My Boy: Part 58

I always say my son or when it is "needed" I say my son has autism or is autistic. Many times I do not have to or need to and just at sometimes I feel the need to specify that my son is indeed on the spectrum. I am very thankful that he is high functioning but when I use the term autism I do not have the need or desire to specify that he is high functioning. I just thank God everyday that Jorge Juan has made so many advances as well he continues to strive and shows progress in many areas. Other than being on the spectrum, he is a "typical" five year old. He loves to play in the dirt, ride his bike, watch cartoons, go to the park and do many things as any child would do. Sometimes, he just does it in a special way, in his own way. That is OK by me. I believe in him. I believe in his abilities in which no label will ever stop him from achieving his dreams and goals. I am proud that he is on the spectrum and proud that he advanced along the spectrum considering when he was initially diagnosed - he did not speak, and was "somewhere towards the middle or beyond" on the scale. He surprised the exact neurologist that defined him at three years old. Last year, he stated Jorge Juan was not showing many symptoms at all of autism and if he did not know any better he would say no to autism. Where did it go? Where did the autism go? Does not matter because my son is happy and healthy and I thank God all the time that we never subjected to medicating him by any means (as once suggested by the neuro due to a melt down in his office). So here I am with a  5 year old Kindergarten boy who loves taking the bus to school and making new friends, a boy who loves to eat snacks and do projects, a boy who shows an appreciation and love for learning and oh yeah, he happens to have autism. No need to specify that he is HF, none at all. Parents of typical children do not state that their children are typical or low functioning typical or whatever- too many labels.

My Boy: Part 50

Wow!! 50, I can not believe it. I never would have thought to be sharing Jorge Juan's journey in so many parts. I never thought I would have a blog in the first place either. It is amazing for all of the support. Thank you for reading. It really means a lot.

Jorge Juan was so tired this morning and he did not want to go to school. We woke up 20 minutes late but got ready in time for the school bus to pick hi up. All the while he was saying he wanted to sleep and rest. Usually he is sleeping by 8:30 but he stayed up later than that last night. there was supposed to be a huge snow storm, so I thought no school and he could stay up later to pig out on some frozen pops we made at home (shared on www.facebook.com/loorducation) as well as popcorn all while watching The Lion King. Although he fell asleep halfway into the movie, he was sleepy and needed more rest in the morning. He had a long day yesterday playing, moving and shaking the whole day through while having fun. He did not want to go to school but I can say that I am blessed because he is a morning person after all and did not give too much trouble at all getting ready. He cheerfully greeted his bus driver and was excited that the bis monitor was finally back from maternity leave.He got to wear red and white today to honor Dr. Seuss and is excited for tomorrow which is crazy hat day.

He did his homework very well today. I can see that his fine motor skills have developed a lot. His coloring is getting so much better along with his writing. He is doing it with ease now as before it would be frustrating for him. He is showing great interest in homework. He loves to read his take home book and impressed me today after he completed a book. He was able to retell the whole story to me, in his own words using great details. He is enjoying making up his own sentences as he practices his letter board words. This makes me very happy and proud. I love that he is developing such a great love for learning. His vocabulary is expanding and when he speaks, he uses such descriptive language that leaves me in awe. He is a great kid. He loves life so much. We can learn a lot from him. He gives some lessons that are harder than any EDU class. Every step is worth it. With love, hope, dedication and faith, my child is progressing and so can yours. Never, ever give up. Give anything, but up!! You can do it, look at Jorge Juan, he is doing it. Greater days are coming. Thank God for today.

Autism is a journey and not a life sentence. Many, many days I "forget" that Jorge Juan has autism. I see him stim, I smile. the day goes on.

My Boy: Part 44

Jorge is at Occupational Therapy today. I decided to take him back because he still foes not have a dominant hand. He uses both. He's comfortable with both but it seems as though he has more control with his left hand. His writing is neater. So I thought he would benefit from the one on one help from his therapist. He enjoys it and it gets him out of the house to play and socialize with other children while we are waiting.He has been reading and writing and really enjoying cutting too. His grips have gotten so good.






He likes to do arts and crafts. He's super excited about the Martin Luther King Jr. Project that we are going to create for school. He'll get to use glue, stickers and more art supplies to make it unique. He looks forward to creating which makes me proud. We always have arts and crafts on hand.






Who is this child that doctors diagnosed with autism? The signs are just diminishing and barely viable at times. He has come a long way. It wasn't always like this. Do not ever lose hope. Ever. I'll never give up on Jorge Juan
He amazes us everyday. He has been taking Omega 3 chewables and recently just starting taking liquid fish oil. This stuff really is beneficial.it works. Once he's been taking it long enough I will share mate results. Thanks for reading.






Teach your child to never say "I can't"...encourage them to always try and never give up.

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.
Join us on Facebook- www.facebook.com/loorducation
Come say hello!!! Lots of awesome things going on. Share with me. What would you like to see next?