One of the Monster’s talents we’ve noticed, a long time ago, is his ability to remember and reproduce music.
At one point, we’d investigated music therapy for him, but discontinued it when his schedule got more pressing and it didn’t seem to be having an effect. But throughout, we’ve continued to notice that he has little… tunes caught in his head. Continue reading
We’re back from a week-plus away from home, first at a family event and then for a week down the Shore. (As anyone with children will remind you – when you have kids, it’s not a vacation but a trip.) Which means it’s time for me to get back into the swing of things, especially as the Monster returns to school this morning.
But having ten straight days with the Monster gives me a different view into his life and how he experiences the world.
Add another thing to the diverse list of interests for the Monster.
We have a cart near the door to our patio with all kinds of art stuff in it. It’s been there for a while – I don’t quite remember when we got it or what inspired it – but it has paint and markers and the like in the various rainbow-hued drawers, ready for the taking. Continue reading
Like a lot of children on the spectrum, the Monster has his sensory issues. We’ve had problems with the fact that he’s sometimes sensory seeking, but there’s a lot of problems that have been creeping in where he’s sensory adverse. The biggest problem has been dealing with mechanized fans of all kinds. He dislikes his ceiling fan running, and can’t stand blowers of any kind in restrooms. (It’s why I often comment on where one can find bathrooms without blowers when we’re out and about.)
But another spot that’s been giving us trouble – getting him a haircut has been… hairy. Continue reading
When I was a kid, like almost everyone else in our country, I used to go somewhere to see the fireworks.
Ironically, for us, the issue is actually not the Monster, because he loves fireworks. The issue is R, who can’t stay up that late routinely if we’re going to want him to be useful the next day. Continue reading
The local Autism Society chapter here sponsors a monthly ‘social outing’, and this month’s outing was to a roller rink. (This is not news to those who follow my tweet feed, @DadEnoughBlog.)
Now… the wife and I probably haven’t been on regular roller skates in about fifteen to twenty years, and the kids have never been on them. But, there’s a few things about going roller skating that are probably good for social adaptation, or at least for trying out something in an environment that’s all about sensory stimulation: Continue reading
Yes, we got dumped on last night.
Thursdays are one of the busier days for me with the Monster, since I pick him up from school to take him to gymnastics. (Again, I’m very grateful that my employer is flexible enough to understand that I need to do this, and to make up the time later.) Though, yesterday was filled with the concern about the weather turning. Continue reading
So, as I’ve mentioned, the Monster isn’t particularly sensory-adverse. More often than not, he’s sensory seeking, and that’s a problem in a lot of environments.
Okay, so it’s useful when we want to do something like fireworks. (He loves fireworks.) On the other hand, though, this also means with his insisting on running his hands through any plants he sees, to feeling anything and everything that’s around him, to crumbling and crushing things so he can hear the sounds and feel the sensations against his palms. Continue reading
I do love how other things keep cropping up to keep me from writing about the weekend…
So, last night while the wife and I were reading Facebook, there was a message posted to the local Autism Parents’ group asking after ideas for a Halloween costume for a boy with sensory-aversion to wearing a mask or hat. Continue reading
As I’ve posted about at least once recently, the Monster’s gone into what I’ve been calling a tactile mode lately. He’s just been craving all sorts of physical stimulus.
It’s not so bad when he’s just running his hands over things – I’ve long ago gotten used to the fact that he’s going to pull grass, or watch dirt/sand/wood chips spill through his fingers, or touch every single last bush along a planter when we’re walking. Continue reading