As a rule, I do not watch very much T.V.  - OK it's true, you will catch me watching Dance Moms now and then.  However I did hear about a documentary called, This Is Autism, that was going to air on Discovery Fit & Health Channel and obviously it caught my interest.  So I sat down and watched. 

Please note - the following is my opinion only.

It was the most depressing view on Autism that I have seen.  Had I had viewed this in the days or weeks after Hope was diagnosed, I think I might still be in bed crying.

The documentary by Louis Theroux followed the lives of three families with Autistic children.  It showed what I believe to be very severe cases of Autism.  Yet, it gave the impression that this is Autism in general.  That is what bothered me the most. 

It never discussed at what age each of the children were diagnosed, what kind of early intervention they received early in life and the extent of their therapy now in relation to their home life.  . 

One boy, who was older was prone to violent outbursts.  When they occurred, he had to be physically restrained by mom or dad, or the school staff.  It showed mom actually lying on top of him until he settled down. She wanted it to be filmed so "the world" could see what the moms of Autistic children go through - again very generalized. 

My heart went out to her.  But at the same time, I wondered, what self regulation strategies  were implemented when this boy was 2 or 3?  In other words, did his early therapists work with him and his family to teach him how to calm down by himself and re-group?  This is something we are focused on with Hope right now.   

I think most of the children in the film attended a
private school for Autism in the state of New Jersey.  They seemed to all be making progress at school, but at home, they seemed not connected with anything.  The parents didn't seem to know how they should fit in. 

Yet again, I see the beauty of homeschooling. I can't imagine putting Hope on a bus in the morning, her spending all day in an artificial atmosphere and then getting off the bus and me expecting her to function in her life at home. How is that possible?  

Most of the parents who were interviewed sounded and appeared "beaten" down.  In one instance, Theroux asked one mother, "Does Autism define you and your family"?  Without hesitation, her answer was emphatically "Yes".     I thought that was really sad.    

Towards the end of the show, one of the mom's admitted her fear that her son would end up in a residential home.  She said that inevitably, this was to be the outcome for all of "these" children.   

I appreciate the families who made this documentary possible.  I feel their pain because I walk the same journey.  However, I hope that other parents who view this film do not think that this is nessesarily the outcome for their children.  It does not have to be.   I would tell them to read the works of Temple Granden.

For the record, I do not feel that Autism defines me or my husband, or my daughter Julia or even Hope for that matter.  Rather, I believe that it is our family and how we function with the challenges of Autism in our lives that enables us to define a single snapshot of Autism. 

Most of the field trips we attended this year have focused on Julia.  So when a friend of ours booked a field trip to the Museum of the Hudson Highlands for the wee ones, it was something I was really looking forward to.  The theme was pond life.  

Up until this year, I actually avoided field trips for Hope.  It was just too difficult.   But she has grown so much in the past year, I really wanted to make our debut.

Usually, when we go on a field trip, I rely on the stroller.  However, when we got to the museum, I soon realized that the path we were going on was not very "stroller friendly".  So I decided that we would give it a go without it.  

At first, Hope did fantastic!       

When we arrived at the pond study area, Hope did not want anything to do with it.

We walked around a little bit and of course - that's when things went array.  Hope wanted to walk further towards an observation deck.  But it was too far away from our group so I told her "no".  And that brought on a meltdown.

I was blessed that we had a homeschool dad with us who was ready to lead a hand - in this case two arms and some muscles.   He kindly carried my little Hope back for me. 

After some lunch and a lot of water, we were all able to regroup and had to the playgroup - Grasshopper Grove. A very beautiful and unique type of playgroup.  Needless to say, the kids had a blast! 

I was hoping the day would have gone better.  But I have to remember the successes of the day.  A year ago I would not have even went on the field trip.  And even if I did, I would not have even contemplated letting Hope out of her stroller.   I know I have to bring Hope back soon.  I think it's so important for her to have another go at it. 

Every day, we watched.  At times the changes were so painfully slow that we wondered if anything was happening at all.

Sure enough, one by one, butterflies emerged leaving only an empty shell behind as a sign of their metamorphosis. 

At first their wings were very dull but within a few days, they were bursting with color.  We made them food from sugar and water and placed it inside their house along with some fresh cut flowers and for about a week we watched our butterflies grow and flutter about.

Then we realized it was time to release them.  As sad as we were, we knew we had done our part and now it was time for the butterflies to be on their own.
 

Happy Father's Day!

94 Days To Disney

There are many days when I feel like a am a single mom.  I wake up in bed with only my dog lying next to me.  At dinner time, there is usually an empty chair.    And except for a few quick exchanges of words, brief hugs and kisses, my husband is usually not around.  He is always working.

It is not a choice that we both enjoy, yet  it is one that we made together.  Like so many other families that homeschool, dad is the one who is usually off to work in order to keep the household running financially.  It is a constant struggle to make ends meet.  When there is a chance to get overtime, he takes it.  But that doesn't stop my husband from being the greatest dad I know.

He always makes time for his girls.  Even if it is just a few minutes  a day, he always takes the time to talk and play with them. He does his best to keep up with their activities and busy schedules.  Even though he is rarely at a field trip, picnic or competition, he always gets a "video review" and stays up to date with our daily events. 

I am truly blessed to have him as my husband, best friend, and soul mate.  I can't imagine sharing my life with anyone else. 

Happy Father's Day to the love of my life and to all other homeschool dads who make a similar sacrifice for their families.

The Workbox System was really popular a couple of years ago.  Designed by Sue Patrick,  they seemed like a homeschooler’s dream. I know many homeschoolers that dedicated their blogs to how they implemented the system.  I gave them a try, however; I couldn’t make it work.  It was too time consuming for me.  

However, now I seem to be revisiting the idea - but I think I will tweak it a bit, which is really not recommended.  I realize that Hope works well with routine and structure and I think that a workbox system will be a good fit for her.  I am also considering a version for Julia as I really need to get her to be more independent when it comes time for schoolwork.   

Today we headed to the city for Julia to skate at an ISI competition.  She skated 2 programs.  Her character spotlight was a tribute to Lucille Ball.