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Archive for the ‘Body & Brain’ Category
What Is The Value Of A Life? | Psychology Today
November 6, 2009Great piece by Lynne Saroya’s Asperger’s Diary: Life through the lens of Asperger’s Syndrome on Psychology Today about self-worth, heroes, and being different.
Autism & Testing 1-2-3…
October 21, 2009
Originally uploaded by CleverIndie
This is from our local Autism Speaks’ Facebook page:
***Please note that the Care Mobile will also be at the Autism Speaks SWFL Walk Now for Autism on November 7 at Estero Community Park*****
The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, in partnership with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida, will offer free monthly autism spectrum disorder screening for toddlers 18 months to 36 months of age.
The first screening will be held Nov. 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, located in the Cape Coral Hospital parking lot. Additional screenings will be conducted monthly at different locations across Lee County.
It is estimated that one in every 150 children is diagnosed with some form of ASD, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.
That’s why parents are encouraged to bring their toddlers to the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile for a free screening. Clinicians will use the M-CHAT, with Denver Developmental Screening Tool to assess the toddlers. The screening is not intended to make a definitive ASD diagnosis, but rather to determine whether your child may be at risk and needs further evaluation.
Medical consultants for the project stress that an early diagnosis can make a vast difference for toddlers and their families. They say early intensive behavioral intervention, or EIBI, can make an immense difference not just in the development of the child, but in their families as well.
The ASD screening is conducted by the Neurosciences Center at TCH, under the guidance of pediatric neurologist Jose Colon, MD, MPH, and pediatric psychiatrist Marianne Krouk, DO. The onsite screenings will be administered by an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, who has extensive training and experience in typical child development and developmental disorders.
A physician referral is not required. To schedule a screening, please call 239-985-3608.”
If you have any concerns, I’d make an appointment. For those who think that a pediatrician would have mentioned something during the annual checkup, I wouldn’t put all of my trust in that, though it is getting better. Remember, getting clarification and help for you and your child, is the best thing for your kid and their future, and the earlier, the better.
Just wanted to share….Hope this helps someone…
xo
Bek
One Day, No Hate.
October 5, 2009
“I saw a tweet from the brilliant and talented Jane Devin. She is someone who makes me think and inspires me on a regular basis. She said, ” I wish we could have a one-day moratorium on angry speech. It’s so divisive, and it works against understanding.” Within a few tweets, and some wonderful support, she launched a full blown effort.
And there it was. One Day, No Hate will be observed on Oct. 6th. On this day, we pledge to let go of all the angry speech and actually try to understand each other. On this day, we listen. On this day, we break down the barriers that separate us and respect our differences.
It is just one day. We all know that so much more is needed. But it is a wonderful start. It is a needed start.”
Read Jane Devin’s writing on One Day, No Hate and then join us! I hope this can be a productive and peaceful day!
I am thrilled about this, as I am becoming increasingly disturbed by the mudslinging and spreading of lies and hate, we are quickly going nowhere fast, in making this world a better place for everyone. Hopefully, October 6th will open ears and minds.
Please share!
Ticket to the Great Pumpkin Festival
October 2, 2009
Originally uploaded by CleverIndie
We use rolls of carnival tickets as a visual, tangible “token” instead of monetary allowance. This helps him stay on track, helps reduce stress for our whole family, and teaches him the concept of money and hard work.
The tickets accumulating in his bear shaped plastic jar “ticket bank” are another visual and we also track his daily and weekly ticket progress on a task sheet. He earns tickets for everyday chores but we also give him tickets for choosing to play with a toy from his “sensory bucket” (more on that soon, I promise!) and I give him an extra ticket here and there for doing little projects or favors for me. For the special project tickets, I usually write the date and task on the back, so we can reinforce with praise when reviewing the day or week.
Anyway, I was looking at the big bag of tickets he earned over the summer and didn’t want to put them in curbside recycling and I couldn’t reuse them with Alex (he’s very rigid in his thinking- we are working on it but at this time “re-earning” the tickets would totally throw off his game)… So I asked Alex if he could think of a project to do with them.
These necklaces are what we came up with and we make them together(he’s the very enthusiastic glitter department).
$5 of each necklace purchased goes towards Alex’s virtual school fund (he gets tickets/points toward his goal). He is saving up to take language lessons online, through K12.com.
To learn more about Asperger’s please visit NIH’s info sheet
To buy a necklace please visit my Etsy shop.
xo
Bek
A Chip Off the Old SIGG bottle.
