Week 114

Ryan is now a first grader!  On his last day of school we took him out for a special dinner and dessert to celebrate.  Not only did he have 100% attendance, but his 4th quarter report card was the best he's had so far!  He came home with his notebooks of work he did throughout the year.  I was happy to see how many times he drew pictures of, and wrote about our cat Helen.  I miss her so much and sometimes catch myself thinking that any moment she is going to jump on my lap.

During the week the school mailed Ryan a Perfect Attendance certificate.

Although it took Ryan some time in the beginning of the year to get into the swing of things, overall he made some great improvements with his writing, reading, and math (especially math which seems to be his top strength!)  Hmm....do you think with two math teachers as parents that he was destined to be a strong math student???

Here is one of the projects that Ryan came home with on his last day of school.  It says:

My name is Ryan and I look just like my mommy.  I am now finishing kindergarten and boy, am I good at math.  Do you know my parents are teachers?  I may do that when I grow up, but I really want to be a police officer.  I can't wait to eat lunch in 1st grade, but nothing will be as good as dad's chicken.  When I am in high school I am going to be great at reading, just like my mommy.  I am going to study hard and make everyone proud!  But for now I am going to enjoy vacation with my family, it's my favorite thing to do!

One of my students gave me a special gift this week.  It is a bracelet that was made by someone with autism and it is called the Lucas Works Autism Awareness Bracelet.  It has silver and pewter charms on it, and features beads of glass, moonstone, hematite and gold.  The charms stand for different things and it came with an explanation card describing what each part of the bracelet means to help spread awareness.

Children with autism (puzzle piece charm) are found all over the world (blue bead).  Here are some of the keys (key charm) to helping them:  Autistic children thrive on a schedule to keep their world ordered (1,2,3 charm) and calm (clear bead).  Visual cues (easel with picture on it) help them to navigate the waters of life (aqua bead) and the helping hands and loving hearts (hand charm with heart shape in center) of special teachers and therapists can mean the difference between night (black bead) and day (white bead) to them, along with a good (gold bead) school program (school bus charm).  And like all children, they need lots and lots of love! (double heart charm).

Here is a picture of the bracelet.  It is one of the most special gifts I've ever received and to receive it from one of my students was a truly touching moment.

Ryan attended his sister's dance recital this weekend.  Last year he barely made it five minutes before we gave in and let him play games on the Ipad because he was so bored and disruptive.  This year he played a game during intermission only; during the rest of the recital he sat and watched.  He was bored at times, but he made it through the whole thing!

Julia is tall for her age (almost 5), so this picture shows you how tall Ryan is compared to other 5/6 year old children.  It is difficult to believe that they are only 1 year apart. 

DC

Week 87- Post #150!

It has been such a crazy time for us these past few weeks that we did not get a chance to post last week.  Julia performed in her dance studio's Nutcracker and that has been the focus for the past few weeks.  We took Ryan to see the ballet today and he did really well.  It was over 2 hours and while he did get a little fussy towards the end he sat through the entire performance.  He was also excited to see his teacher from last year, Ms. Sue.  He had such a huge smile on his face as he ran over to her and gave her a big hug.  At the end of the performance, they had Santa Claus on stage and they invited the children in the audience to come on up.  Ryan told him that he was a good boy and that the he wanted a LEGO Pirate Ship.

We hope that everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season and we will see you in the New Year!

Ryan's Kindergarten Picture

Ryan with Ms. Sue

With Santa after the Nutcracker.

Julia after her performance as an Angel.  

PC

Week 75

Dr. Kolker

Ryan went for his checkup at the ENT.  Dr. Kolker said his ear is healing nicely.  Phil gave Julia his IPhone to keep her occupied during the appointment and here are some pictures she took of Ryan during his check up.

Ryan came home with a story he learned from school about a hen, a mouse, a cat, and a dog.  He colored the paper and cut them out and used the pieces to tell a story about a hen who plants seeds, grows wheat, and turns it into flour to make a cake.  The animals don't want to help the hen do any of the work but all want to participate in the eating of the cake.  Over the course of the week Ryan has proudly told us and others this story.  Each time it changes slightly in regards to the words he uses, but the gist of the story stays the same.  Here's the video on You Tube.





In last week's blog entry Phil talked about the visit to Dr. Cowan and how he showed that Ryan thinks in pictures.  We repeated this activity with my parents this weekend and this time got it on video. 



Ryan's behavior has been up and down this week.  We even got our first "bad" report from Kindergarten that Ryan was unwilling to do his work one morning.  It was the day after an evening soccer practice and Ryan had numerous mosquito bites on his face and he was itchy and fidgety.  However, that very same day when I went to pick up the kids from their afternoon school, his teacher there said Ryan did an excellent job in the writing center that afternoon. 

