warning! shameless parental bragging ahead...
You can't say you weren't warned.
Over Christmas and for the next couple of weeks, I am temporarily cooking for an elderly client that another chef friend of ours usually cooks for. He is away with the rest of her more able bodied family until the middle of January. Anyway, she is quite old and has had a stroke and has a swallowing disorder. She lives in an assisted living community (the fanciest one I have ever laid eyes on, BTW) with two nurses and a personal assistant. I deliver meals for all of them every other day. Obviously, this means that the girls are often with me when I make the deliveries.
The architecture of the building is Italian Mediterranean. It has a cobblestone and brick circular drive area for temporary parking. The first time I brought the girls with me, when we got out of the van, Abby looked down at the drive and said, "This is like in Rome." I had not paid any particular attention to the drive before that, but when I looked down I had to agree.
She went on, "Rome made this kind of streets so the rain would not wash them away. They were the first civilization to do it. It made them great."
First off, hearing your six year old who had no significant speech until she was three say all that was stunning and secondly, since she has a pronounced lisp, hearing her say the word "civilization" was about the cutest thing ever.
Then we entered the building. We had gone over numerous times what I expected of them behaviorally while we were there. I signed in at the concierge desk (where both girls greeted the attendant with, "Bon Jour!") and we began walking towards this woman's suite.
Along the way, Emma Jean pointed out a framed, architectural drawing/watercolor and accurately identified it as the Pantheon. Then we came to another similar work so I pointed to it and asked them if they knew what the drawing was of and Abby answered, "An archway." Which made me laugh because my little Literal Lucy was identifying exactly what I was pointing to, but I was referring to the subject as a whole. After we cleared that up, they both accurately identified the structure as The Coliseum and then went on to tell me about the gladiators and the Christians that fought there.
I was stunned and delighted beyond measure.
Can you believe it?
Dr. Monteiro, the DISD autism "expert," can stick her prognosis of "life skills at best" in her aquaduct and sit on it.
Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."
Joshua 3:5
posted by supposedly susan at 10:45 AM
3 Comments:
Hello, I found your blog through the Twins message board. I'm expecting twins in early July and, after reading your link to possible side-affects of USWs, wanted to learn more about your specific situation. You have inspired me, through said link, to push for less ultrasounds.
I've been perusing your posts and came across the one from Autism Awareness month. This post left me a bit confused. "A bit" is a bit of an understatement. I'm not sure that I understand completely, and therein lies my question. I'm assuming from what I've read here and the links on the sidebar that your beautiful daughters have Aspergers Syndrome- a form of high-functioning Autism, as I understand it. I have a very close friend whose son is Autistic, or more acurately, he has themersorol poisoning(sp?). She has been a huge advocate for him since his diagnosis and, I believe as a result, he has far surpassed any of his evaluators' expectations. He is now "mainstreamed" in a public school.
I still remember vividly her descriptions of the other autistic children at DAP (Delaware Autistic Program) where he went. Many of these children spent their days rocking, stemming, biting themselves and having uncontrollable fits should anyone touch them. I can fully understand why a mother, who couldn't hug her child and had to watch what could only be described as suffering as these children are very bright but seemingly trapped inside their own heads, would want to find a cure for this. I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't. Please understand, I mean no offense. I'm just looking to better understand this mindset. Have you seen children with autism such as I've mentioned. From what I've read, your children are high functioning. Are you basing this viewpoint of the lack of a need for a cure solely on your experiences with them? Or perhaps I'm not correctly understanding what your advocating? Is that it? I completely understand and 100% agree with the lack of a need for prenatal screening for autism. I am 100% pro-life, and I agree that these tests could and would just increase abortions. No one thinks they could handle a child with special needs until they have one and find out first hand just how abundant the Lord's strength is. Are you just against the prenatal screening? Or are you actually against a cure?
Again, no offense intended, just seeking to better understand.
I am not offended. That is not easy to do. :)
Thank you for your interest in my blog, our girls, autism in general.
I am not against anything that helps our children lead their very best lives possible. I struggle with the language "cure."
Before they got to where they are now (Abby especially, as her original dx was moderate-severe autism), I certainly wanted the autism that had them in its grip GONE. Her animosity towards being touched, the self injury, the screaming? I absolutely wanted that cured. By HIS mercy, we have left much of that behind and when it does resurface, though the battles are fierce, they are shorter lived. At this point it would be devestating to separate the autism from my girls. I am not sure who I would be left with. Its ghostly vapors are a part of who they are. They definately bear a mark that distinguishes them from their peers, but their remarkable way of looking at the world around them is special and I can't imagine them without that.
I don't know if I am drawing a clear distinction at all, but it is all I have in the way of an explanation today.
In HIM,
Susan
Hi Susan and Tracy. Semantics always muddles things don't they? The Autism Spectrum is complex and debated daily by those who should know better, us parents and professionals. It's confusing for everyone.
Most parents are mostly after what Susan describes, easing the disabling aspects that ASD can bring which is so different for every child on the spectrum out there (which is why it's called a spectrum).
What's left is your unique child that is wired differently. Acceptance varies for each parent.
Autismland isn't easy for any family, no matter where their child is on the spectrum.
Tracy, good for you for "putting yourself out there", and finding out about this disorder.
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