tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678003756616121762024-03-05T18:05:59.860-05:00Autism and the Art of CommunicationThis blog is dedicated to the use of drawing and other art forms as alternative and augmentative modes of communication for individuals on the autism spectrum. You can visit our website for more information (www.autismandtheartofcommunication.com). Also, check out our teaching videos on YouTube (AUTISMartCOMMUNICATE), and follow us on facebook (www.facebook.com/AUTISMartCOMMUNICATE).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-72626257413986832312016-12-17T08:33:00.000-05:002016-12-17T08:33:38.462-05:00Easy Print-Making: great holiday art activity for home or school<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Print-making is a fun and versatile art activity that can be easily modified for all levels of language and artistic skill. The method demonstrated in our teaching video (see link below) is simple, allowing you to set up a print "studio" at home or in the classroom without spending a large amount of money.</span></div>
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<b><u>You will need:</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>styrofoam trays </b>(from meat and produce at the grocery store) - clean these well with soap & water, and make sure they are completely dry before you use them</li>
<li><b>wooden skewers or pencils</b> - these are used to "draw" the designs into the styrofoam trays (making an indentation)</li>
<li><b>paint trays</b> - we used cookie sheets covered with tinfoil (foil secured to the tray with masking tape)</li>
<li><b>water soluble print ink</b> - you will have to purchase this at the art store (we used Speedball block printing ink and Nobel LinoPrinting ink)</li>
<li><b>paint/print rollers </b>- these are also purchased at the art store, they are durable and made for multiple use (ours were Speedball brand, you'll find them with the print supplies)</li>
<li><b>paper</b> - many kinds of paper will work, so feel free to experiment - in the video we used paper that we already had on hand (cartridge paper, rice paper, black art paper)</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Basic method:</u></b><br />
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<b>Draw out design ideas on sketching paper.</b> Adam used markers to do this, but you could also use pencils - the advantage of drawing with markers is that it reduces the urge to constantly erase and "fix" a drawing.<br />
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<b>Transfer the drawing ideas you like to the styrofoam trays</b> (cut off raised edges so you are working with a flat piece of foam). This is where you will use a wooden skewer or pencil to press/indent the lines of the drawing down into the foam to create a "relief" drawing. Make sure the lines are indented well so that you get a clear print. The paint will stick to the areas around the lines.<br />
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<b>Mix your paint on the paint trays.</b> If you have multiple people using the trays, try to keep each tray to a colour "palette" that includes no more than 2 primary colours (eg. red & yellow, yellow & blue, blue & red) so you don't end up with "muddy" colours as they mix. That being said, have fun mixing your colours and also experiment with adding white and black ink. Print plates can easily be cleaned by running them under a tap. Or you can layer ink colours on the same print plate without cleaning in-between to get a different effect. There's no wrong answer here.<br />
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<b>Use a roller to mix and transfer the paint to the styrofoam print "plate". </b>Then you can either place the print plate paint side down on the paper & flip both over so the paper is on top, or you can put the paper on top of the print plate (whatever works out easiest for the person you are working with - the first technique allows better control over where the print is on the paper, but adds the potentially tricky motor step of flipping paper & print plate together without smearing/smudging the print).<br />
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<b>Then use a clean roller (not the one you used to apply the paint) and roll on top of the paper to transfer the ink from the print plate to the paper.</b> You can check the print by placing a finger in the middle of the paper and carefully lifting up one edge (to see if enough ink has transferred to make a clear design). Remove the paper carefully so the print doesn't smudge/smear. Then set it aside and let it dry.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Watch the video for more ideas on how to use this basic print technique to get many interesting effects:</span></b></div>
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<b><i>if video doesn't play in your browser click this link: <a href="https://youtu.be/JHAolmiq7qg" target="_blank">Print-making with Adam</a></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Have fun and Happy Holidays from Autism and the Art of Communication!!</span></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-69618023778325531782016-05-04T20:54:00.002-04:002016-05-04T20:54:53.896-04:00Teaching Nonverbal and Less Verbal People - Adam paints a self portrait<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<b><i>"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." </i></b></div>
</blockquote>
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<b><i>~ Mahatma Gandhi</i></b></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5N2KosQHIko9kBc1aUr-ftPFImFYSVFvj7LKfEQTrSQU-Oz2HRYhfeKPzoC4BNf8ktQqmnJtterpdzEj7iGI7zNhEpGv-dMdIxw0Eq4ccgnQH4PY8W8qBVP4lpI1-ZMNogv4FrMYcrNs/s1600/IMG_5805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5N2KosQHIko9kBc1aUr-ftPFImFYSVFvj7LKfEQTrSQU-Oz2HRYhfeKPzoC4BNf8ktQqmnJtterpdzEj7iGI7zNhEpGv-dMdIxw0Eq4ccgnQH4PY8W8qBVP4lpI1-ZMNogv4FrMYcrNs/s400/IMG_5805.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam writes and draws about our portrait painting class</td></tr>
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<b>Adam is an intelligent young adult on the autism spectrum who is less verbal and uses drawing and other art forms for communication.</b> I first met Adam when he was just 3 years old and profoundly nonverbal. My job as a speech-language pathologist was to help him learn to connect and communicate with the world around him. What actually happened over the next couple of decades was more interesting - as much as I taught him, he taught me more. So at this point, I'll say that together Adam and I have discovered some effective ways to get around the barrier of imperfect verbal communication and give voice to the intellect and creative soul within. With Adam's permission, we now share some of what we've learned.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">In the Art Studio:</span></b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRl4UFk-iKXmfYGgiPPscg0xQUogv47V40f_Eo9IgE4lMDwt7mdAQdn7dMltakJ_OVyf5DYrniRQNooH9TUa0wzDkMTksEvGa9bqvJlAMyDPL9tVHTnoRZ3W6LFsFyQa0LKIwvAYqw4Q/s1600/IMG_5806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRl4UFk-iKXmfYGgiPPscg0xQUogv47V40f_Eo9IgE4lMDwt7mdAQdn7dMltakJ_OVyf5DYrniRQNooH9TUa0wzDkMTksEvGa9bqvJlAMyDPL9tVHTnoRZ3W6LFsFyQa0LKIwvAYqw4Q/s400/IMG_5806.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait teaching setup (Adam's easel on the left, my instructional model on the right, iPad photo reference and painting materials in the center)</td></tr>
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<b>You need a space that is friendly and comfortable for the student.</b> The art studio we are working in is one that Adam's dad set up for Adam and his mom (who is also learning to paint). We have a generous work surface so that materials can be visually set out in an organized way. There is room for Adam (a tall guy) to step back and move around. Also important to consider lighting (need to see clearly, but not aggravate sensory sensitivies), sound environment (reduce background noise) and air quality (allergies, eg. free from mold & mildew).<br />
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<b>Below are links to the two instructional videos that we made from our recent portrait painting sessions (posted on our YouTube channel AUTISMartCOMMUNICATE).</b> These videos highlight and demonstrate some effective teaching strategies when working with less verbal individuals, including:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>use of visual demonstrations</li>
<li>working from visual models</li>
<li>effective use of the iPad as a visual tool (takes & displays photos, allows zooming in on specific details)</li>
<li>verbal language should be clear, slow-paced and match demonstrated actions</li>
<li>back up verbal language with visual supports (to improve comprehension)</li>
<li>allow time for processing of verbal questions and instructions</li>
<li>repetition and rephrasing (of key information) can be helpful</li>
<li>resist "chattering" (remind yourself to leave quiet spaces)</li>
<li>SHOW more than TELL</li>
<li>gentle "hand over hand" can sometimes be useful when teaching a new motor skill</li>
<li>simplify language without "talking down"</li>
<li>allow the student to work at their own pace (don't rush)</li>
<li>student should be mostly calm, relaxed and enjoying the experience</li>
<li>okay for students to talk to themselves as they work</li>
<li>specific to portrait painting, be aware that autism can affect the individual's ability to process the human face</li>
<li>balance direct instruction with developing the student's artistic expression & style</li>
<li>art activities are a good context for language learning </li>
<li><b>assume competence (and that all of your words are received and understood)</b></li>
</ul>
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<b>Part 1 (from the first hour-long painting session):</b><br />
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(if the video won't play click this link: <a href="https://youtu.be/9A4sySMCPCQ" target="_blank">Adam paints a self portrait - part 1</a> )</div>
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<b>And Part 2 (from our second one-hour portrait painting session):</b><br />
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(if the video won't play click this link: <a href="https://youtu.be/bG03wTV0fmY" target="_blank">Adam paints a self portrait - part 2</a> )</div>
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<b>We hope you find these videos helpful </b>and that you try out some of the methods in your own classes and studios. There is a lot of untapped artistic potential in the autism population, and many new artists waiting to learn new ways to express themselves. We would love to hear about your experiences.<br />
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<b>We'll end this post by sharing Adam's completed self portrait. He has a bold and expressive artistic style that comes through in all of his art work, and is all his own. I love it:</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTRYzYv-zJwf1Viryrvu976nMeYvwYk11MrtWjAX3akj6sz7qvKIBu_dJ4nXXp4p8gc187xwmZQ1mib2RDvKRGcSOiCKf-vOcjTzrC-F1epDldFEVwTzEwvdqX9fwtjAdMuUAKcGg6QQ/s1600/IMG_5808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTRYzYv-zJwf1Viryrvu976nMeYvwYk11MrtWjAX3akj6sz7qvKIBu_dJ4nXXp4p8gc187xwmZQ1mib2RDvKRGcSOiCKf-vOcjTzrC-F1epDldFEVwTzEwvdqX9fwtjAdMuUAKcGg6QQ/s640/IMG_5808.jpg" width="516" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self Portrait by the artist, Adam V</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-6376218691914692422015-07-07T13:13:00.001-04:002015-07-07T13:13:07.315-04:00A sister's love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">“Having a sister is like having a
best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be
there.”</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><i><b>– Amy Li</b></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>There's no special day set aside for sisters, but there should be.</b> I have two sisters: Lynda, who is a little less than 2 years older than me, and Jen, the baby of our family of five brothers and sisters.</div>
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<b>Lynda and I grew up together</b> - she was my first friend, the only one who could truly say she'd known me all my life. We were one year apart in school, sharing a room, a circle of friends and a closetful of clothes (both of us were surprised to find we'd lost half our wearable outfits the year Lynda left for university: "hey, where are the fabulous bell bottoms that go with this peasant top?"). We moved in tandem, marrying a few years apart, becoming first-time moms within a couple of months of each other.<br />
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My youngest sister Jen arrived after my two brothers (Duncan & Alec). She was 9 years old when I left home for university, 14 when I got married, and just 15 when Lynda and I made her "Aunt Jen" (for the record, the coolest aunt, much younger and hipper than us). I lived far from home (as far away as England) and my perception of her as "kid sister" stayed intact until tragedy struck my young family and my daughter was treated for leukaemia at the medical centre of the university Jen was attending. Jen (and her guitar) spent many hours helping me entertain Kaylee in her isolation room, marking the turning point where we got to know each other as adults, becoming close friends as well as sisters.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><i>“Sisters annoy, interfere, criticize. Indulge in monumental sulks, in huffs, in snide remarks. Borrow. Break. Monopolize the bathroom. Are always underfoot. But if catastrophe should strike, sisters are there. Defending you against all comers.” </i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">― </span>Pam Brown</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrocpdxJMz36H8ZLw3UVq1wyPhRTrTT2C4m6L3zUjY_UdBTeyr9-XKcmigkIrMTIR8DGYPd6Z-egi4EO3Pdk-F_y7N6M2_1svEnaYUSsXXeJLgpJGaVfqzYpL3QEIJpOgcqYMohNZB-8/s1600/SJL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrocpdxJMz36H8ZLw3UVq1wyPhRTrTT2C4m6L3zUjY_UdBTeyr9-XKcmigkIrMTIR8DGYPd6Z-egi4EO3Pdk-F_y7N6M2_1svEnaYUSsXXeJLgpJGaVfqzYpL3QEIJpOgcqYMohNZB-8/s320/SJL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Last August marked another turning point for me and my sisters.</b> Jen, now a mom with two young sons, discovered that her breast cancer (a rare variant with a poor prognosis) had returned. Devastating news. My sister Lynda and I, our children grown, set our day jobs aside and took it in turns to live in as "Aunt in Residence", back-up for Jen on the home front as she went through harsh medical treatments (good point to mention that Jen's husband Bob welcomed us in with open arms - who wouldn't want to live with all his wife's sisters?).<br />
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Nine months of highs and lows, laughter and sadness, loudness and quiet, full hearts and heartbreak. Through good times and bad, the three of us sisters together, fighting for Jen's life. If it were a movie, I'm sure we would have gotten the happy ending: the miracle treatment that turned the tide, the improbable twist of fate that would bring Jen back whole and healthy to her interrupted life ...<br />
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I'm rediscovering that life doesn't often work that way, that prayers go apparently unanswered, that good people leave their lives in the middle, that things happen out of order and outside of easy understanding. In the middle of May, cancer took Jen from all of us and life will never be the same.<br />
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<b>Jen was well-known for her wit and sarcasm, and one of her infamous sayings was "How can I miss you if you won't go away?"</b> ... so now how are we to stop missing her when she can't come back? I'm struggling to find some sense in all of this, to find a way to go forward without her. She was the one who always read my blog, proofed my website, acted as sounding board for educational ideas (did I mention she was a kick-a$$ math teacher?). She would want me to find some meaning.<br />
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<b>So here goes, the list of what I do know</b> (much briefer than my "don't know" list): Life is short. Too short for a lot of the nonsense we waste time on. Be yourself, follow your dreams, spend time on the subjects you feel passion for and with the people you care passionately about. Be kind. Don't say and do mean things. Don't hold grudges. Forgive imperfections in yourself and others, repeatedly. Laugh often. Embrace life and don't put things off. Regrets are more likely to be about what is left undone than what is attempted. Remember that we are all mortal and impermanent, and no one knows how much time they will have to do what matters most. And on that last point, your legacy is strongest in the first-person, events not usually written about in history books, ripple effects of words and actions known only to you and a few others. Your family and friends will remember you long after you are replaced in your day job.<br />
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<b>If you live long enough, you will have to say good-bye to a lot of people.</b> I do believe there is life after this life, so this is my "good-bye for now" message to my dearly loved sister Jen, wish I could call you up and check if you're okay in your new place.<br />
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<b><i>"It's been a long day without you my friend, and I'll tell you all about it when I see you again. It's been a long way from where we began, and I'll tell you all about it when I see you again, when I see you again"</i></b> </blockquote>
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<b><i>~ "See You Again" (song lyrics, Fast & Furious 7)</i></b></blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-44927032524920666302015-04-30T18:13:00.000-04:002015-05-01T09:10:13.521-04:00R-E-S-P-E-C-T<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>"One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say" ~ Bryant H. McGill</i></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">We're reaching the end of another April, with lots of public discussion about autism. One message that has been coming out loud and clear in recent years is that many people on the autism spectrum are not feeling respected, or "heard" in this discussion ... that has to change.</span></b></div>
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<b>Most of the people talking about autism are well-intentioned</b> - we want to help people or a particular person on the spectrum to be successful, to have an easier life, to have a good future. The intentions are not the problem, but where we go from there can be (we all know what the road to H-E-double hockey sticks is paved with). Too many times, we (as therapists, educators and parents) charge ahead with ideas and programs and interventions that WE think are best, that WE think should happen, that WE think others should comply with. We don't ask, we tell.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Social mis-step in the high school hallway - drawn by Adam</td></tr>
