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It IS True...

JJ, You are Wanted

March 17, 2015

A healthy child is a happy child and a happy child feels well and a child who feels well will always learn well.
I am so blessed that my son is happy and healthy. He has a lot of energy and is very creative. He loves to learn. He loves to write and read and definitely loves to try new things. I am very proud of him. He amazes me all the time.
He is cherished. He is wanted.
He motivates me to do more and to be more. He is our rock. He teaches us so much. This boy really has a wonderful soul and a heart of gold. I look forward to spending time with him. I often think of activities that we can do together and places that we can explore together. There is no other way I would rather spend my weekends and everyday than with my family. My rock, my inspiration and everything!!!
I want him to have the best childhood he can ever experience. I wish for him to have the fondest memories and to feel the love that both my husband and i have for him. That is so very important. I want him to know and understand that he is our gift. He is wanted. He means so much to us.
He is wanted.
It is awesome now how he is into Loorducation. He knows when I am taking a picture of him and asks questions about what I ma going to say  about the picture and where am I going to put it up. He gives feedback and shares his ideas. that is important. It is vital that his voice is heard and I am so thrilled that he enjoys sharing and expressing himself. We are forever grateful. FOREVER.
He is wanted.
He asks thousands of questions. Repeats hundreds of things. Obsesses over “little” things.
He is wanted.

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???

Comments and Questions are always welcome ; )

Thank you!!!

Dany,

If You're Flappy and You Know it....

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.
Flapping. Stimming. Buzzing, what have you - does not matter.
What really matters, what truly matters, what IS important is that he is healthy. He can see, walk, move, play, learn and is CAPABLE of becoming more awesome each and every day!!!

Now, would you know if you saw him?

loorducation

Making. Learning. Fun
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Take A Look or 2 or 1,999,999

Come and Visit

Posted on September 18, 2014

Hi everyone, I am inviting you to stop by and visit Loorducation on the interwebs. There are new things out there and lots more new and great things to come. It is very exciting as Loorducation is on its way to expansion. It is thanks to everyone that supports, comments, likes, reads and shares. It really means a lot. I want to put good out there. I want to inspire, educate and share. There is a lot to offer. I hope you all join me and continue with me on this wonderful educational journey. I would greatly appreciate if you share. Let me know if you do, and where so I could send you a shout out. Be on the look out for great things such as activities, projects and so much more. Let’s get creative!!

Peace, Love, and Education,
Dany Loor – M.Ed., BSCS

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AWWWWtism

My Boy: Part 88

Posted on September 19, 2014 by danyloor

First grade has been going really well. We are blessed that Jorge Juan loves going to school. This school year he is becoming more open and sharing with us what he does at school. He likes to state things in order such as first, second, third and next. He loves bringing his own lunch bag and so far this year has not tried to sneak any toys in his book bag. He has been handling his homework time very well and is learning to cooperate and handle himself in a better manner.
I have not seen him flap his hands in a while now, come to think of it. He still has his little quirks but the flapping has greatly decreased. When he was non verbal, the stimming was out of control. Humming, flapping, you name it- it was there. He is good. He is healthy. That is what matters. Autism, well it is just the icing on the cake and sometimes the cake may have too much icing. Sweetness overload? Or, something like that..
He is making strides, everyday. It is all the little things that count. It is about the journey because once we reach our destination, we must create another destination. The journey is what lasts. Making it valuable and worth while.
I work with Jorge Juan everyday. Projects, activities, day trips..It is all therapy. It is all good. Come share in our experiences over at
http://www.facebook.com/loorducation
We create, learn, play and more. Stop on by!!

Constructive Kinder

That flew by. I have completed my Masters in Education Course.
As my final thesis/Capstone Project, I have created a website to show my work. I have developed curriculum for early math and one for early literacy, for Pre K and / or Kindergarten. I have put them up on my site. I put a lot of time into my project but it was all done for the love of education and with a deep passion.Besides this website and curricula that I have developed, I also had to write a report on the process, only about 25 pages : ) As well each curriculum was between 11-13 pages. Yes, I put much effort and time into this. I wanted to feel like I have truly earned my Masters in Education Degree.Put Love in, get love out.
Enjoy!!!
My website is
http://www.constructivekinder.weebly.com
I hope you check it out. Please let me know what you think. There is a contact form on my site. i look forward to hearing from you and I am very excited to showcase my work. All photos are original and owned/edited by me. I take pride in what I do.

