4 Green & Speckled Frogs

Almost a Snow Day

2011-03-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

We've had some wild weather out here in the Pacific Northwest last week. Like we Washingtonians always say - if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes and check again. We woke one morning to an expected snowfall. It was "expected" to end at 10am and change over to rain. It looked like the perfect day to stay home for some family bonding time. But the school district rolled the dice and elected to keep schools open with a two hour delay. 10 am came and the snow continued to fall. We headed out the door to make the long trip down the winding ice and snow covered hillside. Even in low gear it was more like Frog and Toad's wild ride! The snow continued all day long and school attendance was somewhere between 50 and 15%. I did notice a lot of kids on the local sledding hill up near our house after I got my kids off to school - not so much a matter of "can't" but rather "choose not to " get to school :0)

We did get our Family Snow Day bonding time after school - when Frog decided, after 7 years of avoiding it, this was his year to give "Playing in the snow" a try.

Following his venture into the snowy outdoors, it was time for an introduction to another snow day tradition - Hot Cocoa. Since it was around 4pm, we decided to make it a tea party -

Frog decided he likes tea parties and came back for seconds on the hot cocoa. We enjoyed watching the snow come down for the rest of the evening and did get a day off from school the next day. This week we've had damage to the school building that prevented frog from attending on Monday, a wind storm (60 mph) that knocked the power out on Wednesday, and lots and lots of rain predicted for the rest of the week - we are so ready for spring to get here!

On another front - I have a new autism link I think all parents of autistic children need to check out:

RETHINKING AUTISM is information about being autistic from the Real experts - autistic adults who actually know what it means to "be" autistic. Check it out and be sure to read the comments posted by these individuals.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

2011-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines day from the pond! While Frog spends a good deal of time learning in a self contained one to one environment, we don't want him to miss out on those special moments of elementary school like the annual valentine exchange. Since he pushes into various classes - we have valentine class lists for three rooms - his third grade general ed class, the fourth grade class he visits regularly, and the special ed class he works with. While he has worked very hard on starting to write and type, 60 cards seemed a bit much to ask. We opted for putting stickers on zip lock bags that I then filled with homemade spiced hot chocolate mix. Diva was generous and printed up a tag with Frog's name and directions for enjoying the mix.

The plan is for Frog to enjoy the celebration tomorrow with his peers and have a little something to share with everyone. It was a little bit of work, but we all had fun (Frog liked sneaking off with the cinnamon candies!)

Here is our recipe for those who would like to try it out and those who received the gift and want more information - Enjoy:

VALENTINES SPICED HOT CHOCOLATE -

Ingredients

* 1 3/4 cups nonfat dry milk powder
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 cup non-dairy creamer
* 1/2 cup baking cocoa
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 cup miniature marshmallows
* 1 cup miniature chocolate chips
* 1/4 cup red hots or hot tamale cinnamon candies
* ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS:
* 3/4 cup hot milk

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine milk powder, sugar, creamer, cocoa and cinnamon. Add the marshmallows; mix well. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 3 months. Yield: 18-19 batches (about 3-1/2 cups total). To prepare hot chocolate: Dissolve about 3 tablespoons hot chocolate mix in hot milk.

IEP Cookie of the Month - February 2011

2011-02-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

HAZELNUT-MOCHA MACAROONS

Macaroons are near and dear to our hearts here at the pond, because they can be made Gluten Free without much extra effort or change in taste or texture.

I've made several different Macaroon recipes - but the recipe from the Food Network Kitchen is by far our favorite:

I do have a couple of modifications -

1. For convenience sake - don't worry about finding hazelnuts with the skins removed. The cookies may come out a bit more rustic, but they are equally delicious.

2. Combined 1 and 1/2 of the two cups of powdered sugar with the nuts and the cocoa in the food processor reserving only 1/2 cup of sugar for the egg whites.

3. Use extra large eggs for the egg whites.

4. Fold nut mixture into beaten egg whites.

5. If you don't have a pastry bag, a small disher works just as well.

6. If you need more cookies, spread melted chocolate ganache on the bottom of each cookie and allow it to set without sandwiching two cookies together.

If you are not familiar with macaroons (especially the kind without coconut) these are light and rich, crispy and chewy, they melt in your mouth and are very soul satisfying :0) ENJOY!

Our new Picture

2011-02-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

I thought it was a good idea to update our blog layout and get a fresh start. The new picture was taken on a field trip to the Olympic Game Farm. Frog enjoyed the bus ride through the farm immensely. He also enjoyed the bread (meant to be fed to the bison)although he suffered for it later.

The Game Farm was originally established to house and train animals who would appear in Disney films. The owner/operators of the farm convinced Disney that it would be a good idea to open the farm to the public. We've been visiting the game farm since I was a child.

We even have a family connection. My grandmother served as a surragate mother to two tiny bear cubs who's mother had been shot by a poacher. I remember visiting Grandma and the bears she was caring for. I wasn't allowed to get too close, but I got to watch them eat from a bottle and play on the floor at grandma's house. If I remember correctly, they went from Grandma's to the Game Farm and latter appeared in a Disney movie or two. That is the closest our family ever got to Hollywood!

Frog enjoyed the fish most of all - not surprising for a boy who would like to live in the sea :0)

IEP Cookie of the Month - January

2011-02-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

As a part of my law practice, I do educational advocacy for families of special needs children. As an advocate I join the school IEP team at the parents' request and work to facilitate parent involvement in developing an IEP (Individualized Educational Program) that works for their child.

A tool of my advocacy trade is freshly baked homemade cookies. I find the cookies provide a little well deserved and needed energy boost after a long day; give the team a common activity to bond over (lots of requests for the recipes, talking about favorite cookies and what the kids like etc.); and give people something to chew on (literally) while they listen to someone else talk - especially when there is disagreement. I haven't gone so far yet as to offer someone a cookie when I need them to stop talking and listen - but the option is always there :0).

Taking a cue from one of my favorite SLP's over at IF ONLY I HAD SUPERPOWERS I am going to start posting one of the cookies recipes I use each month. Why?

1. It is nice to share.

2. I will know where to find them when I want them.

3. When I get requests for the recipes, I can just e-mail the link!

Most of my recipes come from other sources - you will see the credit with the recipe. I do, however, tend to modify the recipes to my own taste. I will post the recipe with my modifications where appropriate.

Without further adieu -

IEP Cookie for January 2011

Orange Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Chips

Bon Appétit | February 2003

by chef Cliff Trubowitz

Bump & Grind Cafe, Denver, CO

Modified by Frog's Mom

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons (packed) grated orange peel
* 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
* 1 large egg yolk
* 3TBS heavy whipping cream
* 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
* Turbinado sugar for sprinkling
* 1/2 cup whipping cream
* 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli double chocolate chips)

Preparation:

Place Orange Juice in a sauce pan over medium heat and reduce to by 3/4.

Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Beat butter, sugar, orange peel, and 1 tsp. reduced orange juice in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in yolk, then cream. Add flour mixture; beat until dough comes together in moist clumps. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Wrap dough in plastic wrap are refrigerate for one hour.

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour large baking sheet.

On a floured work surface, roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with round cookie or biscut cutter (a wine glass will work in a pinch).

Place cut cookies on prepared cookie sheets and repeat with remaning dough. Sprinkle unbaked cookies with turbinado sugar.

Bake cookies until golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

In a sauce pan over medium low heat, warm 1/2 cup heavy cream. When cream is warm, add bittersweet chocolate chips and reduce heat to low. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Dip half of each cooled cookie into the warm chocolate. Place on rack or greased waxed or parchment paper and let chocolate set.

(Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Orange-Shortbread-Cookies-with-Chocolate-Chips-107723#ixzz1D8013i3Z

Annual Beach Trip 2010

2011-02-02T16:19:00.000-08:00

I'm Back . . . well on the way at least. Since there were NO posts for 2010 I'll give you the highlight: The Annual Beach Trip to the WA coast. Frog looked forward to this trip all summer.

He was really hoping he could bring a friend like Diva does. The girls were really good about letting him join them in their space for awhile, but it wasn't the same. It was hard to explain that because he is younger, the kids he knows would not be comfortable being away from their parents for a whole weekend. He also doesn't have "friends" the way Diva does. We did find some kids on the beach who enjoyed getting wet and sandy almost as much as Frog does. He enjoyed keeping an eye one them.

Having a Friend has become a big concern for Frog - he worries about it constantly. When we have boys he knows over for play dates, he is excited - overly so - and can't bring himself to stay where they are, leaving them alone to "play" with his mom. We are working on small group activities - hoping to do more when the weather is nice.

At school he was asked to write to the prompt "When I opened the door I was surprised to see . . ." He wrote about seeing his friend T (T is Diva's friend's brother). The story went on to describe how they rode their bikes around the neighborhood then went to T's house to play. T and his mom were really honored. They invited Frog to come into their house. He wanted to, but just couldn't bring himself to do it - balking at the door and rocking for awhile before returning to the car to go home. We will continue to work on it.

When we asked him what he wanted for Christmas he said no to toys, books, clothes, candy, and yes to Friend (he said he wanted a 4th grader).

Santa is still working on that one.

Frog also spent last fall writing a book about himself. He said he wants to help other kids understand more about autism and about him. We are looking forward to receiving the published copy in the next month or so - watch for future post :0)

Frog goes to the Ocean

2009-10-16T00:19:00.000-07:00

Frog finally got his long awaited trip to the Pacific Ocean after a summer long home study of oceans and oceanography. He was thrilled to be going and enjoyed the hours long car ride to the beach.

We stayed at Seabrook WA, in a charming rental house that was oh so beach chic! If you are looking for a family friendly (autism friendly) rental on the WA coast, I highly recommend it:

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We were three generations in one house. Diva brought one of her best friends for a girls' weekend. We had a great time and the girls loved having the loft all to themselves. We walked to the park, watched a local kids' soccer game, and biked through the neighborhood. Frog took his new birthday bike. The hot tub was a hit with all of the kids too. And we topped it off with a Harry Potter Movie Marathon.

Then we walked across the road to the beach - the woods, the water, the sand . . .Frog could have lived there!

All in all, a very successful family weekend escape - we hope to return one day soon :0)

Autistic Teen Finds Inner Voice

2009-08-24T18:24:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to some video from the 20/20 segment on Carly Fleischmann from earlier this month. If you've not heard Carly's story check out her blog Carly's Voice.

Carly is an inspirational young lady. Diagnosed with Autism at age two, Carly is non-verbal (doesn't speak). At age 11 she began to type and is telling the world, in her own words, what it is like to live with autism - Her insight helps parents, siblings, friends and teachers have a better understanding of what life is like for kids like her. She is a hero in my book! Thanks for speaking out Carly :0)

If you know or work with Frog - please take the time to watch this video. Thanks!

Autistic Teen Finds Inner Voice – New video taken from 20/20 after the broadcast

Posted using ShareThis

Frog at School

2009-07-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok, I know I said I'd post more about Frog's return to school - and I know its been months! But now that we're half way through summer vacation, I finally have a little time to breath. We found out that Frog's Para Educator from last year has been re-hired by the school district to work with Frog. We are beyond thrilled as she was one of the biggest reasons for his successful transition back to school.

We are trying very hard this summer to keep up all the good work Frog and Para J. did last year. He is brushing his teeth and taking on more of the chore of getting himself dressed. He is working on using a spoon - though it is still not his favorite way to eat. He is trying to learn a couple of new signs and trying to remember a couple of old ones. We are reading chapters about the Oceans and using RPM for Frog to answer questions - we hope to get in a trip to the Pacific Ocean at the end of the book (although Frog continues to insist we should visit the Arctic Ocean). Frog is enjoying music time with his Dad and having play dates every now and then. But he does seem to miss school - Summer vacation is boring when mom has to work! So here is a look back to Frog at School, courtesy of Para J. who took all of the wonderful pictures for me :0)

Free Summer School Curriculum

2009-04-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

We've decided to opt out of Extended School Year services with our local district because Frog's para and teacher will not be part of the program. This left me contemplating going back to home school for the summer to keep Frog moving forward. With Rapid Prompting, we have found that he can access age appropriate curriculum when it is modified to work with the system.

Another home school mom just sent me a link to Unique Leaning System's Free Summer Curriculum offer. The materials are standards based and differentiated into three tiers to suit different types of learners. It looks promising and like something that could be used during the school year too. The price is right - I'll let you know what we think of the materials when we use them.

Frog's Words

2009-02-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

As we have been making the transition from Home School back to public school, Frog's Para Educator was coming to our house to observe. I wanted to find some exercises that showed how I use the Rapid Prompting Method with Frog and expand it into other activities. I also had a new book for us to read, Max's Words

About a boy who collects words,

then uses them to write a story.

We read the book and Frog answered questions about the story using the Rapid Prompting Method. Then I got out all of the books Frog and I have been reading and let him use his yes sign and pointing to choose words from each book. When we had a stack of words, we wrote a story and he picked between 2 to 4 word choices from his stack to continue the story as we went. When we finished the story, Frog picked between stamps and pictures to illustrate the story.

Here are Frog's Words,

For more Magic Marker Monday posts visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

Back to School for Frog and Mom

2009-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

Frog is getting back to school and is transitioning better than any of us could have hoped. I hope to have some pictures up soon!

