As a higher ed developer and instructor I'm naturally interested in, and concerned about, that transitional period into adulthood. I may not like all of the direction of the coverage about the 'rise in autism,' but I am definitely glad it's raising the awareness level of instructors everywhere. I found an article by a professor at the University of Alabama with an interesting slant - without working with the school's disability service, and without any declaration from his student, he perceived that his student needed a different approach and attempted to adjust his teaching accordingly. Not all instructors can be bothered. Kudos to Stephen Yoder!
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2008/07/07/yoder
Monday, July 7, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Anxieties
I've been concerned about Rose's anxieties, which I'm realizing really impair her day-to-day functioning more than anything else does. Whether it's a bug, or a new game, an automatically-flushing toilet, or some idea she latches onto, these anxieties whip up into nervousness and agitation and then she starts to cry or tic or otherwise panic. Even if the initial trigger appears to settle down, she's already in a state where she cannot concentrate - every noise, every sensation gets blown out of balance - and everything distracts her.
It gives me some insight into why she's done much better being homeschooled. What concerns me about that, though, is knowing that she probably isn't getting enough exposure to situations that enable her to practice functioning despite her anxiety. Right now, school is far too much; homeschool is probably too little. Where can I find a medium, without currently being able to afford insurance and therapy? This is a real dilemma.
I recently have been hearing from parents who either do or do not medicate their kids on the spectrum for anxiety. The idea of medicating her makes me panic. How, again, will she learn to cope with her own emotions, even a little bit, if she's medicated? How will she be able to use the powerful creativity she has, if her brain is dulled? What are the long-term effects of this kind of medication on kids' development? It makes me ill to contemplate it.
Parents I hear from say that kids have to want to learn to deal with their anxieties for cognitive therapy to work. I'm not sure she has that kind of insight yet, but if she doesn't, she's close. We've been trying to work to objectify and control "worries" but this doesn't work during an episode. She does not want to breathe, or count, or visualize stuffing worries in a box.
And, though I dislike myself for saying it, it is getting increasingly difficult for me to cope with her anxiety attacks. Her reactions appear to be perfect triggers for me to get agitated - which, intellectually, I know is a normal response for everyone, but it makes it very difficult to help her if I'm agitated. My ability to respond calmly depends almost entirely on my own anxiety level and hormone cycle. I think I need to find some assistance in finding ways to help her, somewhere, somehow.
It gives me some insight into why she's done much better being homeschooled. What concerns me about that, though, is knowing that she probably isn't getting enough exposure to situations that enable her to practice functioning despite her anxiety. Right now, school is far too much; homeschool is probably too little. Where can I find a medium, without currently being able to afford insurance and therapy? This is a real dilemma.
I recently have been hearing from parents who either do or do not medicate their kids on the spectrum for anxiety. The idea of medicating her makes me panic. How, again, will she learn to cope with her own emotions, even a little bit, if she's medicated? How will she be able to use the powerful creativity she has, if her brain is dulled? What are the long-term effects of this kind of medication on kids' development? It makes me ill to contemplate it.
Parents I hear from say that kids have to want to learn to deal with their anxieties for cognitive therapy to work. I'm not sure she has that kind of insight yet, but if she doesn't, she's close. We've been trying to work to objectify and control "worries" but this doesn't work during an episode. She does not want to breathe, or count, or visualize stuffing worries in a box.
And, though I dislike myself for saying it, it is getting increasingly difficult for me to cope with her anxiety attacks. Her reactions appear to be perfect triggers for me to get agitated - which, intellectually, I know is a normal response for everyone, but it makes it very difficult to help her if I'm agitated. My ability to respond calmly depends almost entirely on my own anxiety level and hormone cycle. I think I need to find some assistance in finding ways to help her, somewhere, somehow.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Careers
"You know what I say about business?" Rose asked me over lunch. "Everybody is a consumer, but not everybody is a producer."
"Wow, that's pretty insightful," I said. "Did you just think of that yourself?"
"Yep," said Rosie. "I always try to look on the bright side."
"So what do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked.
"The direction I'm leaning in right now is trapeze artist," she said.
"But then you wouldn't be a producer," I said, "unless you consider that producing entertainment for others to consume is being a producer."
"No," she said thoughtfully. "I'm also leaning towards directing movies or stage plays, though."
"Wow, that's pretty insightful," I said. "Did you just think of that yourself?"
"Yep," said Rosie. "I always try to look on the bright side."