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My Boy: Part 82

Field Day happened on Sunday. He really enjoyed it. JJ got to be with all of his karate friends. It was a blast despite a few mini meltdowns of wanting to go in a bouncy house and play games as well as waiting in line for registration. It was sunny and hot so the behavior was more understandable today. That day JJ ate a hamburger and a hotdog. I was so surprised because he has never eaten a hamburger from a cook out before. Ya know, it is the little things. Yeah and it was with organic ketchup. : )

We are working on going all organic for JJ. We have been seeing a difference especially when he takes his omega 3 supplements, multi - vitamins and his fish oil liquid. Going organic costs a lot more than traditional foods but it is so worth it especially when consuming organics helps calm and soothe the symptoms of ASD such as hand flapping and verbal stimming.

JJ participated in a few games and had fun throughout the time we were there playing with other children. It was great because he needed the social interactions with others as he has not been in school, Yes, he misses it. He has been telling me that lately. That is a great sign. I am proud of him. As a desire of mine is to have my son to love learning and embrace it.

What?!?

My Boy: Part Sixty9

Posted on June 18, 2014 by danyloor

Standard

Time has been flying by. The school year is almost at an end. Jorge Juan has been super busy. So busy that it i shard to catch up with him. He has been reading up a storm and asking a bazillion questions, like really can not even keep count. Like asking questions as soon as he opens his eyes in the morning. That is a great thing, right? We have waited a long time to hear him speak. His questions are detailed and specific, mostly about animals. Yes, animals- his obsession. he LOVES all animals, all insects and things like that. Oh yes and Lizards must be called by their specific names. I can never call a chameleon a bearded dragon or iguana. Every animal has it’s name. That IS that!!! I love it but I do have to admit at times, it gets really exhausting. There is  a lot of repetition. A lot. What do animals eat? Where do they live? Does it lay eggs? Where do they come from? So on and so forth…

We had his PPT meeting last week. He is doing great. On his way and ready for the first grade. Busy..busy. Today we went on a field trip to the zoo. he loved it of course, there were ANIMALS there!!! Woohoo, except, at the end, he did NOT want to leave. He had a mini meltdown but his teacher was able to calm him down once we walked back to the bus. I held it together. I dropped him back off at school and enjoyed the 2 plus hours that were left for him to be at school. Counting down to the last day at school. For the month of July, Jorge Juan will be attending school. It is a special program for children with autism. 

Next year, Jorge will have the same ASD teacher and aides and have a general education first grade teacher as well. He really enjoys taking the school bus and riding with his friends. We believe this really helped him greatly with his social skills and being comfortable around people too. Knowing Jorge, he probably has a million ideas in his head of what he would like to do in the summer. I know a lot will have to do with animals, too. The key is to keep him engaged and focused, learning and having fun all rolled into one. Being on the spectrum must be one interesting ride.

My Boy: Part Sixty9

Time has been flying by. The school year is almost at an end. Jorge Juan has been super busy. So busy that it i shard to catch up with him. He has been reading up a storm and asking a bazillion questions, like really can not even keep count. Like asking questions as soon as he opens his eyes in the morning. That is a great thing, right? We have waited a long time to hear him speak. His questions are detailed and specific, mostly about animals. Yes, animals- his obsession. he LOVES all animals, all insects and things like that. Oh yes and Lizards must be called by their specific names. I can never call a chameleon a bearded dragon or iguana. Every animal has it's name. That IS that!!! I love it but I do have to admit at times, it gets really exhausting. There is  a lot of repetition. A lot. What do animals eat? Where do they live? Does it lay eggs? Where do they come from? So on and so forth...

We had his PPT meeting last week. He is doing great. On his way and ready for the first grade. Busy..busy. Today we went on a field trip to the zoo. he loved it of course, there were ANIMALS there!!! Woohoo, except, at the end, he did NOT want to leave. He had a mini meltdown but his teacher was able to calm him down once we walked back to the bus. I held it together. I dropped him back off at school and enjoyed the 2 plus hours that were left for him to be at school. Counting down to the last day at school. For the month of July, Jorge Juan will be attending school. It is a special program for children with autism. 

