Summer is Winding Down......

Summer vacation is winding down for both the kiddos. We are in preparation mode for the next school year. Packets of paperwork are filing in from both of their schools. Tomorrow we will be out school shopping, much to Michael's dismay. We need to get proper school attire for Michael as his school has a dress code. I need to call one of the team members that works with Nick tomorrow to provide them with some insurance information. We have school orientation for both of them on the 23rd. Nick will have the same teacher as last year, but Michael will have all new ones.

We have been trying to enjoy the last few days of summer vacation; however autism does not take a vacation. Nick has good days that are really good, and bad days that are really bad. Sleep is sometimes hard to come by. He is sometimes up at 4am, and sometimes he sleeps until 8am...you never know exactly which day will be what. But, yesterday was a good day. So, we went on a little walkabout at a local park. Which he and I both enjoyed.

Today, we had an appointment this morning with a dermatologist. The first thing she noticed about him was his big blue eyes and long eyelashes. Nick was being quite cooperative and charming (as in he did not destroy her office or break any picture frames!) I think we got the hang of this, him and I. I may look like one of those "helicopter parents" from a distance, but unless you want your things destroyed, I do what I gotta do. We walked out of there with three more prescriptions. A special shampoo to use everyday (to get rid of what I can affectionately call "reptile skin" on his head), a spray to use in conjunction with the shampoo, and then a cream to use on his elbows. After that, we had to go to the grocery store to get a few things. Nick is getting better about handling these outings. He will even push the cart  and help put items in. It makes me happy to think that he is developing some coping skills needed to do these things.

I imagine that the  picture on the left kind of sums up what our world can look like to him at times. He is in focus, but the rest of his surroundings are nothing but a blur. With him feeling the chaos and out of control. Then other times, it is peaceful and serene, like the picture on the right.

And when we get the balance just right, we have moments like the one above. We had all of those on one walk in the woods.

Christmas in July!!

That is surely what it has felt like around here the past two days. We finally got the second installment of our income taxes (we did not file for 2008-I was deployed at the time) last week and the very first thing we bought was an IPAD. I can't tell you how long I have wanted this little thing. It has been in our lives for a mere 24 hours and it is already making its mark. Let me just show you.

This is Nick having fun with one of the apps on his IPAD. On this one he has to put the puzzle pieces together to make the full picture. It is rather fool proof, as the piece will only go in one spot. The computer says the name of the sea animal, then lets him put the pieces in.

More of the same game.

This is a writing/spelling app in which he has to trace each letter in order to spell out the word. Once all the letters are traced, a picture of the object shows up in the middle of the screen and the screen shows the word in his letters that he 'wrote'. We are still getting the hang of this game and right now requires a lot of hand over hand.

This is the same app; but instead of a word, it is just one letter.

This is a simple drawing app that he really likes.

I can't even describe how helpful this little gem has been. It really does make things so much easier! I can now create a visual schedule in a matter of seconds!

Not to mention the ABA applications it has. Nick can have fun playing the 'games' but while he is playing he is having to match pictures with words, use his point, and is learning new words in the process. We have been working full steam on the communication apps. Did I mention this can double as an assistive communication device??!! The limits seem to be endless right now. He beamed when he realized he can use this to communicate what he wants with us. That was a smile I soon won't forget. Personally, if you have a very verbally limited child with autism, I would highly recommend getting one of these. The ease of operation is what gets me. In order to make a story board all I have to do is open the specific application, and choose what I need. There is a camera installed in the IPAD and if I want to take a specific picture, I take the picture, and it is immediately available to use in the story board. VERY SIMPLE!!

While Nick got the IPAD, Michael was able to get an IPOD which he had been begging for a long time. He is 12 now, and just like any other 12 yr old he likes to listen to his music. He is quite happy with it. He also got a new hockey helmet because his other one was worn out from last season and was starting to hurt his head. We are all doing great and are enjoying the warmer weather finally! It took a while to get here, but now it is here! Don't know what we will do for the 4th yet, but it will probably involve fireworks at some point. I have the next two weeks off so I am going to try and get Nick scheduled for his MRI and blood draw during that time. The EEG is scheduled for the 26th. Other than that, a pretty un-eventful month. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July!!