In the mean time, a friend of mine at Merrill Lynch sent me an invitation to participate in an online seminar on Special Needs Planning. I told her I'd spread the word - It looks like a good line-up of presenters and should cover a lot of the topics and information we always plan to look into, but never find the time for:

SPECIAL NEEDS PLANNING An Interactive Online Seminar presented by EPLiveOnline and Merrill Lynch

www.epliveonline.org/ep_20090225.html

The Bunny Who Adopted Us

2009-02-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas break, Diva discovered a small, black wild bunny eating leaves off of a hydrangea bush outside our back door. The Bunny was very skittish - it ran every time we looked out the window. We put some food out for it, but found it very hard to get a picture without the Bunny running off. Yet, the Bunny kept coming back. It soon discovered our fully fenced front yard and decided, as long as I didn't open the front door, it was a safe and friendly place to forage. Last week the weather began to change. We've had several cold but sunny days and Frog could not wait to get back outside. To our surprise, Bunny - now named Licorice by Diva - is happy to share the yard with Frog. As long as the rest of us keep our distance, the Bunny bounces around the yard like a puppy and approaches Frog with curiosity. Here's a little video clip - It is a little hard to see, because Licorice won't let me tape from outside.

I think Frog's pet found him :0)

Frog's Art

2009-02-04T20:37:00.001-08:00

Not bad for the Frog who runs from art projects!

For more Special Exposure Wednesday posts visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Special Exposure Wednesday - Story Art

2009-01-27T20:13:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's Story Art story was Mouse Paint.

Prior to visiting the art studio, we read the book at home and Frog mixed Blue and Yellow food coloring in his bath water to make a green bath.

Frog was the only one to show up for Story Art this week so he got Ms. Rosalyn all to himself.

He also got to share the story with his new Para Educator.

After the story he painted his own mouse.

We'll post mouse's picture next week after he is glazed and fired :0)

For more Special Exposure Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

Overactive Immune Systems, Chronic Inflamation and a GF/CF Diet

2009-01-25T23:29:00.000-08:00

We tried the GF/CF diet for Frog when he was two.

We waited with baited breath for the babbling to turn into words, for more eye contact, for more focus, for him to sit still. Week after week went by and we saw none of that. Month after month and little changed. When we gave up the experiment, six months in, and gave him a wheat flour filled cookie and a glass of milk - nothing. We concluded that G and C were not issues for him and went on our merry way to the next promising intervention.

Now he is six. Time and work have made significant changes in his ability to look at people, feel comfortable in his own skin, be aware of his body, and tolerate the presence of others. He is much more tuned into speech and demonstrates that he hears and understands what we are talking about. But there are still troubling, difficult issues around expressive communication, motor planing, and executive functioning.

I have been dealing with my own troubling issues involving pain, arthritis, headaches, chronic sinusitis and sinus infections, fatigue, and weight. Medical and therapeutic interventions have taken us this far, but I feel we could both feel better. I went back into my research mode and the words that pop up again and again are Inflammation and Inflammation.

I'm already taking medication for inflammation. I did a 30 day trial of prednisone last year and felt wonderful. But the long term side effects do not make continued use a desirable remedy. My current medication - hydrochloroquine (an anti malaria drug) has been working for the most part, but I still have flare ups and it doesn't address the other pains.

Current trends in anti-inflammatory treatments lean towards dietary changes. The diet that fits the bill - GF/CF with the additional elimination of nightshade vegetables, chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol, and the addition of oily fish, green leafy vegetables, fruits and nuts. So we (at least Frog and I) are going to try this once again. I'll be relying heavily on all you GF/CF moms out there for guidance and I'm picking up a new cookbook or two.

This time I'll be looking for subtler changes in both of us. Wish me luck :0)

Let him eat cake!

2009-01-25T14:53:00.000-08:00

I was channel surfing before bed the other night and just happened to catch this clip on The Soup on the E Network. Laughed till I cried because 1. I remember once trying (unsuccessfully) to stop my cocker spaniel from eating blueberry muffins and 2. it reminded me of all the problems I have with behavior modification as a teaching tool.

Here is a link to the clip (adult content - language).

ABA by another name? - I've seen the same look in many a child's' eye when they were just waiting for it to be over already. Now do we think this dog has learned not to eat cupcakes until given permission (self discipline)? Or just to wait out the trainer (compliance)?

Story Art

2009-01-21T08:55:00.000-08:00

I've been looking for some activities Frog can join in the community. He is interested in other kids, but still can't play with them. It's not easy coming up with parallel play opportunities for a non-verbal 6 year old.

Our local Paint your own Ceramics shop just started a story art hour for pre-schoolers and moms. While Frog isn't wild about art projects I thought we'd give it a try. The set-up was similar to what we do at home: Listen to a story, eat a snack, do a short art project based on the theme of the story, done. Unlike the library story hour, quietness is not strictly enforced. It is also helpful that Diva is a regular at the shop and I went to high school with the owner.

The first session we attended went better than I expected. Frog spent some time rocking and singing while he took in the environment. A little boy I knew of through a mutual friend introduced himself to us, talked to Frog, and showed us his finished project from the week before.

The story was Winter's First Snowflake

by Cheri Hallwood. Frog had some trouble staying in the room for the story. Another young child wanted to play with the toy kitchen Frog was sitting in front of. Frog wanted to get to the door behind this child and leave. The third child wanted to hear the story and spent a good deal of time shhhshing the other two and telling Frog to take the toys out of his mouth.

When the story was over we moved Right on to the project. We cut our own snowflakes out of wet clay. we decorated them with stamps and painted them. Frog enjoyed the feeling of the clay and let me help him push down on the cookie cutters and stamps. He opted to finger paint his snowflake with a mixture of blue and white paint. When we were finished, we were both well painted ourselves. We left while he was still in a good mood to make sure it was a positive experience.

We did not get to go again yesterday, as Frog was in a very messy mood and had me cleaning up all morning. But Diva and I picked up his finished snowflake that the studio had glazed and fired for him.

Diva takes First Place

2009-01-19T20:55:00.000-08:00

We are back from yet another meet. Diva took first place in the level 4, 10 year old division. She fulfilled a dream she's been dreaming for a year now - she got to stand on the podium (at the top, no less).

The team took 2nd overall and got to bring home a trophy - It was a special day for these girls :0)

And now a special day for Diva's mom and dad - we have a two week break from gymnastics meets!

UPDATE

2009-01-10T08:35:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone - I'm still here and I've been lurking your blogs periodically.

Frog gave my laptop a drink of water and it could not be revived. The new laptop is ordered (along with a phone system and a multi function machine - copy, scan, fax). The tech is going to try to rescue my data from the old hard drive (documents, pictures, e-mail, all the Stanley pictures, movies, tax information . . .)

The snow has finally melted and I spent the last week moving into the new office. Frog is still home with me - it is taking the school district longer than planned to approve hiring the one-to-one para his IEP team agree is needed. The district is also modifying a room to give Frog some space to work one on one with the para without distractions and they are making room for his beloved swing.

We are moving forward with the Rapid Prompting Method. He is getting much better about pointing rather than batting at the answers and is identifying more letters. Soma Mukhopadhyay will be speaking in Washington State in March. Frog's teacher (and maybe his para) will be attending with me. I hope this will lead to more academic content in Frog's program.

I hope to post an office tour as soon as the new computer is ready to go - Until then, I'm still out here reading your posts when I get a few minutes with hubby's computer :0) Hope everyone had a happy holiday season and are off to a great new year!

Diva's Home Meet

2008-12-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

Diva has been a very busy gymnast this fall. Here is video of her home meet yesterday - her very best meet yet. She competes as a USGA Level 4.

She scored a 9.0 on Bars, a 9.1 on Vault, am 8.6 on Floor, and an 8.9 on Beam - she was very happy with her performance.

We tried to take Frog to the meet. He loves to watch the girls practice. Spectators were seated up in the mezzanine of the gym. The view from the top of the gym sent him into a complete sensory meltdown. He and I finally had to leave before the meet even started. When he calmed down, all he could tell me was the it was scary. I'm not sure if it was a perceptual processing issue or if seeing all the girls running around the floor for warm up, all dressed exactly alike with their hair up, made him think Diva had suddenly become 20 people or was moving so fast he could see her in multiple places at once. We headed for home and did a little rapid prompting session before he retired to his room for some quite time.

Today we woke up to several inches of snow. We are planning on making and baking Christmas presents today (hot chocolate mix, homemade marshmallows, and honey spiced nuts.)

All is Well, just no time to type :0)

2008-12-07T09:59:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note of thanks to everyone who has checked up on me! We are all fine here at the pond. We've spent the last weeks working on getting a re-evaluation for Frog - closing out the old IEP and getting a new one together. I've also been teaching an enrichment cluster in Diva's multi age cohort at school - 12 kids ranging between 1st and 5th grade. The theme this year was Winter Celebrations around the world - we are studying celebrations that grew out of a recognition of winter solstice - the shortest night of the year. Lots and lots of prep time have gone into project which we based on Lights of Winter

We've made Yule logs, wassail, Swags, Saturnalia cake and meed (mock of course), Chinese lanterns, and Raven masks. We've told stories from Scandinavia, Italy, China, India and America. We are noting many similarities between ancient celebrations and some of our current winter celebration customs.

I also have new office space and hope to start moving in and getting set-up the week of the 15th (when the enrichment cluster is over). I've been busily scouring the Internet for deals on office furnishings and equipment.

Today we are off to Bellevue for Diva's first State Championship Gymnastics Meet. Tomorrow she has a mini dance recital and next Saturday her gymnastics club is holding their home meet/exhibition.

If all goes well - I'll be back to posting around the 22nd. I promise I am coming back!

Rain, Rain, Rain

2008-11-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, we have art for Magic Marker Monday!

The last two weeks we've been working on rain stories. On the the favorites was Coyote's Rain Song a traditional Native American folk tale from our ENKI materials.

We made this rain stick to shake while we sang Coyote's Rain Song -

Then we sang the song -

Rain! Dark Cloud,, Rain Cloud,
Rain, tumble down!
Rain on Prairie Dog Town.
Rain!
Rain!
Rain!
Rain!

I hope we were not to blame for the flooding in our state last week!

We took advantage of the rain do some Rain Painting -

For more Magic Marker Monday posts, visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Tagged Again!

2008-11-14T15:51:00.000-08:00

Before -

China at Brilliant Spectrum Child tagged me to post 8 random facts about me. I think I'm running out of random facts, but here goes:

1. When I get stressed, I change my hair. Last month my hair was blond with brown low lights and about 19 inches long. Today my hair is a dark auburn brown with red highlights - and 10 inches long!

2. I just spent $800.00 to update my legal deskbooks so I can start practicing law with current information. We will have to eat mac-n-cheese out of the box for the rest of the month!

3. I have to get up at 4am tomorrow to take my daughter to her gymnastics meet - 4 hours driving and a ferry boat ride each way.

4. I'm looking out my front window and I have to say my neighbor's grass truly is greener - a brilliant emerald green to be precise.

5. I was born on Abraham Lincoln's birthday - February 12th.

6. I can't sing - when I try, my husband changes the radio station.

7. I love to cook.

8. I don't have time to cook! I'm starting to rely on my pressure cooker (one pot, fraction of the usual cooking time). I'm even considering a Rachel Ray 60 minute Thanksgiving dinner as blasphemous as that sounds!

The tag rules are as follows:

1. Each player starts with eight random fact/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post thee rules.
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag eight people and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and to read your blog.

Since I have been tagging everyone left and right the past few months - and I have to get everything in order for the gymnastics meet - I'm going to let you all tag yourselves this time! Leave me a comment if you want to play and I'll add your link.

Hey, how about some of you who've been lurking out there - yes, I see you! Leave me your link and introduce yourselves with 8 random facts :0)

Look Who Decided to Play - Yea!!!!

1. Krist at My Life for the World to See

After -

Linus for President

2008-11-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

Don't Forget to Vote!!!!! Happy Election Day :0)

SOOC - After the Ball

2008-11-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm having and SOOC Sunday instead of Saturday. Yesterday was Diva's 10th birthday - no time for blogging :0)

Diva was a princess for Halloween. But not one of the fake, sacrin Disney princesses. Diva wanted to be a real, serious princess - Princess Zia Zia (her self proclaimed - at age 18month - alter ego). She chose her best party dress, understated tiara, and riding boots - Princesses ride horses after all and it was a little cool and wet on Halloween night. This is what Princess Zia Zia looks like after a long day of attending to royal duties -

She is pictured with our house guest, Flat Stanley from Missouri. He dressed up as a ghost for Halloween.

For more SOOC posts visit Slurping Life.

PUMPKIN PATCH PARADE

2008-10-29T17:51:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Pumpkin Patch Parade. Add your name and link your pumpkin / Halloween post at Mr. Linky, and don't forget to leave comments!

Now show me what you've got!

Special Exposure / WW Wednesday - Pumpkin Project

2008-10-29T00:24:00.000-07:00

Our home school art project for today - contact paper pumpkin face with glitter.

Frog enjoyed dumping and tasting the rice/paper/glitter mix the most.

And we are back to the fountain!

DON'T FORGET TO LINK YOUR HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN (DECORATION, KIDS IN COSTUME, ETC.) PICTURES HERE AT 4-FROG'S PUMPKIN PATCH PARADE TOMORROW NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY

For more Special Exposure Wednesday or Wordless Wednesday posts go Here and Here!

New Award

2008-10-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

Maddy at Whitterer on Autism has honored me with this nifty award! Now I feel bad - I didn't even get a Try This Tuesday post together - Maybe this is her way of giving me a gentle nudge to get back with the program :0) Thank you Maddy, it means a lot to me!

