When I Knew

I was studying Teaching the Exceptional Child and I just knew. I mean I did not know anything but I knew. The similarities and scenarios. The symptoms and mannerisms. I knew. I just knew, But, I also knew nothing.

NOTHING and EVERYTHING all at once, the perfect PARADOX


Today there is:

Juancho



Do you really need to hold 6 different stuffed animals at once and cry if one of the fall to the ground?

Why are you running back and forth on your tippy toes?

Are the sounds really hurting your ears?


No coincidences, just blessings in disguise. Just at that time. At that exact time. Time stood still for what seemed to be about three years and at the same time, Time: it just flew on by and all of these thoughts circulated for what felt like three seconds.

It is all making sense but I still don't get it.

What do you mean my son has autism? Wait, OK that is why I am here. I am here to tell you my son has autism.  What IS Autism? What is our next step?

Whatever it takes.

WHATEVER it Takes.

WHEREVER it takes u.

I will make sure you fit in, all while standing out.

You will stand out. You were born to stand out.

After that day, I hugged him a little tighter and loved him more than ever.

My greatest professor

has not 1 degree

A Look Inside...

AuSomeness!!!

He is so awesome. He is an amazing, little human being. He is compassionate and loving. Yes, and wise beyond his years. He teaches us everyday. Sometimes there are meltdowns and sometimes there are sensory overloads. But, all the time, yes ALL the time – even in the midst of defying, screaming, crying – etc. – there is a boy, My Boy. A child who I love very much so. A child who deserves every great thing in the world that is beneficial for his being. A child destined for success and greatness while helping others reach their full potential. A child who is noble and string willed. A child who is unique and yet the “same” as the typical children in his age group. A child who is learning respect and the fine way to treat others- as well as all living things. A child who will defy all odds stacked against him. A child on the Autism Spectrum, my child.
It is not about awareness, it is about acceptance. Autism acceptance. That what it IS about. We are aware that autism exists – but we have to accept our children and all others on the spectrum. Give them the benefit of the doubt and never let a diagnosis define who they are. The world is a puzzle and my son is a piece that belongs to it just like every other child.

It is JUST a label. Labels are not good all the time. What happens when we do not like labels on our clothes, for example? We RIP them off!!!

Fall Into Learning...

Learning happens everywhere. The best classrooms are the ones without any walls.
Optimal learning requires the use of the whole body and all of our senses. Learning is an interactive, hands on experience. Children learn by doing. Children learn by pretending, acting, exploring, engaging...If children do not learn the way we teach them then we must teach them in a way that they are going to learn.
Loorducation - Making. Learning. Fun.

What?!? Can You Tell Me?

AUTISM- What is it?  No, really..what IS it? Why does is very so? Where did it come from?  Why is it here?  When will it leave? Will it ever leave?  Who does it affect?  How does it affect and/or interfere with everyday life?  Is it a life sentence?  Do you know someone who has autism? Can autism be “cured” or treated? Is autistic a term you use? What are the autism terms and labels?
I can only answer a few of those questions and from my point of view only. As you know, my son JJ, has autism. Yes, he is an ASD child. He is on the autism spectrum. He was first diagnosed with PDD at the age of 3. He is now 6. I do not tend to labels so there is no need for me to always state that my son is high functioning autistic. I just say, when necessary, that my son is on the autism spectrum and just plainly that he is autistic. I mean, does it matter? Really? I have a son. I do not introduce him as my autistic son. Questions? I welcome them. Comments, yes, those too. Productive ones I keep and destructive ones get thrown out. autism has been a part of our lives for a little over three years now, well more than that but we did not know. And, does that matter? Before my son and studying for my undergraduate degree, I did not know what autism was? Yes, was..It is always changing, right? Yes..I remember seeing billboards about autism 1 in 125..then 1 in 88 and son on. What is this autism> One thing I can tell you is that autism is not the end of the world but the beginning of a whole new one. Yes, my son has autism. Autism does not have him. It is his super power. We are focusing on him using it to his advantage. It will not hinder him but we will make sure it does better him. It is not a disease. My son is NOT disabled, he is different abled. His brain is wired differently. He is unique. He is in his own world and I love entering i with love, compassion and patience. I learn from him everyday. It may not be easy at times but it sure is worth it.
JJ is AUSOME. He is a child. He loves to play, watch TV, read and all that good stuff. He loves school. He loves snacks. He can be crabby. He can be stubborn. But he is worth it. He matters. Social skills are an everyday learning experience for all of us. He just needs a little extra help in the right direction.