Next year, Jorge will have the same ASD teacher and aides and have a general education first grade teacher as well. He really enjoys taking the school bus and riding with his friends. We believe this really helped him greatly with his social skills and being comfortable around people too. Knowing Jorge, he probably has a million ideas in his head of what he would like to do in the summer. I know a lot will have to do with animals, too. The key is to keep him engaged and focused, learning and having fun all rolled into one. Being on the spectrum must be one interesting ride.

 

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My Boy: Part 68

Long weekend for Jorge Juan, I repeat, long weekend for Jorge Juan. In all ways, it sure was a long weekend for my boy from having Friday and Monday off from school for a total of a four day weekend...he was a little off of schedule. Today he woke up for school just a little crabby but yesterday he had a huge meltdown. He could not wait at all for anything and did not have any patience. He was overly sensitized. He was grumpy. When I looked at him, he was not "here" with me but in his own world. It was super hard but I tried to comprehend. I had to ignore him yelling and screaming. I told him to wait while I finish eating to take him outside. He was in pure meltdown mode. I eventually took him in the bathroom and wet his face with cold water and told him to take deep breaths. It was way much. He was red from sweating and screaming. He calmed down just a bit but I was not caving in. I saw in his eyes he was hurting but I did not know how or what would really help him. I finished eating then took him outside. I really wanted to send him to his room but it was so hot and by that time I wanted fresh air myself. Once he got outside he was running and feeling better but I told him that I would not be playing with him at that point. Later on he gotten better. He was feeling okay. The running in the fresh air soothed him a bit. We had watermelon and his smile was back. At dinner time earlier, he was being Mr. Crabs also. After playing in the sun, I gave him a nice bath. He fell asleep shortly after only to come running to our room about 2 am because he said he did not want to be alone. At that time I caved in because he hugged us very tight and said he loves us. Earlier Saturday, at Grandma's house, he had a meltdown over a ball of yarn. He wanted it as if it was the best toy ever. He became attached. For some odd reason that I am unsure of. Anyhow when we got home, i threw the yarn away. He cried for a bit because he wanted it so much. It was in the trash and that is the premise of how he got to go outside. Actually , he there it in the trash, unwillingly but his desire to go outside was greater. Sunday, we stayed home all day. He was OK. a little crabby here and there. On Saturday, we had a community day at karate school. He was a little off at first. Getting impatient waiting in line to get his face painted. He started licking, spitting etc. I kept my cool. After a while he was OK and was able to enjoy the rest of the carnival day which was good. At first a lot of playing with saliva, it was annoying. This behavior is gross and i am not sure where it came from or how it developed but I did not want to leave and take him home. He needed to be around other kids and enjoy himself despite being grumpy. Going back to Friday, a day off from school, from what I can remember, Jorge Juan had a swell day. Nothing major to report. Nothing unusual of the day from the perspective of a child on the spectrum. Wooo. I am glad that he is back in school. I need the breather but as well he needs to be in his school environment where he must adhere to rules and be on his schedule.

 

Oh yeah, there was flapping too. As he told my husband and me, the other night, that he can not stop his flapping and he really does not know when he is doing it. He just does it because he is excited. I did get teary eyed when he told us. It was so sincere. At that time I just wanted to put him in a bubble to protect him from the world.

Hey YOU..read this, k? Thank you!!!

An Autism Journey…

Posted on May 20, 2014 by danyloor

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Hello everyone!!! I have been writing about my son and his autism journey from last September. My blog posts have sparked a fire in my heart to write a book on it all- from the very beginning until now. I would love to get it published. I would love to share our story in hopes to inspire others as well as educate.I want to let others out there know that autism in not a life sentence or a disability. I want to let others know that there is hope. Autism is a spectrum and no two on it are the same. I want to let others know to believe and keep the faith when things are tough. I want to let others know that our children need us and we must be their biggest fan, supporter and advocate. I am gathering information, researching and beginning to take off with this plan. Let me know if I have your support. It is very much needed and appreciated. Thank you all for reading. I appreciate comments/suggestions.

Dany Loor BSCS, M.Ed

Oldie but Goodie...