September 8, 2009
Originally uploaded by CleverIndie
SIGG was a company many of us trusted. We were led to believe that we were making healthier choices for our families by choosing SIGG’s water bottles. Many of us recommended their products to friends and family, hoping to spread the healthy message of avoiding BPA.
I don’t feel like we drank the kool-aid. I feel like someone slipped something in our drink, in this case it’s in our water.
They claim the amounts of BPA are not able to leach into the water.
Here is Alex’s bottle. See the chips and the damage to the threads? That’s through regular wear and washing-since June 2008. The bottle is always used with a plastic SIGG “sport” top. Our other bottles don’t look like this, thankfully. Even if the BPA in these bottles really doesn’t leach in water, what about the folks that use their bottles for more acidic beverages? How does their supposed non-leaching liner behave then?
And what about when that lining chips off while the thoughtful Mama, trying to do the best for her kid, screws on the top and that little bit of lining enters his mouth, and travels into his stomach?
Does the BPA leach in the digestive system?
What does that BPA do to growth and development in that kid?
I’m curious.
I’m frustrated. I’m disappointed. I’m angry.
I’m exhausted.
Not over the bottles. Or, not completely over the bottles. I guess we have to assume that if damage was done, it has already been done. But don’t take that as me being passive because if anyone contributes to the challenges Alex faces in this world I cannot let it just float into the wind as just a hard lesson learned in the trenches.
So what to do? Right now I’m sitting here looking at 5 bottles and wondering what to do.
Will people ever trust SIGG and their new eco-liner? The company is offering a voluntary bottle exchange- send in your old bottles and they will email you a code to cover the cost of a replacement with the new liner, from their webstore, but that is little consolation to those of us who put our health, the health of our families, our cash, and our reputations on the line.
But do we trust the new liner? Will we ever trust Sigg again?
And when will the FDA catch up with Canada regarding banning BPA?
And what will this stuff do to my kid, who probably has ingested a chunk of it. Or what has it done already?
Rolling Rolling Rolling….
August 5, 2009
Originally uploaded by CleverIndie
Keep the dice a rolling
keep the game a moving
don’t ever lose that die!
Rain and wind and weather
hell bent for jenga*
wishing my bro would lose and cry…
*uses a six sided, six color die according to wikipedia.org. Yes. I checked. Would you expect less of me?
We are just getting to the point where playing board games is not eerily reminiscent of my childhood (as an only child, living in the middle of the woods, no cable, and I was the weird kid. I learned to play every game by myself. Even hide and go seek. It’s true. More on that someday. I’m just starting to own that part of me.)…
Alex will sit and play and follow directions (with a great deal of repetition on our part) for a little bit- though his attention is still somewhat short…
All of the games we have happened upon lately seem to have die or dice involved. We have been rockin’ the Monopoly Jr., Clue Jr., and Mouse Trap.
Part of the motor skill challenge has been rolling the die or dice (and actually having it change to a random side). Part of the “I have an almost 6 year old” challenge has been getting him to not pretend to roll it so that he miraculously gets 6 every time, because at almost 6 bigger always seems better even if it gets you sent back to the start of the game board.
We also tend to play around our lovely Noguchi glass coffee table as we can all sit comfortably (and my work is usually overpowering our little kitchen table…Still want my Edison farmhouse table. Someday it will be mind. Someday.) Not only is there glass, there are a few choice knick-knacks near by that are probably not-so-durable and there are two big club chairs and a love seat. My arthritis refuses to get down on the floor to retrieve overzealously thrown dice (actually it’s more of a problem evolving back into an upright position these days).
And I fear glass chips and broken knick-knacks. And face it, my kiddo is wonderful with many things, but his motor skills are a major work in progress.
So here is my solution.
I took a tin with a clear lid (the lid covering is plastic- I do not suggest trying this with a glass-topped tin) that is of the “deep” variety (I got them from SpecialtyBottle.com – the one shown in my image is a 4oz/deep). I popped the die in, closed the lid (the lid isn’t terribly loose but it is not secured outside of friction- so if you feel you need a sturdier hold try some masking or electrical tape around the edges.
And voila! Alex can shake-shake-shake and I no longer have to go fishing for game pieces, the coffee table is intact, and my curios are happy campers and have removed their helmets and safety goggles.
This also helps teach him the rules of “rolling” – he has to give it a few shakes and put it down. This has made a huge difference in his comprehension of rules- those of the game and those little social game play rules. Eventually he’ll roll by himself, but for now this lets us play and show him the joy of playing boardgames as a family. He can focus on playing and not obsessing over this one small part.