I absolutely have to pass this one on to CC at If I Only Had Superpowers who always has links to wonderful resources,
Christine at Adventures in Home Schooling Who's Oliver is so much like my Frog that it is easy to share ideas, and
Melody at Slurping Life for fabulous photography advices and inspiration.

And I reserve the right to pass it on to a few more when I have some time!

Six things you might not know about me - meme

2008-10-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

I've been Tagged by Krist at My Life For The World To See for the six things you might not know or want to know about me, but I’m gonna tell you anyway. meme.

OK, what don't you already know?

Well, I've been to China. In high school I traveled with our local community symphony orchestra on a two week tour of China. It was an amazing experience. I only wish I'd been a little older so I would have appreciated it more at the time.

I live two hours from Seattle WA, but I don't drink Coffee - I made it through 5 years of college and 3 years of law school without developing a taste for it.

I love to cook. I started baking when I was 9 and haven't stopped yet. I used to collect cookbooks but have settled on my favorite 20 or so and do most of my cooking and baking out of my head.

I'm an old Rainbow Girl (International Order of the Rainbow for Girls - not the cult). I am Past Grand Page to the Supreme Inspector for Washington and Idaho, Grand Cross of Color member, and the first to win the state ritual competition for Charity's Lecture. If you know what all that means, I don't have to show you the secret handshake :0)

I'm a night owl more than a morning person - although as I get older I have a hard time getting things done at 2am like I used to.

I like to be in charge - I'm known for taking over everything I get involved with. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes it is not! I have control issues :-)

So Kim, CC, Jenny, Kimberly, Alicia, and Susie, tell me six things I might not know about you!

Market Research

2008-10-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Frog's Mom as a new Law School Grad 1996

Frog's Mom as a spunky new attorney 1997

If Frog's mom knew then what she knows now, she would have been an Occupational Therapist!

With the downturn in the real estate market, I'm having to break free of the family business and look for other means of paying the mortgage and student loan bills. The law degree is the obvious choice - the thing should start to pay for itself after all these years. So I am in the process of easing back into my legal career.

I know I can take clients with real estate issues, I've done family law cases (but I was paid in house cleaning - don't think that will pay the bills), and I have prosecutorial experience (but the local governments are in a hiring freeze). What I feel most strongly about is special education law. I have both personal experience and a lot of continuing education hours put into the subject.

Here is my question to you - As a parent of a special needs child, when would you be most likely to seek the knowledge and assistance of a special education law attorney? Click Here to take my survey And thank you very much for your help :0)

And don't forget to link your Pumpkin Patch Parade picture posts here at 4-Frogs on October 30th!!! CC asked about the rules - just the standard ones:

1. Pictures of Halloween pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, decorations, and kids are welcome to link up.

2. Post a link back to the 4-Frogs Pumpkin Patch Parade post on your post.

3. Add your name and URL to Mister Linky here at 4-Frogs any time between October 29th and October 31st.

4. Please leave comments as you visit each of the sites on the Pumpkin Parade :0)

For more Special Exposure Wednesday posts, visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs

For more Wordless Wednesday visit Three Peas in a Pod

Halloween Approaches

2008-10-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

We love Halloween at the pond. We don't go all out - really it is mostly about the costume and the pumpkins - but it is the kick-off of the holiday season. Diva used to know what she wanted to be for Halloween a year in advance. She got really creative this year - she wants to be a princess, not the Disney kind, the real kind. She picked out her fanciest party dress, a tiny rhinestone tiara and asked me to buy her some new shoes (real shoes, not dress-up). I call her the "Practical Princess" :0) Here are some of the cute costumes from our past:

Now for the Pumpkins! I have over a dozen of them at my house waiting to be carved, painted or otherwise decorated. Who would be willing join me and post their Halloween Pumpkin Pictures on October 30th? If it sounds like a popular idea, I'll put up Mr. Linky here at 4-frogs on the 29th - then I won't miss a single Jack-o-Lantern!!!!

For more Special Exposure Wednesday posts visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

For more Wordless-Wednesday visit Three Peas in a Pod

Tags and Awards

2008-10-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Trish at Another Piece of the Puzzle tagged me with The 6th of the 6th Meme. Post the 6th picture from your 6th album and tell us about it. I'm not very good at keeping albums so I'm going into my digital files - wait here, I'll be right back.

OK - I'm back. This is the first school bus ride for Little Frog in June of 2006. It was something we put off for a long time. Both Frog's Dad and I had awful school bus riding experiences when we were kids. The teacher and other parents kept insisting it was something he needed to learn how to do. Diva lives very close to her school and the bus they assigned her to would require her to ride for an hour each morning before getting there - we said no thanks, and take her ourselves.

Turned out that Frog loved riding the bus. It was one of the highlights of his day. But it soon became a logistical nightmare as they kept changing the pick-up site. And on too many occasions the bus arrived with no para, carrying kids I'd never seen, and a substitute bus driver who had no information about Frog (non-verbal, easily pushed into sensory overload especially by voices, a runner, will lash-out if he feels in danger, etc) except what school to take him to. As much as he loved the ride, it only lasted about a year. Then we decided it was safer and better for Frog if he and I parked at Grandma's and walked to school. And now the walk is even shorter - just to the dinning room table or great outdoors :0)

Now I get to tag 6 more people:

1. CC at If I Only Had Super Powers

2. Rainbowmummy at Organizing the Jelly Beans

3. Krystal at Mommy's Escape

4. Jenny at Special Considerations

5. Amazing Grace at Still Crazy After All These Years

6. Kim at Blessed With Girls

4-Frogs was also honored with an award by Everyday Adventures. Thank You!!!! And what a beautiful award it is too :0)

Here are my choices for the Award Proximidade -

1. Christine at Day Sixty-Seven

2. Julie at A Celebration of Our Journey

3. MT at Bon Bon Gazette

4. Krist at My Life for the World to See

5. Tiff at Three Peas in a Pod

6. Rachel at Walk With The Reidmiller Family

7. Lori at Myah's Page

8. Crackerjacks at Izzy N Emmy

All they need to do is leave the following message on their post when they pass the award on to their chosen eight blogger buddies.

“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

Violin Practice

2008-10-11T16:39:00.001-07:00

Diva has taken up the violin, following in her mother's footsteps. I started playing in the elementary school strings program as a 4th grader at the same school Diva attends. So far she is enjoying it. I must admit, she is more dedicated to her practice schedule than I was at that age :0)

Trying out a few tips from Melody's tutorial Photographing Your Children at 5 Minutes for special needs, I've put together some SOOC shots and set them to a little Playful Pizzicato from Benjamin Brittan's Simple Symphony - a little inspiration for Diva :0)

Enjoy -

For more SOOC posts visit Melody at Slurping Life.

Silvia's Adventures Continue Too

2008-10-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

Silvia just got back from a trip to meet Emma in Lake Stevens, WA.

You can read about their visit on Silvia's Travelogue at Stanley and Silvia. A big thank you to Emma's Mom, Amy, from Fall Seven Times for help with the post!

On another note - Frog and I did not get much done today. With the fans blowing in the bathroom, I could not close and lock the door. So my job was to watch Frog. Frog found the combination of the noise from the fans, the blowing air and the rain falling outside entrancing - he had a very hard time not stimming out. But when he did manage to pull himself away from the sensation, he found a new use for the big fans -

he pulled his sister's kite from the closet and let the wind from the fan plaster it against the wall. Who knew you could fly a kite indoors!

Stanley's Adventures Continue

2008-10-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Look where Stanley went this week! He just got back from Kansas City where he visited Elf and Emperor. You can check out his travelogue at Stanley and Silvia.

A big Thanks to Mrs. C at Homeschool and Etc. for her help with the post :0)

It's a Jungle in There

2008-10-08T23:52:00.000-07:00

Help! I think Frog took his trip to the Zoo to heart. He created a tropical swamp in my bathroom - filled both sink basins with hot steamy water and let it cascade onto the floor. When I discovered the mess, there was a layer of water floating on top of the carpet and water was dripping through the floor into the furnace room below!

I sent Frog to his room with some stern and frantic words, then used every towel in the house to soak up what I could. I called the professionals who told me they could be here by 5 (it was 1:30 at the time). I washed, dried and reused all the towels to soak up more water. Then I washed and dried the towels again.

The professionals came and got the rest of the water out of the carpet (upstairs and down) and left us with industrial fans and dehumidifiers to dry everything out.

The fans make an awful racket, which - unfortunately - covers up a lot of other sounds in the house. When Dad thought I was watching Frog, and I thought Dad was watching Frog, the little stinker snuck back into the bathroom and DID IT AGAIN!

The towels have been washed and dried for a third time. I was able to get over to my parents house and borrow their carpet cleaner to remove most of the water. The fans are still blowing full blast.

If you can, please send warm, dry, thoughts and energy to my floorboards :0(

Zoo Day

2008-10-08T07:45:00.001-07:00

The Frog Family headed to the city to see Frog's neurologist. We are getting ready to do a trial of a stimulant type medication (I'll post about this later). After the appointment, we went to the zoo. Diva brought along Flat Silvia so she would have something to show at school. Her Silvia post will be on the Stanley and Silvia site in a few days. Frog did really well. We walked the zoo grounds for over an hour and a half.

When we got to the zoo, we ate a picnic lunch. The squirrels were begging for an invitation. Frog obliged by dropping most of his lunch on the ground - just not the cookies!

Frog spent a lot of time up close and personal with the piranah.

He was also a fan of all the big snakes! Yikes!!

It took us awhile, but we finally found the elephants.

We also got to see a baby gorilla. When they finally moved on, closer to us, Frog got very excited to see the baby gorilla riding on its mother's back. He started to squeal in his very high pitched and loud way - got the attention of a lovely docent who "understood, but....." so we moved on. There was still a lot to see. Here is some video of another child with the gorilla.

For more Special Exposure Wednesday posts visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

Sunday Drive #6

2008-10-05T16:34:00.001-07:00

Diva and I had a few errands to run downtown. We stopped to take a look at one of the many murals painted on the sides of various buildings - a Rotary project in conjunction with several other art projects sponsored by various groups.

The Kalakala Ferry

For more Sunday Drive posts visit Up North Mommy

Our Traveler - Flat Silvia recently returned from a visit with Alex and Belle of Bon Bon Gazette.

Check out her travelogue at The Many Adventures of Flat Stanley and Flat Silvia.

Pumpkin Shells

2008-10-04T17:27:00.001-07:00

We had 4 pumpkin tops left over from a home school craft project. The pumpkins now look like this

With the weather turning, I decided to put the pumpkin tops into Frog's new bulb garden.

I thought we could check for creatures that might take sanctuary under them - sort of a lead into our hibernation lessons.

For more SOOC posts visit Slurping Life

Safety-Tat's for Halloween and School Field Trips

2008-10-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Safety-Tat's are temporary tattoos for kids that provide contact information should a kiddo get lost. They are featuring fun new Halloween motifs this month. Wouldn't they also be great for a class field trip? All the kids could have one with the teacher's cell-phone number on it.

Click on the Safety-Tat banner on my sidebar for more information :0)

Into the Woods

2008-09-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

Frog is a conundrum. At first glance, his imitation skills seem virtually non-existent. Working hand over hand to teach him new movement patterns is a painstaking process that usually results in limited and un-generalized results and movement patterns that look stiff and unnatural. But watching Frog on his own, his movements are fluid and organic. He organizes complex motor patterns and carries them off with unbelievable precision. While he presents as proprioceptively challenged, he moves like a dancer, can run, spin and jump with what appears to be wild abandon - and yet stop on a dime and balance on one toe. He seems unsure of himself around others, yet on his own he is in complete control of his body within the environment.

This week Frog has been hard to engage. He has regularly resorted to his favorite stims and let us know in no uncertain terms that he really needed us to just stop talking around him. Rather than fight this need, I toned down the talking today. We engaged in Floortime activities without words and the circles opened and closed. We listened to music in the car and I read the Duchess Autumn story out loud to myself - not concentrating on wooing Frog into the story or even checking to see if he was listening. He stayed with me. Finally, I released Frog into the woods - to search for signs of Autumn. With few words, little direction and only two rules - stay on the path, and don't get to far away from Mommy - He reveled in nature and danced his way along the steep and winding paths without difficulty.

Diva is our resident dancer. I am a secret dancer. Today is Frog's dance premier - I present Frog as "Puck" in a dance of his own design

- Into The Woods -

Summer wains and a breeze cools the afternoon air. The woods sparkle and beckon with late season sunlight. You skim along the edge soaking in the beauty when you spot him - just ahead, on the path, skipping and sauntering blithely along. He sees you. His eyes twinkle. He dashes forward deeper into the forest - slowing to let you catch-up only to dash forward again. Is he a spirit? A sprite? A Playful Puck come to lure you unsuspecting into his trickery and mirth? Have you lost him? No - there he is up ahead behind those ferns. Will you join in his game? Will you follow him into the woods?

For more Special Exposure Wednesday posts visit 5 Minutes for Speical Needs

Pumpkin Patch Memories

2008-09-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

- This will be a two for one post - a trip down memory lane with SOOC shots -

Every year since Diva was little, we've taken the kids to our local pumpkin patch around Halloween. Frog and I have been using a lot of pumpkins in our home school this week. Last year I took Frog while Diva was at school. I didn't get any pictures because I was too busy holding his hand.