"So what do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked.
"The direction I'm leaning in right now is trapeze artist," she said.
"But then you wouldn't be a producer," I said, "unless you consider that producing entertainment for others to consume is being a producer."
"No," she said thoughtfully. "I'm also leaning towards directing movies or stage plays, though."
Monday, June 9, 2008
Meeting New People
I took Rosie to my old workplace today and in the rush, forgot to consider that she'd be meeting some of my former co-workers. It would have been better if I had prepared her - she doesn't distinguish faces very well, so that's one reason greeting is frightening for her. She hid behind me and made agitated noises somewhere between whimpers and squeals. I got her calmed down, and then someone tried a little peek-a-boo to cheer her, and of course it had the opposite effect. "I want to go hooooommmme!"
I think we need to create a formal plan for how to handle this. A social story can probably help. Plus maybe suggesting that she pick out a feature on each person's face that looks unique. She can do individual features. Must think...
I think we need to create a formal plan for how to handle this. A social story can probably help. Plus maybe suggesting that she pick out a feature on each person's face that looks unique. She can do individual features. Must think...
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Magpie
Today was a particularly good day. Rosie's been going around for the last couple of days with that content and satisfied look that results from a job well done followed by a treat. In this case, she's finished with her second grade work and was promoted to third grade on Monday. Yesterday we went to the library and she's been absorbed by something interesting and new to read practically every conscious minute.
So today, we got up in a leisurely fashion, and then Rose decided to start working on her summer projects. She got out her microscope and notebook and started going through her new slides and drawing out her observations. Her dad punctured a finger and I made a slide smear for her. After six pages of notes and drawings - this from a kid who would rather jump off a cliff than complete a page of handwriting practice in school - she quietly put away her microscope and tidied up completely without any prompting.
Next, she decided she wanted to help out, and put a load of dishes into the dishwasher for the first time - nearly perfectly. "I felt I wanted to do something useful," she said. Darn straight that's useful! I'm glad to know that I can try to put this into a regular range of chores.
Overall, a very satisfying day for everyone. Though she was a bit distressed by her dad's reaction in the afternoon, when it turned out that she had been so attracted to the tiny screws in his computer case that she gathered them all up and secreted them in a dresser drawer. "They're so shiny!" she wailed. "I couldn't help it! I didn't know!" It's ok, I told her, you're just like a magpie. She loved that. Magpies came up in conversation all day. I had no idea there were so many literary phrases that included magpies.
So today, we got up in a leisurely fashion, and then Rose decided to start working on her summer projects. She got out her microscope and notebook and started going through her new slides and drawing out her observations. Her dad punctured a finger and I made a slide smear for her. After six pages of notes and drawings - this from a kid who would rather jump off a cliff than complete a page of handwriting practice in school - she quietly put away her microscope and tidied up completely without any prompting.
Next, she decided she wanted to help out, and put a load of dishes into the dishwasher for the first time - nearly perfectly. "I felt I wanted to do something useful," she said. Darn straight that's useful! I'm glad to know that I can try to put this into a regular range of chores.
Overall, a very satisfying day for everyone. Though she was a bit distressed by her dad's reaction in the afternoon, when it turned out that she had been so attracted to the tiny screws in his computer case that she gathered them all up and secreted them in a dresser drawer. "They're so shiny!" she wailed. "I couldn't help it! I didn't know!" It's ok, I told her, you're just like a magpie. She loved that. Magpies came up in conversation all day. I had no idea there were so many literary phrases that included magpies.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
What to do when you worry too much
We've found a fantastic kid's book titled What To Do When You Worry Too Much. It gives kids a great cognitive tool to use to help control worries that spiral out of control, objectifying the worry into a pesty creature that you imagine forcing into a box and locking up away from the nourishment of your attention, so that it instead of growing, it starves until it's small enough to take out and look at when you're ready.
In just a couple of weeks, Rose has been able to reduce the impact of various anxieties and uncertainties, which is fantastic. It's not that the worries don't happen (ants! moths! germs! new experiences! unfamiliar procedures!), because the world is still full of worries; and it's not that the box metaphor gets used deliberately every time a worry arises. It seems that it's the very idea of knowing that you can objectify the worry and refuse to "feed" it that works. She has that much more control and ability to back off the escalation of anxiety and her reactions aren't as severe.