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<b>The picture above was drawn by Adam in high school.</b> It was part of untangling a larger social problem he was having in the school hallways as he would take the shortest route from point A to point B, accidentally walking between people who were having conversations. The interesting part of this picture (to me) is the facial expressions - Adam aware that he had once again violated some unwritten unspoken social rule, causing other people to be upset with him, but no idea exactly what had gone wrong or how he could fix it (a common experience for people on the autism spectrum - neurotypical humans are ridiculously intolerant of social mis-steps).<br />
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<b>A few questions for you: </b>Why is Adam wrong? He has no bad intent, he's just trying to get to his next class. Why is the chattering social majority in the right? Shouldn't they actually be getting to class too?<br />
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<b>True solutions to the mis-match between widely held social customs and one individual's unusual approach come through communication. </b>Not communication as in telling the individual how wrong they are to do things the way they do, but communication that starts with listening to the individual to find out what things looked like from their perspective, what their thought process and intent was, what was okay, what was upsetting. Followed by discussion to fill in useful information that may not have been received by the individual. And only after that whole process of information exchange, and clarification of the situation, figuring out a solution that takes into account all sides, all perspectives, with the person on the autism spectrum as an active and powerful participant.<br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Communication is power, but only if other people listen to and respect that communication. We need to start listening better:</span></i></b></div>
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<b>click the link below if the video doesn't automatically play:</b></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/mvsR90t8PTw" target="_blank"><b>Autism: Are you listening to & respecting the communication?</b></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-34246604913845094122015-03-15T23:42:00.001-04:002015-03-15T23:42:54.913-04:00With a little help from our friends<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<b><i><br />"It is during the worst times of your life that you will get to see the true colors of the people who say they care for you" ~ Ritu Ghatourey</i></b></div>
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<b>A few years back, I wrote a blog post called <a href="http://autismandtheartsofcommunication.blogspot.ca/2011/12/comfort-in-cold-world.html" target="_blank">Comfort in a cold world</a> featuring some beautiful red socks that a friend had given me in the midst of a very difficult time in my family.</b> Well, the difficult times have returned, and when I saw this friend a few days ago, she gave me another pair of cheerful red socks (this time with monkeys!) to once again let me know that I'm not alone:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-56eWUIdNT6Uq0lSmZ7zGYmHbJDGggZ9KUJtYwVyX4ycWVGJG-OptoRHChjD42ipOa8thSdwySSwuwQMa3NDjBJWgaTfL6paywn3Ge8TdSAFoS3hlAmjoto6muX2oPwP9y5t3Qy-__A/s1600/FullSizeRender-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-56eWUIdNT6Uq0lSmZ7zGYmHbJDGggZ9KUJtYwVyX4ycWVGJG-OptoRHChjD42ipOa8thSdwySSwuwQMa3NDjBJWgaTfL6paywn3Ge8TdSAFoS3hlAmjoto6muX2oPwP9y5t3Qy-__A/s1600/FullSizeRender-9.jpg" height="378" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>As I was sitting and looking at the monkeys, I was reminded of a story that Adam drew in 2012 - a story about friendship in times of need.</b> So here it is, straight from the mind of Adam, who understands how difficult the world can be, and also knows the importance of a friend's helping hand when life sends you into free fall:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw30oCxwUcqD4iQjSpLL0c0Q3obJIRkI8bS-eK6ppzbG8h0A_tlz1c03g3kqbz5s9t9KYnUYhYMiegXSHh6tN_Pp6D1-KR4yjuTpKwjxpP92euExaFM2SZh_4a7p3yfzYD-DE_DhImWQ/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1a+-+pic+only.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw30oCxwUcqD4iQjSpLL0c0Q3obJIRkI8bS-eK6ppzbG8h0A_tlz1c03g3kqbz5s9t9KYnUYhYMiegXSHh6tN_Pp6D1-KR4yjuTpKwjxpP92euExaFM2SZh_4a7p3yfzYD-DE_DhImWQ/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1a+-+pic+only.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawn by Adam, 2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdnjL_4UbJf1GthhZ-XhPqoYGTFVKXUkn3PJmHBWIcuvAlgRfd7cYvLH9E2qtfyzZOMVB9HVSoOHHWmjHczGSI-cZ8vFK082N5DL3lHEO7aAIw__T-oX19TWwIwVT35CfoebNVeQftY0/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1b+-+pic+only.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdnjL_4UbJf1GthhZ-XhPqoYGTFVKXUkn3PJmHBWIcuvAlgRfd7cYvLH9E2qtfyzZOMVB9HVSoOHHWmjHczGSI-cZ8vFK082N5DL3lHEO7aAIw__T-oX19TWwIwVT35CfoebNVeQftY0/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1b+-+pic+only.JPG" height="394" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawn by Adam, 2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuf3gjokefC7d1fjEpTjRj8Q2pHSMjYTtYv5ggdWeoCp5OUeUI-AjpfDk9BqzRl2Y4DzSwB6OESnZwh-LT5XrIS9ZLaaRH_R5O5ii1rpflOv1BWnWtg2AWC9mzjCwUHXerHwpjyS16-E/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuf3gjokefC7d1fjEpTjRj8Q2pHSMjYTtYv5ggdWeoCp5OUeUI-AjpfDk9BqzRl2Y4DzSwB6OESnZwh-LT5XrIS9ZLaaRH_R5O5ii1rpflOv1BWnWtg2AWC9mzjCwUHXerHwpjyS16-E/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1c.JPG" height="262" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawn by Adam, 2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MQF5T-QS9TdS8VwCC4aKm8tAJujgAtVqayIv9EaBV2abEAZP91EtHbZymufHby9Y9O6FuKfR0cE9lRxxNzcSbGeXn4JSPg4i3bwFekR0vxd8AFMMFQEIT_gZZ-I__5EgRWhtZv8hQ9E/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1d.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MQF5T-QS9TdS8VwCC4aKm8tAJujgAtVqayIv9EaBV2abEAZP91EtHbZymufHby9Y9O6FuKfR0cE9lRxxNzcSbGeXn4JSPg4i3bwFekR0vxd8AFMMFQEIT_gZZ-I__5EgRWhtZv8hQ9E/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1d.JPG" height="196" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawn by Adam, 2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkd_NQ9CprSSE9_NxqHkAV9e0F1EqtW8RYPn33Z3hPgV1gc7WYUo_L-vaDYcVAZjlKo5PXZf9gcUgef1nROY-TrGT-XfNTq7rkaGinB01eB95fNu6D6ax9drROWudIT1qHyX1QZeT8q10/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkd_NQ9CprSSE9_NxqHkAV9e0F1EqtW8RYPn33Z3hPgV1gc7WYUo_L-vaDYcVAZjlKo5PXZf9gcUgef1nROY-TrGT-XfNTq7rkaGinB01eB95fNu6D6ax9drROWudIT1qHyX1QZeT8q10/s1600/adam+-+apr+30-12+-+1e.JPG" height="227" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawn by Adam, 2012</td></tr>
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<b>We need our friends and family, our human connections, because life is hard and full of perils. When we are surrounded by people who care about us, no matter what each day brings, we can get by with a little help from our friends. </b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to Adam for illustrating this truth in such a vivid and memorable way (with monkeys!) ... Sheila B</span></b></div>
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<b><i>"My friends and family are my support system. They tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear and they are there for me in the good and bad times. Without them I have no idea where I would be and I know that their love for me is what's keeping my head above the water." ~ Kelly Clarkson</i></b></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-6451841964706838732015-02-13T16:37:00.000-05:002015-02-13T16:39:32.911-05:00Autism and Unspoken Love<div>
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<b><i>"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" ~ William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet</i></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Can love be understood and experienced if a person can't even say the word? </span></b><br />
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There is a common misconception that individuals on the autism spectrum are emotionless, and that misunderstanding is magnified when an individual is also non-verbal <i>(for more on the this topic, read this blog post from our archives: <a href="http://autismandtheartsofcommunication.blogspot.ca/2013/05/drawing-out-emotion-in-autism.html" target="_blank"><b>Drawing Out Emotion in Autism - May 2013</b></a>)</i> My experience (working with many ASD people over the years) has been that while emotions in autism may not be easily named or conventionally expressed, they are certainly strongly felt.<br />
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<b>So, on the topic of understanding love, I would like to share a visual story that Adam drew years ago when he was in elementary school and mostly non-verbal. </b>At that time, he was often overwhelmed by the larger world, and to most people he looked like he had two states: sort of okay and distressed. Those of us who were privileged to know him better would also see laughter and excitement (usually connected to the action cartoons that he loved to watch time and again), but he didn't physically convey more subtle emotional states.<br />
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One day, I gave Adam a "story starter" picture of a man with a fishing pole, hoping to get some sort of "action and reaction" coherent storyline. The first four frames of the story are definitely action-packed:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_7rPjYEwGKCM8zizr_442yV9YQsPw99e_MEnQ9atiVaSDIAH_YZ_sR-rJt9SeerG__jfHnGEgFKyQLBo0VdewNPkEFPZMAe8Ffz0jo3GAi-l-46Jjp2JEOj21-p4Rw6wmC8lpRjtuJk/s1600/man+and+fish+part+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_7rPjYEwGKCM8zizr_442yV9YQsPw99e_MEnQ9atiVaSDIAH_YZ_sR-rJt9SeerG__jfHnGEgFKyQLBo0VdewNPkEFPZMAe8Ffz0jo3GAi-l-46Jjp2JEOj21-p4Rw6wmC8lpRjtuJk/s1600/man+and+fish+part+1.jpg" height="267" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man and fish: part 1 ... drawn by Adam, 2001</td></tr>
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But frames 5-8 of the story were an interesting surprise:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIU9s0aYLcX-U1-eEC3emoJDP8yo32ocVNTNXyO_B4cVONkVSK5UIlWrcd8rPGAW9Pnj1aUSTrXs9hgY04qOIP24zwGen2XdEKTo-XoXEFZJz-J07rZFA1uUSieBMigZdtb9fvqX7NCQ/s1600/man+and+fish+part+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIU9s0aYLcX-U1-eEC3emoJDP8yo32ocVNTNXyO_B4cVONkVSK5UIlWrcd8rPGAW9Pnj1aUSTrXs9hgY04qOIP24zwGen2XdEKTo-XoXEFZJz-J07rZFA1uUSieBMigZdtb9fvqX7NCQ/s1600/man+and+fish+part+2.jpg" height="274" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man and fish: part 2 ... drawn by Adam, 2001</td></tr>
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... self-satisfied man (thumbs up!) leaves the fishing spot carrying the "catch of the day" and brings it home with a smile to his wife, she in turn cooks up his fish offering and then the two of them sit down to a lovely seafood dinner. A warm picture of love shared between a man and his wife.<br />
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<b>Once again, Adam's drawn communication had revealed thoughts, feelings and social understanding that were not at all evident in his interactions with the world. </b>He showed us that he understood the emotions of love and caring for other people and knew how people expressed those emotions in their actions and interactions. Not being able to say it in words or facial expressions or physical actions did not mean that he was unable to feel the emotions or intellectually understand the social dynamic. Even though we set the bar high and believed in Adam's ability, we had underestimated the complexity of thinking he already had - a valuable lesson for all of us, and one that has been repeated and reinforced many times over the years since he drew this story.<br />
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<b>More and more non-verbal autistic individuals are finding alternate ways of communicating (through typing, through art, through music). What these individuals show at a surface level is often not at all what's happening underneath. Presume competence, develop alternate communication channels, listen carefully and respect the autism perspective.</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #574d4d; font-family: 'Droid Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 28px;"><b><i>"All people with autism must be offered some way to communicate because we have minds, and thoughts, and feelings ... Life is beautiful the autistic way." Henry, 14-yr-old with non-verbal autism who communicates by pointing to a letter board (from his Roses are Red for Autism blog)</i></b></span></blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-55016708838022879442015-01-21T11:43:00.000-05:002015-01-21T11:45:15.820-05:00Everybody could use a sidekick!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Today's post is inspired by my dear buddy Will (my youngest nephew). Will and I have been spending a lot of time together recently, and I have been thoroughly enjoying the chance to look at the world through his eyes.</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjwXzUJyPZHUkm-r0vfFauU95QLc1lO_mL_Bo7HisSCSOAh75V_1I3s8IvzMOAVSRlCvLxg8OzCLGMmgI8C6AiWugO1Gi4lJTSE8aAcZeox_k7ltAqpiYfvWrFA6guhk6KkpURKOLK6E/s1600/IMG_4707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjwXzUJyPZHUkm-r0vfFauU95QLc1lO_mL_Bo7HisSCSOAh75V_1I3s8IvzMOAVSRlCvLxg8OzCLGMmgI8C6AiWugO1Gi4lJTSE8aAcZeox_k7ltAqpiYfvWrFA6guhk6KkpURKOLK6E/s1600/IMG_4707.JPG" height="400" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will in the Clone Trooper costume he commissioned me to create for Halloween</td></tr>
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<b>Will is an original</b> - a strong-minded imaginative child who sees the world in a distinctly different way. His mom (my sister) often rightly refers to him as "Won't". Depending on the circumstances, you might see him as a fabulously different thinker who turns the ordinary world on its ear, or alternatively, as a child who stubbornly refuses to comply with your (to him arbitrary) demands.<br />
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<i>May I just qualify the rest of this post by stating for the record that I love this boy - when he's "good", when he's "bad" - love him. He reminds me a lot of myself as a child. Thinking thoughts that don't match the majority, coming up against the pressure to comply, to be "usual". Interesting to be bright and eccentric, but not always comfortable.</i><br />
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<b>I am Will's "sidekick".</b> I play the roles he writes for me in his imagination dramas. I don't argue about the parameters, I follow his lead. A gift from me to him that I hope he will someday regift to his own undoubtedly strong-willed out-of-the-ordinary future children.<br />
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I wear the costumes he chooses for me from the "Tickle Trunk", his costume bits treasure trove, (if you're unfamiliar with the term "Tickle Trunk", please look up Mr. Dressup, a Canadian childhood icon). I embrace the powers he bequeaths to me. I act out the effects of his magical attacks (including the memorable "tornado of doom" which ended with me breaking my sister's cabinet door with my head ... but I digress, that's a story for another time). I happily follow him through the neighbourhood wearing items like a too small purple hockey helmet and fighting invisible foes in the bushes (trusting that the neighbours understand).<br />
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<b>Together we adventure through the world of Will's mind - I learn about him and he discovers that I am his true friend. A gift for both of us.</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHESPNOV5Z2vNMMzx6PvG68HdTJjzkCkErAeNqTi_g065b_rdUeAoIbndfMrTq7D2T2HGkeQLO9hmmJlV62cEiUkVMqWLCIHKtRRGBBwNdAyzJLmpMHzzB1x4BuGyWQQ0gvrAPHOCApFA/s1600/IMG_4709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHESPNOV5Z2vNMMzx6PvG68HdTJjzkCkErAeNqTi_g065b_rdUeAoIbndfMrTq7D2T2HGkeQLO9hmmJlV62cEiUkVMqWLCIHKtRRGBBwNdAyzJLmpMHzzB1x4BuGyWQQ0gvrAPHOCApFA/s1600/IMG_4709.JPG" height="400" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will as Robber Baron (not pictured: me as "robber sidekick" dressed all in black in a costume chosen by Will)</td></tr>
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<b>So what's the connection to autism? </b>Individuals on the autism spectrum are developing outside (often way outside) the "usual". There is a tendency to view this unusual developmental path as somehow deficient, rather than just "different". When I do therapy with young children (no matter the diagnosis), I want to know what the world looks like through their eyes. What do they love? what are they thinking about? what do they dream? what do they want?<br />
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<b>There is no better way to find out the answers to these questions than becoming a "sidekick". </b>Put your own worries and demands to the side, even for an hour, and follow children into their world. Pay attention to what catches their attention. Follow their will and their wishes, as much as you can figure them out. Are they fascinated by the patterns of sunlight painted on the carpet? Take a close look, you may find it beautiful too. Do they want to wear a cowboy hat and run up and down the stairs? You can do that with them. You are more likely to hear meaningful communication when children are pursuing their own interests and passions, and you are right beside them sharing the experience.<br />
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Also interesting that the more children are convinced that you are truly interested in their world, the more likely they will trust you enough to take your hand and bravely take steps out into your world.<br />
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<b>Historically, too much autism "therapy" has been focused on getting children (and teens and adults) to "comply". </b>I don't much care for compliance. I would rather hear what a person is really thinking, even if it's diametrically opposed to what I originally thought would be more convenient. Then we can have a conversation, understand each other and move on from there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCImrMxInk22h0dq8JbN7CGARjSeTLld0hIJs3Wa0bjTjrE4gbG7NqLFGE2X7soZAabNRyyBpdJ2Gn-JkToK_Ad8XG_ORcbiLP3449BxDMDNsVJ-d5KobuvMHUUr1pbj_Aedqzg00dT4/s1600/P1020235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCImrMxInk22h0dq8JbN7CGARjSeTLld0hIJs3Wa0bjTjrE4gbG7NqLFGE2X7soZAabNRyyBpdJ2Gn-JkToK_Ad8XG_ORcbiLP3449BxDMDNsVJ-d5KobuvMHUUr1pbj_Aedqzg00dT4/s1600/P1020235.JPG" height="320" width="304" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me at one of our Typical Teen group meetings (2008)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Dignity is over-rated and full-on passionately embracing the fun in life is under-rated. Set your conventional views of age and self-respect on the shelf, get down on the floor and follow your kids. You won't regret it.</i></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-55808983489559560932014-12-01T10:20:00.001-05:002014-12-09T10:27:40.461-05:00Karaoke as Curriculum: teaching through musical passion<b>It's December already! ... and what better way to start off this festive month than with a gift of music. I'd like to welcome back my guest blogger Carole (Kevin's mom) who has been using Kevin's love of music to happily teach language and literacy:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5PonHcqpyCi5r-ULgw5pqROatsyQT3oMBIX7xIszVLoB5QAQSIm0Sqg6PWbWoE_9mvxymzI_37SjeaENVBeMvIQsbsFmgMIz-TXhQ2nL13jLsIPy7FdIbyULE55TzylElvtFTN8QS8M/s1600/FullSizeRender-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5PonHcqpyCi5r-ULgw5pqROatsyQT3oMBIX7xIszVLoB5QAQSIm0Sqg6PWbWoE_9mvxymzI_37SjeaENVBeMvIQsbsFmgMIz-TXhQ2nL13jLsIPy7FdIbyULE55TzylElvtFTN8QS8M/s1600/FullSizeRender-5.jpg" height="361" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture drawn by Kevin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>And now, here's Carole:</u></b></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-themecolor: text1;">"<b>When