Today we drove past the pumpkin patch and alas, it seems to be no more. There were rumors that last year would be the end. Too much work, not enough volunteers. The farm is still there right along the highway. They have grown some pumpkins that will be available at our local farm stand, but the festival of the pumpkin patch will not take place this year. This got me a little nostalgic and I pulled out all of the old pumpkin patch pictures.

Since these were taken when we didn't have the ability to edit - I thought they'd be fun to share for SOOC. I did set them to music just for fun - Enjoy!

For more SOOC Saturday shots visit Melody at Slurping Life

For more Sunday Drive posts, visit Up North Mommy

Another Day at the Park

2008-09-26T22:39:00.001-07:00

Some days school is slower than usual. When motivation of teacher and student lag - we head for the park.

COLOR SORTING:

HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE, MAKE BELIEVE:

PHYSICAL THERAPY / EDUCATION:

to find out what else we do on a slow day visit Frog's School

Stanley's travel blog

2008-09-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Stanley has returned from his first trip. You can read all about it at The Many Adventures of Stanley and Silvia.

They are getting very experienced at this travel thing. Watch for reports on their trips to California, New Jersey, Arizona, Oregon, and Texas!

An Award for me?!!!!

2008-09-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Krystal at Mommy Escape has awarded 4-Frogs a Brilliante Weblog Award. Thank you Krystal! What a nice surprise :0)

Now its time to spread the love! Here are the rules: -

1. The winner can (and should, really) put the logo on his/her blog
2. The winner must link to the person from whom they received their award.
3. The winner must nominate at least 7 other blogs for an award.
4. The winner must place links to those blogs on their own blog.
5. The winner must leave a message on the blogs of the people they’ve nominated.

My Picks are:

Christine from Day Sixty seven

Amy at Fall 7 Timeswho's blog I just started reading after meeting Amy herself at a Special Ed Law conference - I think she is Brilliante too :0)

Trish at Another Piece of the Puzzle

Lonestar818 at Everyday Adventures

Bitsy at My Inner Bitsy

Mia's Mama at Life with the Snapper

Nerdy Mom at Born Just Right

These moms always inspire me with their creativity, advocacy, and humor. And these kiddos, just too cute for words, are also big inspirations just being themselves.

Sunday Drive #4

2008-09-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

This week my Sunday drive took me four and a half hours through a National Forest, around a salt water canal, through bright sunshine and torrential rain, all the way to a neighboring state.

Here is the view from my desk for the next few days:

I'm in downtown Portland, OR. I'm going to be learning about all the latest developments in Special Education School Law and racking up my continuing legal education credits.

Hubby will be teaching at Frog's School tomorrow and Grandma will take over for Tuesday and Wednesday. Diva has school, Strings Class, Ballet, and Gymnastics so she will be staying with Grandma for a few days.

But I won't be too lonely. My best friend (since I was 7!) Is on her way into town to meet me for dinner. A real honest to goodness Girls Night Out! And when I get back to my hotel, my roommates will be waiting for me:

This is Stanley and Hanu's first stay in a hotel. They think the bed is really big and bouncy. They were a little afraid to get too close to the window. They are going to stay in, order room service and watch TV while I go out tonight. Maybe they'll go swimming in the pool tomorrow :0)

The Project is Up and Running

2008-09-20T23:40:00.000-07:00

Remember these?

We've made more - and look who is wearing them now:

To find out who he is, where he's going and how you can get involved visit

The Many Adventures of Stanley and Silvia

Backyard

2008-09-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

I followed Frog around the yard today, trying to see things the way he does:

For more SOOC shots visit Slurping Life.

The Thinking Spot

2008-09-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

Frog has a new hideaway, a thinking spot if you will. Sometimes he goes there to escape. Sometimes he goes there to take in the vista or check on the neighbors. Sometimes he goes there to be secretive. Sometimes he calls out to be seen.

Yesterday - he went there to dance:

What he still hasn't figured out - how to get back down!

Gifts for the Shoemaker's Elves perhaps?

2008-09-17T00:15:00.000-07:00

It's after midnight here on the West Coast. Frog is upstairs doing his moon dance and I'm still up doing this:

I don't sew, but I can cut and paste with the best of them. Keep checking in with 4-frogs for more news on this project.

For more Special Exposure Wednesday posts go to 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

Trampoline

2008-09-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

I thought others might be interested in my reply to Hellokittymama's questions about our trampoline. Here is my response:

We've gone out of our way to make our house the most fun on the block. We host a lot of play dates and have a lot of kids around for Frog to watch and hopefully interact with. Diva says her favorite thing is to have her friends over because "when I have friends over my mom makes really yummy treats!"

Out of all the toys, therapy equipment, therapist visits, dietary changes, and educational interventions we've delved into - I'd have to say, the best money we've spent was on the swimming pool and the trampoline. The trampoline is relatively new. I don't think we've seen its full potential yet. But it is great for sensory input (vestibular and proprioceptive). It is a great workout - for Frog and for me. Frog does sleep better if he has a good jump. And he has started to learn things like taking turns, anticipating other kid's movements, cooperative jumping, and requesting the other kids to jump so he will be bounced up.

I looked at trampolines for years, but didn't bite until I found this model:

I was impressed with this design because there are no springs, no place for your foot to get caught, and the struts supporting the safety net are bowed outward and flexible so there is no real danger from crashing into the net near them. The most dangerous part of the trampoline is the assembly - which took some muscle and about 3 hours, but wasn't too difficult. Just make sure the kids are somewhere else while the assembly is going on. Yes it is incredibly expensive (I managed to get ours on sale and it was still expensive) but it didn't cost more than some of the therapy options we've tried and it gives better results. And it is fun for the whole family (jumping or watching).

We've had the trampoline up for about two months. It is a big hit with all the kids. Frog has figured out how to get into it and out of it on his own.

I am happy with and would recommend this product.

Change of Venue

2008-09-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you have to get everything off the floor of your therapy/playroom, keep your child entertained but out of the house, and you need to be available to answer questions from the carpet cleaning technician?

Have a Circus!

Frog doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to all this stuff when it's inside - been there, done that. But when he spotted this set-up out in the yard he beamed (sorry for the pun) and beat on the window wanting to get out there. Nothing like a change of venue to make everything old - new again.

Diva was equally impressed when she came home from school and treated us to several new balance beam routines before ballet class :0).

For more Try It Tuesday ideas visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

Happy Harvest Moon

2008-09-14T21:38:00.001-07:00

I missed the Harvest moonrise tonight while trying to get a couple of chickens to cook. Don't know if my oven thermometer is off or if chickens don't cook under a full moon :0).

It is just after 9:30pm on the West Coast. All the little Frogs have gone to bed - although my littlest may be partying later tonight. This is one big, bright, full moon!

One of the Gang

2008-09-12T14:26:00.001-07:00

A friend of ours invited Frog and I to join a group of preschoolers who were hitting a playground after class.

Frog's friend yelled - "Hey Frog, get on the boat!" as soon as we arrived. The other kids were new to us. Some of them thought it was a little strange, how frog did not talk to them. They tried to engage him, and then went about their play. He played among them and had a great time.

I found this one amusing. I happened to catch the exact moment when Frog was the only one looking at another person.

Frog was thrilled when his friend decided to load up the bottom of the slide with pea-gravel, one of his favorite rocks! What a way to slide :0)

Thanks guys, we had a blast!

Beach Therapy

2008-09-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

See, hear, touch, smell, center -

Therapy Room

Sandbox

Water Table

Balance Beam

PT

Spinning

Sensory Integration

Om -

Go to 5 Minutes for Special Needs to see more SPECIAL EXPOSURE WEDNESDAY posts.

Where am I?

2008-09-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

If your looking for the 4-Frogs Try This Tuesday post, you need to go HERE.

I'm guest blogging at 5 Minutes for Special Needs. Pop on over and say Hi!

Color Swirl

2008-09-08T14:08:00.001-07:00

Here's an art project for kids who love water, but hate art projects - there's even a bit of science involved:

Frog has never been into arts and crafts. The fine motor skills, attention requirements, static visuals, and low proprioceptive input drive him away from any activity that involves sitting or standing still at a table and focusing on one thing. He will sample the textures and bite of the art supplies by putting them in his mouth, but then he is off and running.

I believe we all need a creative outlet so I've spent a lot of time thinking about "other ways" to be creative. I've concluded that, for Frog, the sensory aspects of the activity need to be just right in order to make it motivating and fulfilling. This was the genesis of the Color Swirl.

We are a DIR/Floortime family. Going back to basics I know, even in a semi-structured activity, I want to follow Frog's lead. I know that he needs deep proprioceptive input and likes to squeeze things. I know he can't resist water, especially moving water, and he will put everything in his mouth. I know he loves to be outside and he loves to move.

Putting all of this together, I decided to make Gak, a mixture of cornstarch and water which produces a colloid. When mixed just right, the Gak will be solid under pressure when you squeeze it in your hand, but will turn to a runny liquid when the pressure is released. I mixed two boxes of generic cornstarch with water outside in Frog's water table.

I got the Gak just about right. Frog took one feel and ran away.

This is not unusual, and I knew that if I left the mixture he would probably be back. But I decided to change it up a little. I added more water until I had a very milky looking liquid. Then I added four or five drops each of various colors of food coloring. The slight breeze began to move the colors around. When I dipped a couple of fingers in I could see, by the movement of the colors, how the water reacted to my touch. I brought Frog back to the table, and this time he stayed, experimented and watched. It reminded me of my old Magic Window toy - only this one you could really touch!

Even cooler, we could make art over and over by stirring our colors all together and starting over with new food coloring drops. After an hour of playing with the water, Frog came back to the table when all of the cornstarch had settled out. He climbed into the table and came up with the original Gak on his own. Here's a sampling of Frog and Mom's art

Sunday Drive #3

2008-09-07T20:30:00.001-07:00

Looking North

Looking South

Frog and Diva somewhere in between

Followed by Sunday Dinner at Grandma's House

For more Sunday Drive Photos visit Up North Mommy

SOOC Saturday

2008-09-06T21:50:00.000-07:00

Melody at Slurping Life has started posting SOOC on Saturday. SOOC stands for "Straight Out Of Camera" - no editing allowed. I think this is a great idea - A fun quick post for a busy Saturday! Visit her blog and check the comments for links to other SOOC postings.

Here is my first SOOC offering:

With or without?

There were originally 4 cookie faces. Frog waited so patiently for me to frost the first cookie, then slowly assemble the face, naming each part as I went. When he was finally allowed to take his coveted prize, he ran off, cookie in mouth, then stopped suddenly. The screaming commenced - pausing only occasionally to gulp a breath or wipe frantically at his tongue.

I had already tasted the cookies and frosting - they weren't that bad. After a struggle to look into the wailing mouth to check for cracked teeth or bleeding checks or tongue, it was finally decided that Frog does not like almond extract. He spent the next half hour in the bathtub rinsing his mouth with water, soap, toothpaste. After the bath he ate all the chips he could get his hands on. Over the next two days he managed the eat the bulk of the UN-frosted cookies. I did not have to worry about him getting into and making a mess with the purple frosting.

Duck, Duck, Gez

2008-09-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

Frog's Word of the day - "Gez"

Go to FROG'S SCHOOL Here

Frog's School - Big Adventure in the Small Pond

2008-09-02T19:07:00.001-07:00

We have a new blog just for keeping track of our home school adventures. I started it primarily to keep track of where we've been and to give school therapists an idea of what is going on here. If we decide to home school permanently, it will give a "certified teacher" something to review. But I hope it will also be a source of ideas for others and a memory book for Frog and me.

Check us out here:

Frog's School - Big Adventures in the Small Pond

Back to School Countdown

2008-09-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

4. Clean and organize house (especially the front closet aka barbie land).

CHECK

3. Organize home school curriculum and supplies
CHECK

2. Gather Diva's supplies: Old back pack, new lunch bag, new water bottle, new and old school supplies, cash for newsletter.

Check

1. Finish Diva's Summer to do list: last item - "learn to ride my bike."

CHECK

We are ready to go!

Bird-Frog on the Pond

2008-08-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

Frog has really noticed the ducks and geese flying over our house this year. I'm working on a migration component to our fall home school curriculum. He also has two big black crows who come to visit him regularly in our front yard. They know he will leave treats behind. We went to the waterfront today to take a walk and play in the sand. The ducks were not in the marshy pond and the seagulls seemed to be playing somewhere else. I forgot to put the memory card back in Diva's camera so I guess we wouldn't have gotten a picture anyways -

So I'll just post this nostalgic look an Frog and his first duck

For more "Special Exposure Wedensday" favorite memory photos go to
5 Minutes for Special Needs.

Smart Moves - Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head

2008-08-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

Our "Try it Tuesday" is a book recommendation.

Smart Moves - Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head

I'm currently reading this book for a discussion on a developmental therapy support group list-serve. I've read a lot of books that explain the senses and the concept of sensory integration and I've read books with ideas for sensory diet activities. This book does more to explain how sensory input and movement initiate, influence, promote, and re-mediate brain development. It also emphasises the importance emotion plays in the ability to learn and reason. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is home schooling a child (special needs or neuro-typical), anyone whose child is receiving or would benefit from sensory integration therapy, and anyone who works with school age children.

If you've read this book I'd love to hear your opinions and experiences with it.

For Here for more "Try This Tuesday" posts.

Sunday Drive #3

2008-08-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

On the way home from the birthday party -

- J.L. Seagull

- the committee

- Mr. Goose.

So nice of Mr. Goose to pose for us. We'll be using his picture in our fall and winter migration studies at home school on the pond!