Now, would you know if you saw him?

Hi

Yeah!!!

My Boy: Part 84

Posted on August 29, 2014 by danyloor

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It is Jorge Juan’s second day of first grade and he loves it. Actually, he could not wait to go back to school. I do not blame him. He really missed it – the bus, his friends and his teachers. He has been thrilled. Waking up very happy. He brought a few little things to school today in a brown paper bag. It is called a “Me Bag”. It was a cute homework assignment that he teacher sent home for the kids to put 4 things in the bag that the kids can show and talk about. I think that is a fabulous idea and I am going to have to do something similar.
I am proud of him. He is such a sweet boy. He is my heart. I thank God for him every single day. Even though he can speak, I will always be his voice and advocate. Always and all ways. Yes, the boy can talk. Sometimes I even forget that he was non verbal until the age of 4. Lots and Lots of questions. He wants to know specific details, numbers etc. He needs to know what we are doing, when, where, what time and exactly what we are going to do after that. He needs to know what and how many things we need to get on our shopping lists and from which stores. And, that IS OK. I love him.

Filed under Autism, Jorge Juan and tagged 24/7/365, acceptance, advocate, asd, Autism, autism mommy, Autism spectrum, autism spectrum disorder, autistic, autistic son, gifted, HF, high functioning, indigo

Go Fourth! a must read...

My Boy: Part 75

Posted on July 4, 2014 by danyloor

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Happy Independence Day from Jorge Juan and family!! Since it was rainy all day today, we went to the mall. At the mall, Jorge Juan played in the arcade. He was getting tickets and was so excited to score some candy from a grab machine. He knocked down some ducks and did a few other things but most of all he wanted to go into Target. He had a mini meltdown but then he was able to calm himself. We walked around a lot and when it was time to come home, he did not fuss too much. Over all, it was a cool time. It was good to get him out of the house and some fresh air. He had a good time when he woke up this morning and was singing in the mini van to and from, a bunch of silly made up songs. He was feeling good. Before we left, he played with Daddy and had a lot of fun. He read, he ate a lot and we were off.

He was not over stimulated in the mall but he was flapping quite a bit before we went on the escalator. He was happy. Tomorrow we are going to the YMCA and hopefully we can get him into soccer. That is what he would like to do. Long weekend, picnic tomorrow and back to ESY on Monday. No Fireworks. Loud noises bother him, a lot. He is not interested. He covers his ears when he flushes the toilet and also when I start his bath water, he will cover his ears. My baby, love him so very much!! A spectrum of HOPE awaits him. My piece to the puzzle.

A Little Bit...

My Boy: Part 70

Posted on June 19, 2014 by danyloor

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“Is there school today, Mommy?” Yes, there is!!! Rainy day, but there is school today. Only a few days left, so enjoy the last days of Kindergarten. It just seems like yesterday that he started Kindergarten at a new school and with a school bus. This school year has gone by so fast. It was a great year and my son has been blessed with great teachers, therapists and principal. The team really works together for the benefit of Jorge Juan. They know him very well. What they have to say at the PPT meeting is right on. I just sit back and smile because I know that they pay close attention to my son giving what they have to say about his personality, characteristics, obsessions etc.

A quick rundown – Jorge is 5 years old and will turn 6 on July 21st. He was diagnosed with autism after his 3rd birthday. At that time, he was in the middle of the spectrum – Non verbal among other delays. He loves animals, insects and tiny toys. He has been reading since before he could speak and now is reading well beyond the benchmarks fro Kinder. He is kind and lovable. He loves babies and kids. He is an orange belt in Tiny Tiger Tang Soo Do karate. He loves nature. He flaps and shakes his hands when he is excited but not as often as he use to do when he was younger. He used to run back and forth humming super loud. He loves books and riding the school bus. That is just part of him in a small nutshell. there is so much beyond this. SO MUCH : )

Autism will never stop him. He is on a roll. He is improving all the time. His autism does not need a CURE. Who would want to cure a child that is full of LOVE, happiness, affection, peace…..and has so much to TEACH the world? Jorge Juan just may be the CURE for the typical world. 

fb/loorducation

You HAVE to Read This!!!

