Be Creative and Fun

Preparation (the ideas all came by itself & continue to flow when I am working with him)
(1) I downloaded white noise at http://cantonbecker.com/music/white-noise-sleep-sounds/ playing them while SL doing (2)worksheet(work book cheap edition from Popular RM1.20 16 pages). (2a) Text books are now cheap at RM2.50 to RM4.50, save the photo copy time and no copy rights issue.:) (2b) follow syllabus standard 1 to 6 different publishers different levels. SK & SJK CHAMP near TESCO Ampang display in order.

(3) He sits on my right hand side, I show him my search on google images when we were writting objects like animals, things, foods. He finds it interesting and it's a new experience for him. We sit for hours.

(4) The technology is really helping. Font style reminds me to write wide(fat) font for him to trace his name and date.(So that he don't have to struggle in small boxes)Lower down his stress level by making things easier for him. My aim is to learn things from worksheet today.

He is not yet familiar with odd ones out.(May be too abstract for his autism.) At that particular pages (5) I put in Power point to help him.(6) Look for images above 150k

The work book arrangement is:-

Circle the word that does not belong to the group.

horse. dog. house. bear. cat.

mouth. ear. eye. skirt. nose.

banana. orange. pear. fish. apple.

ruler. bee. eraser. pen. pencil.

hat. watch. carrot. socks. dress.

draw. dance. write. read. duck.

My power point look like this:-








Very visual attractive.:)

(7)The key is to concentrate while doing work with him. He can't stand I `one heart two use'. He gets very frustrated when I am not focusing on him.

(8) Another way is,I found a site download free pdf and you can click on the pdf and start worksheet, no need print out. (Provided he is willing to click on computer, looking upward-screen, not down wards-papers on tables)

http://www.mathebook.net/
The numbers in () are ideas.

I feel very productive today.

Too high expectation? Too hard on him!

During lunch or dinner time, when he sits on dining chair, he starts sobbing and holding his penis as if in pain. He doesn't finish his food, he cries, yells and ran to bedroom or sofa. Sometimes we ignored it but sometimes chased after him and caned him.

Today I told my husband and younger son to eat first, I'll eat with SL later. My husband were not sensitive enough, SL went to dinning table by himself and started the same tantrum. I pulled him away let him sit on his favorite tall chair, gave him a toy while I was washing plates. I said,`SL wait.' He made noise`ehehehe...'. When I finished, I feed him.(Not at normal place) He was happy and could finished a full plate.

I wonder, eating by himself on dinning table is a too difficult task. He is lazy may be.


Carly Fleischmann, 13, is autistic, but after years of training, is able to articulate her feelings and thoughts. She provides rare insight into a world few people understand, and she answered some of our viewers' questions below.

Question: "Millions of people saw your story on ABC News. Thousands have written letters of thanks to you. You are an incredible inspiration to so many families. Everyone is very proud of you. How does this make you feel?"

Carly: "I am so happy. I got a big gift from people around the world. Among so many kids with autism they chose me to be an advocate for autism. Where should I get behind a cause like this? I am so glad that I am able to help people understand autism."

Question: "Hi Carly, after years of not being able to speak, what does it mean to you to be able to tell people what you want to say?"
Greg from Erie, Penn.

Carly: "greg it feels so awesome to ask for things. So how do you speak?"

Question: "Carly, I am so happy you found a way to communicate with those around you! My question is what was it like dealing with autism and coping with the frustrations of not being able to communicate your thoughts, feelings, desires and dislikes to your loved ones?"
Ailyn from Miami, Fl.

Carly: "Ailyn it just sucks when I am alone. I feel very sad when mel goas away. I always yell when I feel like people so don't understand why I am sad."

Question: "What can you suggest to me, as a teacher and a parent of young teens with autism to help them?"
Jerry and Marieanne Vincent

Carly: "be patient. Try getting a computer. Give them chips when they type."

Question: "What one thing do you think my autistic child would want me to know about him?"
pgklim

Carly: "I think he would want you to know that he knows more than you think he does. He is lucky to have nice parents."