- Neighborhood sunset

Neighborhood sunset turned out to be anything but peaceful. Diva noticed a strange truck stop on the road in front of our house. I told her not to worry, and came to the porch to see who it might be. I didn't recognize the truck and couldn't see the occupants. They made no move to acknowledge me. I got my camera and went to the driveway as they pulled away and turned left at our intersection. The truck proceeded to park about 100 feet down the road and again sat, motor off, for five minutes. Truck moved about 100 feet past the next house and stopped. At the end of the road the truck turned back the did the same thing on the other side of the road. I called a neighbor who said they were watching this too and she was on her way out to get the license plate. The truck left and headed down the same road on the opposite side of the intersection. I just finished giving a description of events and showing my oh so blurry picture to a Sheriff's Deputy. We are locking the doors tonight!

For more Sunday Drive pictures go see Up North Mommy

We are still here!

2008-08-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

I'm still here. I've taken a break from the blog to work on the fall home school curriculum Frog and I will try to follow. And Frog has been having some late nights or early mornings (we are partying from 12:30 - 4:30 A.M.) - we are feeling a little sleepy around here. So today Frog, Diva and I got out of the house. We made a quick trip to the grocery store where Frog pushed the cart and did a great job staying with us. Then we went downtown to check out the new doughnut shop and took a walk to look at some of the local art about town.

Photos courtesy of Diva.

Frog managed to stay away until just after 7pm tonight - here's hoping for a full nights sleep.

Good Night :0)

Sunday Drive #2

2008-08-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Late summer splender

That Frog Can Dance!

2008-08-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

Last week was Diva's annual dance camp. Unlike regular dance class, the dancers meet every single day for a week and the class runs just a little longer than usual. At the end of the week, the dancers get to raid the wardrobe closet and put together their own costumes then put on a short program for the families.

I took Little Frog with me when I went to get Diva on Thursday. We got there a little early and I told Frog he could come into the studio where the girls were dancing if he was quiet. Frog loves to watch dancing on TV, but he had never seen his sister "perform." He got very excited when the music started. He kept referencing me with a big smile and very communicative glances. He began to move with the music. When the dancing started, he needed to jump! I eased him into my lap and he watched with rap attention, vocalizing a little, but trying very hard to be quiet. When the music stopped, Frog would clap and clap - his way of saying "do it again" but in this context it worked perfectly as applause or "encore!" We only had to leave the room once. When we returned, Frog rocked to the music on his knees and never took his eyes off the dance. When class was over, the girls filed passed him and he tried to make eye contact with them as he clapped and clapped. Frog is an excellent audience - and I think there is a dancer inside there :0)

Diva is an amazing ballerina. This week was more about jazz, so it was a little different for her. The girls learned 4 dances for the show. The last one, a jazz combination, was really challenging. The girls all had the combo down, but they and the teacher kept changing the order of the choreography making the dance confusing for the girls. It was also very hot on Friday. By the time they got through the class, they were almost too pooped to put on the show - but the show must go on!

I've spliced it together a little and put it to the song they used for the last Jazz number. Diva is a bit perplexed by the slowed motion of the video, but I like seeing their moves in detail. Diva(if you are new to this blog)is the blond with the ponytail, black leotard, green sequined skirt and no hat. Enjoy!

6 Unspectacular Quirks

2008-08-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

Tagged, I'm it. Hellokittiemama at The Bon Bon Gazett has tagged me for the Six Unspectacular Quirks meme. Quirks? Me? Well ok, maybe a few (dozen).

Thems's the rules..
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks you possess.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Let's see -

1. I'm a naturally introverted person and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Public Speaking. Honestly, give me a room full of people and a microphone and I'll go on for hours. Just don't ask me to come up with witty banter or small talk at a cocktail party - total deer in the headlights!

2. I am told I am "soft spoken" or, according to Hubby, I mumble. I think it must be a sensory thing, because I can hear me just fine - I can hear what is being said in the next room just fine - I can hear what Hubby mumbles under his breath just fine (that one can be a little annoying for both of us). When I am being herd, I FEEL LIKE I'M YELLING - Can you hear me now?

3. 12 years of school, 5 years of college and 3 years of law school and I can't spell. Well, OK, I can spell but I'm prone to numerous and strange mistakes. And not just the letter reversal kind, I get letters into words that have no business being there. I tend to cut and paste 90 percent of my comments to your blogs into a word document and spell check them. Even that doesn't always work!

4. I've been cooking since I was 10. I'm good at it and I love my food cooked my way. But I don't like to make my own salads. There is nothing wrong with the way I make a salad. Everyone else likes my salads. But I only like salads made by other people.

5. I'm a secret dancer. Ballet in the kitchen while I do the dishes, Belly Dancing moves while I brush my teeth, Flamenco in the living room just for fun, but nobody will ever see me dance. On the dance floor, I'm just as awkward as I was as a teenager.

6. I'm drawn to stories of the paranormal. I don't know why - I've never had a paranormal experience, nothing paranormal runs in my family, it creeps out Hubby and Diva. But ever since I was a child, I've been fascinated.

OK, now your all thinking "just back away, back away slowly . . ."

Not so fast - it's time to pass the torch.

Nicole at All 4 My Gals
Krist at My Life for the World to See
Jenny at Special Considerations
Mia's Mama
Born Just Right
Michelle at Big Blueberry Eyes

If you haven't been tagged and want to share, consider yourself next on my list. Leave me a comment so I can add a link to your page :0)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2008-08-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

I revisited my autism book collection recently as I moved my office / home school into the playroom. Amazon's stock must have gone up when we got Little Frog's diagnosis - the collection is immense. I noticed that certain books came back to me like old friends. When I stopped to consider what they had in common the word Respect immediately jumped out. These books, many of which were written or contributed to by people with autism, gave me a perspective much different than the ABA manuals, diet books, and other "how to fix behavior" books I'd come across or been referred to by educators. These books gave me a glimpse of what it might be like from Frog's perspective. Above all, these books told me that my son is who he is for a reason and it's OK. They showed me how I could be helpful in showing my son the world and teaching him how to get along in it without worrying about changing him. These books allowed me to let go of some of the worry and the frantic search for answers and just enjoy building a relationship with Frog. I still worry about what the future holds, a hostile world, and the pitfalls along the way, but I've learned that my little boy is a very strong and resourceful individual and I know he will find his way - his family will be here to help.

The Child with Special Needs

Engaging Autism

The Soul of Autism

Autism and the God Connection

The Fabric of Autism

Lucy's Story

Autism and the Myth of the Person Alone

The Autism Answer Book

Frog Claims a Condo

2008-08-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

OOPS! 5MSN Site and I are not communicating well today. For the September 9, 2008 SEW Post go HERE

This was taken on Christmas day three years ago. Frog was not into presents and a morning full of gift exchanging was almost more than he could take. He especially hated that everyone wanted to watch him open his gifts and wanted him to play with the new toys - toys he had not had a chance to really meet yet. He still did not really play with toys unless they belonged to his sister. Diva got a very large doll house that Christmas. When all the gifts were opened and the paper cleared away, Diva's dad and grandpa put the dollhouse together and placed it in the hall closet (still affectionatly known as "Barbie Land") where it could be shut away when not in use. This was the gift Frog took an interest in -

For more Special Exposure Wednesday pictures and stories go to 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Contact Information

2008-08-12T00:17:00.000-07:00

Frog has reached the age where most of his peers are memorizing their address and phone number and learning how to recite them to a trusted adult in an emergency. Frog is non-verbal and while he has ways of communicating with family, he typically avoids strangers. We had been concerned about what would happen if he got separated from us when we were away from home. But a couple of months ago he left our front yard and was found in the middle of the intersection in front of our house, by the assistant superintendent of schools no less. Because he was not able to give any indication of who he was or where he belonged, the police were called. This happened within about 7 minutes of him leaving us at the dinning room table and squeezing through a gap in the fence. We've looked at various tracking devices, but they all seem cumbersome and some are quite technical (would probably not stand up to submersion is a fountain or puddle). We have tried various bracelets in the past, but they were too irritating and distracting for Frog. Our current solution is this temporary tattoo

We ordered it from Safety Tat and had my cell phone number put on it. Fortunately, we haven't had a chance to "use" it yet. But I feel better knowing that Frog can "give" his phone number if the need arises. It is bright and colorful and a little sparkly, but you would have to look really close to read what it says. My hope is that it would appear to be like any temporary tattoo the other kids might be playing with unless someone was looking for a way to identify my child. It washes off with a little soap, warm water and a little scrubbing.

For more Try It Tuesday posts go to 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Also, Check out the Penny Walk at Aspgertopia!

And My Life for the World to see for an Amazon.com Giveaway Congratualtions, Krist, on your 10,000th hit!!!!

Art at the Pond

2008-08-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Inspired by our trip to The Seattle Art Museum Diva and I decided today was a good day for some art. In hopes of coaxing Frog to join us, we choose finger paints outside.

Frog has never been into art projects. He will usually scribble a line or two to humor me, then do everything possible to get out of there. We bought some large rectangular bee's wax crayons - he likes the way they feel when he bites them. He used to bring home lots of fun and creative art projects from school. I suspect we displayed a lot or Para Educator Julie's art on our refrigerator. For our home school projects we try to keep everything very sensory based - playing with colored water, pouring birdseed over peanut buttered pine cones, dropping feather or sand or rocks onto a gluey piece of paper, etc.

Today I taped finger painting paper to our fence and filled our sensory table with small tubs of different colored finger paints and a big bowl of water. Frog was enticed to join us by the big bowl of water. He also enjoyed the squishy paint. With a little hand over hand he agreed to participate putting paint to paper and moving it about. The end result was really something interesting. I took the paints and water back into the house and came back with my camera.

There was not much left to take a picture of but Frog had gone back to the art on his own. When asked if he liked his picture he clapped twice - that's YES in Frog speak

Here is Diva's creation for the day -

Frogs Go To Town

2008-08-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

In lieu of long family vacations, and in the interest of giving everyone their fair share of parental attention, we take each of the children on the occasional overnight trip with mom and dad. We find that Frog handles and enjoys the trip better when mom and dad are not splitting their attention and patience between the siblings, and Diva relishes the opportunity to be the center of attention once again.

Frog had a trip to Seattle in April for a Neurology appointment. To make it more of a family outing, we also went to the aquarium and watched the otters, the Seattle Center where we ate lunch and played at the Children's Museum, Jump Planet where we bounced and ran and bounced some more, and then spent the night at hotel with a swimming pool. Lots of fun and lots of memories.

This weekend was Diva's turn. Diva has a new camera that we put to good use. As you can see, she was in her element.

First order of business was getting to Seattle. This involves a ride on a Ferry Boat and a salted, soft pretzel.

Next we checked into the Sheraton. The Seattle Sheraton has a great swimming pool on the 35th floor with amazing city views. Unfortunately, the pool was closed for renovation. Not to dwell on the unexpected, we made reservation for dinner at The Melting Pot and left early to get some shopping in before we boarded the monorail. Unfortunately the monorail was not running - one train off line for renovation, the other broken down.

Our short walk became a real hike. By the time we located the restaurant, we were famished. It was a good thing too, because there was a lot of food. Cheese fondue starter, salads, mixed grill fondue entree (chicken, steak, salmon, and prawns), and a Smors Chocolate Fondue dessert. Diva had a ball.

We rolled out of the restaurant with enough time for a much shorter walk to the Seattle Center where we attended the Seattle Children's Theater production of High School Hamlet. This was the culmination of a summer drama program for high school students. They were very good and it looked like they had an awesome time putting the show together. We left the show with time to find Diva some Cotton candy before searching for a cab - none to be had in the city that night, apparently they were swamped with would be monorail riders. After waiting for 20 minutes or so below the Space Needle, we hiked back to the hotel where everyone collapsed until morning.

After a quick Continental breakfast, we stowed our bags with the bell captain, checked-out of the hotel and headed for the Seattle Art Museum for the Inspiring Impressionism exhibit and the family fun program. We were lead with a group of families quickly (we looked at three whole paintings) through the exhibit while the docent explained how an artist draws a human face. Then we headed to the art studio where the kids were given materials and instruction on how to draw their own or their parent's face. Diva did a quick pencil sketch of Mom, then we headed back to the exhibit so we could really look at the art. Many of the pieces were familiar, but there is something awe inspiring about seeing them in person, observing the dimensions of the brush strokes, seeing the texture of the paint, feeling the energy of the piece itself, and a little thrilling to see the artist's signature and know this is really what he/she created. We were hoping to see some of Degas' ballerinas. They were not a part of the collection but some of his other work was there - breathtaking. We followed the Museum with a quick lunch where Diva made her own Pizza. Then we headed to the university district to the Center Stage Dance Store to get Diva a properly fitted pair of ballet shoes for the upcoming year.

It was after 5pm when we made it back home. Frog was happy to see us and ready to come home from Grandma's, although all reports sounded like a good time was had by all at his sleepover. Diva picked out a large Lolly-pop for Frog which he enjoyed with relish today.

Sunday Drive #1

2008-08-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

Kim at Up North Mommy has started a tradition of sharing photos on Sunday in a "Sunday Drive" post. I love this idea.

I remember the Sunday drives my family took when I was young (although my sister and I lobbied hard enough to change the meaning slightly - if we did not complain about being board or poke each other during the drive, we stopped for an ice cream Sunday on the way home :0).

I've decided to follow Up North Mommy's lead and share the beauty of the Pacific Northwest with my family and bloggerhood friends. Getting off to less than a rousing start, however, I could not coax my brood into the car. So I walked my property and took in the view from home -

Gray clouds hid the sun and threatened rain all day long. I took these pictures from the backyard around 7pm. The sun was starting to break through the gloom just in time to set.