I think Ryan has been struggling trying to get back into the swing of a routine and he is so busy that he is tired.  I can certainly relate as this past week was a difficult one for me as well having a full week at school with lots going on.  And I don't think it is going to get any easier in October or November as we have numerous events going on each and every weekend.  I guess it is better to be busy than bored, but I don't think any of us would mind a little down time now and again!

And I'll end with what happened at bedtime last night.  Ryan says to me, "Mommy, I love you a lot."  Me: "How much is a lot?"  Ryan, opening his arms wide, "All the way to my back." 

DC

Week 73

First Day of Kindergarten

Well the wait is over.  Ryan has entered regular Kindergarten at our neighborhood elementary school.  His first day was an orientation day.  However, both Dawn and I had to work that day so Nonna and Grandma stepped in and took Ryan to his first day.  They found his classroom and took him in to settle where all of his school supplies are supposed to go and took his first bus ride.  The bus ride was a simulated ride around the parking lot.  They lined up liked it was dismissal and then exited like they were arriving.  There is a picture of Ryan getting off the bus and he loved the ride.  He met his teacher, Ms. Allen and said she was very nice.  One of the activities during the orientation day was to fill out a small questionnaire.  One of the questions was what he wanted to learn most in Kindergarten.  He answered that he wanted to learn how to write.  However, he does not want to practice this skill with us on the weekends or evenings.

After the orientation, Grandma wanted to take Ryan and Nonna out to lunch as a treat.  When they were waiting for their food Ryan pulled a fast-one on them.  He told them that he is allowed to have one small piece of bread with a little butter.  When they questioned him further he told them that "Daddy told me that I could have a small piece at lunch".  Since I was working they tried calling me but I could not answer.  By the time I got the message and called back he already had the bread and butter!  Both Nonna and Grandma believed him because according to them he sounded so convincing!

On the second day the bus picked him up from the his daycare and drove him to school.  He said that he loved the ride and that he sat by himself "like a big boy".  When we asked him about how the day went he told us that Ms. Allen talked a lot and that he really wanted to do things.  When we pressed him what she talked about, he replied "Be nice to everybody"!  So far we are off to a good start and we will keep you informed.

Here are a few pictures of the first day of school.

Ryan and Julia on the first day of school

Ryan and Grandma

Ryan off the bus

Ryan and Nonna making a bee bracelet with beads

Ryan meeting Ms. Allen

Ms. Allen showing Ryan the room

Ryan's first soccer game was supposed to be on Saturday.  However, with all of the rain this past week, the field was too wet to play.  All of the different age groups and players with their cleats would have torn the field apart.  Ryan was a little confused when I told him that the game was canceled.  He looked outside and told me"see it is not raining".  Next week there are no games because we will be marching in the community day parade.  Hopefully the club can reschedule this weekend's game.

In the August 29, 2011 issue of Time magazine there is an article by Judith Warner about Autism.  The title of the article is "Autism's Lone Wolf Simone Baron-Cohen wants to know, Are 'autistic' traits a predictable outcome of new marriage patterns?"  The author reports on Simone Baron-Cohen's research looking at how marriage patterns might have increased 'autistic' traits in children.  His research looks at the history of women entering technology fields and how humans select marriage partners.  One of his biggest studies looks at three different areas in Netherlands.  One of these areas is considered the Dutch Silicon Valley.  The research reported that in this area alone children diagnosed with autism was two to four times higher than the other two areas that had the same socioeconomic status but not based on the technology field.  The researches noted that while the study is significant they warn that who you marry is not an absolute predictor of autism in children.  They are just noting that this was an interesting find and that they are attempting to replicate this study on a larger scale.  We are both not sure that we agree with the majority of the article but it did raise an interesting notion about why autism rates have exploded over the last few years.

While the rest of world was focused on September 11, 2011 as the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, it was also Grandparents Day.  We met in Kingston, NY for lunch at the Olive Garden.  Ryan was a little upset that everyone was having bread sticks so we gave him a small piece and a few croutons.  He has developed a taste for croutons and we have to watch our salads as he finds it funny to steal one when we are not looking.  He had a good time and below is a picture of the lunch.   

Ryan and Julia with Nonna, Papa, and Grandma.  

PC

Week 58

Happy Memorial Day and Happy Birthday to Phil!

After a long day of playing outside in the warm weather, there aren't too many things that are better than eating watermelon!

Phil's birthday was on Friday and Ryan is excited that we will be celebrating it on Memorial Day with our families.  He's been talking about it all weekend and was happy to go buy a cake for daddy.  Our family chipped in to buy Phil a new barbecue grill for his birthday and Ryan was happy to help daddy put it together.  We used it this weekend to grill turkey burgers and we'll be grilling corn on the cob, chicken, steak, hot dogs, and zucchini on it for Phil's birthday celebration.