Question: "Do you believe the behaviour therapy helped you and do you think intensive therapy has anything to do with you not only finding a voice, but knowing what to say now that you've found the means?"

Carly: "I think behavior therapy helped me. I believe that it allows me to sort my thoughts. Unfortunately it can't make me normal."

Question from Carly's therapist, Mel: "Carly, you have come so far in the last year with all your success. Why do you think in the last year or so you've come so far and are able to communicate with more and more people?"

Carly: "because first howie (Carly's therapist) believed then dina (another therapist) did. Believing helped. Then time went by and dina left and time went by. Then a miracle happened you saw me type. Then you helped me forget that I'm autistic. You treat me like I'm normal."

Carly Fleischmann has severe autism and is unable to speak a word. But thanks to years of expensive and intensive therapy, this 13-year-old has made a remarkable breakthrough.

Two years ago, working with pictures and symbols on a computer keyboard, she started typing and spelling out words. The computer became her voice.

"All of a sudden these words started to pour out of her, and it was an exciting moment because we didn't realize she had all these words," said speech pathologist Barbara Nash. "It was one of those moments in my career that I'll never forget."

Then Carly began opening up, describing what it was like to have autism and why she makes odd noises or why she hits herself.

"It feels like my legs are on first and a million ants are crawling up my arms," Carly said through the computer.

Carly writes about her frustrations with her siblings, how she understands their jokes and asks when can she go on a date.

"We were stunned," Carly's father Arthur Fleischmann said. "We realized inside was an articulate, intelligent, emotive person that we had never met. This was unbelievable because it opened up a whole new way of looking at her." This is what Carly wants people to know about autism.

"It is hard to be autistic because no one understands me. People look at me and assume I am dumb because I can't talk or I act differently than them. I think people get scared with things that look or seem different than them." "Laypeople would have assumed she was mentally retarded or cognitively impaired. Even professionals labelled her as moderately to severely cognitively impaired. In the old days you would say mentally retarded, which means low IQ and low promise and low potential," Arthur Fleischman said.

Therapists say the key lesson from Carly's story is for families to never give up and to be ever creative in helping children with autism find their voice.

"If we had done what so many people told us to do years ago, we wouldn't have the child we have today. We would have written her off. We would have assumed the worst. We would have never seen how she could write these things —

Doctors Amazed by Carly Fleischmann's Ability to Describe the Disorder From the Inside

how articulate she is, how intelligent she is," the grateful father added.

"I asked Carly to come to my work to talk to speech pathologists and other therapists about autism," said Nash. "What would you like to tell them? She wrote, 'I would tell them never to give up on the children that they work with.' That kind of summed it up."

Carly had another message for people who don't understand autism.

"Autism is hard because you want to act one way, but you can't always do that. It's sad that sometimes people don't know that sometimes I can't stop myself and they get mad at me. If I could tell people one thing about autism it would be that I don't want to be this way. But I am, so don't be mad. Be understanding."


http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4311223&page=2
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4320297&page=2
...................................................................

I get mad at SL because I am his mother. It's not because I feel shy when people stared at him (he is so individual, he don't `belongs' to me, he is God's!)

Though, I have the responsibility to teach him to be discipline. (In a way, don't suddenly laugh out loud in public; don't touch stranger's backside. Don't affect family's quality life by having tantrum everyday; don't go to sleep until 2am and refuses to wake up for school; keep pulling car door handle, kicking and pulling SX's hair, yelling, crying, kicking my back seat while I was driving; every 5 min going toilet, peeing, splash water; pass motion in pants; refuses to wash penis result thread from cloth collected caused infection;)

It is the same for SX, a normal child. When he grown up, I'd like people to favor him for his gentleness, polite, understanding and discipline. I believe, with some effort, SL too is able to act NORMAL. In order for him to fuse into the world, (a not so friendly world, it's a real world-normal people are struggling with their disability too, tiredness, madness, expectations...) get along with people, having friendship.

