Featuring Guest Blogger from Words and Dexterity

http://www.wordsanddexterity.com/

Bio - My name is T L Holliday. I have a huge mind that can sometimes get me in trouble, but I mostly use it to educate ignorance.

I totally recommend this awesome page. It speaks volumes. The words, the art, the photos. It is all there. This is the kind of stuff that needs to be spread around the internet like wildfire. It is food for the soul. Have a good time reading this guest blog post and when you have the chance, I recommend that you go on over to her website and experience the amazingness that is unleashed from a super creative soul. One who I love very much and am very proud of. Even if she was not my niece, I would say all of this because I totally mean it.

xo Namaste, Dany

Photo taken by Holliday (it is my son's hand and a puzzle piece he was playing with outside a few summers ago)

 

#CONTINUETOEDUCATE2015

Something that never fails to astound me is the lack of humanity in the world. Everyone is worried about who's doing what, who's doing who, who's getting what and how much of it. What does any of what other people do have to do with your life? Why do you care about how someone else identifies? They're not doing it to personally hurt you or to make you feel uncomfortable. SURPRISE! The reason they do anything has absolutely nothing to do with you. Stop judging people based on their race, sexual orientation, gender, religious beliefs, just stop judging people period.

There is no race except the human race. We are a species. We only have different skin tones to better suit the geographical areas we live in. Take animals for example; there are many different species and breeds of animals depending on where you are in the world. Some can survive easier in parts of the world that others cannot because they are born with the traits necessary for life in those regions. But they don't kill each other because of it, they use it to survive. So when someone is racist and violent towards another person that is literally telling you that they have more basic human rights than that person because their skin color differs.

I also don't understand the need to label everything. Why do you need to put me in a category? And then get upset if I tell you that I don't fit in that category? Everyone needs to understand that sexuality and gender is fluid. Being born with certain sexual organs does not determine what your gender is. Each individual person decides for themselves what gender they feel they are, not the gender roles forced upon them by society. Same thing with sexuality. As a human you are attracted or not attracted to someone based on the person they are, not about what's between their legs. Society teaches you to assume everyone is a cisgender heterosexual until told otherwise. We need to teach our kids to not assuming anyone is anything and to accept people for who they are.

Religion is another touchy subject, but I'll shed a little light on it. I have no problem with religion, the problem I have is, again, with the people who "practice" it. I say "practice" because religion is supposed to be personal, not displayed for the world to see and shoved down everyone's throat. And just like gender and sexuality, it is something you yourself decide what best fits how you feel. Religion is your personal relationship with whatever god(s) you believe in, not a love triangle between you, your god, and the rest of the world. There are many different religions and spiritual practices in the world, so it makes absolutely no sense when people try to enforce their religion onto other people as if their religion is the only religion. It also has no business being in law enforcement, but I'll save that for another day.

Being a human is like being an animal; we all look different, have different sets of skills, and were put on this earth unwillingly without a hand book. But for some reason animals have a better understanding of how to live, and they're so simple yet complex to us. How can the very things we call wild and unpredictable be more human and understanding of how life works than actual humans? How can they co-exist with so many other species and manage not to destroy each other or the earth? They stay in their lane, that's how! They take care of each other and their habitats, they don't shit where they sleep.

Just take a second and sit down. Zoom out of your own life right now and picture the world as a whole. All the different countries on different continents spread out in a big ball of ocean. Now zoom out of that image and picture all the planets in our solar system. Now zoom out of that. What do you see? Some people know what that actually looks like and others never even thought to imagine that such a thing exists. It does, and even beyond that exists. There are billions of other solar systems in billions of other galaxies. Just imagine what could be out there. How small does that make your life seem? Small enough to realize all the bullshit in your life? And that most of the things you do, say, and think are pointless because now you see that you were only doing those things because you're a product of society? If it did then you're one of the lucky ones who has the ability to broaden and take their minds to the next level. And if it didn't then hopefully one day it will.

So to end this post I'll just say,

Love yourself, love your neighbor, love your earth and you'll be happier for it I promise.