Loorducation for ECE

RATIONALE

Loorducation – Quality Education for a Quantity of young minds.
The fundamental reason for setting up an early childhood education program like Loorducation is to nourish the minds, bodies and souls of our children and teach them essential lessons that will last a lifetime.
This program is necessary and beneficial to children and their families as well.
I feel that our program is necessary for young children because we teach values, morals, empathy, and compassion – all along with the basics of early childhood education programs like arts and crafts. We teach the children love, kindness and respect for all life. Having this as a foundation will give children high self esteem and nurture their learning.
While children are learning about math or reading they are learning about themselves and the world around them at the same time. We believe this fosters many great qualities that enhance learning. Children not only learn about respect but are given respect and are made known that their feelings count.
Teaching children in this manner will benefit their parents and families. Not only will they feel proud that they are in a nice learning environment but that they are building great character that will make them a successful individual in life. Families benefit from knowing that their children are well guided and taken care of. Children often go home eagerly to share the events of the day with their families.
The theorists that guided my decisions about the program are Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori, and B.F. Skinner.
I chose Froebel because he created kindergarten. He promoted play as the way children learn. He developed materials called “gifts for play” and also activities to promote learning. – (Introduction to Early Childhood Education, Eva L. Essa)
I chose Maria Montessori because in her programs children are made to feel important. The environment is child sized; with things in reach for the child.
I chose B.F. Skinner because he believed that the environment is important and it shapes all aspects of a child’s behavior. He also believed in positive reinforcement.-

Written during the beginning of my B.S. program

Dany Loor BSCS, M.Ed

First Day Here

Hello everyone. This is my first day on this site. I have been blogging at www.loorducation.wordpress.com for about a year. Check it out. I will be sharing the content from my original blog once I get everything all set up. Please stay tuned. Many great things to come. I hope to see all of my great followers on this site as well.

xxoo
Dany
Loorducation

My Boy: Part 57

Jorge Juan usually takes the bus to school. It never showed up today. His regular driver had the day off so I am guessing the sub got lost because at 8:10, the bus still was MIA. So, I called the bus company and they asked for my son's name, I told them and their response was Special Ed? I was taken back a little but I replied with a yes. I was calling them to cancel because I did not want my son to be picked up by a stranger. Anyways, getting back to the special ed part..I do not like the way that sounds at all. I never really have. It just does not fit well with me but I guess they still use that term. As for me, I prefer specialized instruction. That is what it is. He is receiving an education with specialized instruction. Yes, indeed my child is special in every positive way but that term special ed irks me and I realized how much it does today when the guy said "special ed" after I told him my son's name. He has an IEP. He is an intelligent 5 year old who is eager to learn with the rest of his peers. I felt as though he was just labeled as that. He is not "that". He is a boy who loves to read. He loves to dance, sing and play. He is a boy who has autism. Autism does not have my boy. He is a child first, being on the spectrum is last. He is a boy with autism and I want all to know that it is not the other way around. There is no autism with the boy because autism cannot survive without him.

I want people to see past the autism because that is when you truly will see an amazing child with so much to offer this world. It is more than awareness, it is acceptance. After all, my son does not like labels of any kind. I rip them off of his clothes and toys and I will continue to rip them off of him when people try to put one on him.

My Boy: Part 48

Jorge Juan had a blast at school with his belated Valentine's Day party. He came home with a homemade bag filled with cards and candies. It was really cute. The other night, out of the blue, he wakes up and starts crying that he wants his bag. He has not done this type of thing for a very long time. He use to wake up and cry for a specific toy if he could not find it in his bed. He used to fall asleep with small toys in his hands every night. The good thing is that he did not cry  long and I told him that he can have his bag the next day. This was easy. I remember the nights where he would just not settle for anything, any toy would not do. It had to be the exact one or nothing. He has really come a long way from that.

He has been enjoying his homework and really working hard on projects and staying focused and busy. He is always on the go and eager to learn new things. He asks hundreds of questions each day. He wants to know each detail and specifically step by step. I would not have it any other way. Thank God that he is able to speak and vocalize his needs.

I am very happy with his progress. He is blooming. I am always thinking of different activities and hands on lessons for him to do. He loves tinkering with tape, glue, scissors, paper, clips and all that good stuff. Luckily, I do too and we have all the school, arts and crafts supplies that can entertain us for a very long time.

It is all about play based learning. Hands on learning, involving all the senses is imperative. I truly believe in a constructivist philosophy of education. By the way, that is what I am working on for my Capstone Project to obtain my Masters of Education degree.

Back to Jorge Juan..He is a little five year old boy who loves to play and adores other o children. He loves to read and enjoy all activities that any other child would and does. He does not know he is different but he knows that autism is his super power.

 

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.