Summer Lovin'

Remember as a kid, summer meant bolting out of the house with toast still in hand, not returning until lunch and dashing out again straight after? Remember at 5 mins before 8, playing with your wind up watch, so it would "appear" to be slow??!! Remember, disgruntled parents standing at the front gate tutting you and swiping at your head for pretending your watch was slow?

What the hell happened in as little as a generation?

Now, I am expected to come outside, sit on a curb or a deck chair 'watching' my kids turning circles on their bikes and scooters in the cul de sac, listening to other parents chastise their off spring....for....being....kids?! What happened to scaling walls, hiking up trees, childhood independence? Suburban sprawl has created a monster..... fear of nothing. Obviously there are everyday doh moments; yes a bike helmet does make sense, don't cycle to the main road, still don't talk to the weird shirtless dude who waves and holds out sweets and candy, but for the love of all that is childhood holy....let them be kids. Let them live and absorb and grow!

The medication quandry

I find it absolutely incredible the public and even professional debate that occurs when the concept of medication and kids' neurological issues comes in to play. One just doesn't hear the same rhetoric with any other organ in a child's body. Perhaps it's because the brain is such an enigma still, perhaps it's because the brain is what makes us all who we are; all I know is everyone and anyone appears to have an opinion on it.

This is my view, if your kid is neurologically healthy, intact, stable, happy, healthy then more power to you. However, if that same parent or adult chooses to judge another parent with a neurologically impacted child, well honestly, go and soak your head. I certainly wouldn't judge a parent of a child with diabetes and the med they go with to help their kid! In reality anything that is neurologically altering bothers the hell out of most normal folks, and so it should. It took several years, many more episodes and a broken acoustic guitar over a grown man's back to get us to go that route.

It saved my son's life.

When your 4 year old announces he can fly and opens the car door at 65 mph on the highway come back and judge.

Today I have a happy, healthy, hormonal (in a NORMAL way) funny, creative 11 year old. You want to judge our choices? Still soaking that head, bloody hope so!!!!???

Aspies, the good, the bad and the ugly!

If you have met one kid with autism, then you have met one kid. A good friend said that once. Never a truer word was spoken. Think about it like other neurological disorders, like Cerebral Palsy. With all "spectrum" disorders you can have anything from someone who's so high functioning you have to cock your head, squint with your left eye and stand on your head to see it. Then you see the highly impacted child or individual and it's like a wet fish across the face. You know, the types you either stare at with your jaw dragging on the ground or you are deliberately ignoring, while at the same time feeling relieved and guilty. Yes, so do I, even still, after 11 years of dealing with high functioning autism and a couple of co morbid disorders that tack themselves on for shits and giggles.

I have three spectrum kiddos, all like stepping stones from most impacted to least impacted. They have similarities for sure, but more importantly they are so unique and different. Think of it like one of those venn diagrams you despised in Math class in or in Language Arts. Three circles that intersect in the middle. The majority of the circle is each individual, with bits that overlap with their siblings, both individually or as a trifecta. Aspergers syndrome is a neurological disorder (NO, it's not a bloody disease, you can't catch it and trust me, chemo doesn't help). having said that, yes many of those on the ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) spectrum do benefit from other interventions, like therapy, dietary change, supplements or prescription medications.

I have two who need meds and all three benefit from supplements and other holistic intervention, such as chiropractic care. The first that tells me chiropractors are quacks, come see what my oldest is like after a specific adjustment. Night and bloody day!!!! Rainman is an anomaly, which is why it became a movie. They never make movies about the mundane or the day to day slog of dealing with social needs or neurological disorders, hell, that would be far too real and down right depressing...where's the uplifting "Awe' feeling in that? True, people on the higher end of the spectrum are hyperfocused on one or a few special interests. True, they often struggle with eye contact, although I will stipulate not all. I have one eye flitter, one "don't feckin' look at me" and one "let me stare you out of it." I have two sensory seekers, who bounce, swing, body slam all day (if allowed), and one who won't notice if he has lost a limb, but a splinter involves the jaws of life.

They ALL struggle with voice volume and pitch, and intense patience and great speech therapy has helped with that, and all have struggled with fine and gross motor delays (ie: the 11 year old is only now learning to ride a bike with training wheels). However, they all have an incredible sense of humour, an inbred need to please (pre and post meltdowns;). They are uniquely their own little person, and I wouldn't have it any other way.....well ok, some days, but for the most part...nah! Love me my Aspies!