Be frankly, would you prefer to marry with a gentle, good looking man or weird abnormal man? I find it hard to accept `the way he is', because, I think he is able to change in some ways.

Who wants to live with a person banging his head on the floor everyday, it is not peaceful at all. It is awful! Don't give excuses that you are the way you are, you should at least try to be, try harder, to be somebody. Don't be LAZY. We `normal' people most of the time are struggling to be `hard-working' too. We ought to be `hard-working'.

Anyway, I am learning to be more creative in teaching SL, try to `call out' his desire to learn.

Doing Housework

`Ask your children to help doing housework during the weekends.' Kim said in smiling face.

I was not so encouraging. One 7, the other 9 autistic. They need my attention so much; washing backside after passing motion, cleaning after eating, tidy-up...
In fact, for the pass 2 months, Kim (or rather boss set-up that way) helped me to established a pattern of finishing task; where I break-down my works in smaller pieces, so that she could help in some ways. After a while, she could even handle selected tasks with minimum supervision. If she could stay longer in our office, she may be more independence, she has not trained to do architecture works before.

So I use the same principle on my children, I asked SL to throw rubbish, help to wash SX's backside (he finds it funny and happy to do so). This not only reducing my stress to choose a specific time, just to sit down with him, doing boring worksheet; also reducing his stress of not doing anything but `eheheh...' all the time. One stone kills 2 birds.

Children are capable, just trust them to do `real' works, productive works, you'll appreciate their helps.

My Morning Routine At Home/My Night Routine At Home

I use JING to capture images on screen.

SL helps to type. He shows interest when I change font style. :)
http://www.usevisualstrategies.com/AutismNewsletters.aspx

Have students help create the tools
Students with reading and writing skills may help you create these tools by writing or typing the information. Even students who cannot read can benefit. Have them help put an item on a calendar or point to a photo that gives information.
Sat at 11:19am ·

Visual Schedules for Autistic Children
://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/visual-schedules.html
Samples Of Visual Schedules For Autistic Children
www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com
Below are our own original visual schedules created for MJ to help him ease his frustration and anxiety, and adjust to any changes or routines at home, school and the community.
Sat at 10:46am
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Short Sentences For Communication

Sign language, short sentences, talked slowly, pause at every words helps. He gives attention when I say, So Ler, look at mummy. Then start talking.

Example 1: Are you hungry? (I rub his tummy) (He looked at me, show interest.)
Example 2: You want water? (He can understand this already.) `No, I don’t want.’
Example 3: You want sandwich? (Try another attempt.) (He can understand this already.) `No, I don’t want.’
Example 4: You want go peeing? (Try another attempt.) (He can understand this already.) `No, I don’t want.’
Example 5: You want sleep? (Try another attempt.) (He can understand this already.) `I want to sleep.’
Example 6: Oh! You want to sleep. (Show `understanding & sympathize ’ facial expression, voice tone)
Example 6: You want switch on air cond? (offer/ suggest) `No, I don’t want.’ (I go to remote control, pointing at it. Repeated what I just said.) `I want air cond.’
Example 7: So Ler look at mummy. (He covers his face with pillow.) (I was standing outside bedroom, with the door half close.) If So Ler is hungry, (rub my tummy) then come outside (pointing outside), eat (+sign language) breakfast. No crying (+sign language), ok? (+sign language) `Ok!’
Example 8: You want switch on lights? ( He feels more comfortable with lights on.) `I want switch on lights.’ (I closed the door)

The ABC
B - He was having tantrum at wake up time. Starting with `eheheh…’ then crying, yelling, hitting head…
A – I don’t give attention to the `eheheeh…’ (I only give attention when he `speak’ or positive seeking attention. (happy sound even not a meaningful communication, will have to fade off later.)
C – He is quiet in the bedroom at least 30 min (didn’t sleep, in fact), then laughing & talking.
20091213

http://www.usevisualstrategies.com/AutismNewsletters.aspx
//www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/visual-schedules.html