- T L Holliday

My Boy: Part 54

We made it from Connecticut to Florida and back driving. We took a road trip to Disney World for Spring break. It was a 22 hour trip but really did not seem that long. Jorge Juan was awesome. He did very well. I was so surprised at how well he maintained himself. He slept. He kept busy. He played. He watched out the window. I was really proud of him. He made the trip easier. It is a long way for anyone especially a child and one who is on the spectrum at that. We stopped plenty of times to eat and take a break. Jorge Juan enjoyed it all along the way. He brought along his backpack of toys but did not need to take them all out. He was good with a few of them. He never once complained but did cry to sit all the way in the back. He did not want to sit in the middle. He insisted on being all the way back. So once he sat there, he was fine. Very surprised he lasted that ling. It still amazes me. I would have never imagined bringing him on a road trio a couple years ago. Even now we did not know what to expect but everything worked out because we had faith in it.






So we made it to Disney. We all loved it. By the end of the day we were super exhausted. Jorge lasted all day. We were there for about 11 hours walking around and such. He walked the entire time. Of course taking sitting breaks on the trolley and train but other than that Jorge Juan walked and walked without crying or complaining. We were so blessed. It was amazing. Not even once did we need to think of tenting a stroller. The excitement took over him. It was great. Very tiring but all worth it. I forgot, as many times I do, that my son is on the autism spectrum. It amazes me. There are days I do not even think about autism. There's always a bright side to it all. I wouldn't change my son for the world. What a difference early intervention and therapies make along with unwavering faith and determination. We will succeed. 






So he got to meet Woody and Jessie. Mickey!! We saw him too along with others. It was a very memorable experience that I wish all children can have. He asked a million questions there and back, lined up his toys at the vacation home, flapped here and there but that's just him. He is a boy first, autism is secondary and nothing will stop him. Going back a few years, I remember hearing silence. He wasn't soeaking yet. So, these questions upon questions are blessings in disguise and are very welcome even when we do not have the answers.






I love my piece of the puzzle. Everyday is a new experience and we learn so many valuable things from him. We do not know what we would do without Jorge Juan. We have seen many challenging days in the past. We have seen many appointments. We have seen many therapies, sessions, meetings, IEPs, sleepless nights, fidgeting, flapping, stunning and so on. But we made it through. As I look back, it made us stronger. When Jorge was not speaking, I did not know when he would be able to or if he would be able to properly but I just knew I had to hear his voice. As always, I will still be his voice. Spreading autism awareness. There's no discrimination. It is a whole spectrum. It is diverse. Education is key.

My Boy: Part 53

Forget what you hear about Autism Every child on the spectrum is different. Forget the autism myths. Ask questions. Open doors. It is not a disability but a super ability. It does not have a certain "look". If you saw my son, would you know?



JJ has been super excited and very happy because his little cousin from Ecuador has been here to visit. They have been playing and having fun. They have been learning so much from one another. It is so sweet. They love each other and are more like brother and sister. JJteaches her English and she talks to Jorge Juan in Spanish. He is developing and socializing, which is awesome. He has company. I feel awesome because he always asks me and my husband for a brother and sister. Always. And..by always I mean every day.



He is very affectionate and loving. We have him out of school for this week and he has still been learning and exploring so much. He has his school work packet from his teachers. Can't wait to share with you all what we have been up to this past week. Lots of great things. We are blessed. Autism will never stop JJ..never.



I want to take this time to thank all of you who read and follow my blog. It really means a lot. Not only do I want to share Jorge Juan's autism journey but I want to spread awareness and give hope to everyone out there who has a child or children who are on the autism spectrum. As always, faith and patience. Love and hope. It gets better. It is about the journey not just the destination. Those days days make us stronger and appreciate the good days more. Never give up. Ever.
Any questions or comments? Please feel free to contact me.
Take care,
Dany Loor B.S. Child Studies , M.Ed.

founder Loorducation

My Boy: Part 51

Jorge Juan is very excited that our family is here from Ecuador. He is super happy that he has his cousin, who is 7, to play with. They get along very well. Both of them have been taking good care of Jorge's guinea pigs. Jorge Juan is an only child so to have another kid in the house makes him excited. he has been flapping here and there and continuously jumping out of happiness. he almost had a sensory overload. He is becoming sensitive to sounds again. Loud yells and screams at karate class, he covers his ears. When flusing the toilet, he covers his ears. Now he has not been doing that for a very long time and it started up once again. When I use the Vitamix in the morning to make juice, he has to covers his ears and runs to the living room. Thank God he has not had any ear infections or any problems with his ears ever since he had the tubes put in his ears. Since then, they have fallen out. So far so good.