You like me. You really, really like me :0)

2008-08-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

What a nice surprise - Krist at My Life for the World to See Awarded 4 Green and Speckled Frogs a Brilliante Weblog Award. Thank you Krist - I am really very honored by your recognition! :0)

Now I get the fun job of passing the recognition on.

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2. Link to the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you’ve nominated.

I have come across so many Brilliante Blogs over the years. Here are just a few - some are old friends and others are new discoveries. Check them out -

1. Trish at Another Piece of the Puzzle. I am especially moved by her post Life is the Puzzle re posted today for Beyond the Ordinary Blog Carnival

2. Julie at A Celebration of our Journey . Don't miss her video of Daniel watching "Cows goin Crazy!"

3. Kyra at This Mom Who has inspired and entertained me with her writing as well as introduced me to our home school curriculum and led me to many other outstanding blogs.

4. Hellokittiemama at Bon Bon Gazett who blogs about autism, kids and neurotypical divas, just like me :0)

5. Aspergertopia Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind... Dr. Seuss
I love her home school stories and ideas.

6. Melody at Slurping Life Insightful, funny posts with AMAZING photos and art.

7. Kim at Up North Mommy. Love reading about little miss throwsafit and all of her progress. Check out her Sunday Drive posts too!

8. And I could never forget Maddy at Whitterer on Autism the most talented and prolific autism / life blogger I've met. But, I bet she has received this award many times before.

Frog's Birthday Bounce

2008-08-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

Frog's birthday present was a trampoline. We bought it in May when it was on sale. Frog has been climbing on the boxes for months. We assembled it a week before his birthday to give him a chance to warm-up to it. I think it worked. (if you've seen some of this video in a previous post, keep watching. I'm playing with my muvee maker and I've made some changes - you need to see the swimming video at the end).

Check out more special exposure Wednesday posts at 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Illustory for young authors

2008-08-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kristy,at My Life for the World to See,for suggesting the post

This is not necessarily a solution to a problem, but it is a lot of fun for the kids, a great way to showcase some kid art, makes a great grandparent gift, and could be used for a very special social story - Illustory allows you to create your own real hardback book.

Click here for more information

For a sample of the finished product, continue on to my previous post:

Dog's Adventure

Enjoy!

Dog's Adventure, by Diva Frog

2008-08-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

A book by Diva Frog dedicated to her brother Little Frog on his birthday.
(The author asks that you note the movement of the sun through Dog's day)

Party at the Pond

2008-08-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Frog has been very excited about his birthday this year. Last year he was still overwhelmed by kids and expectations. We went to a couple of birthday parties for other boys - where he was not the center of attention - and I think it helped. We decided to tone down the party aspect of his birthday this year and it seems like he is enjoying himself more. On Wednesday, we put one present, a book written for Frog by Diva, on the table with his breakfast. He warmed up to it slowly and took it from the table when no one was looking. He removed the ribbon and opened the gift all by himself outside in the yard. This is the first gift I can remember him opening without prompting and assistance (except, of course, the gifts we wrap for other people that he finds before we get them out of the house). Grandma stopped by with a great big Mylar balloon and a giant musical birthday card. Frog played and wrestled with that balloon all moring, finally putting a hole in it. Diva said "Wow, he got more entertainment out of that balloon in ten minutes than he does out of most toys in a year!" We have two play dates set-up in lieu of a kids' party. We are hoping that one playmate at a time will make the "party" more fun for Frog. His birthday present from Mom and Dad was a large trampoline that we set-up last week so he would have some time to warm up to it. The plan worked. Today we had a Birthday Party with family members. Frog and Diva jumped and jumped. Frog ate his cake in his sandbox (recently refurbished by Diva and Mom). Frog and Diva finished the day in the pool. Frog got another Mylar balloon from his Aunt and Uncle. The balloon plays the happy birthday song when you tap it. Frog has been tapping the balloon all evening and grinning from ear to ear.

To Frog on his 6th Birthday

2008-07-30T00:22:00.001-07:00

6 years old - can this be true? It seems just yesterday, this was you -

Each time I look, it seems you grew -

and grew -

and grew -

Yesterday we walked through the woods. I marveled at how far we have come, you and I.

You were curious -

You were peaceful -

You listened to my stories about the woods and showed me new ways to see familiar places -

You are growing up fast. The road before you is long and we can't see around the bends. I wonder what will facinate and inspire you next. I am so blessed to be on this adventure with you.

Happy Birthday Little Frog -

Love Mom.

In Memory of Evan

2008-07-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kamida family.

More Flowers at the Swingset are being posted in Evan's honor at Flickr

Honor the memory of Evan Kamida by sharing your photos of flowers at swingsets.

You can also send contributions to:
The Pediatric Epilepsy Fund at UCLA
Division of Pediatric Neurology
Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
22-474 MDCC
10833 Le Conte Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1752

You can also contribute directly to Evan's memorial fund:
www.vickiforman.com/?p=1011

"Vicki and her family will use the funds to purchase something Evan would have enjoyed in his life, for instance, a tree to shade the playground swings…"

Re-introduction

2008-04-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

I thought I should re-post our introduction for anyone from the ENKI special needs homeschool yahoo group or the DIR/Floortime on-line conference who might be stopping by to find out more about Little Frog. Here is where we were in 2006:

Thursday, August 10, 2006
Welcome to the Pond

Welcome, I'm so glad you found us! We live in the wet wilds of the Pacific Northwest. After college and graduate school, my husband and I came home and settled down near family in the small town where we grew up.

Our first little tadpole, diva frog, was born in 1998. She was early to talk, early to walk, an inquisitive little "grown-up" from the moment she was born. By age 3 she was known as mommy's little legal assistant and was quick to give the City attorney her opinion on everything. Today diva frog is a true girly girl - complete with a pretty in pink wardrobe, Barbies and Polly Pockets galor, and ballet and gymnastics classes every week. Her life is a musical and she is the star - singing every solo.

Our second tadpole, little frog, was born in 2002. 10lbs 11oz, sunnyside-up with his head turned to the side, little frog was born via c-section after days of start and stop labor and hours of unproductive pushing. Little frog came into the world with a strong startle reflex and extremely powerful lungs he was not afraid to use. For the first few months of little frog's life he screamed long, loud and hard, nursed voraciously (45 min at a time) and slept sporadically. Being the experienced frog parents we were, we declared him colicky and began to apply all the home remedies and old wives tales. But little frog was a conundrum. He detested riding in the car and screamed as if he were being tortured. He had a very high tolerance for physical pain, but could not tolerate a light touch or anything brushed against his skin. He loved the sound of running water, the vacuum cleaner, the TV, and musical toys, often rocking on his hands and knees while listening. He cried when the sound stopped. But he did not startle or even turn his head to look when you called his name or banged pot lids together behind him. He loved to be held or swaddled tightly and rocked or bounced with great energy. He would look at you and light up when you entered a room with a charming grin and a twinkle of delight in his eye. He did not care at all if you left.

He crawled with his left hand turned out. He had an uncanny ability to drive his walker, maneuvering it into and out of tight spaces like a professional. When he walked, he walked on his tip toes (sometimes on the knuckles of his toes). When he ran, which was most of the time,it was always fast and furious with little regard for what lie in front of him. At 18 months he did not speak, he did not wave, he did not point, he did not seek us out for help, he did not reference us for reassurance and he did not turn to us for comfort when he was hurt or sad or afraid. Diva frog pointed out that he never looked at her eyes, only at her mouth. The pediatrician told us not to worry, but to have his hearing tested if he did not have some words by age two. We began our own research and slowly came to realize that our little frog was swimming in the deep, dark water of autism. Deep and dark to us because we had so little understanding of how he perceived the world or how he felt. Deep and dark for little frog because he had been learning to navigate these waters on his own.

Today little frog is four years old. We are still traveling the maze of therapies and interventions. Some have helped, some have not. Little frog continues to grow and learn. He still does not talk. He only points to show us what he wants, not to draw our attention to what he sees or hears. Sometimes he comes to us for help, although he is still a fiercely independent problem solver (which makes toddler-proofing the Lilly pad a big challenge for mom and dad). He does come to us for comfort, and is beginning to look to our expressions to help make sense of new situations. He still has his smile and the twinkle in his eye and he continues to charm everyone he meets. And just a few days ago, on his birthday, he looked directly into diva frog's eyes as if to say "Look at me! Look at what I can do!" and smiled his delight just for her.

Today Frog is over 5.5 years old. Since this post we have continued with DIR/Floortime, used The Listening Program, obtained an individualized HANDLE program, started homeschooling with ENKI, started NAET allergy elimination treatments, and are just starting to work with Rapid Prompting Method. We supplement his diet with Omega 3, 6, and 9, multi vitamins, and zinc/B6. Some of the interventions that did not have any significant value for little frog were ABA, PECS, Sign Language, GFCF diet, Verbal Behavior, Vantage Voice Output System (although we are still holding out hope that he will take to the device in the future) Little Frog has made great strides in his joint attention, social initiation, and his own non-verbal communication. He continues to be a great independent problem solver and gets into everything. He pays more attention to speech and responds to his name and the words stop, wait, and no. He uses two claps for yes, but has no sign for no. He varies the intensity of his clapping to signal enthusiasm or ambivalence. He is still too loud at times (he doesn't speak, but makes every sound in the English language and some from other languages in a combination of babble and verbal stim), but has improved his ability to modulate his voice with a verbal prompt (quiet voice). He is curious, happy, engaged, graceful, charming, alert - but can not readily participate in the ideas of others even though he shows that he understands what is being asked/suggested. He is able to respond quicker to simple ideas/instructions if there is a musical cue rather than being spoken to. Picture cues have never worked for him. He taught himself to play the harmonica. He has almost taught himself to swim. He still puts everything in his mouth - but does not show signs of PICA, just a need for oral information. We have worked with some amazing professionals over the last few years and they all agree that he is a conundrum, unlike most spectrum kids they meet. We continue to grow and evolve with him and are enjoying life one day at a time celebrating all his progress and trying not to spend too much time worrying about what he is not doing yet. He is one amazing kid.

Frog Update

2008-04-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

We are back from Frog’s first Neurology appointment. They were not able to give us any new insights, but the Neurologist confirmed what we have suspected all along. Frog is part of that rare (or not so rare, but often undiscovered) subset of ASD where receptive language, social awareness, and the desire to connect with others is fully intact, but he is so severely limited by his lack of expressive language, sign, gesture, and inability to imitate that he can’t regularly demonstrate the extent of his knowledge and awareness. He compared Frog to a few other kids he had seen in his practice who were considered severely impacted-low functioning ASD and then they began to type or write when they reached 10 or 12 years old and were able to tell about everything they had been aware of over the years - Similar to Tito Mukhopadhyay or more recently Carly Fleischmann . We have started using Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) developed by Soma Mukhopadhyay to teach her son Tito. Through RPM we have discovered that Frog knows his letters and numbers, listens to the stories we read and can answer questions about them, wants to know more about dinosaurs and cars and wants to learn to ride his bike, can read some words, is frustrated when people don’t know how smart he is, thinks his sister talks too much and he wants a dog. I’ve been trying to figure out why he can and will choose between two answers for RPM, but was so hit and miss with discrete trial. I can see two major differences: The physical motor plan for the activity stays the same and has the same prompt (giving him the pencil) and the information is constantly new – he is not being asked to do the same meaningless task over and over again. He has also started to request to write letters and after months of avoiding his voice output system, he is now exploring it a little on his own – especially the alphabetized keyboard screen. I suspect he will be writing and/or typing within the next year or two.

So our days are now structured by the rhythms and open intake philosophy of ENKI using DIR/Floortime, sensory play, communication through RPM, and lots and lots of letters. It is starting to feel like school – and we are starting to make some progress on the goals that are most important to us as a family. We also found a new social outlet for Frog – JUMP PLANET! While we were in Seattle for the neurology appointment, Jump Planet was hosting a special needs family night. We weren’t sure how Frog would react to all the people in the room, but he dove in with wild abandon. The set-up was safe and contained so we could give him the freedom to run around and choose his activities independently. He had a ball – jumped with other kids, tolerated unexpected bumps and jostles, no pinching, no biting, no meltdowns. We will defiantly be going back.

I will also be expanding my DIR experience with an on-line conference. I’ve wanted to go to a conference for several years, but could not find it in the schedule or budget to be away from home for that amount of time. Dr. Greenspan and Rosemary White, OT are putting on an interactive on-line version of the conference training starting on April 25th . Parents and professionals from all over the world have signed up – I’m excited about the chance to compare notes and experiences with this diverse group.

Easing into ENKI

2007-11-29T22:21:00.001-08:00

We've officially started School here at the pond. We are easing in - getting our feet wet so to speak. With the weather turning cold and wet, we have moved our morning movement work inside which is more of a challenge - Frog likes to have room to move. With encouragement from the program's architect, we've put away the more challenging stories and movements and are developing our own rhymes to help Frog work on strengthening his body map. I'm calling this period, ENKI Light. This week, taking a cue from a raspberry noise he was enjoying making, We worked on an Elephant Walk

Elephants walk heavy and slow
They raise up their trunks to greet people they know - (raspberry).