To follow up with last week's blog, we attended Ryan's CSE meeting on Tuesday.  First thing on Monday morning the school psychologist called me to smooth things over and try to reverse the damage that the speech therapist did on Friday.  So after a long phone conversation with the psychologist we felt much better going in to Tuesday morning's meeting.  Ryan will not be going to Fishkill Plains, but to Gayhead, as we had planned all along.  They do not have an Integrated Kindergarten class at Gayhead, so he will be in the regular education classroom, but he and another little boy will be sharing a Teaching Assistant.  This is a much better situation than him having the benefit of a Special Education teacher, but needing to share the teacher with up to 11 other special needs students.  With that kind of ratio, we felt Ryan would get lost in the crowd.  And it would be very difficult to anticipate situations that set Ryan off while trying to manage all of those children.  He is in a full day program now but Wappingers does not have full day kindergarten, only half day.  We're currently working on arrangements for the other half of Ryan's day. 

His speech services will end at the end of the school year, but there will be screenings done in the fall again.  He will continue with O/T but rather than twice a week like he gets now, it has been reduced to once every 6-day cycle.  His counseling will continue.  He is in a 5-1 group counseling now and he will get a 3-1 counseling session each 6-day cycle.  While we realize that the frequency of his services have decreased, that ultimately is the goal.  And if things are not going smoothly in the fall, then we can request another meeting to address issues, and we are dealing with the Committee on Special Education, not the Preschool Committee on Special Education anymore, which is chaired by a woman who is cut and dry and in our experience does not seem like she is there for the good of the child. 


On Memorial Day Ryan will attend his first soccer practice.  We signed him up for U6 soccer in the fall and they asked us if we would like him to join a team this spring that works with special needs children.  We thought it would be a great way to get Ryan to understand the rules of the game and play with other children before he plays on a team in the fall.  We bought him a soccer ball and shin guards and he practiced dribbling the ball around the outside of the house this weekend.  He did a few laps before becoming bored with it.  And he wasn't crazy about wearing the shin guards but I think he'll be more apt to participate in all aspects of the sport when there are other boys there doing the same thing.

Also coming up this week, Ryan has an appointment with Dr. Bock on Tuesday, and the walk is on Sunday.  It's still not too late to sign up to join our team!  The walk begins at 11 am and we're gathering at 10 am.  If you need details, please let us know, or visit our team page.  The Ryan Express

And I can't write this blog today without mentioning my cousin Cara Ann, who would have been celebrating her 25th birthday today.  She passed away 4 months before her 16th birthday, an amazing feat since her family was told she wouldn't see her 1st birthday.  She survived all of those years with a rare genetic disorder called Trisomy 13.  Her family, especially her mom (my godmother Aunt Lucy) gave her great care, showered her with love, and never gave up on her.

 

Love you, Cara Ann!

DC

Week 47

This was a tough week for us with everyone being sick. Ryan was still sick most of the week. We kept both Ryan and Julia home on Monday and tried to send them in on Tuesday.  Half way through the day their daycare called to tell us that Julia was now sick and Dawn went to bring her home.  When I went to pick up Ryan later that afternoon he was standing on one of the outside play ground pieces and asked me "if he could go home now".  Normally we have to drag him off the playground but he looked so sick just standing there we kept him home the next two days.  It was a total team effort between Nonna and Grandma coming down and watching both of them the rest of the week. On Friday Ryan was well enough to go to school but Julia was still sick and went up to Nonna and Papa's house. Everyone is starting to get better but it was a long illness! 

This week we were supposed to drive up to Dr. Bock on Tuesday. However, with everyone still being sick this was not a possibility. So we set up a phone appointment.  Dr. Bock was pleased with Ryan's progress and was glad that he did well on the trip to Pittsburgh and Florida. He is going to write us a letter in support of Ryan on the GF/CF diet so we can add it to his IEP at his annual review this May. He also put Ryan on a new supplement called Phosphatidylcholine concentrate.  This is to help with developing and repairing neurons in the brain and to help with the break down of fatty acids.  He is still unsure as to why Ryan's eczema comes back so he is going to send us back for more blood work to look at fatty acid levels, vitamin D, iron, and minerals. 

The kids seem to be back to their old selves again.  Here they are dancing together...

We did not mention in last week's blog that we registered Ryan for Kindergarten! However, you would think that this would be an easy thing but of course it does come with it's transportation dilemma. The form for requesting transportation is due by April 1st. However, Ryan's annual review is not until the end of May. We will not know if Ryan is in morning, afternoon, or in the all day special education kindergarten (yes, our school district still has half day) until the middle of August. Our school district's response is to fill out the form letting them know where to pick him up and drop him off for all three scenario's.  However, how can we go to a day care facility and ask them for a spot if we do not know what we need? While I am sure that the transportation will work out it just causes us unnecessary stress and this always seems to be the one area that we get the biggest headaches with when dealing with Ryan and his programs.

Ryan came home with a clay dinosaur that he made at PARC.  He was quite proud of his creation!

PC