He had a trip to the dentist the other day. Words cannot describe how proud my husband and I are. There are really no words to describe it. Jorge did an amazing job. Smiling and laughing the whole way through. He even wanted to get x rays of his teeth. he did not need them so the hygienist took an x ray of his finger. he loved it so much. At the end, he got not one, but three toys for doing an amazing job. It was his first real dental cleaning and it was a true success. We are really blessed. He cannot wait to go back again. That day, he had a great day the whole way through and it started from him picking out his clothes for school since he did not have to wear his uniform. He was happy about that and even stated that he was different.

Days like that I forget that he has autism. Usually I do not even think of it any more. To me he is just a kid. He is my child and he is the best he can be in my eyes and i would never want to change hi for the world. Autism is a blessing in disguise. It was not always so but I thank God for Jorge Juan every day. He can see, hear, walk, play and is healthy. What more can I ask for?

Jorge Juan's Short Story

Jorge Juan is five years old. He is on the Autism Spectrum.
He was diagnosed at the age of 3. It was at that time, I was taking the class Teaching the Exceptional Child. I noticed some things that were different about my son that coincided what I was studying at the time. I brought him to the doctor. She diagnosed him upon seeing specialists as well. We followed up without stopping. He was not speaking and was not hearing well. I thought he was deaf. His hearing tests came back with results of 20 percent hearing or something close to that, I do not quite remember but his ears seemed plugged. A second hearing test was needed, so we did it and still the same results. It was a little tricky because he was not sitting still and could not communicate. So after a while we found out he had water in his ear.He has had many ear infections. He could not hear well due to this and we ended up getting tube sin his ears and his adenoids taken out a while after.

Then he visits a neurologist. It was a thorough exam and the doctor places him in the middle of the spectrum. At this time, he could not follow directions, stack blocks, wave, or other typical things that 3 year olds do. We left the office, my husband and I. We did not let that discourage us. We kept going and believed that is just the perception of this doctor. Everything will be fine. After this we visited a speech therapist for an evaluation.

And as you guessed he attended speech therapy. At that time he was not speaking. Maybe a few words here and there but he could not communicate well. It was difficult for him. At the every beginning, he would moan, point, hum and act out to get the attention of the therapist.The week after this he started his first year of pre kindergarten. I was nervous because he did not talk and how would they know, etc.

The teachers were great and they really helped him out. From the first day I told the lead teacher that Jorge has autism and she gave me a number to call for some special education things like evaluations and play group, so we did that.
He received specialized instruction in class along with a speech therapist and occupational therapist from school.He also has an IEP. This was all declared after he has been evaluated by the board of education.

Little by little, he is doing it. The second year of pre kindergarten, he was talking in some words. He could put some words together and before we knew it he was making sentences here and there. He was receiving private speech therapy outside of school and during school time. the social interactions with teachers and peers opened him up. He needed it. It has helped him out tremendously. He was still in pull ups at the time and eventually was fully potty trained at about 4 and a half or a bit earlier. He was not eating independently either. He needed extra help with many basics but that did not stop us.

We kept going and going and today he is 5 and a half years old. He talks non stop. He never wets the bed and he can feed himself. He is writing and drawing now. he loves school and taking the bus. He looks forward to many things.

I almost forgot to mention that before. All the time. He was very figidity. He would hum loudly and pace back and forth, jump in place but most of all flap out of sensory overload.He was even tested for seizures because the neurologist thought something was up as f he stopped breathing or would black out during the time of this great excitement. It was like a blank stare sometimes for thirty seconds as if he was in his own world.

Today he asks a million questions a day and he tells stories. He shares his dreams. He plays and shares. He loves school time and family time. He communicates.

 

 

He is very sympathetic. He is simply amazing.

Thinking of you, Avonte...

I get to hug and kiss my son before he goes to sleep tonight. I am blessed beyond words. I can not begin to imagine the horrible pain that Avonte's parents are going through now and ever since he went missing on October 4th, 2013. It is sad and truly heartbreaking to say the least. Not knowing the whereabouts of your son for months. Days and nights searching everywhere. This is a very tragic story. They are very strong parents because I do not know how I would have held it togethjer especially after the news of remains being found and waiting for DNA testing. I did not personally know Avonte but it hits home because my son has autism too.Avonte was unable to speak. I am so blessed that my son can speak. I though waiting almost 4 years was a long time to hear him talk. Anyways...