I modeled this with an elephant walk and a trunk (arm) raise, several times. The next day we did "hand over hand" (more like body over body) and did the exercise together. After a few rounds, he actually came back for more. I think we looked a little like baby Dumbo and his Mother. I'm hoping we will have a whole "Animals on Parade" routine eventually. (baby Dumbo and Mom statue available on e-bay. Auction closes Dec. 3)

I was also encouraged to imitate the rhymed verse accompaniment to ENKI stories with the stories we are using. This week it is "COOKIES" from Frog and Toad Toad Together

COOKIES

A batch of cookies Toad did bake so warm and chewy and sweet,
He put them in a giant bowl for Frog and Toad to eat.

Frog took a cookie, took a bite and said “These are the best!”
Then Frog and Toad continued eating cookies without rest.

“Stop” cried Frog “We have to Stop, I think we’ve had our fill.”
“If we do not stop eating now, I fear we may be ill.”

“One last cookie each my friend and then it’s time to stop.”
They each ate one, and then one more - they were both about to pop.

“We must stop eating” cried out Toad as a cookie he did munch,
“We need to find our will power and stop this cookie lunch”

We will try hard to stop this feast, we won’t another cookie eat.
We will not take another bite; we won’t eat cookies day and night.

We’ll put them in a box and we’ll put the box away.
But we could open up the box and eat them anyway.

We will try hard to stop this feast, we won’t another cookie eat.
We will not take another bite; we won’t eat cookies day and night.

We’ll tie a string around the box with a knot that’s tight and strong.
But we could cut the string with ease and eat cookies all night long.

We will try hard to stop this feast, we won’t another cookie eat.
We will not take another bite; we won’t eat cookies day and night.

We’ll tie the string and place the box upon the highest shelves.
But we could climb back up and get the cookies for ourselves.

We will try hard to stop this feast, we won’t another cookie eat.
We will not take another bite; we won’t eat cookies day and night.

Frog took the box of cookies to the yard and called the birds,
“We have cookies here to share come get them and they’re yours.”

“Birds came and took the cookies Toad, now we can’t go wrong!”
“I’m going, Frog, to bake a cake, I hope your will power’s strong.”

We are doing movements for several of the verbs, signs for "cookie" and "stop"; and emphasising words with a PU or UH sound (sounds we are working on in speech therapy with The Animated Alphabet). We are also baking and eating a lot of cookies! Frog is taking me to the pantry for cookie mix on a regular basis. Frog laughs when I say "A batch of cookies Toad did bake" while we make cookies. We also made spaghetti sauce (can't live on cookies alone). I wanted to make it ahead of time so I could put a quick lasagna together for Aaron's Team tomorrow - a home visit with all the therapists. Frog and I sampled some for lunch the day we put it together - Bolognaise Nuevo. I was able to put in onions, mushrooms, peppers and zucchini, as well as ground beef browned in large "meatball" chunks. It's nice that we have moved on from PBJ and Lunchables.

Our other breakthrough has been rediscovering TAMO

"handling always applies forces associated with independent movements; that is, the therapist does not support nor move the patient; instead, the patient plans and generates the movement in response to the therapist's 'loading', which accentuates appropriate gravitational influences. That loading force is almost always directed through the patient's body to the support surface. The exact direction of this loading force constantly changes with movement. However, the observer cannot see that. You should ask your child's therapist to apply that 'loading force' to you! TAMO handling feels good; it gives a sense of security (stabilizing to the support surface and moving from the support surface) and it allows you to move with ease. Careful, it's easy to get hooked on TAMO treatment! This type of handling requires a good knowledge of the relation between pressure distribution at the contact with the support surface and the associated body posture and movement."

We haven't had a lot of training in this, but our private OT showed us how to use loading force along the gravitational vector of his pelvis while he was playing to help him stay focused and feel grounded. We used it mostly to help him calm himself when he seemed to be loosing his proprioceptive sense. But after watching power struggles at school to "keep" him in his chair or at an activity and then watching him go through similar struggles at speech therapy I decided, instead of trying to not be too distracting during the appointments - maybe I could be a part of them. I sat behind his chair and applied the loading force - gently, dynamically(moves with him rather than restricting or supporting him), at a pace of 60 beats per minute. The difference left both the speech therapist and me speechless ourselves. He went from screaming, crying, trying to get out of the chair or away from the activity, to sitting in the chair for 20 minutes, lots of attention, some complaints - but not to the point he disengaged from the activity, attempts at specific sounds and use of his voice output system, looking at books, playing "new" games. When he finished the appointment and I stopped applying the pressure, he remained calm. He put on his coat, put away his Vantage with some guidance, and WALKED down the hall to the waiting room QUIETLY. My new dilemma is how to use the technique at home when its just the two of us. It will be a topic of discussion tomorrow!

We are on the right track - I can just feel it.

Update - IEP

2007-11-16T21:25:00.000-08:00

Ok Maddy - this one is for you - thanks for sticking with me! :0)

After listening to Frog's teacher's concerns and mixed messages -8:30am "he's doing really well, I'm so pleased", 3:00pm "I'm really concerned, he's not progressing as I had hoped. I think it is sensory and I'm concerned his program is too scattered. I think we need an IEP meeting to discuss his behaviors, make sure we are all on the same page and not duplicating what you are doing at home." (...?!!!!??) I spent a day observing Frog at school. I've been in his class on a regular basis this year because I was walking him to school every morning. I noticed both kids (Frog and his classmate) did a lot of screaming, crying, and trying to get away, but I always got reports of "good day." I gave the benefit of the doubt that having an extra adult in the room made things more chaotic. That changed after I watched what was going on. Frog's teacher was especially concerned about his "behaviors" meaning he frequently bit his wrist and pinched the teacher or pulled her hair. I am familiar with this behavior. It has been going on for the last two years he has been in her class. At home the behavior has steadily decreased and I assumed that was also true at school. I knew the teacher responded by holding his hands firmly away from his body so he could not bite or pinch and turning her gaze away from him until he calmed down. The morning of her phone call, while I was in the room I watched one of these episodes. They were sitting at the snack table. Frog's wrist went to his mouth and he pinched the Teacher. She told him "NO!" and restrained his hands. He calmed, she let go, and he went after her again - 4 times in a row with the same response from the teacher. I stepped in and suggested that she direct him to his Vantage Voice Output device, help him select the emotions menu and encourage him to "tell" her how he was feeling rather than "show" her with a pinch. When I demonstrated, he chose "excited". The teacher was clearly not impressed - although the picture for "excited" looked a lot like Frog in that moment.

The following day, I checked his Vantage when he came home - not one single word had been accessed. I had encouraged the teacher to use the structured nature of the program to encourage him to use the Vantage. I had even modified activity lines and made pages to suit her lesson plans for him. But she left the device on the snack table where he could access it if he wanted to, but he was never encouraged or directed or shown that it was appropriate or acceptable to use in the classroom. We and several other families had gone through the same thing with PECS training in this classroom. One family got the district to bring Pyramid PECS trainers to town to train the staff and parents - I wasn't there, but heard that most of the staff were more concerned about where they were going to go out to lunch than learning the training techniques. PECS books were regularly left zipped up in backpacks or put away on high shelves until snack time when they were used as choice boards. I paid my own way to get the training in another state when it was offered, then went into the classroom (for 4 weeks) to get the training started. It never worked for Frog, but we got several other kids off the ground. It was apparent, however, that this particular teacher did not want to bring anything new into her program and assumed that communication was the SLP's job. I could see we were still on the same road with the Vantage.

The teacher began taking functional behavior data on Frog on a Thursday. I asked her to e-mail me the results. I was stunned - not only by the number of times he was biting and pinching, but by the fact that the only categories she could see for "perceived function" were avoidance and escape. I went into the classroom the next day and took my own data resulting in a 7 page write-up of observations.

I spent the weekend celebrating Diva's birthday, then got down to IEP business Sunday evening after the kids had gone down for the night. I finished at 3am and shot a copy of my observations and conclusions off to Frog's Psychologist and private SLP. Both confirmed that I was not crazy to be highly concerned and agreed that my plans for home school would serve him better. I e-mailed my seven page document to the IEP team 3 hours prior to the meeting. I copied the Principal and the Special Ed Director - who both hightailed it to the meeting along with the school psychologist invited by the teacher. My conclusions prepared them for what was coming:

III. PARENTS CONCLUSIONS:

While I did see many examples of the behaviors that were brought to my attention, they did not seem as dramatic or intrusive as the data would suggest. What I did notice was a lot of communication from Frog that while I would hope was not going un-noticed, was certainly not honored or even acknowledged. I also saw dominating behavior on the part of the adults. While I am certain it was done with Frog’s best interest at heart, it certainly would shake the trust and confidence of a small child whose world view is often confused and chaotic. I do not believe it is helpful, healthy or wise to take all of Frog’s control away. That in itself would cause enough anxiety to interfere with learning. (On a side note - I applaud the introduction of sensory calming and sensory input activities into the work of the general classroom. I would caution, however, these are tools not magic bullets. The wrong tool used at the wrong time or used excessively can make things worse not better. I got the feeling that Frog was to be squished on a regular basis whether he needed/wanted it or not. On one occasion, I saw a Para trying so hard to comply with Teacher's direction to make sure Frog got a good squish, she directed him to the mat and when he didn’t go, she brought him to the mat and made him lay down, and when he tried to crawl away, she pulled him back and squished him.) I saw examples of auditory and visual distractions interrupting Frog's motor planning leaving him floundering for what to do next preceding some of the incidence of these behaviors. And, some of the behaviors were perfectly typical fight or flight responses to unexpected or startling events. In any event, while I think they do interfere with his learning to a degree, to the extent they are communicative I don’t want to extinguish the behavior without substituting another way for him to say ‘NO! Stop that! I don’t want to do that!” He is vulnerable enough as it is. Extinguishing behaviors that are defiant, and seeking complete compliance and submission is too dangerous for him and will make it difficult for him to ever feel his has the right or ability to self advocate. Other 5 year olds (and 4, 3, 2, even 1 year olds) say NO all the time. It is ok and developmentally appropriate for him to be non compliant at times. Furthermore, extinguishing the behaviors without truly identifying their purpose and helping Frog find appropriate substitute behaviors may not give us the results we desire. He didn’t start biting his arm and pinching us until he was taught (at school) to cover his mouth with his hand when he started to scream. In my opinion, if the program he is in requires a level of compliance that does not allow him to say no – I need to put him a different program.

I cut the teacher off as she began to read her observations and concerns pointing out that these were not new behaviors and they were decreasing in an environment where he was listened to and validated. We had a long discussion about the differences between ABA and DIR which was educational for some of the staff members. Then I suggested that it was time to take a break from school and focus on communication. I got no argument from the team, and the Teacher, who started out defensive, seemed a little shocked and a little relieved. We all made nice and allowed everyone to save face. We planned a goodbye ritual for Frog complete with a photo memory book and a cupcake celebration. We told him that we were proud of how much he had grown and learned in Teacher's class and now he was ready to move on to adventure school with Mommy. We kept the IEP for now with a placement of "home school". That means we can still access the OT that we adore and the new SLP who we were so excited to work with at the begining of the year.

We have realized at home for a long time now, that
Frog learns faster and more naturally when he backs into an activity rather than trying to learn through direct instruction. I'm in the process of modifying the home school curriculum with the advice and guidance of the teacher who developed the program, to meet his specific learning style. She suggested that he may show strong resistance initially to anything he perceives as "instruction" and suggested we unschool for a little while. Today when we left our private SLP's office, the local para-transit bus was parked at the front door. Frog froze, panicked, sat down on the ground and looked at me with scared pleading eyes, vocalized distress, tensed his body and started rapid, shallow breathing. I talked him through it - "No, that is not your bus. We are going to get into our van and go home. The bus is going away and you are not going to ride the bus" He held it together, but could not move until the bus left. Riding the bus was always one of the highlights of the day. I see this as Frog's way of saying I like what we are doing and I don't want to go back to school. I feel the same way.

We did get school pictures back this week - and they are soooo good, I just have to share:

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

2007-11-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

This is a link to a video clip I found both entertaining and thought provoking. I thought some of you might also find it interesting. It can take a few minutes to load, but I think it is worth the wait -

About this Talk

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize -- much less cultivate -- the talents of many brilliant people. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. The universality of his message is evidenced by its rampant popularity online. A typical review: "If you have not yet seen Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk, please stop whatever you're doing and watch it now."

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Changes

2007-11-04T20:49:00.001-08:00

I'll need everyone to send me strength tomorrow. We are finally fed up with Frog's pre-school teacher. She is a lovely lady with good intentions who's program works for some kids - but she does not take advice from ANYONE, and she has now called an emergency IEP modification meeting because, after telling us all year how well Frog is doing, she has determined that he is not progressing and his behaviors and sensory issues are to blame. I spent last Friday observing and it was not hard to see that if there is a problem it is with his inability to communicate in a way that she and her staff will acknowledge or honor. Frankly, if she treated me the way she treats him, in the name of progress and learning, I'd pinch her too! We plan to thank the team for their efforts and withdraw him from school. We've started an ENKI homeschool program and plan to continue with it. But, being one who does not like to ruffle feathers, I know that this will not be an easy meeting for me. My husband, on the other hand, who has not had as close contact with this teacher or the other team members would like to simply skip the meeting and sue someone for some of the behavior we've seen on the part of the school district. As an attorney - I don't think it is warranted or winnable, but as a parent, I understand his frustration.

On a lighter note - here are some pictures of what the frog family has been up to in my absence:

Where is Mary Poppins when you need her?