you raise a child on the ASD spectrum, a child who doesn’t just pick up skills,
and learn naturally like other children, you become painfully aware of how
incredible those early years of learning really are.</b> You see other children
learn to mimic, speak, understand, read cues, watch and follow. It’s phenomenal
how much is learned in such a short space of time, and apparently so
effortlessly. For the rest of us, there is an overwhelming void, and we have to
decide what to teach, when to teach it, what is the priority, and figure out
how so much can be taught without overwhelming our little ones. For my adult
son, I still find myself deciding on his behalf, what, when and how to teach. If
you’re anything like me, this can be a little overwhelming at times, and the
responsibility of deciding for another adult what they need, or should know
feels a little like making choices that shouldn’t be mine. I recently wrote to
someone, and I shared that my middle aged brain prefers the KISS method, (keep
it simple stupid) because frankly that’s about all it can handle. Then it
occurred to me, that’s exactly the approach I use when teaching my son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b>Teaching
an unwilling student is painful at best, so I have always taken the things he
loves, and tried to incorporate as much curriculum as I can in them, so that it
never feels like work.</b> It also allows me to teach skills that don’t necessarily
fit his development at that moment, but hopefully will be there at the ready
when the time comes. So for example, my guy has very limited speech, he reads
but comprehension is very limited, and his auditory processing has always been
a huge issue. So the question becomes, how do you get him to make more
utterances, and practice the motor part of speech, and do you put the effort
into improving his reading ability when the comprehension is not there? What if
miracle of miracles, one day that comprehension kicks in and his reading is
lacking, or suddenly he finds his words but has a hard time getting them out
there, because he’s never practiced? I still believe that anything is possible
for him, and I don’t want to think I didn’t raise the bar in expectation of
that. So this is one example of how we took one of Kev’s delights and although
he didn’t know it, turned it into curriculum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b>Kevin
loves music, and always has.</b> As soon as I realized that, I had him listening to
every genre of music I could find, and often you would hear me singing
conversations to him (never in public!) So when we decided to hire a worker for
a couple of mornings a week, how serendipitous was it, to discover she was a
singer with the most beautiful voice – and karaoke began. It began slowly, he
would cough a lot, unused to using that voice. He could only sing in the key of
the song, and so we had to find songs in his register only. He couldn’t read,
and vocalize quickly enough to sing along, so we had to start with very slow
songs, and he had trouble with the reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b><u>Video of Kevin doing Karaoke:</u></b></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bfdml8pflYo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b><a href="http://youtu.be/Bfdml8pflYo" target="_blank">Click this link to see video on YouTube (if your browser won't automatically play the inserted video clip)</a></b></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b>Today,
it’s his favourite activity, and we’re all kitted out with microphones for the
computer, and a huge playlist from youtube.</b> He can harmonize, it doesn’t need
to be in his register anymore. He reads so much better, but we continue to have
the lyrics on screen and the singer in the background, so that he hears when he
reads a word incorrectly and learns to correct. He reads quickly, his
inflection is great, his speaking voice is slightly less robotic, and although
you will hear coughing, it is much reduced. Although he’s never going to be a
rock star, the anticipation in his face as he awaits karaoke time speaks
volumes, and it also happens to be my favourite time of the day too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b>So
I urge you, follow their lead, how can it ever be wrong when it brings them so
much happiness? Once in a while you may even get some validation for following
your intuition!</b>"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Well said Carole! You always get the best learning at the point where passion and fun meet - when you find that sweet spot, everyone has a great time and the skills you teach stick.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">~ Sheila B ~</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>note:</u> for those who are interested in the research, here's a recent reference provided by Carole:</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25377165">Fronto-Temporal
Connectivity is Preserved During Sung but Not Spoken Word Listening, Across the
Autism Spectrum.</a><br />
Sharda M, Midha R, Malik S, Mukerji S, Singh NC.<br />
<span class="jrnl">Autism Res</span>. 2014 Nov 5. </i></span>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-87272628321945771052014-10-24T23:48:00.000-04:002014-10-24T23:50:53.210-04:00Refusing to live in fear<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h1 class="quoteText" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<i>
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” ~ Frank Herbert, Dune</i></h1>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLr482eebEg9ktfyB12hKcZ1lctGPbJrabEI5Xf-N6Y9r4mR9_HRFTd0kPETbQPuKvBHOptHIOk0PM5yPUxi56nO4xj266wUCT3pY4ra1Elq96idd0OJPV3JOLm5S9fVqw7PuLAsV_1lE/s1600/Adam+cowardly+dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLr482eebEg9ktfyB12hKcZ1lctGPbJrabEI5Xf-N6Y9r4mR9_HRFTd0kPETbQPuKvBHOptHIOk0PM5yPUxi56nO4xj266wUCT3pY4ra1Elq96idd0OJPV3JOLm5S9fVqw7PuLAsV_1lE/s1600/Adam+cowardly+dog.jpg" height="400" width="383" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Cowardly Dog" drawn by Adam</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">We've all experienced fear - a basic human emotion with a very basic function: to keep us alive in a dangerous situation.</span></b></div>
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If we're being chased by a lion (or in Adam's cowardly dog scenario, a hungry fox), a flood of adrenaline that heightens our senses and prepares us to run away fast is an extremely useful physiological response. Also helpful are the safety lessons learned from fear (like "don't go into that dark cave") that might keep us alive when similar situations come up in the future.<br />
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<b>But everyday life is not often about outrunning predators, </b>and if you ask people about their fears, lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) are not usually at the top of the list. Instead, our fears focus on things that are less tangible - failure, loss, pain, the unknown or unexpected, separation from loved ones - diffuse fears that can last much longer than a few minutes of fighting for your life. When these are the demons you face, an adrenaline-fueled "fight or flight" response is not so helpful.<br />
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<b>A common topic in therapy sessions with my students is that emotions aren't wrong or right, they're simply how you feel,</b> although it's useful to be able to name an emotion, and then logically understand how it connects to your actions and choices in the larger world. When you choose to let fear stay in the driver seat of your life, logic doesn't just take a back seat, it often jumps right out of the car ... and fear and panic-filled choices rarely take you where you really want to or should go.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSs3aFzEDjM3MzNGw8cHCigOBxDvtOhzXFPClqZoWPLsn-8_gHltrYtFBIOrs58_eaSlamI3bMJ32JwidwsbIQEr25BzkHMqSs5SBm8XE3nzvJuvrv9KImt9C_oyEyEge4rkq-gSiP6N8/s1600/go+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSs3aFzEDjM3MzNGw8cHCigOBxDvtOhzXFPClqZoWPLsn-8_gHltrYtFBIOrs58_eaSlamI3bMJ32JwidwsbIQEr25BzkHMqSs5SBm8XE3nzvJuvrv9KImt9C_oyEyEge4rkq-gSiP6N8/s1600/go+back.jpg" height="320" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Running Scared" picture drawn by Adam</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">So what to do?</span></b></div>
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<b><i>"Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death."</i></b> ... these words from Frank Herbert's novel "Dune" often run through my head when I find myself letting fear get the upper hand in my life.<br />
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<b>Fear kills joy and robs us of happiness in the present tense.</b> It may sound cliché, but today is the only time you actually have - the past is memories and the future is imagination. If you make the compromise of saying "well of course I'm worried, look at what happened yesterday" or "anyone in my situation would be scared witless of what's coming next", you choose to lose the moment you're in. You sacrifice present joys, no matter how small, for the pale satisfaction of being proved "right" if the worst should come to pass in the future. The tough part about this is that we seldom understand, in the moment, that this is the choice we are making.<br />
<br />
<b>This was a lesson we had to learn early on in our family life.</b> Our second child, our daughter, was diagnosed with cancer shortly after her first birthday. My husband and I were a few years out of school, barely used to being "mom" and "dad", no financial resources (actually negative financial resources since we'd been living on a post-doc salary) and two children under the age of three. It's not easy to fight fear when you're living in a paediatric cancer ward and all that you hold dear is in jeopardy - even harder when you both have the science background to understand exactly what the diagnosis means and how slim the chances of a positive long-term outcome are. So we had a choice, actually we had to choose again and again, day after day ... to live happy, to live our lives as a family in and out of the hospital to the best of our ability. And you know what? After the initial shocked weeks, we did it. I look back on the pictures from that time and I see us laughing and playing and having fun ... when we had to cry, we cried at night in the dark ... no one could have given our daughter a happier life than we did. And we didn't get a miracle ending, and we didn't dodge the pain and sorrow that came with losing her, but we have no regrets about the full and joyful life we lived while we had her with us.<br />
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<b>No one knows how long they have with the ones they love.</b> What a shame to waste days in a cloud of fear and anger and "why me?". Cry when you must, seek out solace from friends and family, but don't live in darkness and sadness. Find the joy, hold on to the funny and the sweet and the dear bits. Love the day you're in, love the people you're with, love the life you have. Look fear in the eye, stare it down and refuse to let it rule you ... and expect to choose and choose again each day.<br />
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Because today is the only day you have.<br />
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<br />
<i>... and let me end with a quote that I heard a short while ago, at the beginning of another difficult time in our family ... I would love to tell you the source of this quote, or even the exact wording, but no matter how I search, I can't find it ... so let me just attribute this piece of wisdom to "unknown" and hope that you might find it as helpful and hopeful a piece of advice as I did:</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>"Doubt your fears at least as much as you doubt your hopes and dreams" ~ Unknown</i></b></div>
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<i>(... and live the h*ll out of the day you're in)</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-35729786627270542972014-08-21T15:47:00.000-04:002014-08-25T09:05:52.142-04:00The gift of free time<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Kids need time to be bored; that is how creativity is born" - Melanie Jean Juneau </span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>When I was a child, summer was my favourite time of year.</b> I would wake up each morning knowing that the day was mine, that anything could happen, and that as long as I showed up relatively unscathed at mealtimes my mother would ask very few questions about how I was spending my time. My brothers and sisters and I explored, created, imagined, read, and ran free. Summertime felt endless and we were the luckiest of people. If I had to point to one factor in the successful development of my happily eccentric brain, it would be that yearly summer freedom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>School can be hard and confining, especially for an active person with an unusual flavour of mind.</b> I feel very strongly that summer programs for individuals on the autism spectrum should not be anything like the school year. As the old saying goes, "a change is as good as a rest", and summertime is perfect for releasing arbitrary structures and giving those unusual and interesting minds a chance to run free, led by their own curiosity, imagination and interests.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Allow me to share the summer chapter of my young friend Kieran's artistic, communication and intellectual development</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(to read the back story, click <a href="http://autismandtheartsofcommunication.blogspot.ca/2014/06/drawing-together-for-communication-how.html" target="_blank"><b>here - part 1</b></a> and <a href="http://autismandtheartsofcommunication.blogspot.ca/2014/07/drawing-to-communicate-making-sure-your.html" target="_blank"><b>here - part 2</b></a> )</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll let Kieran (in pictures) and his mom (in words) tell the story themselves:</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>E-mail #1:</b> Kieran found the Usborne book "Playtime Activities" in his room. I explained that these were instructions on how to draw different things. I love this lion he drew!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>E-mail #2:</b> He' s on a roll- he just drew this in my notebook:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He has been talking to me about building a growing machine for the last few days, which I connected to one of the Little Critter stories (I think it's When I Get Bigger) ... I told him that he couldn't make a growing machine out of wood, but that he could make one out of Lego. I'm guessing he didn't like that idea and decided to draw one instead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm delighted that it made your day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>E-mail #3:</b> Here's a car crusher that he built yesterday after watching Mighty Machines. The car crusher is lego and he wrapped some toy cars to crush.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your advice to let him have an unstructured summer was perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">t is a damaging myth that people on the autism spectrum lack imagination and creativity</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (food for thought: read </span><a href="http://www.jalderson.com/imagination-autism-irony-treatment/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">this blog post from Jonathan Alderson</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ). The development of creativity and imagination require less-structured (or unstructured) time and open-ended situations. When we fill up every minute in the day with "educational" activities, when we set up learning environments where there are limited "right" answers, when we allow no time for a person to follow their own interests and ideas, we stifle the growth of what is arguably the most important intellectual ability that humans can possess.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” ~ Albert Einstein</i></b></span></span> </blockquote>
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<b>Give unstructured time a try - you won't regret it and your kids will remember it for a lifetime</b> </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-81293331270954792852014-07-08T21:16:00.000-04:002014-07-09T15:58:45.034-04:00Drawing to Communicate: making sure your message is received!<strong>This morning I received the kind of message that totally recharges my "therapist batteries".</strong> <br />
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In a recent post (<a href="http://autismandtheartsofcommunication.blogspot.ca/2014/06/drawing-together-for-communication-how.html" target="_blank"><strong><em>click here to read "Drawing for Communication: how to get things started"</em></strong></a>), I wrote about Kieran, a young boy on the autism spectrum, who was beginning to use his newly developed drawing skills to communicate. Earlier today, his mom sent me an update by e-mail:<br />
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<strong><em>"We were chatting about having an outing ... either to Carp Market or the beach at Fitzroy Harbour Provincial Park. Kieran was in the room when we were talking and said that he wanted to go to the beach. We acknowledged his input, but I think he wanted to make really sure that we understood - he got a piece of paper and a pencil and drew this for us!"</em></strong></blockquote>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/103746252224601300722/AutismAndTheArtOfCommunication?authkey=Gv1sRgCIDypMnH86mZcw#6033739571140596034"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVemVymvKa97g-ikC-FrytYrG53PIb2wR1ieEdaHar7Lqkr1-HI_ISDq32eP-H989KO6iD2cZqXO4RD_udSEaZI_vogOtSA_5WZdP3Ev6uQApyvphGBajw67jmVk7vvtxzJSWqx1Ykawg/s400/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="298" /></a></center>
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Yay, triple yay for Kieran! He used his new drawing communication skills to make sure that his important message was received by his family (who were happy to accommodate his wishes in the family schedule for the day). <br />
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<strong>Being able to clearly communicate your thoughts and wishes to others (who will listen to and respect that communication) is the strongest strategy for short-circuiting difficult behaviour and melt-downs - knowing that you're "heard" makes all the difference.</strong> </div>
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Thanks so much to Kieran and his family for allowing us to share this story .... Sheila B<br />
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Posted using BlogPress from my iPadAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-38925494387237385372014-06-23T17:52:00.000-04:002014-06-23T17:54:46.295-04:00Drawing Together for Communication: how to get things started<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Drawing can be a useful tool for developing communication skills in young children, and in older children (and teens and adults) with communication delays.</strong> </div>
