Tag Archives: autism spectrum disorder

Changes

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Summer flew by and now fall is truly upon us with leaves falling swiftly and cool breezes in the air, not to mention that school holiday breaks will be coming up soon.

In the midst of these changes, I think about my son’s transition from elementary to middle school. Although this was a big adjustment for me, he seemed to take it all in stride. It did not hurt that a lot of his elementary school friends were in the same classroom. In addition, he was able to see old classmates that had graduated a year or so before him at the new school. He seemed to be just fine but for mom it was HUGE!! The transition from elementary to middle was difficult for me because I thought that by this time he would be in a regular or inclusive classroom. I had hoped that this change would at least happen by the end of fifth grade.

Although this was challenging, I realize that everything is a process, and our kids have to operate at a pace that works best for them. We cannot always get caught up with what we want for our children, if it does not provide them with the best situation for their success.

Sometimes I have to remind myself of that when I get into the “why isn’t this happening now” phase. Those reminders have helped a lot along the way.

This new adjustment into middle school feels better now and I am seeing my son maturing at a nice pace. Every moment is precious, and I want to make sure I am enjoying each one with my son at every level. He has helped me to embrace this new phase in his educational journey.

Getting Back into the Groove of Things

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Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone and winter is now in full swing. In my part of the country, it can be 40 degrees one day and 75 the next, so my family tries to keep our immune systems filled with healthy eating and vitamins to keep us going.

Now that our kids are completely back at school and immersed in their learning,  it’s time to think about adding new therapies or revitalizing old ones.

As I said in my previous post, I am writing about a variety of therapies that my son and other families have found to be very helpful in their healing journey.  I believe that many of them will work for you as well.

For this post, I want to sing praises to Music Therapy (MT). This happens to be my son’s favorite. He gets the best of both worlds; music and learning. One important point about MT is to make sure you have a licensed therapist.  Many people claim to be music therapists, but you want your child to receive a professionally trained practitioner.

In music therapy, the practitioner utilizes a variety of instruments and songs to help your child with speech, focus, behavior and any other challenges they may be facing. The therapist will create a plan to tailor fit your child’s needs. It is never a one-size-fits-all in MT.

My son already loved music and playing with his keyboards at home. His therapist built on that and now he also enjoys strumming the guitar or hitting on the drums as well. My son’s focus, articulation and fine motor skills have greatly improved since starting MT. Needless to say his whole face lights up when the day comes for his music therapy session.

Many programs start at 3 years old (some even earlier) and continue into adulthood. My particular MT has a teen music band for kids on the Spectrum and they give performances throughout the year.

If you’re interested in music therapy checkout the link below or on my Resource page. Also, some schools incorporate music therapy in their curriculum, so talk with your special needs coordinator to see if your district has an MT program.  If your child has never tried MT, it is definitely a therapy that is worth investigating.

* http://www.musictherapy.org

A New Year Full of Possibilities

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Every year most people make resolutions. Usually, they have to do with conquering issues that deal with self.  I admit that I make some as well, but I like to call them New Year’s goals.  For some reason the word “resolution” makes me feel like I’ll forget about it after March. I also like to make these goals for my children for the year.

Since my oldest son just graduated from high school, I’m hoping that some of my goals for him line up with his thinking. As far as my youngest goes, there are so many possibilities I know he will achieve this year. Although ASD can bring a lot of challenges, when I look back from January 2018 until now, my son has conquered a lot of goals I set for him and that makes me truly proud.

Now that 2019 is here, I want to make sure we keep moving forward and not resting on last year’s victories. As I write down goals for myself, I do the same for him.  Looking at a notepad or board with real objectives helps to keep everything in focus. Whatever method you utilize, it should always be in view. I love the refrigerator as a place to keep the goal board or even on the wall near a desk.  I also recommend tackling small objectives, so they don’t get overwhelmed with trying to complete a huge goal.  Also, since our kids usually love praise, giving them little rewards along the way seems to help their confidence as they continue the journey throughout the year.

Every year we must seize opportunities that will help our children reach their full potential. If we start out with a set of goals for our kids and we stay focused and consistent with them, there will be many victories that they will achieve throughout the year. 2019 is full of possibilities and every child deserves to take hold of all the greatness that is coming their way.