I have written a few blogs about Avonte in the past in hopes of someone reading and noticing to pass on the information to bring the boy safely home to his family. I have always prayed for him and his family. He has always been on my mind. When I read the news the other day, my heart just ached. I did not want to believe it. I do not want to imagine anyone harming a child especially a child with severe autism that is unable to speak. The thought is horrifying. Children are innocent. As we wait to find out the DNA results, I pray for his family and if it was Avonte that was found, I pray that he did not suffer. I can not imagine. Not at all. As a mom with a son who has autism. I do not want to. I can not help but be affected by this. No parent should have to go through this. Never. Ever.

This was something that could have and SHOULD HAVE been prevented. So many questions..I beleive the school has a lot of explaining to do. It can never bring a child back but they fall on total lack of responsibility. How do you let a child LEAVE the school ALONE, UNATTENDED? How is a child who has severe autism left alone when he is supposed to have care in school and a teacher with him at all time? What was up with those cameras? Really!!?? We all see this baby leaving the school..why??? Why wasn't he stopped? Why was he left alone?  Ugh!!! God bless Avonte and give his parents strength during this unimaginable time or heartache and pain.

We send our children to school to be taken care of by professional and dedicated people who have the child's best interests and well being in mind. What has happened here? Why has the system failed this family? I want to know and have a desire to know as a mommy, as a teacher and as a concerned human. These kind of things do not just happen and this is NOT just a mistake that can be brushed off. Yes we are all human and we are wired for being imperfect but this is totally unjust. A school, in New York..and no one, not a soul was there to see this boy leave out the door? What a shame.

Parents, hug and kiss your children tonight and tell them how much you love them.

As a teacher, other people's worlds are in my hands and care and I promise to love them as my own and protect them from harm. I will be there for them, never to leave them alone. I would want and DO want teachers and therapists to do this for my son and I believe they do. I am blessed to have  a great team supporting my son and his journey.

Avonte, God bless you. I have never met you but I just know you are Awesome. Peace. Love. Awareness. You have touched the lives of many. You did not have to speak, your eyes said it all. Peace and love to your family- especially mommy and daddy. We are all hoping for a safe return home. And, if your home coming has already passed and you are with Our Heavenly Father, please protect and watch over your family sweet angel. But still, there is Hope. Love Wins Always.

My Boy: Part 41 (Special)

I my eyes, my son is perfect. Although he did not start talking until he was 3 and a half. Although he was not fully potty trained until he was 4 and a half, in my eyes he is perfect. Although he is on the autism spectrum, in my eyes he is perfect. Although he is very sensitive to loud noises and sounds and covers his ears,in my eyes he is perfect. Although he always has to have a little toy in his hand and never wore shoes for the first year of his life, in my eyes he is perfect. Although he has speech therapy and occupational therapy, in my eyes he is perfect. Although he asks many questions multiple times for reassurance, in my eyes he is perfect. Although he has an IEP and is in specialized instruction Kindergarten, in my eyes he is perfect. Although he did not start eating independently until the age of 5, he is perfect in my eyes. Although he watches the same shows, same episodes in the same order when he gets to watch TV, he is perfect in my eyes. He can see. He can hear. He can walk. He can play. He is perfect in my eyes. He can do things for himself. He goes to school, interacts and has friends. He even told me yesterday that his school i snot new anymore because when he started he did not know anybody and know he has a lot of friends. Although he has obsessions, he is perfect in my eyes. Although he has to sleep with toys and I find small toys hidden in socks all the time, he is perfect in my eyes. Autism is his super power. He is unique. He loves to read, to play, to discover and most of all he loves God. He is a strong willed young boy who is wise beyond his years. A true gift from up above. I would not change him for the world. He is just awesome.

In 2008 God blessed us with Jorge Juan.My husband and I waited a long time for him. We have been married since 2001. Many times I have heard that I will not be able to have children or it would be very difficult to have children. That I can share with you all at another time. For now, enjoy life.
As always comments are always welcome.
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What Does Autism Mean to you?

I'm looking for all comments from families  and friends that know someone with autism. As well I'm looking for comments from people on the spectrum. I am wondering what it is like for you. Autism is a wide spectrum "super ability". I'd love to hear about you since you have been supportive reading about my son Jorge.








Please share with others as well. Thanks for the support. Look forward to hearing from you all. As always, questions for us are always welcome.