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<em><strong>One of the techniques I commonly use in therapy is "collaborative drawing",</strong> where each person contributes to the larger drawing, and the drawing itself acts as a visual record of the conversation or story. <strong>Take a look at this video</strong> (made with my typically developing nephew Will when he was 4 years old) for a short demonstration of this technique:</em><br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/n-SUI1wWYCU" target="_blank"><strong>click this link if video does not automatically appear in your browser</strong></a></div>
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<strong>Today I want to share with you some interesting developments from one of my young friends on the autism spectrum.</strong> Kieran is a bright active young boy (in grade 4) with delays in the development of his verbal language. He is very visual and is a whiz at math and putting together complicated building toys using diagram instructions. For the past two years, his family and I have been drawing things for him, making visual representations of what happens in our toy play and also of situations and interactions from the larger world around him.<br />
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<strong><em>During our early sessions, he was happy to have others do the drawing.</em></strong> The drawing was a good anchor for our conversations during play and this helped his focus, his comprehension and his verbal language development. Following our drawing/play sessions he liked to have the big drawings posted on the walls at home so he could look at them, think about them and talk about them with his family. <br />
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<strong>Then, at the beginning of this calendar year, Kieran started to take a more active role in the drawing process.</strong><br />
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<strong><em>He began to frequently tell me what to draw and how to draw it.</em></strong> For example, this "portrait" of him and his cat was drawn in January according to his very detailed instructions:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nQPwXLHiKYgAz8-CRLIyZYstTCYFB66tu8J88wbmLRufNELwKV9y6xR3OHKv9_2nHTlwWrAxdL2LX3wwZ4rswcpuB-xLyspcnIUp2jR3CGZy010o4V_f-xYaXH0RCiNJApyPfNHcTVc/s1600/K+-+jan+23-14+-+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nQPwXLHiKYgAz8-CRLIyZYstTCYFB66tu8J88wbmLRufNELwKV9y6xR3OHKv9_2nHTlwWrAxdL2LX3wwZ4rswcpuB-xLyspcnIUp2jR3CGZy010o4V_f-xYaXH0RCiNJApyPfNHcTVc/s1600/K+-+jan+23-14+-+3.JPG" height="400" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">portrait of Kieran in cowboy hat & tractor pyjamas (drawn by me, directed verbally by him)</td></tr>
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<strong><em>He started drawing spontaneously to express himself</em></strong> - here is a picture, also from January, that he drew when his mom was drawing out some challenges from the school day (his suggestion ... how about going to Monster University?):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWKjx7Wm0q693XW-ckQ0FBjnOe2JFgOGT9P_No_8NaeXO_G4MBtGTTO6KK9nPOq6TF5vEunCKrDfIXEI1xysxEFAOqK2DvQ_aK_HvhFVbdF6DLyewlTH-BkiV4XGjIBW_m60MuESJauE/s1600/K+-+jan+23-14+-+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWKjx7Wm0q693XW-ckQ0FBjnOe2JFgOGT9P_No_8NaeXO_G4MBtGTTO6KK9nPOq6TF5vEunCKrDfIXEI1xysxEFAOqK2DvQ_aK_HvhFVbdF6DLyewlTH-BkiV4XGjIBW_m60MuESJauE/s1600/K+-+jan+23-14+-+1.JPG" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I want to go to Monster University"</td></tr>
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<strong><em>He has begun to draw collaboratively, adding details and figures to our large drawings</em></strong> (that we do beside our toy play), so now those drawings include his direct visual thoughts as well as his play ideas and what he has verbally directed me to add.<br />
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<strong><em>Here's a drawing from February</em></strong> where we explored the difficulty of loud noises and emotional responses to various situations - at the end of our session, he spontaneously added his two cats:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFFyZ6NCeF7x_KcKJNoh1hrLcS9rx2Q-9sFmNmbgkNYU0JZrjWxfDCSH5cJbChNfqgemB31AzwOxiJ6H_Q6F4i2glwwvOPqUVqvxXNmYSIWbE6VdAXyp2YVyId6NN0KYy7uKJyF42MxI/s1600/K+-+feb+26-14+-+bigpic+-+edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFFyZ6NCeF7x_KcKJNoh1hrLcS9rx2Q-9sFmNmbgkNYU0JZrjWxfDCSH5cJbChNfqgemB31AzwOxiJ6H_Q6F4i2glwwvOPqUVqvxXNmYSIWbE6VdAXyp2YVyId6NN0KYy7uKJyF42MxI/s1600/K+-+feb+26-14+-+bigpic+-+edit.JPG" height="483" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this "big picture" is done on 2 ft x 3 ft paper beside our toy play area<br />
(this day we were playing with trains & plasticine figures)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6f7pgvLjnxbQlEgynms-89kvBWlrCc4yAxzTxz3P4YuX_2lLA4qn7JpObYCHNsksvP8-oxvB6xRaZhluEgjls6dDUCNvub2gwtYzorQe0X3yONQFcYPKQRJelURPBg8mBW28f7ePffbU/s1600/K+-+feb+26-14+-+ginger+-+edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6f7pgvLjnxbQlEgynms-89kvBWlrCc4yAxzTxz3P4YuX_2lLA4qn7JpObYCHNsksvP8-oxvB6xRaZhluEgjls6dDUCNvub2gwtYzorQe0X3yONQFcYPKQRJelURPBg8mBW28f7ePffbU/s1600/K+-+feb+26-14+-+ginger+-+edit.JPG" height="270" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kieran's cat Ginger</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V7zBJZ1KKcpkTyi65iSN92Z9Bu2eqhyfOCpxb1UBw023ARjzdoZ-bWMEoKbyEo1Zg-7tBUgBWiouYiBDqMBrv1LtSyM9C6N0iH169b129KpuKgxoNbTDCaTrofdhx-tb1VtEkdeF1b0/s1600/K+-+feb+26-14+-+spooky+-+edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V7zBJZ1KKcpkTyi65iSN92Z9Bu2eqhyfOCpxb1UBw023ARjzdoZ-bWMEoKbyEo1Zg-7tBUgBWiouYiBDqMBrv1LtSyM9C6N0iH169b129KpuKgxoNbTDCaTrofdhx-tb1VtEkdeF1b0/s1600/K+-+feb+26-14+-+spooky+-+edit.JPG" height="279" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keiran's cat Spooky</td></tr>
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<strong><em>Then at our last session in April</em></strong>, he added multiple details to our picture about Thomas the Tank Engine and friends:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtiXqKXrHoz_w3pIOXlCouYQ4rVwML5xtyo-iWyxYd9y5WdhzUWLm7RCMS85G7AxxpkgeQFG9cqBq9GZBb5JmS3Wbd8bh3RBgVGJFx_eWGOwXIC8SXuQN_bJAay1nii1TBCCOTNmHPkF8/s1600/K+-+apr+24-14+-+train+drawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtiXqKXrHoz_w3pIOXlCouYQ4rVwML5xtyo-iWyxYd9y5WdhzUWLm7RCMS85G7AxxpkgeQFG9cqBq9GZBb5JmS3Wbd8bh3RBgVGJFx_eWGOwXIC8SXuQN_bJAay1nii1TBCCOTNmHPkF8/s1600/K+-+apr+24-14+-+train+drawing.jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kieran added tracks and faces and smokestacks and many other details</td></tr>
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<strong><u>What are the benefits of going after communication in this context?</u></strong></div>
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<strong><em>First and foremost,</em></strong> it's fun and relaxed, and it makes formidably difficult skills (communication and social interaction) more approachable and accessible.</div>
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<strong><em>Second,</em></strong> it stimulates communication development in a very natural context, so the language learned is already generalized to where it's functional and fits.</div>
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<strong><em>Third,</em></strong> it lets the individual (who is the target of the therapy) set the pace - you can be certain that the information is going in, and they will show you when they have enough information and confidence to give the new skills a try.</div>
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<strong>Because we have never forced the issue, Kieran continues to willingly taking steps forward, trying new things and gaining confidence daily.</strong> </div>
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<em><strong>I leave you with his latest creation, a plasticine cat modeled after the many little plasticine animals I have made for him during our play over the last year - as you can see, it's a great cat with lots of personality and a happy disposition ... just like the young artist who made it.</strong></em></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDEWegImuypvqynmGnsCLkzR_6lSYwCV18nk_CJKtzvG2oUS-VVOv77Evup6oK08-R34TDtJZxCHI-Q1oEwpop6xchGZWgdAY8UhN9AKazu4vG4N_-X5FneCb8zCO-v3sMk957sJkm74/s1600/K+-+apr+24-14+-+plasticene+cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDEWegImuypvqynmGnsCLkzR_6lSYwCV18nk_CJKtzvG2oUS-VVOv77Evup6oK08-R34TDtJZxCHI-Q1oEwpop6xchGZWgdAY8UhN9AKazu4vG4N_-X5FneCb8zCO-v3sMk957sJkm74/s1600/K+-+apr+24-14+-+plasticene+cat.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kieran's clay creation</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-10468700210583316772014-06-14T18:00:00.000-04:002014-06-14T18:02:00.639-04:00Bob's your uncle, Bob's your dad<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<strong><em>A father is someone who carries pictures in his wallet where his money used to be ~ author unknown</em></strong></div>
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I grew up in a big family and many of my childhood memories look like this ...</div>
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... lots of kids and four brave parents, two of them dads named Bob - one my own dad, and one my Uncle Bob.</div>
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<strong>Because of "the Bobs", I know a lot about what a dad should be:</strong> a dad is warm and kind, he spends time with you, he invests his money in his family (refer to opening quote), he tells you when you're going off track, he helps you get back on track, he leads by example, he does silly things, he laughs with his children when they point out those silly things, he loves his life and his wife and his children without reservation or boundary or time limit.<br />
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We (my brothers and sisters, cousins and I) have been fortunate to have had the wit and wisdom of "the Bobs" to support and guide us over many decades now - through good times and bad, they have always had our backs, and we have depended on them time and again to help us find our way. <br />
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This past week, my Uncle Bob passed away quite suddenly, leaving a hole in the family the size of his large and generous heart. But he didn't leave things undone. Every day, with words and actions, he let his family know how much he loved them. It's this final lesson from my Uncle Bob that I'm holding in my heart - to live my life fully and love my family extravagantly, to leave no room for regrets.<br />
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<strong>So on Father's Day, take time to show your dad you love him.</strong></div>
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<strong>Leave no room for regrets.</strong></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-19572306638611252832014-06-12T12:56:00.000-04:002014-06-12T13:31:12.006-04:00Art Lessons for Less Verbal People: painting self-portraits<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em><span style="color: blue;"></span></em></strong> </div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: blue;">~ this post is dedicated to (and prompted by) Raymond, Kevin's brother and #1 art fan, who reminded me that lately I've been neglecting the blog ~</span></em></strong></div>
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<strong>This has been a very creative spring for Kevin and Adam.</strong> I've been wanting to share what we've been up to, but have been so busy doing art that there's been little time left over to write about our artistic ventures and adventures. In keeping with the creative mindset, we're not going to worry about timeline, and lessons will not be presented chronologically, but instead will be ordered by the whims of my right brain. <br />
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<strong><em><u>Note:</u> when teaching art to students (of any age) who are less verbal, it's important to show more than tell.</em></strong> <em>I use a technique I call "Follow Me" (modified from teaching strategies described in Mona Brooke's excellent book "Drawing with Children") to introduce new art media and techniques. For more on this method, <strong><u>take a look at this video from our YouTube channel</u></strong>:</em><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/orSTppbNHpQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<strong><a href="http://youtu.be/orSTppbNHpQ" target="_blank">click this link if video does not automatically appear in your browser</a></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">And so, we start at the most recent project, self-portraits.</span></strong><br />
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<strong>According to my art teacher (at the Ottawa School of Art), one reason for starting portrait painting with a self-portrait is that the face is very familiar to you.</strong> Often artists will create complicated set-ups of easels and mirrors to make it possible to paint on a canvas and refer to the "live model in the mirror" without moving around. We simplified this process (and eliminated the need to stay in one spot) by using the "mirror photo" function on the iPad.<br />
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<strong>Here's Kevin's iPad photo that he used as a model </strong>(we set up our photo so that the source of light was clearly from one side, to simplify the light and shadow):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3sc4fw7f4dZXMlPRcwY4fcY12Il4ZdF5U_GDMTMOrNeniQrrxt8htx9-UsXF1V9MSuzq096YfZg3arlJIAuiMGFI_R7wi1Xxo2Mf3qrKqE8ckl4guPImYZMWvVKbSaTEtt4cWZiyYDM/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+photo+model.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3sc4fw7f4dZXMlPRcwY4fcY12Il4ZdF5U_GDMTMOrNeniQrrxt8htx9-UsXF1V9MSuzq096YfZg3arlJIAuiMGFI_R7wi1Xxo2Mf3qrKqE8ckl4guPImYZMWvVKbSaTEtt4cWZiyYDM/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+photo+model.JPG" height="320" width="232" /></a></div>
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<strong>Next step was to have Kevin do a spontaneous drawing of himself from the photo.</strong> When he did this, he made himself in "cartoon" form (which is how he frequently draws himself and family members in our language exercises):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvg9PufO9ih4UN0aQS6GRjoxwEdgDYIIydqfYoDt9f9sFfi-HCPEG3qGos8aeou2Fz2Wtt4E3D9dAJBPu5FotuwDTe6Et729IcuwDbWFnAAa9uWcIdbL9wXkHw5XPScLupTptZCqzkiA/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+initial+spontaneous+drawing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvg9PufO9ih4UN0aQS6GRjoxwEdgDYIIydqfYoDt9f9sFfi-HCPEG3qGos8aeou2Fz2Wtt4E3D9dAJBPu5FotuwDTe6Et729IcuwDbWFnAAa9uWcIdbL9wXkHw5XPScLupTptZCqzkiA/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+initial+spontaneous+drawing.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<strong>For the next step, Kevin and I drew a side-by-side "guided" drawing,</strong> where I brought Kevin's attention to the lines, contours and shadows on the actual photo of his face. This is the "planning" drawing he produced:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6ZqdZbeyiAUN9J1trIBI-bsrlglDsxDmLY9_zHjdmkFL3nYTe6lrDlyBjJRzdUETU4AyF-3HT754JH7Mc8fxJzjeIklJ3PVdprQOmfVBMuQ6vrkFTOyCQtsaZ4agAdNQow6HT5jcyMs/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+guided+drawing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6ZqdZbeyiAUN9J1trIBI-bsrlglDsxDmLY9_zHjdmkFL3nYTe6lrDlyBjJRzdUETU4AyF-3HT754JH7Mc8fxJzjeIklJ3PVdprQOmfVBMuQ6vrkFTOyCQtsaZ4agAdNQow6HT5jcyMs/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+guided+drawing.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<strong>Then we started in with paint on canvas</strong>. Following the method of my own painting teacher, we made a "paint sketch" with yellow ochre (no pencil lines to paint over later). Then we blocked in the shapes of skin, hair, shirt and background, as well as the areas of light and shadow. By the end of our first session, this is what Kevin's painting looked like:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNEg5KRb4uDDhuNJZd2Ebp4Gs78BjHBmhhUpnmk0dinFYLLOUVS550o2mmQihXlZVMRrZxF_3xl9pLDHu_n9OnpAEhH18o_l1TIORwPJ9q3O229-zFNe3zRei2iiMGC3GqbmEiDggXNE/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+halfway+done.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNEg5KRb4uDDhuNJZd2Ebp4Gs78BjHBmhhUpnmk0dinFYLLOUVS550o2mmQihXlZVMRrZxF_3xl9pLDHu_n9OnpAEhH18o_l1TIORwPJ9q3O229-zFNe3zRei2iiMGC3GqbmEiDggXNE/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+halfway+done.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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You can still see some of the yellow ochre sketch lines around the eyes, eyebrows and mouth. With acrylic paints, it takes more than one layer to get vivid colours - this project was the first time that Kevin left a painting incomplete with a plan to finish it the next week (we made this clear before we started painting, so that he was prepared to leave it half-done - another important art lesson tip is "no surprises").<br />
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<strong>The next week, we added more layers of paint, more details, more light and shadow.</strong> And here's the completed self-portrait that Kevin painted (I love the personality that comes through in this painting!):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrly3WhCVxleOEpy-7jRNMG_8gz3c07MkrUMj_IZYlEOH6Uq7YSZZx2qeH5a2h7YJiB8m7pNEPnzW6YXXuJePvKv0eZFTBr_K93XvKW9Z33yMatjeaD6cJgOKyLW3-azOUr1JBZdd8I6I/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+complete.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrly3WhCVxleOEpy-7jRNMG_8gz3c07MkrUMj_IZYlEOH6Uq7YSZZx2qeH5a2h7YJiB8m7pNEPnzW6YXXuJePvKv0eZFTBr_K93XvKW9Z33yMatjeaD6cJgOKyLW3-azOUr1JBZdd8I6I/s1600/Kevin+-+self-portrait+complete.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<strong>Adam was involved with some Picasso lessons (more on that in a later post), and so did his self-portrait later in the spring than Kevin.</strong> Here are the stages of Adam's self-portrait, and you'll see that although the teaching method was the same, Adam's style and personality results in a different type of finished painting:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fJrqu60WUse8m4Gbqzpe2rrZJwmmVJIIbBVBxqiXnoUhXtnYLvBE4Za9FbiXT3V7V5ya6M7ugPBf3fmnCSFhvK1vOwpC8aFNeUxEPWRme4nMZnTbnTf4PcSStGUe6YWQ6CZQh4AkUhE/s1600/adam+-+self-portrait+initial+stages.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fJrqu60WUse8m4Gbqzpe2rrZJwmmVJIIbBVBxqiXnoUhXtnYLvBE4Za9FbiXT3V7V5ya6M7ugPBf3fmnCSFhvK1vOwpC8aFNeUxEPWRme4nMZnTbnTf4PcSStGUe6YWQ6CZQh4AkUhE/s1600/adam+-+self-portrait+initial+stages.JPG" height="222" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_MwptUYcRv459Zv0mfoX8N81dZ5C12O9UESKTx0sJ0UzuDuTLzns1vlrTbgnLUzDkFnQOmHQXRsIYk4-9Ci8QGZ6DmODlOPKq6Bubz56GUzrEnXTVJkUZxPxcwtCVolxPEIVLBOBAsw/s1600/adam+-+self-portrait+complete.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih_MwptUYcRv459Zv0mfoX8N81dZ5C12O9UESKTx0sJ0UzuDuTLzns1vlrTbgnLUzDkFnQOmHQXRsIYk4-9Ci8QGZ6DmODlOPKq6Bubz56GUzrEnXTVJkUZxPxcwtCVolxPEIVLBOBAsw/s1600/adam+-+self-portrait+complete.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<strong><em><u>One final note:</u></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em>always very interesting to me how my "model" drawings and paintings are somewhat mechanical and bland, but the drawings and paintings produced by my students have personality and quirkiness and life to them ...</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em>I'm giving "visual instructions" and they're expressing themselves with art ... so cool</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Stay tuned for more lessons (how am I doing Raymond?)</span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">......... Sheila B</span></em></strong></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-87781272595931447782014-05-10T12:59:00.000-04:002014-05-10T17:11:32.111-04:00What my mom does for me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children.</span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">~ Jessica Lange ~</span></em></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZl8lVns1O4-Zx3NNW2pdKwHPoMJHUZKoylV0XCN235mFCEjfaV4Z4tZFhyZbs2Oscam7VLYg5_WeVIMZ0k_BixfZ7__67KOLj2kov7DLvaH1mYgauTkIW6bjJb-YHyAyuwdcuochDn0o/s1600/Adam+-+I+am+fine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZl8lVns1O4-Zx3NNW2pdKwHPoMJHUZKoylV0XCN235mFCEjfaV4Z4tZFhyZbs2Oscam7VLYg5_WeVIMZ0k_BixfZ7__67KOLj2kov7DLvaH1mYgauTkIW6bjJb-YHyAyuwdcuochDn0o/s1600/Adam+-+I+am+fine.JPG" height="320" width="272" /></a></div>