The containers are too big to squeeze into most manufacturers game boxes and I like to keep all parts in their respective boxes, so we have one “rolling” container. If he was younger and more apt to try to consume the parts during game play, we would probably secure the lid more permanently.
xo
Bek
Adventures of The Sneaky Chef in the Cave of the Aspie Kid
July 15, 2009
A couple of months ago I intended to blog on this fabulous book (The Sneaky Chef) we had bought, hoping to increase nutritional value for our whole family, particularly Alex. I mentioned Alex’s food quirks and “rules” a little in my post “Islands in the Stream” and promised to check back in about the book.
Well, here I am. A little older, a little wiser, a lot more cooking under my belt than I typically do. I enjoyed my experiments and the creativity exercised in the kitchen. I really enjoyed that because of my abnormal level of fatigue and pain (yay, isn’t arthritis fun!) Jeff did the dishes and the grocery shopping so I could focus on inoculating tasty and fun foods with extra nutrition to make one of kiddo’s primary personal goals (and one of our goals as his parents) come to fruition.
Alex wants to grow up big and strong and healthy.
And we want him to grow up big and strong and healthy as well. (By big we mean: Not frail)
We have always avoided the concept of “the clean plate club” as in my million plus years of Weight Watchers meetings I had seen and heard of the fallout of such parenting & nutritional methods. And, as someone who has been on a diet since 3 weeks old (yes, you heard me: weeks) and I am still experiencing the fallout from that (I’ll cover that in another entry, at another time. Promise.)
So I am particularly sensitive to not taking the warden approach to nutrition. Our goal for Alex, in all aspects of his life, was to give him the tools to be able to make the best decisions, for himself, in his life. This applies to work, health, his personal life, etc… I do want to thank Early Intervention for asking us the important question of what we want for him and his life. We learned to keep it non-specific enough that we don’t suffocate him with our expectations, but enough that we can build goals. Good and important stuff.
So, we decided to start “Sneaky-cheffing” more nutrition into his regular foods and he even helped me (we both got so messy! he didn’t freak out completely! it was wonderful!) prepare a few recipes.
But guess what we found out? Our experiment reiterated that kiddo will probably never eat a casserole or anything remotely resembling a casserole- even homemade macaroni & cheese with real cheese rather than packet of powdery stuff is too much of a multiple texture experience for him. He’ll eat Annie’s Mac n’ Cheese but not the stuff I spent so much time planning and prepping and cooking. He also won’t eat any whole vegetables other than carrots. Think about it: Carrots are the same consistency all the way through- I can’t think of another vegetable that does that…Maybe peeled and cooked potato chunks-but then there’s a certain graininess, and with sweet potatoes a certain stringiness… Anyway, this goes beyond regular little kid dislikes and pickiness- these textures actually make Alex dry heave (or barf. Depending how deep we are into the meal.)
Some ideas from The Sneaky Chef worked beautifully- the idea of adding extra nutrition everywhere has stuck with me- even as far as adding water to a recipe (or instructions on a box)- I don’t add water (well not every time, I still need to work on the planning thing!) but use a nutritious liquid instead. I learned that blueberry juice doesn’t curdle milk and makes a fun colored alternative to plain white milk (or soy milk…Alex seems to change his preferences every couple of weeks)…
I also learned that we can sneak some of the purees suggested in the book into some foods, without objection.
Then Alex saw the jars. Ok, when I first started using the book I made my own purees. But as backups we had the recommended jars of baby food (not all of the purees are available as baby foods, and the homemade purees and mixes are much cheaper and not difficult to make and freeze).
Alex saw the jars. I took a deep breath. He voiced a little panic about baby food being for babies.
So I asked him (remember, he is deeply logical and literal and rule based. Think Spock to the nth power):
ME:Who eats baby food?
ALEX: Babies
ME: Are you a baby?
ALEX: No. I’m a big guy. BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGG! (makes war face and flexes and almost knocks himself over)
ME: What do you eat?
ALEX: Big Guy food.
ME: If you eat a cracker is it Big Guy food?
ALEX: Yes.
ME: So if you are not a baby and you eat the stuff in this jar then what is it?
ALEX: I’m not a baby!
ME: That’s right! You are a big guy! SO, if you eat the stuff in this jar & you are not a baby then the food in this jar cannot be baby food! It’s only baby food if a baby is eating it.
If a BIG GUY is eating it, it’s called “PUREE”!
ALEX: I like puree!
ME: YAY!
So, after all of our experiments trying to sneak “puree” into his foods we found out that Alex doesn’t like it mixed in. He likes it plain and separate from his regular food.
