Collaboration in Autism Treatment Conference

Tomorrow I will attend the Collaboration in Autism Treatment Conference in Santa Clara, CA. I'll be in and out of the National Autism Resources booth. Who knows I may give out some free chewelry...

I'm excited about this conference because some of the most knowledgeable people in the country will come together to talk about helping teenagers and adults on the spectrum. We now have a whole group of kids that have responded to early intervention, but continue to need various levels of support. Its uncharted territory. The conference is sponsored by the Autism Education Network. I love the founder Michele Waterman. We've never met in person, but we've hit it off on the phone. She's an awesome Mom whose as real as they come and committed to preparing the way for her child.

I hope to blog more over the weekend. Michele says she has some exciting news to share with me. So I'm definitely taking her out to coffee! I'll need it because I have to get up at 4:00 and its almost 11:00. If you think of me pray for energy!!!

Halloween's Coming

Here is my husband's annual Elvis look.

This year GA is going to be a bottle of ketchup, G is going to be Darth Vader (big surprise), and I'm going to be the chocolate eating Mom...

We found GA's costume at K-mart for $12.00! Score! GA was very happy. G on the other hand is now almost as tall as me!!! So we are making his costume and it looks excellent. We plan to trick or treat for a couple of hours and then watch the Black and White Frankenstein movie.

Then Saturday I will get up at 4:00 am for a weekend conference. Why oh why did they schedule it the day after Halloween???

That's OK, I'll rest on Monday. Oh wait, I home school, I'll rest next weekend...

A Great Book with Great Coffee

As stated before on this blog part of my depression homework is to enjoy myself. Yes, I have to figure out ways to have fun and then make myself do them. All work and no play makes me unable to get out of bed.

I'm glad to report that this week I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. My dear friends Gary and Katherine have given me the best gifts ever. First the new book by Rob Bell an author I thoroughly enjoy reading.

Then..

this is so awesome...

I can't believe my taste buds awesome...

They brought me back fresh roasted 100% Kona coffee from their Hawaii trip. So not only do I have wonderful friends. They are wonderful friends who know how to spoil me!!!

Bliss, sheer bliss, I've been enjoying excellent coffee all this week and disciplining myself by only reading one chapter a day.

On top of that, last Saturday my husband helped me clean the whole house, which makes the reading/drinking all the more enjoyable because I'm doing it in a clean house...

Life is good my friends, life is good!

A Card from my Dad

I got this card from my Dad. Its the best card I've ever received. It applies to anyone who has been on life's journey for awhile. I can't help but share what it said:

All of us have moments when we look at our lives and ask,

"How did I get here?"

Living is so full of unpredictable twists-

Sometimes it's hard to keep up,

Adapting to the life we have while letting go

Of the life we planned.

I think you may be experiencing some of that now...

When some days are better than others

And nothing seems as certain as it used to be.

Just be sure to be good to yourself-

give yourself time to adjust,

To Rest,

To reflect...

And know that anytime you need someone to talk with,

I'm here for you.

-K.A. Moon

My life has taken a lot of twists and turns. I've had some hard adjustments to make. There is nothing better than time, rest, reflection, and prayer... and someone you feel you can always talk to. I want to be a parent like my Dad, my parent and friend.

Toooo Funny

We are done with our Math unit on real world math problems (word problems). G is so happy! Now we get to move onto a Geometry unit. Oh happy, happy day! G and I were so thrilled we had to do a happy dance in the living room.

It's the little things that make life wonderful!

Healed from Autism

Can I just say I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated by all of the "miracle" cures of kids overcoming autism and being cured. I guess I'm frustrated because that is not my story, and to be honest I have not met anyone yet who has a child that has been "cured."

I've met many, many, many parents who can attest that various supplements and special diets have made a big difference in their child's lives. We have had tremendous success w/ supplements as well. However, again I've met none that would claim their child is healed. Yet that seems to be the mantra in the news.

Am I just not well enough informed?

Have I been traveling in the wrong circles?

Am I too isolated?

I also am at the point, that I don't want to "cure" my son. He is a fascinating person with tremendous potential who would want to cure that? Also, he does have some challenges, but who doesn't? Finally, he is well on his way to becoming a happy, independent individual, what more could I want for him?

Am I naive or just crazy?

I don't know...

The View from my Window

This is a view from my kitchen window. The sun was rising a few days ago and I looked outside and the view was literally breathtaking. I hope your view is wonderful today.

The Clone Wars!!!

The new Clone Wars cartoon came out. OK I admit it I am just as much of a Star Wars junkie as my son.... so we had a premier party. The kids had pizza and chocolate chip cookies and three friends over to watch the premier. Everyone had a good time. It was the perfect social time, with great conversation about the characters, story, and animation during the commercial breaks. In short a perfect night.

Now G is interested in comic books. Here's a page he created today:

He's working on trying to match the best picture with the dialog. He looks at tons of pictures until he finds the one he feels matches the text best. How awesome is that?! I can't wait for him to finish. When he does we'll print it all up for him to keep.

The Way I See It

I just finished reading Temple Grandin's new release The Way I See It. It was a well written and enjoyable read. Its full of very practical advice. As a matter of fact it reads like a big sister giving advice. The book is a series of articles that Temple wrote for the Autism Aspergers Digest magazine so you can easily read a chapter, put it down, and read another later without getting lost. I would highly recommend it for families supporting people with Aspergers or higher functioning autism.