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<strong>Often moms are like wallpaper or weather</strong> - the many things they do each day are in the background of our lives, not coming to our attention unless they're undone and something negative happens ("my shorts aren't washed!", "you promised you would drive me!", "you forgot to pay for the field trip!"). Mother's Day is rolling around again, and while it brings my personal "mom-role" to the foreground of my thoughts, it also makes me think about my own mom and the gifts she's given me in my life.<br />
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<em><strong>Being a good mother does not call for the same qualities as being a good housewife; a dedication to keeping children clean and tidy may override an interest in their separate development as individuals </strong><strong>~ Ann Oakley ~</strong></em></blockquote>
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<strong>The above quote captures the essence of my mom's greatest gifts to me.</strong> She was not an avid housekeeper - at any given time in our childhood, the phrase "comfortably messy" would be the best descriptor for our house. And this was to the benefit of me and my brothers and sisters. My mom is an intelligent and creative person with a great kindness and compassion for all people and creatures. She used her mothering time to bring us music and art and a love of books, she rescued kittens who had fallen down the well (even though she was terrified to crawl backwards down the slippery ladder to get them) because we asked her to, she used her training as a nurse to bandage said kittens and all of us kids time and again. She was interested in us as individuals, encouraged us to develop our talents and was our biggest booster (even when we laughed at her "mom goggles" we appreciated the fact that she always had our backs). Much more important than having floors you could eat off.</div>
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But I think possibly the most valuable gift she gave to me was her way of seeing the best in everyone she met, of being able to love the unlovable, to see good things where others saw nothing worthwhile - her belief in other people sometimes caused her pain, but more often than not resulted in them finding themselves living up to her vision, trying to become that good thing she saw. This optimism blended with compassion is what I try to bring to my own roles as mom, therapist and friend - my mother is my conscience and thinking of what she would say brings me back on track time and again.</div>
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<strong>In my line of work, I have the great good fortune to work closely with many moms.</strong> Take a look at some of the things these moms do with and for their children, as seen through the eyes of their boys:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4ewkvr5l5cgGsDOcCc0W1Rg2fM7IwHpivCU61-96r02sRxbsYx-036JcLhikWH8cFxnBc9OQ0NZyJSpvIZV47wWa3pIKksLP7s3dV_iLgkeBYPz90ADt1hkvlwyi2bV-5SOZzDlGmFM/s1600/K+-+Apr+30-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4ewkvr5l5cgGsDOcCc0W1Rg2fM7IwHpivCU61-96r02sRxbsYx-036JcLhikWH8cFxnBc9OQ0NZyJSpvIZV47wWa3pIKksLP7s3dV_iLgkeBYPz90ADt1hkvlwyi2bV-5SOZzDlGmFM/s1600/K+-+Apr+30-14.JPG" height="302" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>Kevin and his mom plant a garden together every spring.</strong> When Kevin originally wrote the sentence that Mr. Bean says, he put it together as "That's lovely a garden". In my great wisdom, I helped him move the "a" and correct it to "That's a lovely garden". Then Kevin's mom, who has a wonderful English accent, spoke the first sentence aloud: "That's lovely. A garden!" (my correction was misplaced).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCzV2LaVgPA1FKYQg_-HuYNjrg68sXDbZS0A2aiMZgLqJly3gyM88_r0NL3y_K-Amn8EUTSl6yXQQibVsXPDb9M0i1J5FJns_qJ4oIaUshXMDTkxq9CwyMOKSC6NhnelgBSHBDDfxqTc/s1600/Adam+art+studio+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCzV2LaVgPA1FKYQg_-HuYNjrg68sXDbZS0A2aiMZgLqJly3gyM88_r0NL3y_K-Amn8EUTSl6yXQQibVsXPDb9M0i1J5FJns_qJ4oIaUshXMDTkxq9CwyMOKSC6NhnelgBSHBDDfxqTc/s1600/Adam+art+studio+2014.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>Adam's mom has embraced Adam's desire to learn new art skills</strong>, and has joined him in taking up painting - they're learning together. Not only that, but she has converted an entire room in their house into a painting studio for the two of them to share (with the help of Adam's dad as contractor!). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUe7pSnX53UJuxLWLXPmNnAu_4wuzeQpqAN4yS2Jmnkur6SWusSO_gt2MuWpfbNfXAdSHlRM-K3qSkKWyScVsrbm6S07o54P_6DcRdVRQ_HCx5fdbyIn6JlUG3OQhsYBLVyZ4GwD1QTfA/s1600/Owen+-+mothers+day+2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUe7pSnX53UJuxLWLXPmNnAu_4wuzeQpqAN4yS2Jmnkur6SWusSO_gt2MuWpfbNfXAdSHlRM-K3qSkKWyScVsrbm6S07o54P_6DcRdVRQ_HCx5fdbyIn6JlUG3OQhsYBLVyZ4GwD1QTfA/s1600/Owen+-+mothers+day+2014.JPG" height="352" width="400" /></a></div>
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<strong>And Owen appreciates the fact that his mom will "spring" him from school</strong> when he is at the end of his mental rope - her sensitivity to his inner state allows him to regroup and go back to finish his work another day.<br />
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<strong>So, on this Mother's Day Eve, take a minute to think of what gifts your mom has brought to your life,</strong> and if you can, give her a call and say "Thanks!" ... as for me, I think my mom will understand when I end with this quote (not all childhood stories and secrets need to be revealed!):<br />
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<strong><em>My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it</em></strong></div>
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<strong><em>~ Mark Twain ~</em></strong></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-30238749590808760112014-04-17T08:35:00.001-04:002014-05-10T17:12:33.770-04:00Emma learns to sew<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Emma is a young adult artist on the autism spectrum. She has a strong sense of fashion, and her visual art style is bold using shapes and blocks of colour. Because of her love of fashion, we thought that sewing was a skill she would enjoy that could open up opportunities in the world of work. Because of her own personal art style, we decided to start our sewing lessons with applique projects.</strong></div>
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<strong><em>Our first project</em></strong> (introducing the use of a sewing machine) was a pocket for an apron (Emma also loves cooking, and is quite independent and happy working in the kitchen).<br />
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<strong><u>Step 1:</u></strong> Design the applique. Emma drew these design ideas using the iPad app "Drawing with Carl".<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/103746252224601300722/AutismAndTheArtOfCommunication?authkey=Gv1sRgCIDypMnH86mZcw#6003239551073186066"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZNFXYjj5d2jPYQ466dEeTtAzfoIV7FjwuhyphenhyphenaJVCfsj1vz1RN-iB5ACEPyXaMx4GVenrtKYvZDQjWmKsDmV8xR6N6N8N0riQw6dQaPganPoHOZuIndpB5hV8UEDkvw_6cDxDv2_mLogE/s400/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="298" /></a></center>
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<strong><u>Step 2:</u></strong> Under Emma's direction (and following the bird pattern she had drawn), we cut out pieces of coloured material to sew onto the pocket (she selected the material & told me what shape to cut, I handled the very sharp sewing scissors for this initial session).<br />
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<strong><u>Step 3:</u></strong> Then we ran the sewing machine together: I threaded the machine, Emma chose the stitch pattern, then Emma ran the peddle (controlling on/off and speed) and I fed/steered the material past the needle. It was a little exciting in spots because we didn't sew slow! But we ended up with a bright bird on the apron pocket (and neither one of us sewn into the design!).<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/103746252224601300722/AutismAndTheArtOfCommunication?authkey=Gv1sRgCIDypMnH86mZcw#6003239575791328194"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFMT08lzJJKjaARepsSXrusB6yWHng0t5-M_TIfbjze7shO24AJtfBtIXLAg558mQgbYd3NGIsweyN71ImkR6E73fuVABqqw8tZkYVOWbYcDob5BopTNjlCy8Lehw-YsEoebKcINoPQU/s400/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="298" /></a></center>
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Emma really enjoyed the sewing and was very pleased with having her design turn into something she could wear. (for this first project, I sewed up a simple apron design ahead of time, and Emma sewed the pocket onto the apron so we could have a completed project in a shorter time-frame).<br />
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<strong><em>Our second project</em></strong> was a throw pillow. <br />
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<strong><u>Step 1:</u></strong> designing the pattern, once again using "Drawing with Carl" iPad app. Emma drew out several design ideas (including a very funky zebra), then decided to go with this bright bird:<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/103746252224601300722/AutismAndTheArtOfCommunication?authkey=Gv1sRgCIDypMnH86mZcw#6003239596540439810"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyrE9TcmZmtHWr6MbnX2AYr0CY9LFUVxQPdya18rCsCbjK5WM3P7_plWQ3GnsUdRliq0RPTck_pF-L2ZCfkMAdzghrZgD7jhlzwayadOfwNbG1CvopuEvodsBnyDG-mfjWdk_xj1ufVE/s400/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center>
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<strong><u>Step 2:</u></strong> I cut out the fabric pieces for the design under Emma's very definite verbal directions (great context for language use, she was highly motivated to tell me exactly what she wanted me to do, and also not shy to tell me when I had done it wrong and it needed to be redone - she has always been a woman who knows her own mind, something I really like about her).<br />
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<strong><u>Step 3:</u></strong> Emma approached the sewing with more confidence the second time around, and experimented with various types of applique stitches and with the speed control on the machine. Once again I steered the material while she ran everything else (important to go step-wise when working close to sharp objects, like the mechanized needle on a sewing machine).<br />
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This time, Emma sewed the whole project. We used a pre-made pillow form (from IKEA) and sewed a pillowcase (one side was Emma's art design, the other was patterned material she chose to match). We used the machine for all the seams, including the one sewing the side closed after the pillow form was in the pillowcase (Emma chose a lovely decorative stitch style, it looked great). Again, the pillow was done in one session:<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/103746252224601300722/AutismAndTheArtOfCommunication?authkey=Gv1sRgCIDypMnH86mZcw#6003239624861870642"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_h_z5zlsB68O8bTJ6Y-Gj4jQpC-4ouU56Z7CBiRgZJg4HknFhlz-zbmfb2jXP51TNFAx8SPQUkAMZ7i-jggvoBWdTbDPn2I37fZ7GeTqT1VrsgnBqK_I1TGBNwIH3uoZT5aJ4CydAbQ/s400/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center>
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<strong>I love Emma's bold bright design sense. We plan to continue our sewing lessons, and our next project will likely be shoulder/carry bags that can be used for books or iPads or shopping. Stay tuned for updates!</strong></div>
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Sheila Bell<br />
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Posted using BlogPress from my iPadAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-71934504679031552342014-02-17T17:59:00.000-05:002014-02-20T10:49:19.022-05:00Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfEKtdKqMkAPYdtvSkCx0v3qvKdRfk8sKyl729_wtLszCRLoJpWgKT0wdb2emdMpyWJDwn-tJVPzJJYX5Qsimg9F_MWx_TOYJlicjzAp_T6kgKVJl3ATP3x7MAAfrIcpninKxu8WcF1c/s1600/Mr+Bean+falls+down+-+2013+-+Kevin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfEKtdKqMkAPYdtvSkCx0v3qvKdRfk8sKyl729_wtLszCRLoJpWgKT0wdb2emdMpyWJDwn-tJVPzJJYX5Qsimg9F_MWx_TOYJlicjzAp_T6kgKVJl3ATP3x7MAAfrIcpninKxu8WcF1c/s1600/Mr+Bean+falls+down+-+2013+-+Kevin.jpg" height="289" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><em><span class="firstword">"Falling</span> down is part of life, getting back up is living.</em></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><em> Even the Sun falls down everyday but gets back up the next morning." ~ Unknown</em></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Here is a visual question I gave Adam back in 2001, when he was 11 years old and just starting to tell us his thoughts through his drawing:</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vO03vzhMDHyPZ2yeSZdeSb6EJLDG2sW-dSqpG4slC9lqr6_EAQCTWC-oxG7rRsv6K5zwYmN-_ihhB3zGSBql2OVfnujBdIFPpFujhjgPNqQAzUS5CjsqjfAQFqpJmNF3UCFiSYzK4rg/s1600/man+and+hat+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vO03vzhMDHyPZ2yeSZdeSb6EJLDG2sW-dSqpG4slC9lqr6_EAQCTWC-oxG7rRsv6K5zwYmN-_ihhB3zGSBql2OVfnujBdIFPpFujhjgPNqQAzUS5CjsqjfAQFqpJmNF3UCFiSYzK4rg/s1600/man+and+hat+1.jpg" height="320" width="193" /></a></div>
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<strong><em>Translated to traditional language</em></strong>, I guess it would be: "What will the man do now that his hat has fallen off his head and over a cliff?" (a classic cartoon set-up). Does the man value the hat? Will he take a risk to retrieve it? or will he turn his back, curse his luck and buy another?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4e983So1xAqiFCPV-FYIa6cj487GXfxZa9z-KQEVdfg3QMuWDrySnIpV4trIuyNX7XPrr2qp-6qLeFT8rzC5dg3m1-6qIOoaNNduzIdp6TD6kZ9HnKfsZ6NEfyQdpU2SGphgWkL_9hY/s1600/man+and+hat+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4e983So1xAqiFCPV-FYIa6cj487GXfxZa9z-KQEVdfg3QMuWDrySnIpV4trIuyNX7XPrr2qp-6qLeFT8rzC5dg3m1-6qIOoaNNduzIdp6TD6kZ9HnKfsZ6NEfyQdpU2SGphgWkL_9hY/s1600/man+and+hat+2.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><em>In Adam's visual "answer</em></strong>", the man decides to take a risk and go after his hat. Did he slip while reaching? Did he not think it through and just jump? I don't know, but he does seem a bit surprised by the outcome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM8hqVwP_4gxTMcTR90GMZl8J-QsWdHM7fQ-oX940kQD4CJYGi6LBxIKSAiJmIJ91jbXZtxwQPgMpupvYceT850M68VdaaQqRkguKxixVbxdOypv1BtMatUtLHcAv7aMmOhykK64_E44/s1600/man+and+hat+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRM8hqVwP_4gxTMcTR90GMZl8J-QsWdHM7fQ-oX940kQD4CJYGi6LBxIKSAiJmIJ91jbXZtxwQPgMpupvYceT850M68VdaaQqRkguKxixVbxdOypv1BtMatUtLHcAv7aMmOhykK64_E44/s1600/man+and+hat+3.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<strong><em>As luck would have it,</em></strong> he manages to grab the small stick protruding from the cliff. Whew! Sometimes in life, a bit of luck and quick reflexes allow us to save ourselves from rash choices or bad circumstances. I love how pleased (and unsurprised) the little guy is with this turn of events.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk51kRKDc5-Zuhwh_7kpfJGdMQ6Z1nZqdH7GHygSxSJ9FNG_U6-zIS40jdUNOjFQiS1lcbANNPhQzLdpYP11Uk3U89MHuickDkjZ_iWxp9qnbvojGLnHI4LiefBuG78eAtlrpkbu3MyeY/s1600/man+and+hat+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk51kRKDc5-Zuhwh_7kpfJGdMQ6Z1nZqdH7GHygSxSJ9FNG_U6-zIS40jdUNOjFQiS1lcbANNPhQzLdpYP11Uk3U89MHuickDkjZ_iWxp9qnbvojGLnHI4LiefBuG78eAtlrpkbu3MyeY/s1600/man+and+hat+4.jpg" height="320" width="167" /></a></div>
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<strong><em>But of course, this is life</em></strong> and one fall can often be followed by another (especially when the author of your life story has a sense of humour like Adam's). The stick breaks and the little person is once again plummeting down the side of the cliff, wearing another expression of surprise at the hand life has dealt him.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDPxekSA2NlVv444jM7eVcj1KgSj4gX_5qfwDkGo5U1jE2wCK8ptY4pN1zg7BjoZesXoSaUpioMmfg_jTAOoNEWnF699vaXNMUrrawpek0kbilliDkv3KoUVt9c-8jdE1LRw7b2Rf8n8/s1600/man+and+hat+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDPxekSA2NlVv444jM7eVcj1KgSj4gX_5qfwDkGo5U1jE2wCK8ptY4pN1zg7BjoZesXoSaUpioMmfg_jTAOoNEWnF699vaXNMUrrawpek0kbilliDkv3KoUVt9c-8jdE1LRw7b2Rf8n8/s1600/man+and+hat+5.jpg" height="315" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><em>And sooner or later, in real life or cartoon life, we have to hit bottom.</em></strong> Going by the man's face, this was a hard landing (one that would have you sitting on a donut pillow for at least a week or so).<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>We all fall down</u>.</span></strong> Sometimes we fall multiple times without rising in-between - we can fall far and hit bottom very hard. We get the wind knocked out of us figuratively and literally. We may say to ourselves "I don't know how to recover from this one, it's too big, it's too hard, it's one too many, I can't get up". So we lay there for a while ... but then what?<br />
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In Adam's story, the man simply takes a breath, retrieves his hat (which he had the good luck to fall beside, rather than on), dusts it off, puts it on his head, stands up and walks on. <br />
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<strong><em>The drawn end of this story is very interesting to me in light of who Adam has revealed himself to be over the past 13 years since he drew this story.</em></strong> He is a person who faces many challenges every day, including communication disconnects, sensory overload, debilitating allergies and medical conditions ( <a href="http://autismandtheartsofcommunication.blogspot.ca/2012/04/whats-wrong-unraveling-medical.html" target="_blank"><strong>click here for a piece of the medical back story</strong></a> ). I have seen him laid low time and again, and time and again I have seen him stand up, pick up his figurative hat, and walk forward. He doesn't get angry, he doesn't do "poor me", he just gets up and goes on.<br />
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<strong><u>Here's some advice that I give to the kids and families I work with (and that I follow myself when I'm having a "smart day"):</u></strong><br />