My Boy: The Story Continues..

Posted on May 28, 2014 by danyloor

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Meeting with the social worker today went well.

Jorge has been displaying odd behaviors of hissing, sucking his arm, putting hand sin his mouth and other oral fixations; so this was a great opportunity to have a chat and ask questions.

I have my undergrad degree in Child Studies, it can be difficult to come up with solutions that may help my son. I do not know what it is. I think that happens with a lot of us. I can remember at times it was easier for me to deal with 22 4 and 5 year olds than to handle the meltdowns of my son while dropping him off at pre kindergrten. (He was in the classroom upstairs and the classroom where I taught was directly under his at that time.)The meeting was something that happens before a child turns 6 years old. It is to see if the child would still be available for the services at school. This is different from an IEP meeting. Our IEP meeting with his teachers, therapists etc is coming up in 2 weeks. Today it was just with the social worker to discus all aspects of Jorge’s life from birth until now and focusing on his diagnosis of Autism. It was also a family history for me and my husband. The two of us were at the meeting.It went really well. I enjoy having the opportunity to speak about our son – his achievements and progressions but more so what it took to get to where he is today. It is about the journey. I am fascinated with my son’s journey, essentially it is our family’s journey but he owns it. We are all in this together. The time flew by while we were at the school. It was enjoyable. We are very happy and blessed that our son is in a great school that provides services that benefit him. This is what happened because we did not give up. We did not settle on his education. We kept pushing and going forward, stopping at nothing to ensure our son would thrive instead of dive. We took matters into our own hands and were lead by faith. It paid off as it always does. It inspires me to help other families and give them hope; to let them know that autism is not a life sentence. I want to reach out to parents with children on the spectrum, to share stories, give advice and to lend a hand on an ongoing journey. As much as I love writing about my son’s journey, I have the passion to instill peace and hope into others that may be all new to this autism thing among others who may have lost hope along the way. never, ever give up. Always give everything, but up.

As you are here for me, I am here for you.

UBUNTU

Dany Loor BSCS, M.Ed.

Never stop learning:Never stop teaching. That is my motto.

Look at This!!! (*Prequel to previous post)

Autism – A Super Ability

http://loorducation.wordpress.com/category/jorge-juan/

Jorge Loves to read. At only five years old, he is reading well beyond his years. He just found out that I am writing some blog posts about him. I told him and he was so excited. He says that he is on the internet now.It is really special for him. If you would like to send a note, card or letter to Jorge, it would be greatly appreciated. He is able to read it all by himself. Anyone that would like to send something for Jorge to read can contact me through here orhttp://www.facebook.com/loorducation or danielle@garagepcs.com and I will give you the address. It is exciting to think of how excited he would be to get something in the mail. Whatever he receives, we will take a picture and post it. Of course we will be sending shout outs Thank You’s!!!

Gimme a Kiss...

My Boy: Part 66

Posted on May 20, 2014 by danyloor

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We had to talk to Jorge Juan again about kissing girls at school. His teacher sent another note home about him chasing girls at recess. He was said to be running after them trying to get some kisses. He was in timeout but once that was over he would go back and do it all over again. he told us the girls asked him to marry them so he said yes and when he wanted a kiss, they ran from him. Second time this year this has happened. We talked to him. He understands. He is a lovable, affectionate child. We had to be careful with our words as we did not want to discourage him being able to express himself and show care towards others especially since he is sensitive and takes things literally. And so “they” say children with autism lack empathy and so on. I say BLAH BLAH BLAH. One does not know autism unless and until you live with it everyday. 

He said I am his best mommy in the world. He writes love notes to me and my husband. He is sweet and thoughtful. He is kind and generous. He is on the spectrum, that is his autism. Unique, but still part of the puzzle. He has been busy planting seeds, taking care of his pets, reading and homework. Lately he has been putting his small toys into plastic baggies. He has put them in socks and other places before. I find little things hidden in strange places but i see ore often now little plastic figures in Ziploc bags, zippered pouches etc. He likes to carry his stuff sometimes in a plastic shopping bag, collecting items along the way.Lining things up. Very eclectic. The obsessions vary from time to time. He woke up this morning and I found him on his bedroom floor reading Transformers. then he became fixated and wanted to have his transformer toy and searched for it in his room emptying his toy box and probably moving his bed , again. Yes he does that. He has a million and went seven toys but when a specific “thing” enters his mind, there is no stopping him.

