizza!” he announces…
Tags: halloween, kids, original photo
Ringo Starr is the One
Posted by Troy | Filed under Culture, Music, Parenting
After a round of Beatles RB the other day, I asked my right-brained first-born what her favorite Beatles song is (of course Abbey Road is her favorite album)…
I wouldn’t have guessed “Octopus’s Garden,” but I guess it makes sense since that Ringo tune has been entertaining kids for a long time.
Tags: kids, Music, original illustration, rock band, the beatles
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
Home School vs Public School
Posted by Troy | Filed under Parenting
I read an entertaining article today about choosing the best schooling option for your family and respecting the choices of others.
I’m not sure why this issue is so hotly debated among parents…
Quite honestly, I don’t really care how you school your kids and I’m not exactly sure why anyone else would care what option I choose for mine.
I do think he comes across a little hard on homeschooling in the article, but I don’t think that is his intention…
What he’s really getting at is how often parents of a certain persuasion will look down on anyone who makes a different choice. For him, it was homeschooling parents practically treating him like a child-abuser because he sends them to public school, never considering that he did so for some very intentional reasons…
I love my homeschooling friends. They are wonderful and fabulous and great and all those other positive adjectives, and I’ve never experienced this kind of pressure from any of them.
But I do know what this guy is talking about… and I have seen it.
I grew up in Christian school and I remember even as a kid looking ever-so-slightly down my nose at the kids who wallowed in the paganism of Siebert Elementary… I didn’t realize I was doing so, but I was…
and I don’t want my kids to ever think they are better than anyone else… luckier than some, maybe… but not better.
and every day I encourage them to be hope and light and love to the kids who have none…
Tags: illustration
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
Kids Dance Mix
Posted by Troy | Filed under Family, Music, Parenting
My daughter got a CD player (I call it a boombox) for her seventh birthday.
She only has one CD and she really likes it.
I don’t like it so much.
Today I threw together (maybe 5 minutes spent) a new mix CD that the whole family can enjoy:
- Pork & Beans – Weezer
- No One – Alicia Keys
- Can You Feel It – Apples in Stereo
- I Need You Back – Ben Kweller
- No Rain – Blind Melon
- French Navy – Camera Obscura
- 1,2,3,4 – Feist
- Get Better – Mates of State
- Noticed – Mute Math
- Apple Trees – Ozma
- Flip Flops – Paul Wright
- Hey Sandy – Polaris (that’s the iconic band from the intro to Pete and Pete)
Tags: original photo
Stay 7 Forever
Posted by Troy | Filed under Parenting, Thoughts
It seems like parents either want to keep their kids as babies for as long as they can or to grow up as fast as possible.
The moments are definitely fleeting… so you’ve really got to enjoy each and every one.
What one thing could I do today that my kid might remember forever… for good or bad?
Tags: original photo
My first post is about Michael Jackson’s Socks?
Posted by Troy | Filed under Parenting
I’ve been planning this blog for a while, and never would have imagined my first post would be about Michael Jackson.
Michael hasn’t played a huge role in my life, but in light of recent events, he’s been pacing moonwalking back and forth in my mind.
Of course he’s always kind of been there…. Part of my soundtrack I guess, even though I’d probably never think to include him. He’s seemed to pop in and out of my life when I least expect it, and for some reason my memories of him are different than everyone else’s.
Sure, the historic Motown 25 moonwalk is etched in my mind just like everyone else, along with the entire Thriller video and less attractive visions of his trial, etc.
But I’ve always connected with different moments… things like my teenage obsession with the Jackson 5, his almost-totally-forgotten video for “Jam” (featuring Michael Jordan, Heavy D, and a brief but awesome cameo from Kriss Kross), or the Pepsi commercial with Carlton from Fresh Prince (if only Alfonso had gotten Michael to do the “Carlton” Dance)
One of my most vivid memories though… is his socks. Not the pair he happened to be wearing, but the replicas that I could be wearing…
I remember standing in the aisle in Sears looking up at them… like a beacon of shining light amidst a sea of Lee jeans.
But of course I was too embarrassed to admit to my parents my desire for such fancy footwear…. I’m not sure why, they probably would have considered it cute.
It makes me wonder… what parts of themselves might my own kids fear revealing to me?
They seem pretty honest and transparent… but perhaps there is more inside… perhaps they don’t know how anything they say or do or enjoy is fascinating and adorable to me…
Guess I’ll just keep my sensors on for any signals they might send… bracing myself for encouraging words post I-want-to-be-a-cheerleader revelation… or a request to turn on the country station (or pretty much any radio station)… or…