Of course, he has to announce, at the start of the meal, “It’s only baby food if a baby is eating it. If I eat it then it’s puree!”. Seriously. He says it every time.
Perhaps, if he adjusts to the taste this way, he’ll be more accepting of various textures eventually. Until then, I’m happy to serve him his vegetables in this manner.
A wise person once said, in regards to parenting, “Pick your battles”.
As he slugs down jars of summer vegetables (a sneaky way of disguising what actual veggies are in there- summer veggies are ok, broccoli & spinach, etc -not so much. Don’t forget, on top of our Adventures with Asperger’s, our Alex is still a kid. Sometimes, I guess that maybe it’s like having twins.) I realize that we both are winning and we can focus on moving forward to bigger and better things. I try to point out that it’s like a bisque, but he corrects me “Puree!”
I still think The Sneaky Chef is totally worth the purchase (Amazon has copies from <$2.00 + shipping to brand new…any which way, I think it's worth it) it was a great jumping off place for figuring out some small ways to enhance nutrition for the whole family.
(We have been getting various supplies through Amazon.com lately- yes, the Prime program is awesome! They do carry Earth's Best in 12 packs and Annie's Mac n' Cheese as a 6 pack- actually, with Prime, it winds up being less expensive than our chain supermarket and they are delivered right to our door. I'll post a link to my amazon store soon, where I'll have all of the things I have mentioned with links, to make things easier for everyone!)
Need a pocket?
June 30, 2009
Pocksie!
Ever find yourself needing a pocket for a little hands free carrying of tiny stuff?
Going for a walk with the dog, and want to take your ID (you should always have ID on you. Don’t make me mom-out on you) but no pockets and not so much a fan of the fanny pack? Need a covert little storage area on your person while you play devastatingly beautiful spy for the evening?
These are “Pocksie” and they are available through Amazon.com. You get 6 for $9.99 and they are this fabulous soft, thin, stretchy flannel-y material. There is adhesive on three sides with one side left adhesive-free (that’s the opening)- you stick them to your clothes (on the inside, typically) with the opening facing up, and your clothes become the backing to the pocket and voila! A little hidden pocket for your ID, some business cards…That sort of thing. They are beige, pale beige. I would love to see these in black as well, to blend more with a wider variety of clothing- and to bust up any confusion as to where you stick these (you do not stick them to your skin!).
I test drove these by sticking them to the inside of a fairly thin, soft cotton jersey loose fitting t-shirt (I didn’t want anything close fitting supporting it as this was one of my personal product tests and I wanted fairly clean anecdotal results). I jammed my insulin pump (heavier than most modern cellular phones) in it and went about my day. And it stuck. All day. It stuck really well and I was amazed at the end of the day how well it was still sticking- I had to give it a good pull to get it off (probably not a good match for silk!). I would feel confident wearing these under anything, holding ID, credit card, or a small cell-phone. Of course, your mileage may vary *insert disclaimer here* but I do recommend grabbing a 6-pack of these and keeping them on hand. On the inside of a loose fitting, single layer shirt you could clearly see where my pump was- but with ID and card, it wasn’t so noticeable. I would probably use these under clothes with a more substantial fabric anyway, so for me that is a non-issue.
I bought them to see if my insulin pump would fit in them. My Animas 2020 was a very tight fit (not easy to get it in or out, but for a formal affair and the perfect outfit, I would be much happier with a little tugging to get the pump out than looking like I am losing my underthings…as was the case when I tried the leg thing- which is great if it fits you well… not so friendly on my curvaceous stems) and from the looks of it a Cozmo would fit well (not necessarily with the Cozmore backing)…
Women who wear insulin pumps are often faced with this dilemma as the choices for carrying their pump when all gussied up are usually- a case with a clip, reenacting the “pencil test” with their pump, or a “leg thing” (like a garter).
While my pump does have an integrated clip and I usually wear pump, tubing, etc fairly exposed (frankly, on most legging or jeans wearing days I just don’t give the aesthetics of this life improving device another thought), there have been moments during workouts or dress up that I have longed for a comfortable, concealed way to carry my pump.
Dudley…. 1999-2009
June 26, 2009
Dudley…. 1999-2009
Originally uploaded by CleverIndie
Lost our dear family friend yesterday…
Kind and enthusiastic protector of Alex.
My mother’s companion through cancer, moves, hurricanes…
A clever clown who brightened many of the darkest days.
He will be remembered always for his patience and his boundless joy and the mischievous sparkle in his eye.