I've started using it myself; as a visual metaphor it's a bit more effective than the more verbal reasoning of adult cognitive therapy. ("Now, what's the worst that can actually happen?") And I need it - I've gone off my anxiety / depression meds, so I'm right back where I am, except better-rested.
Ironically, Rose came in while I was writing this, flipping out about the possibility that there might be a moth in the bathroom. "Don't feed that worry, " I said. She thought about this but still twisted her mouth up and jumped from foot to foot.
I tried another tack. "You're borrowing a worry - do you know what I mean? You don't see a moth in there, but you think there might be one and you don't know for sure, so you've gone down to the worry bank and asked the teller for a worry, since you're all out." That got a grin, and at least a change in breathing. "What could you do about it?"
"I could go use your bathroom," she said.
"If that works for you," I said.
"OK!"
In just a couple of weeks, Rose has been able to reduce the impact of various anxieties and uncertainties, which is fantastic. It's not that the worries don't happen (ants! moths! germs! new experiences! unfamiliar procedures!), because the world is still full of worries; and it's not that the box metaphor gets used deliberately every time a worry arises. It seems that it's the very idea of knowing that you can objectify the worry and refuse to "feed" it that works. She has that much more control and ability to back off the escalation of anxiety and her reactions aren't as severe.
I've started using it myself; as a visual metaphor it's a bit more effective than the more verbal reasoning of adult cognitive therapy. ("Now, what's the worst that can actually happen?") And I need it - I've gone off my anxiety / depression meds, so I'm right back where I am, except better-rested.
Ironically, Rose came in while I was writing this, flipping out about the possibility that there might be a moth in the bathroom. "Don't feed that worry, " I said. She thought about this but still twisted her mouth up and jumped from foot to foot.
I tried another tack. "You're borrowing a worry - do you know what I mean? You don't see a moth in there, but you think there might be one and you don't know for sure, so you've gone down to the worry bank and asked the teller for a worry, since you're all out." That got a grin, and at least a change in breathing. "What could you do about it?"
"I could go use your bathroom," she said.
"If that works for you," I said.
"OK!"
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Just a month of chaos
Wow. Just a complete month of chaos, as Rose's great-grandmother had to come live with us for a few weeks before getting settled into a retirement community. All of our homeschooling dropped away. Rosie was a trooper, though, giving up her room to Great-Grandma, and quietly amusing herself while we couldn't give her the level of attention she was accustomed to. Great-Grandma enjoyed talking with Rosie, too, since she can't hear well and Rosie had no qualms about getting right up next to her and shouting in her ear. She told many stories of her childhood that Rosie just loved.
On the plus side, things have calmed so much over the last month or so, even given the high levels of complete family chaos of which Great-Grandma's visit was a part. Rose is just so much more relaxed, and she has very good eye contact with us, which I've found is a strong indicator of her anxiety level. The more she can hold eye contact, the less anxious she is in general.
Rosie's older sister gave her a rabbit for Easter, and we were fairly apprehensive about how she would react, but she went right to the rabbit to pet it with very little fear. Later that same day, she actually held a moth. Given that animals and insects have elictited hysteria in the past, I'd say this is a powerful step forward.
Today, we finally recieved the Chewy Tube that Rosie had requested and she loves it. The only down side, she says, is that it lacks a flavor. I'll have to look into that... in the meantime, just not chewing fingers and hair is great.
We got the chewy from http://www.affordabletherapysolutions.com/ or rather, from their eBay storefront. I like that it's a family business. They ought to have quite a lot of familiarity with the products. Very fast shipping, too!
On the plus side, things have calmed so much over the last month or so, even given the high levels of complete family chaos of which Great-Grandma's visit was a part. Rose is just so much more relaxed, and she has very good eye contact with us, which I've found is a strong indicator of her anxiety level. The more she can hold eye contact, the less anxious she is in general.
Rosie's older sister gave her a rabbit for Easter, and we were fairly apprehensive about how she would react, but she went right to the rabbit to pet it with very little fear. Later that same day, she actually held a moth. Given that animals and insects have elictited hysteria in the past, I'd say this is a powerful step forward.
Today, we finally recieved the Chewy Tube that Rosie had requested and she loves it. The only down side, she says, is that it lacks a flavor. I'll have to look into that... in the meantime, just not chewing fingers and hair is great.
We got the chewy from http://www.affordabletherapysolutions.com/ or rather, from their eBay storefront. I like that it's a family business. They ought to have quite a lot of familiarity with the products. Very fast shipping, too!
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