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<strong><em>When you've fallen and you don't think you can get up, consider your alternatives:</em></strong> staying where you are is not usually a good one, and if you're as low as you can go almost any choice or action could potentially put you in a better spot. <br />
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<strong><em>So take action. Do <u>something</u>.</em></strong> It's a strategy I use when I clean up a particularly large mess (I hate housework): if I think about it too hard, I'm frozen into inaction ("this mess is too big", "no one could clean this up", "we just have to move"). So instead, I go "round and round" doing something: "this coat doesn't belong in the sink, I'll hang it up", "no one needs 4 hockey sticks in the living room, so I'll put 3 in the garage", "why is there a live turtle in the dining room? don't think, just put it back in the pond" (I have 3 boys and a small house, we have had some memorable messes). As each bit of mess goes away, the overall picture changes and new ideas and solutions present themselves ("oh look, the broom was buried under the dirty laundry! the perfect tool for sweeping the baking soda & vinegar science project volcano eruption off the ceiling!"). Before you know it, you step back and realize that this problem might be fixable after all.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">When you fall down, don't just lie there .. do something. Take one small step and then another. No matter the problems or circumstances, action feels better than inaction, and each action plants seeds that can change things for the better.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><em>Postscript (courtesy of my good friend Bernadette who recently sent this video my way)</em></strong><br />
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<em>A final musical word from the late great Pete Seeger - as I tackle problems big and small, this song (one of my favourites) reminds me that things usually work out better when I manage to put aside my worries, take action, plant the seeds and see what happens:</em><br />
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<strong><em>Inch by inch, row by row,<br /> Gonna make this garden grow.<br /> Gonna mulch it deep and low,<br /> Gonna make it fertile ground.<br /> Inch by inch, row by row,<br /> Please bless these seeds I sow.<br /> Please keep them safe below<br /> 'Til the rain comes tumbling down.</em></strong></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-58356105447736016272014-02-08T13:34:00.002-05:002014-02-20T10:50:19.927-05:00Teaching Art to Students on the Autism Spectrum: Follow Me!<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life ~ Pablo Picasso</span></em></strong></div>
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<strong>If you've been following this blog, you'll know that I recently went back to art school</strong> ... best thing I could have done to dust off my mental health and start the new year with a fresh perspective. A bonus side effect is that I'm learning new things that I can share with my students on the spectrum.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFAIoi-XsadW4G8XWgFQ9kgaU6Zf8-wtZuM2CGdz-4pfh4CrNUO4dPOSfUnOrJm8rIthNTeBQZvy-ygT47azPNNv79hP1z-TM8uA5p-Ie3C6GvSiZJCSnzXyt8eg3v20PwhiUkukjgT0/s1600/Adam+art+painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFAIoi-XsadW4G8XWgFQ9kgaU6Zf8-wtZuM2CGdz-4pfh4CrNUO4dPOSfUnOrJm8rIthNTeBQZvy-ygT47azPNNv79hP1z-TM8uA5p-Ie3C6GvSiZJCSnzXyt8eg3v20PwhiUkukjgT0/s1600/Adam+art+painting.jpg" height="320" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Artist" by Adam</td></tr>
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<strong><em>I've written previously about the methods I use to teach art to students with a wide range of communication profiles:</em></strong><br />
<a href="http://autismandtheartsofcommunication.blogspot.ca/2011/10/teaching-art-to-students-with-autism.html" target="_blank"><strong><em>Click here to read my previous post on art instruction methods</em></strong></a><br />
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<strong><em>The method I refer to as "Follow Me" involves sitting side-by-side with your student, demonstrating new materials and techniques step-by-step - showing rather than telling.</em></strong><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orSTppbNHpQ" target="_blank"><strong><em>Click here to watch a short teaching video demonstrating the "Follow Me" method of art instruction</em></strong></a><br />
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<strong>The class I'm taking at the Ottawa School of Art is an introduction to painting with oils and acrylics, and over the past few weeks, Kevin and Adam have also been learning about how to paint with acrylics</strong>, starting with a review of colour mixing and light and shadow (concepts we first introduced when they were in high school art class). We use our art sessions as an opportunity to extend language skills (vocabulary and concepts). <br />
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<strong>Here are some pictures Kevin drew of cartoon Mr. Bean and Teddy going to art school and learning colour mixing:</strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdMQjR4yuSyjj2weH3X1pBeA6BwXUCNzYrjei5fINr_-Sh73SAuWzuT74reagifHC59HvF0NklF1y43tvVsEwYI0q80B0Jm7DYB1XWygaeHBhJdAJizDM_BY5SwlfdtJ9mKktFQ9LMkQ/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdMQjR4yuSyjj2weH3X1pBeA6BwXUCNzYrjei5fINr_-Sh73SAuWzuT74reagifHC59HvF0NklF1y43tvVsEwYI0q80B0Jm7DYB1XWygaeHBhJdAJizDM_BY5SwlfdtJ9mKktFQ9LMkQ/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawn by Kevin (Jan 2014)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicES0VcvwHJvWKYj5Y-ouECJO1ekcCBSanxTLrfHA7sKKNvdLHPbKWo1VYRRioUzugcsFaT3fLCf_fex3Y4QfUVnaPuw4JynvFPo8SZys3TKJrRRouy-BZ59fyqXd3KMaHd5saAULvvM/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicES0VcvwHJvWKYj5Y-ouECJO1ekcCBSanxTLrfHA7sKKNvdLHPbKWo1VYRRioUzugcsFaT3fLCf_fex3Y4QfUVnaPuw4JynvFPo8SZys3TKJrRRouy-BZ59fyqXd3KMaHd5saAULvvM/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawn by Kevin (Jan 2014)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLkfOcADEcl8N7z_HL9BF_Okp_rDmA07jDCDYx2MWgCIxwnofqzy0IpuDOu2i4E-BF461SuBGSRRu_zoqaUbF6gvbOYLJfUKT8PzcznzVTFlg3OE302aRf9vM3_-Qx6wrXYZ4l6zz_BU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtLkfOcADEcl8N7z_HL9BF_Okp_rDmA07jDCDYx2MWgCIxwnofqzy0IpuDOu2i4E-BF461SuBGSRRu_zoqaUbF6gvbOYLJfUKT8PzcznzVTFlg3OE302aRf9vM3_-Qx6wrXYZ4l6zz_BU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawn by Kevin (Jan 2014)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUUHSu1dJIRgT64QAqKH8H0gxtJVdwTXlat-a8n9SoCQT5_drPRzUNHzDAfev1sc4PH9i4HWTqn2uxPaGLpghjKN8U-9G-m4fTISY8d3h5cwrAsn5JNRpiS936UuzspNWPX6o8V8vXLY/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUUHSu1dJIRgT64QAqKH8H0gxtJVdwTXlat-a8n9SoCQT5_drPRzUNHzDAfev1sc4PH9i4HWTqn2uxPaGLpghjKN8U-9G-m4fTISY8d3h5cwrAsn5JNRpiS936UuzspNWPX6o8V8vXLY/s1600/photo+4.JPG" height="320" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">drawn by Kevin (Jan 2014)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<strong>And now we've moved on to painting still life compositions</strong> on canvas boards, using artist quality paints and easels (if you want your students to love making art, you have to give them good quality materials to work with). <br />
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<strong>Here's some photos of Kevin and I during a recent therapy session:</strong><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwWoDXJSypB3LGcGDvA5Sd_JSw9j2pWuI6cAjZTOLn9mRNnkJaFMnAuoV2FoJE3XQZQqfThubCTzvHB4FGhkz7M6s8AVCKJ3TQjNIfmS1FBFh_jC-N0f6ZVHYZWBFohL8TioMKz_RpG0/s1600/Kevin+painting+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwWoDXJSypB3LGcGDvA5Sd_JSw9j2pWuI6cAjZTOLn9mRNnkJaFMnAuoV2FoJE3XQZQqfThubCTzvHB4FGhkz7M6s8AVCKJ3TQjNIfmS1FBFh_jC-N0f6ZVHYZWBFohL8TioMKz_RpG0/s1600/Kevin+painting+2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin and I sit side-by-side, both of us painting the still life - Kevin follows my model</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzjHtR_hsUPxxVesqun5GeaqIsCROW9iVE7pCQkGcve_bj13PXoO-cIQ99a7vSImnGFmj5-L8kvQwEHsSCab6ayBT5agtnRUo8EDeYG2Ehj7pqvRQEnMEQ1tyDeujTVB-FXvc_OluRMc/s1600/Kevin+painting+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzjHtR_hsUPxxVesqun5GeaqIsCROW9iVE7pCQkGcve_bj13PXoO-cIQ99a7vSImnGFmj5-L8kvQwEHsSCab6ayBT5agtnRUo8EDeYG2Ehj7pqvRQEnMEQ1tyDeujTVB-FXvc_OluRMc/s1600/Kevin+painting+1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I help Kevin to see the light and shadow in our still life composition by pointing it out directly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Bay6x7BBOS__JiBNOLtxa0CKBe1W1ihJK9ua7jQRSPFr-SwVgjLyZIXj2k8PX8jxyUAk_s7UYD_APT3OskEE6BPq9U0o3krZRzPXTyhjQG3KzOYWlLcHQ1X4YyDzmbbnXVvktN1gUF8/s1600/Kevin+painting+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Bay6x7BBOS__JiBNOLtxa0CKBe1W1ihJK9ua7jQRSPFr-SwVgjLyZIXj2k8PX8jxyUAk_s7UYD_APT3OskEE6BPq9U0o3krZRzPXTyhjQG3KzOYWlLcHQ1X4YyDzmbbnXVvktN1gUF8/s1600/Kevin+painting+3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Instead of a lengthy verbal explanation, I show Kevin how we can use paint to create shadows</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBobeIEru90rZmGTrYC01mL-v2e_T-N4D4dy0jD82KnzirrcpcDn-GUNM13Bc53fEJFjfjJ6fNUaBrmbu1uvX4UuIaHW-M3Hf0nlNElWpk-diH0-8dFfaI7qaMJPIhr6C57CCXp0RQ1Y/s1600/Kevin+painting+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBobeIEru90rZmGTrYC01mL-v2e_T-N4D4dy0jD82KnzirrcpcDn-GUNM13Bc53fEJFjfjJ6fNUaBrmbu1uvX4UuIaHW-M3Hf0nlNElWpk-diH0-8dFfaI7qaMJPIhr6C57CCXp0RQ1Y/s1600/Kevin+painting+4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We both step back to admire our paintings - I love seeing Kevin's obvious pride and joy in his artwork</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjk3yevexDA3xnjkQnamRhs-msWIVUiG4EIoN7sbWF-9wK3D8M1xNEoPlVkec4ZsKnpk_-EqI_xbNyYU9w-iENnh8Q2H39Mw6m85vW6cm5SDgRxU7dCteWbreph418epmKR1kveC8Sg7E/s1600/Kevin+painting+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjk3yevexDA3xnjkQnamRhs-msWIVUiG4EIoN7sbWF-9wK3D8M1xNEoPlVkec4ZsKnpk_-EqI_xbNyYU9w-iENnh8Q2H39Mw6m85vW6cm5SDgRxU7dCteWbreph418epmKR1kveC8Sg7E/s1600/Kevin+painting+5.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit still life painted by Kevin (Jan 2014)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>And don't forget to tailor your student's art projects to their personal interests and favourite topics - let your art sessions be an opportunity to express passion for what is dearly loved and wash away some of the "dust of everyday life".</strong></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkifpHjARk9Lv9VkvZlLbhwAOt5HX2t2tT95BO3z2_K3m_Vkt4LwNwXC1hvdZsW-yxOZIrZ6TYAMlwFoyvZPI6UJXEBTggOdaPby015-1zTv-D-4zr0twIf9p0R6mPFWgbZMEcExF7hU/s1600/Kevin+Teddy+still-life+Feb+5-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkifpHjARk9Lv9VkvZlLbhwAOt5HX2t2tT95BO3z2_K3m_Vkt4LwNwXC1hvdZsW-yxOZIrZ6TYAMlwFoyvZPI6UJXEBTggOdaPby015-1zTv-D-4zr0twIf9p0R6mPFWgbZMEcExF7hU/s1600/Kevin+Teddy+still-life+Feb+5-14.jpg" height="267" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin's second still life features his beloved Teddy (who looks exactly like Mr. Bean's Teddy)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure ~ Albert Einstein</span></em></strong></div>
</blockquote>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-2275752040199802682014-02-01T13:52:00.000-05:002014-02-20T10:51:10.592-05:00Fear and Hope<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>Today's post doesn't have to do with autism specifically, but it has to do with life and family:</em></strong></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB8QCv1jUXBO_-0dQkpvVjilsw6YgKIxJ_HfJUqMQcwA3wsQX6crkJdSmJfho-uZTmQCOtdwP625xo_8oXG-Q4ohQhrPZjss2kgqQeZjBds81EY-1j7yt8EEmqPCCS77A6mpg0LjjFSs/s1600/Fear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB8QCv1jUXBO_-0dQkpvVjilsw6YgKIxJ_HfJUqMQcwA3wsQX6crkJdSmJfho-uZTmQCOtdwP625xo_8oXG-Q4ohQhrPZjss2kgqQeZjBds81EY-1j7yt8EEmqPCCS77A6mpg0LjjFSs/s1600/Fear.jpg" height="320" width="251" /></a></div>
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<strong><em>Fear is an emotion we are all familiar with.</em></strong> We fear the unknown, we fear loss, we fear losing control of our lives. The hard truth is that many of the most important things in life are outside of our control, including the health and well-being of ourselves and those we love.<br />
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And so the challenging part: what do we do when we realize our limitations to control life and make it "safe"? Can we meet fear with hope and live our lives to the fullest not only despite having this knowledge, but because of it?<br />
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<strong><em>Today I have a guest blogger who is a husband and father</em></strong> - he shares the story of his wife and young family, a challenging life-threatening illness, and their life-affirming and hopeful response to the curve that life has thrown at them:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My name is Cameron Von St. James and I’m a husband to one of
the strongest people I know. Eight years ago, after our only child was born, my
wife Heather was diagnosed with mesothelioma – a rare cancer caused only by
asbestos exposure. My wife’s chronic illness taught our family the importance
of acknowledging and overcoming our fears, something that prevent us all from
living life to the fullest.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This February 2nd marks the 8th anniversary of Heather’s
life saving surgery, which involved a risky procedure requiring the removal of
her left lung. It is a very special day to me and is considered one of the
memorable days of my life! We’ve coined this day as LungLeavin’ Day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The purpose of LungLeavin’ Day is to encourage and empower
others battling their own illnesses and life challenges to face their fears! On
this day we celebrate for those who are no longer with us, for those who
continue to fight, for those who are currently going through a tough time in
their life, and most importantly, we celebrate life! Each year, friends
and family gather at our house around a bonfire where we write our fears on a
plate and smash them into the fire to represent conquering our fears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> This year, we are asking bloggers to participate in
LungLeavin’ Day! We’ve created an interactive page that tells the full story of
this special day, which can be found here: </span><a href="http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/lungleavinday/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/lungleavinday/</strong></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I’d love for you to check out the page and consider
sharing it on your blog to help spread the word about LungLeavin’ Day! It would
mean so much to Heather and I.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><br /></blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">So tomorrow is LungLeavin' Day - a great day for writing your fears on a plate and smashing them in the fire! </span></em></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">All the best to Heather, Cameron and Lily. May you celebrate this way for many years to come!</span></em></strong></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-85486835784152608512014-01-27T16:25:00.000-05:002014-02-20T10:52:00.829-05:00Balance: Taking Time to Paint the Peppers<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #330000;"></span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #330000;"><strong>The calm and balanced mind is the strong and great mind; the hurried and agitated mind is the weak one. <span style="color: #330000;"><i>Wallace D. Wattles</i></span></strong></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #330000;">
</span><br /></div>
<em><span style="color: #330000;"></span></em><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1E99ksXq-n3b_mnfN4z9r64N0onNawIEH3t4EwbPbXSsPG3slfrCgFLOWF1sLhI1e5DwatoeRGlYRtAlAyvUuZzruO03AGQdhMXP_r5Om7s488alNLJpgNfJq0_pyznZWWTA1BpIRy20/s1600/art+class+red+pepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1E99ksXq-n3b_mnfN4z9r64N0onNawIEH3t4EwbPbXSsPG3slfrCgFLOWF1sLhI1e5DwatoeRGlYRtAlAyvUuZzruO03AGQdhMXP_r5Om7s488alNLJpgNfJq0_pyznZWWTA1BpIRy20/s1600/art+class+red+pepper.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting by Sheila B (me!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<strong><em>This red pepper (actually half a red pepper) is my personal visual for balance at the start of 2014. Why, you may ask? ... well, I'll tell you:</em></strong><br />
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I hit an unexpectedly big low at the end of last year, the kind that sweeps in from your blind side and knocks you right out of your life for a few days. I was surprised, but on reflection realized I shouldn't have been - for most of 2013, my attention had been almost exclusively outward, problem-solving and balancing the lives of others but neglecting my own mental health. Not something I can afford to do. So with the support of my nearest and dearest, and a visit to the therapist who has helped me through many ups and downs, I made a plan to restore my inner balance. Part of that plan was signing up for art classes after a 10 year hiatus. The lovely red pepper painting (an exercise in colour mixing) sits on my dining room table, reminding me to take time to do the things I love (and I love losing myself for several hours putting paint on canvas) not just the things that are required and needful.<br />
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<strong><em>This type of re-balancing of life is something we must continuously be mindful of for our students and family members on the autism spectrum.</em></strong> It needs to become a stronger message in the world of autism intervention, which has the tendency to be dominated by the more panicked messages of "Hurry! More! Quick! Critical Learning Window Closing! Work Harder! Work Longer! Don't Fall Behind!!!"<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxkIK7BQymiMKx6b4rq5uPbAr6nei5gxMH7ZEHttBxt9lYeQACsUZT6ul3uwfjVOjV806lf2-YhL9y7_3qTUg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
This animation of an exhausted high school student was created by my friend Owen, a clear visual of his inner state as he struggles to keep his balance in the "work storm" of summative projects and exam preparation that happens at the end of each high school semester.<br />