As written on www.loorducation.wordpress.com

For more about Jorge Juan, go check it out!!!

Thank you

Dany

Awww...right?

I picked Jorge Juan up early from school yesterday because he was not feeling well. He ended up having a fever, therefore staying home from school today. Despite being sick, Jorge Juan was very pleasant and in a great mood, as usual or even more so. I was very impressed with that behavior.

It was report card conference yesterday so my husband went to the school while I stayed home. He has improved in school and is doing very well.. He is reaching goals and achieving many great things. His report card was very good and his effort marks have improved as well. The one thing that the teacher told my husband was that Jorge Juan throws himself on the floor almost every morning when the principal goes into the classroom to say hello and greet the kids. Yes, he throws himself on the floor and spreads out his arms and legs. Well, we asked Jorge about this yesterday and he told us he used to do that only because he was little but he will not do that anymore because he is a big boy now. OK, we will take that. At home he really doe snot throw himself on the floor but once in a while at karate he will throw himself on the floor after he kicks really hard: he thinks it is funny I guess. But we all tell him not to do that. Also he has been sucking his thumb and putting his fingers in his mouth lately. A lot. In karate an d at home and yes, they told my husband that it happens in school too. We gotta figure out some kind of way to get him to stop. I am thinking it is  a learned behavior from a peer but Jorge Jorge said no one in his class does that, but you never know.

So, he is feeling better today. Still warm but way better than last night. He kept asking if his friends would miss him and he kept saying that he was sick. When he was praying before sleep he just asked God to make him feel better..(insert AWWW, right? I know : )

So today, he has been chilling, reading his books, playing a bit but mostly taking it slow and staying clear of the TV.

A, B, See..what I'm saying

So, on August 9, 2011, we take my son to the doctor for his 3 year annual visit. I already had my questions in mind for the doctor. I was there with a diagnosis and did not actually want her to confirm it, but I just knew. I mean he was showing all the signs and symptoms of Autism and I was advancing more in my Teaching the Exceptional Child class – it was all right there in front of me. The stimming, flapping, running, not hearing, not talking. He was still in diapers at the time and was in diapers /pull ups until he was 4.5 years old.

Okay, so we enter the office and you know the doctor asks how your child has been in the last year. And there I go, “Dr. Small, my son has autism, I mean I think,  you know, this is what he does and this is what is happening…..”

As she takes out that white note pad, she is jotting down something as I am telling her all of the ASD signs…so then she hands me the note and it says Autism Spectrum Disorder- pending other evaluations such as audiologist, neurologist etc. She told me and was just nodding her head as I was telling her that I think my son is deaf and so on…

Clarification but still at that moment my heart was broken for my son and I went home to call my husband..and he came home from work. I cried for a day but we searched and kept moving forward looking for answers.

Okay so he has a speech delay and the audiologist says he was not hearing at the right decibels but he was not deaf but only hearing 20 percent..I do not exactly remember but anyway as a baby he had many ear infections. So after that we took him to an ENT maybe about a week later, he had water in his ears and was not hearing well and that is part of the reason he was not speaking- part..you see as he was showing all signs of ASD.

It was going on the end of August and my son was about to start his first year of pre kindergarten..I was worried because he could not talk. He could not tell you his name but we kept our faith as early childhood education is vital. Also his primary doctor said because of his diagnosis he would be eligible for therapies provided by the Board of Education. Okay so that is great.

We moved fast, we took him to a neurologist, and after intense screening, this doctor said he has Autism Spectrum Disorder and is in the middle range of the scale. At that time my son could not stack blocks or follow the directions from the doctor…

The neurologist was saying that maybe he could be having seizures because the way that my son would stop things and intensely focus for about 20 to 30 seconds at a time and also because of the movements he would make due to excitement etc. So from there we were sent to have EKG and MRI done…all of this within a few weeks before he was about to enter school. Exciting, school- pre K- I love it!!! And going through of all of this deepened my passion as I just knew that education is my field.

No one was going to stop us. Our son needs advocates. If he could not talk at the time, we indeed are going to be his voice.So what are we to do with all of this???

(stay tuned for part 3)

Comments and Questions are always welcome ; )

Thank you!!!

Dany,

B.S. Child Studies

M.Ed