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Exhausted thinking is not generally a person's best thinking. Even at the busiest times in the school year, I encourage Owen to block out time in his schedule for relaxation and things that he loves - he is lucky to have understanding parents and teachers who support this message:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIgILPY9XQMvYpxtdYPq4XrAvl9dkPa8D2Syemp2lc-oyF2ek5-nk75GbdZevbXL46Fhi4csEtO7m54YdA_A6qTyX2cMd_4dTZudh0H4XcaH1PsuymBb8HPesYjGXVr2KC8e3FTFBl4U/s1600/owen+-+feb+11-13+-+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIgILPY9XQMvYpxtdYPq4XrAvl9dkPa8D2Syemp2lc-oyF2ek5-nk75GbdZevbXL46Fhi4csEtO7m54YdA_A6qTyX2cMd_4dTZudh0H4XcaH1PsuymBb8HPesYjGXVr2KC8e3FTFBl4U/s1600/owen+-+feb+11-13+-+1.JPG" height="237" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Owen loves a "snow day" (no school, too much snow!!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhUCkVYzOobaFKXgkygKP_2k4TFb5kSWcucI2a-ZT6Z-VWKISUkNUU0LbSefiJ8kaAdYBJYegIDTKA4HoBpcqkIqkas5AfqFJARU5rhFG6I-x5OF0XpKMlzmErADp5McHNIR2MG2MSrQ/s1600/Owen+-+june+4-13+-+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhUCkVYzOobaFKXgkygKP_2k4TFb5kSWcucI2a-ZT6Z-VWKISUkNUU0LbSefiJ8kaAdYBJYegIDTKA4HoBpcqkIqkas5AfqFJARU5rhFG6I-x5OF0XpKMlzmErADp5McHNIR2MG2MSrQ/s1600/Owen+-+june+4-13+-+1.JPG" height="230" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and he really loves watching movies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<strong><em>So you need to find out what it is that your ASD student/child/client truly enjoys, and make sure that you purposely make room in the schedule for that activity.</em></strong> If it's something you also love, make time to do it together - take a skate after school instead of sitting down at a table piled with homework, draw or paint, listen to music, read a story, watch a favourite show together. Alternatively, their favourite relaxation activity may be something you don't really understand, but you know that they love - like sitting alone & reciting the play-by-play of last night's hockey game or losing themselves in the tactile & sensory pleasure of running their hands through a bucket of beads (many of the things that are dismissed as "stimming" are actually pleasurable, relaxing and "balancing" things for the person on the autism spectrum) - respect their perspective and set aside the time.<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<strong><em>If you're still not convinced that "time to do something fun" belongs on the busy work schedule of your person, I'd ask you to consider these words from the author James Carroll on the utility of doing nothing in particular:</em></strong></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="quotetext" style="text-align: center;">
<strong>We collect data, things, people, ideas, profound experiences, never penetrating any of them ... But there are other times. There are times when we stop. We sit still. We lose ourselves in a pile of leaves or its memory. We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper. </strong><strong><em>James Carroll</em></strong></div>
</blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Make time to take time - you won't be sorry that you did.</span></strong></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-16928223107442922662013-12-24T14:20:00.000-05:002014-02-20T10:52:54.364-05:00More Gifts of Learning from 2013<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>As promised, just in time for Christmas, some more interesting and entertaining pictures created by my students this year:</strong></span></div>
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<strong>From Michael</strong> (whose favourite pop music radio station is "Hot 89.9") - here are the album covers he imagines for some of this year's hit songs:<br />
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<strong>From Emma</strong> (a lover of Disney movies & royal fashion) some pictures of princes and princesses drawn on the iPad app "Drawing with Carl":<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAZToCIFY_IH5Fl4XOe573eXo2-oWbpPcFhHtLs_Yizaoy5sr4QRdhFz0dI33Szm8BIn6DMrrY9STWXgIVo71wh_nRrzULkFo2U-EyD2Q4nJTdqH-MOpQXXBfsJc2c5kNEWR9P4UJDgM/s1600/Emma+prince+&+princess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAZToCIFY_IH5Fl4XOe573eXo2-oWbpPcFhHtLs_Yizaoy5sr4QRdhFz0dI33Szm8BIn6DMrrY9STWXgIVo71wh_nRrzULkFo2U-EyD2Q4nJTdqH-MOpQXXBfsJc2c5kNEWR9P4UJDgM/s1600/Emma+prince+&+princess.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince & Princess</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTswdpaVmGYRgDagkCex97Zm4gUmijK1kEWZT4HmK0VZl8R0O6XlMn88coaob63BGr09PzlnbOZZw00p9_cBVw2ykS9y-0K1y98deWPPsKRYjLXkQZoXtEmePfcfGu4nSRUuvbx5Zuf4/s1600/Emma+prince.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTswdpaVmGYRgDagkCex97Zm4gUmijK1kEWZT4HmK0VZl8R0O6XlMn88coaob63BGr09PzlnbOZZw00p9_cBVw2ykS9y-0K1y98deWPPsKRYjLXkQZoXtEmePfcfGu4nSRUuvbx5Zuf4/s1600/Emma+prince.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prince</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67Vdibi-ghAA5i79gzPwXhxDj08h-L_vgIgZvib3r4xgY534f0jOoplOOL9YvFBJ1EoNISnKxgr76LBeV_xhkn-H5d9coJOnBUZek7eFWn2yyRiEKzeqR1hnKzosDokSTUFUuB6iyfgU/s1600/Emma+princess+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67Vdibi-ghAA5i79gzPwXhxDj08h-L_vgIgZvib3r4xgY534f0jOoplOOL9YvFBJ1EoNISnKxgr76LBeV_xhkn-H5d9coJOnBUZek7eFWn2yyRiEKzeqR1hnKzosDokSTUFUuB6iyfgU/s1600/Emma+princess+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciHrSNh-AX7Wn3wY2wR3gqDDXa04JY58NLJZooWNYGbb2YNeRO1yENzVHUwwhpov81VZPJBpNRaCCHuhrAVLZgFcpA0sgY7OimDYsP4DlNp_18CkhvtFN1g8wk_27qD1pFmrbxRpHD0E/s1600/Emma+princess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciHrSNh-AX7Wn3wY2wR3gqDDXa04JY58NLJZooWNYGbb2YNeRO1yENzVHUwwhpov81VZPJBpNRaCCHuhrAVLZgFcpA0sgY7OimDYsP4DlNp_18CkhvtFN1g8wk_27qD1pFmrbxRpHD0E/s1600/Emma+princess.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<strong>More iPad drawing from Kevin and Adam</strong>, using the app Sketchbook Pro (which allows you to draw in layers & has many professional artist tools):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEQOY8UwyiPBucyjN_S5liwjIdXNG_qVofbE2-_bpHWdVqM0to4UXRQw5VZIR-wsJ1mcdYV_4Cdd_zg-ldfzuPiTAuEs6mI5Kt1rZF2DoHao5pIG7J9d-a9gTRsMu0W2SIbFEALux8hQ/s1600/Adam+Hobbes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEQOY8UwyiPBucyjN_S5liwjIdXNG_qVofbE2-_bpHWdVqM0to4UXRQw5VZIR-wsJ1mcdYV_4Cdd_zg-ldfzuPiTAuEs6mI5Kt1rZF2DoHao5pIG7J9d-a9gTRsMu0W2SIbFEALux8hQ/s1600/Adam+Hobbes.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hobbes" by Adam</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGPt_HmO2AvYBCRAa7kzO01yu4l1AmZd46lS-OoGsM2IlGaeVXRz7uzTxcWZ7Kqxe8e_6ZTgVozkYl4S9GF6k2aFk3Gx5gdAgkFnxeVuK8cKIk09wDbkazh8r0VMdEO6pbUq-UNMRvn0/s1600/Kevin+Calvin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGPt_HmO2AvYBCRAa7kzO01yu4l1AmZd46lS-OoGsM2IlGaeVXRz7uzTxcWZ7Kqxe8e_6ZTgVozkYl4S9GF6k2aFk3Gx5gdAgkFnxeVuK8cKIk09wDbkazh8r0VMdEO6pbUq-UNMRvn0/s1600/Kevin+Calvin.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Calvin" by Kevin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTXOfSyqljF_rln9UgMu8GeLS6IczkyIQB029pnsUsBUsN_ygfs54NCWtm-B1fqJ7X2kMUvGXqmYDZnheC0K2dw_pDfFlAHJk7DaDnPuN1PHuOMuuKZ961orSAEEjIjEa8vCAP6DIEvI/s1600/Kevin+Mr+B+&+T+cannon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTXOfSyqljF_rln9UgMu8GeLS6IczkyIQB029pnsUsBUsN_ygfs54NCWtm-B1fqJ7X2kMUvGXqmYDZnheC0K2dw_pDfFlAHJk7DaDnPuN1PHuOMuuKZ961orSAEEjIjEa8vCAP6DIEvI/s1600/Kevin+Mr+B+&+T+cannon.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mr. Bean shoots Teddy out of a cannon" by Kevin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<strong>More scenes with Mr. Bean, Teddy, Kevin and his brother Raymond</strong> - drawn by Kevin in a "Scrambled Sentences" language comprehension activity:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklrac1oo9jtIn7fpuc9PYTOH2_LIxpmhE5XK0EABEXK-ZMUvTe2G71Jyc_JJrtvGOq5gHyFxj7BcMN_wOhX-m72CEwG0JE5BdVj1VAe3Jrc0crYd1h-UvehplQqXePHMNtQDsgwxZZ_A/s1600/Kevin+sock+washing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklrac1oo9jtIn7fpuc9PYTOH2_LIxpmhE5XK0EABEXK-ZMUvTe2G71Jyc_JJrtvGOq5gHyFxj7BcMN_wOhX-m72CEwG0JE5BdVj1VAe3Jrc0crYd1h-UvehplQqXePHMNtQDsgwxZZ_A/s1600/Kevin+sock+washing.JPG" height="310" width="400" /></a></div>
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And finally, <strong>some thoughts from Michael</strong> on "good vs bad behaviour":<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_me6KaDrqvbnXtXAiVnQ8LwOwbM3HxkUpwWDHG4pKexbuZ_L6VhwTK2n8DUp7ccQ2Xzkai47lwaglDXtRYRTJBXCXG97HGSAIPodnX1ubVQYsvEKyAiDLn_XH36Bh5bxiELw4aulX80/s1600/Michael+behaviour+cards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_me6KaDrqvbnXtXAiVnQ8LwOwbM3HxkUpwWDHG4pKexbuZ_L6VhwTK2n8DUp7ccQ2Xzkai47lwaglDXtRYRTJBXCXG97HGSAIPodnX1ubVQYsvEKyAiDLn_XH36Bh5bxiELw4aulX80/s1600/Michael+behaviour+cards.JPG" height="320" width="312" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0DGl7Hl0hVPXKMB1u9UTa7Btlez7HInwHKA7B02RgW9CV94pdMRHmpLhqQ44oRkuHp5UfOQ0dIhfCdDmReKGz67-VXUrbDzQBgTEee1NVhqMJF1RBF5Na9M-2tGNlhOPBSpfuHg6rjM/s1600/Michael+no+barfing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0DGl7Hl0hVPXKMB1u9UTa7Btlez7HInwHKA7B02RgW9CV94pdMRHmpLhqQ44oRkuHp5UfOQ0dIhfCdDmReKGz67-VXUrbDzQBgTEee1NVhqMJF1RBF5Na9M-2tGNlhOPBSpfuHg6rjM/s1600/Michael+no+barfing.JPG" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
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<em>(and I agree whole-heartedly with the rule he came up with!)</em></div>
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<strong>People on the autism spectrum can't always express themselves clearly through verbal language. Unconventional modes of communication, like drawing, can help the rest of us to see the true creativity, intelligence, humour and imagination that exist behind the unusual exterior.</strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><em><strong>Have a safe and happy holiday season .... wishing you a creative and interesting 2014!!</strong></em></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-55846651153927977892013-12-08T12:38:00.001-05:002014-02-03T17:54:19.759-05:00Gifts of LearningIt's December already! In the spirit of the gift-giving season, over the next couple of weeks, I'd like to share some of the cool things my students created this year:<br />
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We've been having a lot of fun using iPad animation apps to learn conventional language. Here's a film that Adam drew using FlipBoom Cartoon (sentence constructed in Word Mover app) - goals were sentence construction and comprehension:<br />
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<center>
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/103746252224601300722/AutismAndTheArtOfCommunication?authkey=Gv1sRgCIDypMnH86mZcw#5955076595722003778"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBPcBjMoD7KgdnORBhQwVNA41_VuxFEcHtWJbPOH5nEpYV9jfQM7PNg30gumR3XZw0XwYiRHWAp6wvWVDzxya3CVTlZTPrS-z5gl_4RyhitL3aAEhEI7i53LEUDRaPBcVAUIkwEfKDJM/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></center>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/2kz7QDT_SK8" target="_blank">CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO</a><br />
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And here's a film from Kevin (also drawn on FlipBoom Cartoon) that extends the exercise into writing and drawing a short paragraph:<br />
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<center>
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/103746252224601300722/AutismAndTheArtOfCommunication?authkey=Gv1sRgCIDypMnH86mZcw#5955076612848963986"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZj939ZtWX9JybXLT1J1NCf6z_hd_nsgn_oKSc9vagE1xCuzbYRMHLNPzTI9ZS8KFmkjPZWarDp-TyyM6vRB3roleIBJ3v7NNCQppfBYTwPO8u6KzJsGsglQmAsoygFk2hxUgR9HPMSjI/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></center>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/Xz4m74Y9EOU" target="_blank">CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO</a><br />
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And the next step is a story - "Mad Scientist & Mummy" is an original story by Adam, "written" through drawing in 2001 (when he was 11 years old). He revisits it in 2013 and turns it into an animated tale (once again using FlipBoom Cartoon):<br />
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<center>
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/103746252224601300722/AutismAndTheArtOfCommunication?authkey=Gv1sRgCIDypMnH86mZcw#5955076627136425842"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMRpxKlBDDovRloaHppSU2vEBbYsNOaJGZLj-81QHKIKw6h3eljM3R2ddsGLHHBFECaB8-SMV7bBvFuzBgKnpuRs4Uv8JSvulkZjsWI5jcbacENLiaMvmqNwn4awsowqAeRSAr6wnSHc/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></center>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/yBARPAyx5Bc" target="_blank">CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO</a><br />
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Hope you enjoy these films, and stay tuned for more .... coming soon!<br />
<br />
Sheila B<br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPadAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-60715234942758896142013-10-23T21:02:00.000-04:002014-02-20T10:58:02.590-05:00Live Squirrels in the Bedroom (the fine line between coping & losing it completely)<strong><em>We've all had those times in our lives ... a lot is happening both good and bad, crises are coming up but we're managing, maybe we're even bold or foolhardy enough to congratulate ourselves that where lesser mortals might fall down we're still standing and maybe even winning ... and then that one extra thing happens that tips it all over the edge ...</em></strong><br />
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For me, it was a "scritch scritch" window screen sound on a morning when I finally thought I might be getting ahead of the stream of crises that seem to define my work-life every fall. I got up from my computer, strolled down the hallway, opened my bedroom door, did a double-take, screamed, slammed the door and let out a few "star words" (you know, the kind you put ** into when you write them in a public forum) ... there was a squirrel, a cute little red squirrel (think Beatrix Potter), on the INSIDE of my bedroom window screen, running up and down my curtains.<br />
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My personal life experience (which I won't go into here since it involves a series of improbable tales that are frequently Monty Python-esque) actually includes more than one other story where a live squirrel has ended up inside our house, so I did possess the tools (live traps) and experience to meet the challenge. But when this particular rodent decided to make itself at home in my bedroom curtains, I didn't react calmly or heroically ... instead, I dissolved into a moment of pure panic and meltdown (as I'm writing this now, I'm really hoping that none of my neighbours were near enough to hear the ** words that came out quickly, colourfully and at a pretty good volume) ... and I was hit with the sudden realization (think cartoon hammer bonk to the head) that I was not coping with all the change and constant crisis nearly as well as I thought I was. <br />
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<em>Long story short:</em> I pulled myself back together, set a trap, left the house to go to work, found solutions for a couple more crises, came home and (mercifully) found a small peanut-butter covered squirrel in the trap (and squirrel poop on my bed). In my younger years, this wouldn't have worn me out ... in my older (saner?) years, I was surprised at how much it knocked me back (I think I said "I'm getting too old for this star word").<br />
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Still, good story (especially in the longer version with more detailed descriptions of the squirrel's moves and my counter-moves), so when I went to see Adam and his family the next day, I was looking forward to entertaining them with it.<br />
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<strong>Only to have my story totally overshadowed by what had happened at Adam's house the previous day ... while I was chasing a squirrel, Beth (Adam's mom) was putting out a fire (a real one, in her kitchen, by herself ... she's so competitive).</strong><br />
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<strong><em>Let me explain:</em></strong><br />
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Adam is extremely particular about his food. He has a very limited diet, and will not eat any alternatives if his particular brand of a certain "approved" food is not available. Before lunch, Beth (his mom) discovered that they were out of his apple juice, so off to the store, which as luck would have it was out of his brand of juice that day. Quick trip home to drop off the groceries they had bought, with Beth's mind only on whether Adam could tolerate yet another unplanned trip to a second store to get the apple juice (needed for him to have the lunch he expected). Second store had the juice, Adam managed the trip, and the single thought in Beth's mind as they got to their front door was helping Adam keep his balance by getting him his lunch as quickly as possible.<br />
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For those of you who have autism in the family, that series of events won't sound unfamiliar. Each person on the spectrum has things that they can and can't tolerate, and the consequences of taking a person with autism over the edge of what they can manage are often severe. When you live this way for many years, your priorities shift, with almost everything taking a back seat to helping the ASD person maintain their equilibrium ... which explains the series of events that happened next:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNlrpsZGpLjIJ7J0ouSmlHuzXu1pB_mm-HM8NFAstWgu4ykyhDDDPewAzN8SqYnGGTopojZIlfoQ0Alu59E928WETViBKdhbNCTA_BlhX7zjLEYCniJaroN1oGMp9EuPP2qXNhRVY8Ks/s1600/Adam+fire+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNlrpsZGpLjIJ7J0ouSmlHuzXu1pB_mm-HM8NFAstWgu4ykyhDDDPewAzN8SqYnGGTopojZIlfoQ0Alu59E928WETViBKdhbNCTA_BlhX7zjLEYCniJaroN1oGMp9EuPP2qXNhRVY8Ks/s1600/Adam+fire+1.jpg" height="353" width="400" /></a></div>
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When they opened the front door, there was smoke coming from the kitchen. In situations like this, the human mind goes on auto-pilot. As Beth's mind quickly and automatically sifted through the list of priorities, getting Adam back on track (by making him lunch) still hit the top. She told Adam not to worry, left him at the door and ran in to find that a stove burner on low had started a grocery box on fire.<br />
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So what did she do? Scream? Cry? Run out? No .. in Adam's words (see below) she "cleaned the kitchen" .. no hysterics, no fuss, just coolly and calmly put out the fire.<br />
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And even at this point, the fire didn't reach the top of the priority/panic list, other than as an obstacle to cooking Adam his lunch.</div>
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The fire was not the tipping point, but the fact that the microwave and stove were now unusable could have been. Why? Because Adam has a narrow definition of what makes an acceptable lunch and all of the menu options require cooking. Fortunately for everyone, Adam decided that when your stove catches fire, toast is allowed for lunch - he ate at the kitchen counter and Beth cleaned up the rest of the fire mess (without the luxury of pitching a fit like I did when I first saw the squirrel).</div>
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<strong>Story the third (don't worry, it all ties together!):</strong></div>
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A few nights ago, I had a vivid dream about a zombie apocalypse. The zombie mayhem happened at a cocktail party, so prior to the attack I had been looking pretty spiffy. I had a "worst case scenario" outcome I guess, because my next conscious moment was rising from the dead as an undead zombie. My first thought was "hey, this isn't as bad as I feared it might be", followed quickly by "yay, what luck, I managed to keep hold of my sparkly bedazzled evening purse!" As my fellow undead and I gathered on the dance floor, I was extremely popular because my evening purse turned out to be full of lip gloss (tubes and tubes of it) which I shared around after realizing that getting a cold sore wasn't a problem anymore (and zombie lips really do need a little colour). </div>
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Then I spotted my husband John, who had escaped becoming undead. For some reason he seemed terrified of me. Wanting to reassure him that I was okay and that being a zombie wasn't as bad as everyone had made out, I demonstrated to him (with giant scissors that suddenly appeared in my hand) how I could easily trim off damaged and decomposing body parts because my new body was like a plastic doll. I woke up with a strong feeling of surprise because it was obvious that my demo was not calming John down.</div>
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While a mental health professional might have something to say about the underlying mix of thoughts and experiences that would cough up a night-time story of this nature, it was actually a very happy dream for me: the worst happened, I was changed but not defeated, and I even found a way to bring a little joy and colour back to the party. Win, win, win!</div>
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<strong>Life has a habit of throwing surprises at us, and not all of them are positive or easy to deal with. When our lives include people on the autism spectrum, we have the extra challenge of supporting and shielding a person who doesn't do well with unexpected events, and it's easy to get into a state where your mental "panic button" is always partially engaged.</strong></div>
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My best suggestion is to embrace the craziness of life rather than fighting it. Find the humour, celebrate the absurd, and collect friends who do the same. When you tip over the edge, lie there for a minute, use some "star words", then get up and jump right back into the zombie apocalypse party.</div>
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<strong><em>... and if you're looking for me and my "crew", I'll be the one wearing bright red lip gloss and holding a sparkly purse with a squirrel in it, my girl Beth will be wearing a determined expression and toting a fire extinguisher, and my friend Adam will be smiling and thoroughly enjoying the ghoulish ambience (because monsters and zombies and all things "Halloweeny" have always been his favourite)</em></strong></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-58905829221577007682013-09-26T12:04:00.000-04:002014-02-20T10:59:15.025-05:00Classroom Solutions - helping noise-sensitive students to cope<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">September can be a difficult month in the school system, as everyone (students, teachers, parents) gets used to new classrooms, new groups, and new expectations.</span> </div>
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<strong><strong><em>This picture, drawn by Owen (and used with his permission), for me perfectly encapsulates the feelings of distress and irritation that can develop on all sides of the classroom dynamic, especially during the early weeks of the school term.</em></strong></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Here are some ideas to help you and your noise-sensitive students through any current rough spots, while laying the ground-work to create a learning environment that will be effective for the school year ahead:</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">1. Look at the problem from all sides:</span></strong><br />
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Owen drew his perspective for me, clearly showing that he felt his noisy classroom situation was not working out for him, but also not working for the other students and the teacher. During our discussion, we used clues and tried to "guess" what was in the minds of the other people in the situation. This helped Owen to understand why some of the other students might be distracted and having trouble settling down to work, also why the teacher might be finding it frustrating as well (trying to teach when people weren't focused and listening). <br />
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It was important to him that I shared his drawn perspective with the teachers, so that he was sure they were aware of how upset he felt.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">2. Figure out what you control and what you don't:</span></strong><br />
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This is a critical part of the problem-solving process, because anger and frustration are driven by feeling powerless to change a difficult situation. Finding out where your power is (what do you control?) gives a starting point for effective solutions. <br />
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<strong><em>Here is a simple visual that I have often drawn for my students to show them what they control and what they don't:</em></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilq1ax5WtFbdKoYGHhD_5ehkcQdCKVow6VcJbSXvKfeJOk6YpplxmXODcTcNAHfbozVhBmf9aEjKZPsL9lWtFTGuJyvhQLtkINQN9zUTuq5xfnEqgD2JscTEFtB03LpA3hzYiMbct7Q-U/s1600/sphere+of+control.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilq1ax5WtFbdKoYGHhD_5ehkcQdCKVow6VcJbSXvKfeJOk6YpplxmXODcTcNAHfbozVhBmf9aEjKZPsL9lWtFTGuJyvhQLtkINQN9zUTuq5xfnEqgD2JscTEFtB03LpA3hzYiMbct7Q-U/s400/sphere+of+control.JPG" height="303" width="400" /></a></div>
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Essentially, you have direct control over everything that is connected to your brain - your thoughts/feelings, your words, your actions. Your words and actions may "influence" another person's choices (this is the world of social cues), but you can't control what another person chooses to do, say, think or feel. <br />
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<strong><em>* aside: it's interesting how often I have to remind myself of this exact thing when I'm sorting out difficult situations in my own life *</em></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">3. Define the problem and generate a list of possible solutions:</span></strong><br />
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Owen is extremely noise sensitive and his ability to process spoken information in the presence of background noise is not strong. The classroom was noisy and several students were being disruptive. Owen was able to define his core problems as: (1) clearly receiving the teacher's lesson and instructions, and (2) being able to focus and do his work.<br />
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<strong><em>Once we had clarified what the real problems were, Owen and I were able to come up with a list of potential solutions:</em></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3FBALMfBzmp8jSXeE8KPu8T_hxVzdNgmPF4wUwy5iTIpueaxvlx1G-nQDIGNHc7HsF-9YkV73rh5NaBtNHoIX-J-7M0F65wOHyiuBdsTiLcpTT5r3bhPz_N6BzAF1l2DKfBXdMP8LYc/s1600/dealing+with+noise+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3FBALMfBzmp8jSXeE8KPu8T_hxVzdNgmPF4wUwy5iTIpueaxvlx1G-nQDIGNHc7HsF-9YkV73rh5NaBtNHoIX-J-7M0F65wOHyiuBdsTiLcpTT5r3bhPz_N6BzAF1l2DKfBXdMP8LYc/s640/dealing+with+noise+2013.JPG" height="640" width="408" /></a></div>
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Notice that all of these strategies have to do with things that Owen has direct control over in the situation - they let him know that he does have power to change things for the better.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">4. Get help for what is out of your control:</span></strong><br />
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Even with the above solutions, this is a difficult on-going situation for Owen to manage (noise is a huge irritant that disrupts his thinking). Owen and I have known each other a long time, and he has confidence that I will act as his advocate and "go-between", explaining his distress to the other adults. He also has great confidence in the teachers at his school - they have helped him solve difficult situations many times over the years, and he is 100% certain that they "have his back".<br />
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<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">True solutions to challenging school situations require on-going collaboration between the student, teachers, parents and any other professionals involved. Keeping good lines of communication going helps everyone to stay calm and have confidence that solutions can be found (no matter how difficult the events of the day may have been)</span></em></strong></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16721498837909256567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167800375661612176.post-81465338408510148462013-09-10T17:53:00.000-04:002014-02-20T11:00:52.435-05:00Long-term success in autism ... How will you feed the joy?<span style="font-size: large;">Today on the blog we welcome a "guest blogger": Carole, mom of Kevin (whose art work has been featured in previous blog posts). Kevin is a young adult on the autism spectrum with limited verbal language who uses drawing for communication.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2PomBx1m0ICD6e6F7dSI30B8SKcL0cse5W7dh0_fOLx7YTWEjtSPrZJkMvLLMGQW3w-ygZjJfLI5maVOVh8Omd3wMNYBcOJzpni1wxH0wiS8yrdcIjihcC1ciF1Y8S0vesNlsSOdbI0/s1600/kevin+drums.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR2PomBx1m0ICD6e6F7dSI30B8SKcL0cse5W7dh0_fOLx7YTWEjtSPrZJkMvLLMGQW3w-ygZjJfLI5maVOVh8Omd3wMNYBcOJzpni1wxH0wiS8yrdcIjihcC1ciF1Y8S0vesNlsSOdbI0/s1600/kevin+drums.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin playing the drums</td></tr>
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Those of you who have been following our blog for a while may remember reading a bit about Kevin's early days in a post called <a href="http://autismandtheartsofcommunication.blogspot.ca/2012/05/glimpse-back-at-where-one-boys-drawing.html" target="_blank"><strong>A glimpse back at where one boy's drawing for communication started</strong></a> - the post included links to video clips of young Kevin and older Kevin, giving an idea of how far he has come. I recommend that you take a look at those clips before you read what his mom has to say:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>How Will You Feed the Joy? by Carole G</u></strong></span></div>
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<em>(originally published in the Fall 2013 Access Integration newsletter of CISS Ottawa)</em></h3>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m sure there is
not a parent among us raising a child with special needs, who does not have
forever imprinted on their minds and in their hearts, the day their child was
diagnosed. For our little family, it was the virtual blow from a two by four to
the gut; the breathless shock to the system; the blood rushing to your face and
the feeling that you needed to sink to your knees as some faceless voice
uttered “severely autistic”. It’s amazing what power a few little words,
quietly spoken, can have on a whole bunch of lives. Then comes the ricochet
effect as the power of love for your child sends you hurtling into action as if
on a permanent adrenaline rush: therapy, preschool, social programs,
interventions, doctors, what program, how many hours, what can we afford, who
are the best service providers and how much can we fit into a day? All the while,
like an irritating song stuck in your head, the words so many will utter
without truly understanding the impact they will have; “there’s a window of
opportunity, and then development slows or stops.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hindsight is a
wonderful thing. It occurs once we’ve made our mistakes, and we’ve experienced
the learning curve. So I thought I’d share a couple of the things I see so
clearly now, as we progress on our journey with Kevin who is now a young man of
20.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, therapy is
tantamount to success! Thank heavens, no matter how we bemoan the waiting
lists, the cost, and what we feel is a lack of service, there is so much more
available today than when we entered the system. Information and support is now
out there in abundance, a few keystrokes away to any home that owns a computer.
But what is success? We took our little boy on a marathon journey of learning.
We enrolled him in Thursday’s Child Nursery School. We took parenting courses
in behaviour modification. We used Children at Risk, which at the time provided
supervision of behavioural programming and I worked with my son, as did a
couple of special needs workers. The little boy who screamed and whined
constantly in frustration, tantrumed continually, hit and kicked and couldn’t
bare to be touched, was stubborn and defiant and who lived in a world that
completely separated him from us, made gradual and very slow changes. Then we
decided to take him to a doctor who practiced fundamental medicine, to look at
his eating and digestive issues and low weight. While we waited for our first
appointment he sent us a questionnaire. The first question was, “what are you
hoping to achieve?” Such a simple question, but for me it opened the flood
gates that culminated in a philosophy for our home, our child and our family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What I wanted was
for my son to experience calm, to reduce his pain, to calm his overactive
senses, to be able to exist in his own skin and to have a quality of life and
experience joy. By extension I wanted this for every member of the family and I
wanted Autism to be a part of our lives and not the driving force. Yes, I
wanted to teach my son and continually raise the bar so that he moved towards
his potential. Yes, I wanted to feed his mind, and treat him like any other
child, with some added supports to accommodate the autistic characteristics,
but what I really wanted was to feed his soul. I felt that any child with as
many hurdles to jump just to make it through the day and who was being forced
to live in a world that really suits us and not him, should absolutely be given
a reason to love life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, I watched him
like a hawk trying to discover what fueled his interest. It really wasn’t hard
to figure out that music calmed him. As he rocked to the beat, his body seemed
to ease and he beamed in absolute delight. I looked for something to engage
Kevin and sought to find things that would also provide entertainment for
Raymond, his older brother. It is rarely discussed, but when you add a
disability to a family unit, your plan of action has to include every member,
and take into consideration how they relate to each other. Raymond chose
drumming. Kevin, who couldn’t abide certain noises, who had to be taught to
touch his nose with the aid of a mirror, who didn’t cross the midline to pick
up a pen with a preferred hand for an eternity and who was clumsy and
uncoordinated was about to embark on drum lessons. I found a local music school
(</span><a href="http://www.jeffsdrumacademy.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.jeffsdrumacademy.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">) and
sat with the two of them for an hour a week. Fate, kismet, a guardian angel,
call it whatever fits your beliefs but we were matched with a wonderful young
man who was patient, fun, not only didn’t mind Kevin’s rote scripting of
movies, but joined in. He willingly turned to me and asked for teaching suggestions.
He accommodated the diagnosis, and expected Kevin to learn like any other
student. The boys loved it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kevin has been
playing drums for over a decade. He now has barely any noise sensitivities and
he’s able to count out music at incredible speed. He is well coordinated while
playing and continually improves. He reads music at a university level and most
importantly he loves it. He looks forward to his lesson, is thrilled to see his
teacher and has a face bathed in bliss as he plays along to the music, confident
and proud. The brothers share a common enjoyment and this feeds their mutual
love of music. One of the best gifts Kevin ever received was a website made by
his brother. It contains all the music videos Kevin loves and the commercials
that send him into fits of laughter. I’m sure Raymond thought he was just
creating a gift that his brother would enjoy. I saw it as an example of a
brother’s love. He took the time to create something that was perfectly suited
for a differently abled sibling and one that fed into the interests they shared
and a place they connected.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a similar
fashion, we have long used the services of the most incredible, out of the box
thinking speech therapist. This wonderful lady forged an amazing bond with both
Kevin and our family. She taught Kevin to draw and paired that skill with
language (</span><a href="http://www.autismandtheartofcommunication.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.autismandtheartofcommunication.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNEGZBckpoE&list=TL9AMOP-qRgYg"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Kevin
began to draw</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> he didn’t stop. When he picks up a pen, his face relaxes, he
becomes spellbound and competent. His art is his love and is pervasive in his
life, almost like a visual dictionary that he uses to order, understand, and
relay his life. I am very grateful for a way to communicate with my son and him
to me. When a situation arises that I need to explain or prepare him for, I
pick up a pen and draw a comic strip. When I need to understand him, I will
draw a picture and ask him to finish it. He shows me in pictures what any other
child would describe in a conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kevin ticked all
the boxes on the Autism diagnosis criteria save one, he didn’t spin objects. He
was loved and challenging, big time. It has been a long, gradual journey. Kevin
could not speak, tolerate sounds, touch, textures and taste. He was
distant and isolated, screamed and hit and lived in constant frustration. He
was in pain often, slept rarely and appeared to be on the edge of a cliff
always.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today Kevin is
barely verbal but communicates with us. He is calm, joyful, affectionate and
can tolerate anything with a little preparation. He is smart, eager to learn,
helpful, and does anything and goes anywhere you would expect of a young man
his age. We taught him, fed his mind, helped find and develop his loves to
create his joy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is success?
It is ongoing and our journey continues. We still have a long way to go, but
success hit me like that initial two by four at diagnosis, albeit with a much
different effect, when our family attended Raymond’s university graduation.
Success was never thinking for a minute that Kevin wouldn’t be there to share
that joy. It was also watching Kevin, gently rocking with a smile pasted on his
face as he listened to the quartet play as we waited for the service. He sat
quietly through a long, hot service, getting up and cheering beside us as
Raymond walked the stage. Raymond caught sight of us and sent a special wave
specifically for the brother he is connected to. We were a family sharing a day
of pride and meaning, where Autism was present but not the driving force.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><em>So as you embark
on a journey that will push you to your limits, my suggestion is, as you race
to do all the things you can for your child, take a moment to relax and
consider; how will you feed the joy?<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
</blockquote>
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