2007-08-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

We've been fortunate that Little Frog has always been a very healthy little guy. We've hidden a few nutritional supplements in the maple syrup on his waffle or the jelly on his sandwich and slipped the occasional 3mg of melatonin into his ice cream, but it is a rare occasion when we have to give him actual medicine. Tylenol is the most common followed by the occasional 10 day round of antibiotics. He always gets better after we administer these medications, but the thing is - rarely does enough of the medicine get into his system for me to believe it is having any real effect. I think his "recovery" is due more to the heightened sensory input he gets from the struggle to avoid the medicine or he has some amazing ability to absorb the stuff transdermaly.

I have a dear friend, another autism mom, who has taken a much more biomedical approach to Autism. She has two boys who at any given time are on a variety of meds and supplements given on a daily basis. She firmly believes that I should desensitise and use behavior modification to teach Little Frog to take his medication without the aid of dramatic hiding rituals. I agree, that when he actually needs medication, ie antibiotics, he is not getting them and the struggle is monumental. One of her sons has PICA issues and getting him to swallow things was not a big deal. Her other son was very resistant and she describes a three year process of behavior modification, reasoning, consistency, and heavy duty reward systems that have recently culminated in her son agreeing to take a new, foul tasting medicine without incident. I would love to be able to give Frog some Tylenol when he is hurting, or make sure the antibiotics actually got into his system, but his reaction to taking medication and to us pushing him are worrisome. I fear creating more problems than I solve.

Frog's inability to swallow things seems to be a sensory issue. His throat closes in an almost instinctive way. (I'm channeling Grandin now - correct bad behaviors, accommodate sensory issues). This time around, by day three, we had to chase him down and wrap him and his arms in a towel, but then he would open his mouth and let us put the syringe in - there was just nowhere for the meds to go. Even with him mouth clamped shut by us, the meds just pooled at the back of his throat. I don't think we want to completely undo this protective reflex, as it is what keeps him from swallowing the various rocks, dirt, rubber bands, toys he pushes around inside his mouth. It is also what keeps him from sucking in a lung full of water when he swims under water with his mouth open like a baleen whale.

We do continue to reason with him, and maybe I should work on that when we are not in crisis mode - daily vitamin in jam perhaps. To this point, the very act of "forcing" an issue with Frog, no mater how gently we do it, pushes him just over the edge and I don't know if he can continue to process the language adequately at that time to engage in "reasoning". Also, with the language issues, I don't know if my reasoning is addressing his actual concerns and is therefore valid or persuasive in his mind. I do think that if I could come up with a new preparation to replace the pink suspension, that would not require two teaspoons of liquid, I could make a killing! Spoonful of Stevia anyone?

Does anyone have suggestions, opinions, or experiences that might help me decide what my next course of action should be?

Food Glorious Food

2007-08-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

******

Food, glorious food!
We're anxious to try it.
Three banquets a day --
Our favourite diet!

The day I've been waiting for has finally arrived - I cooked one meal for my family of four and everyone ate! It was a quick fix dinner from the frozen food section to boot - 15 minutes from freezer to table. Not my favorite way to cook, but it beats prepping three separate meals every night.

Diva has been very good about trying new things over the last year, but Frog remained steadfast in his five dish diet (Ego waffles, PB&J sandwiches, Mac-n-Cheese, Chicken Nuggets and French Fries, and Turkey and Cheese Sub with lots of Olives). A few nights ago, something amazing happened. Frog flat out refused his PB&J sandwich at dinner time - pushed the plate away. Then he went after his Dad's spicy penne and shrimp. Dad held him off, warning him that it was hot and asking him what he wanted. Frog said
"Nu, Nu, Nu, Nu, Nu".

Since that night, Frog has eaten spaghetti with meatballs, Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken and broccoli, white rice (I thought of you Charlie) with Thai sweet and sour sauce, Gnocchi with tomato and cheese sauce, hamburger bun with ketchup (he left the burger behind), popcorn, and muffins. Last night I made homemade rice pilaf and a gourmet pork chop dish with a red wine, rosemary, and Dijon mustard pan juice reduction. Little Frog mostly tossed the rice around, but he did climb onto the counter after dinner and enjoyed the remaining pan juice reduction. Tonight - chicken vegetable stir-fry. I cut the vegetables and chicken really small for him and he ate most of them - even finished what Diva left behind. Diva even surprised us by asking for peas in the pod which I had left out of her serving because I though she only liked carrots and broccoli.

For a Frog Mom who loves to cook, this is happy news indeed!

Little Frog in his own time

2007-08-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

I have spent this summer cleaning. The usual household stuff; the regular but unusual messes Little Frog makes; and a major - dig to the back of the closets - read the expiration dates - when did we last use this! - whole house cleaning. I even had a commercial dumpster delivered to our house and we almost managed to fill it. We are feeling a bit lighter and breathing a bit eaisier. The whole family has a new found interest in tidiness - including Little Frog. Although he has not jumped on the "put it away" bandwagon, he loves spending time in his bedroom and playroom where there is a place for everything and everything is in it’s place. While I was sorting through the toys and books, I came across a story called "Ruby in Her Own Time" about a baby duck who develops a little more slowly than her peers, but flies the farthest in the end. It reminded me of Little Frog.

I had such great expectations for this summer - jam packed with new adventures and learning experiences for the whole family and a specially designed summer home school for Little Frog. But, the best laid plans . . . I guess I should have checked with Little Frog before I got so wrapped up in the idea. I just have to keep reminding myself - "In his own time".

We've had our share of adventure and learning, just not in ways I intended. Diva has flourished in gymnastics and is reaching a level where the elements become quite nerve wracking for parents to watch. There have been play dates galore, but not the inclusive experiences I'd hoped to provide for Little Frog. And Frog's Dad has learned all about pool installation with a wonderful new 15 x 30 foot above ground pool to show for his efforts. Thanks to the heat pump and some stretches of nice weather, the water has remained in the upper 80's.

Little Frog's summer has been full of more misadventure than adventure. We started with some major dental work under general anesthesia which sent both frog parents into small bouts of panic attack - not only thinking about the procedure itself (7 crowns and one extraction), but the potential aftermath of completely changing Frog's mouth - his proprioceptive center. Frog did amazingly well and showed little impact from the changes. During his pre-operative check-up however, his doctor became concerned that his heart murmur seemed dramatically louder. After the dental work, our next appointment was with the pediatric cardiologist. More anxiety for mom and dad, as I was a child diagnosed with Paten ductus at the late age of 4 and required heart surgery to correct it. Fortunately, Frog's murmur turned out to be a standard Stills murmur - nothing to worry about.

The afternoon following his appointment with the cardiologist, Frog went to spend time with his grandma so Diva could entertain friends in the pool. While Frog played outside at grandma's, she noticed him wiping his foot in the grass and finally sitting down to look at the bottom of his foot. It is unusual for Frog to be sensitive enough to feel something on his foot. She wondered if he had a sliver. She got a quick look, but didn't see anything. I looked when he got home and didn't see anything. We had him soak his foot in the bath for the next couple of nights and he spent a lot of time in the pool. We still did not see anything on his foot and he was running and jumping without any apparent distress so we let it go. On Sunday evening, we noticed that Frog was walking flat footed. His teacher always insisted that he walk flat footed at school. At home, we remind him occasionally, but are not sticklers about it. I watched him walk around for an hour without going onto his toes. Then I watched him jump on his toes on his bed. Later I saw him walking on his heels. I figured he was just trying something new.

On Monday, Little Frog turned 5. It was a big day with a small evening celebration planned for the family. Late that morning, I heard a squeal from downstairs. I came down to find Frog sitting on the kitchen counter covered in extra strength dish washing detergent, mouth open in a silent scream, rubbing his eyes with soap covered hands. I grabbed him, threw him into the sink, got a good wrestler’s grip around his soapy body and arms, used my head to hold his head still and used the sprayer from our sink to rinse out his eyes with cold water while he writhed and screamed in fear. He was soaked, I was soaked, and the entire kitchen was soaked and slippery with dish soap. His eyes red and swollen with irritation and terror, I carried him upstairs to clean up and realized that he still seemed soapy. I called to Diva "let's get Little Frog to the swimming pool to rinse off, he likes the pool." I took him to the middle of our pool and let him go, as he likes to sink under the water. He was too traumatized for that. Although he does not know how to swim, he held his head above the water and paddled away from me as fast as he could making it all the way to the stairs without getting his face in the water. While I was impressed with his new "swimming" ability, it became clear that we would have to abandon the pool and go back to the sink for more eye rinsing. He enjoyed his party, the balloons, the presents and the brownies, but his eyes were still a little weepy.

On Tuesday, while we waited for his new big boy bed to be delivered, he found his way into the bathroom, took a drinking glass and smashed it in the toilet bowl. Smashing glass has become a new hobby for Little Frog. In the past month he has swiped glasses from the sink and smashed them in the rock pile where he likes to play. He has taken jars of spaghetti sauce from the pantry and dropped them onto the concrete walkway in front of the house. He has taken bottles of beer from the refrigerator and smashed them on the garage floor. The glass in the toilet bowl cut his hand as he dipped water out of the bowl with another glass and dumped it onto the bathroom floor and bedroom carpet. Upon discovering this latest event I quickly removed him from the bathroom and went on a frantic search for antibiotic cream, lotion, spray, all of which I have, none of which I could locate. I finally settled on a good soapy washing at the sink followed by an antibacterial hand wipe, with Little Frog screaming and crying about being restrained and forced to comply with the washing.

Wednesday, what had seemed to be a new found interest in walking on flat feet or his heels then progressed to a limp. By Wednesday evening he could hardly walk on his right foot and a large hard red bulge was appearing just behind his toes with a small white spot in the middle. Thursday morning, the white spot had grown considerably and he could not put any weight on the foot at all. He was not running a fever, and he ate his breakfast, but a trip to the doctor's office was in order just the same. We saw the young resident who diagnosed it as a boil that had formed around a splinter. As he lay on his stomach, I laid my body across him while she examined his foot and expressed a small amount of puss from the abscess for culture. She sent us home with instructions to soak his foot often, apply antibiotic cream, and watch for signs of improvement or worsening. We only saw worsening. While Little Frog loves water, by evening I had to coax him into putting the foot into the water. I told him that if he soaked his foot it would make it better so he wouldn't have to go back to the doctor's. Not a promise I should have made. I struggled to get Tylenol down him - a battle Little Frog views as assault. When morning finally came, the abscess was larger, the foot was red and I was fearful that one of the red marks I saw might be a sign that the infection had entered the bloodstream. I called the Doctor's office, but they were not open yet. Little Frog was in good spirits, not running a temperature, and was eating - but he tired easily. I thought about going to the local ER, but knew that by the time we got through the admitting paperwork, his doctor would be in - so we waited for the doctor instead.

When we got to the doctor's office, Little Frog threw a fit. He was frightened, but he was also mad - and why wouldn't he be? I was the one who told him that if he put his foot in the water he wouldn't have to come back here. While I stood holding him in the waiting area, he screamed and clawed at my face. Behind my sunglasses, I started to cry - not necessarily for his physical pain and fear, as heart wrenching as that was, but more for the idea that I was betraying him, albeit for his own good. The person he most trusted in the whole world to protect him was delivering him once again for a painful procedure, holding him down while he screamed. The procedure was over very quickly followed up by two shots and a 20 minute wait to make sure there was no reaction to the shots. Little Frog, as always, was resilient.

As we made our escape from the clinic, he was happy. He showed no sign of any resentment towards me (though he screamed when I told him we would have to come back tomorrow for a quick re-check). He came home, ate lunch, napped the afternoon away and woke happy, giggling, requesting hugs, snuggles, and tickles from all of us. He was obviously feeling a good deal of relief from the release of all that pressure that was building in his little foot. I, on the other hand, could not stop crying. I made it through the fairy picnic play date Diva had with her friend at our house, but every time I was alone I was crying. I had reached my limit for torturing my son for his own good. The next morning, Frog woke with some energy and quickly drained. When we got to the doctor's office for the recheck, Frog could not hold his head up. While we waited in the exam room, all he wanted to do was lie down. He mustered up a quick scream when the blister was again punctured and drained, then he was practically asleep. No fever, just wiped out.

By Sunday he was back to his old self. He was getting around just fine and running from us when it was time for antibiotics. Not only did he never loose his appetite, but he rejected all his usual favorites and insisted on trying new foods. He is now eating spaghetti with meatballs, fettuccini Alfredo, and white rice with sweet and sour sauce. Today he repeatedly signed and used his voice output system with some guidance to request chips, candy, water and more. He approximated spoken words (Mmm - more, Dee - candy, Yea - yes). He sat and listened to an ENKI story about dandelions. He spent 20 minutes with me exploring roses and rose petals - touching, smelling, biting, tearing, and tossing them. He listened when he was told "No. Stop climbing over the fence. Put your feet back on the ground." He opened his mouth for medicine (and then spit it all back out). He has started playing with different toys and looking at books. And tonight, just before bed, he lost his first tooth.

Once again, Little Frog reminds me that he needs to do and learn things his own way in his own time. I guess I should stop worrying so much and just enjoy the ride.

Diva Takes Center Stage

2007-05-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Recital weekend for Diva and her ballet class. The show was amazing as usual. Over 20 acts with dancers ranging from age 4 to adult. Diva was in the Wildflower act and I, as usual, was a backstage mom. I have a feeling that I will never see Diva perform from the from the audience, but I don't mind because it is so much fun to watch these little girls conquer their anxiety, pour their hearts into the show, and bask in the excitement of the performance. Diva was old enough to dance both the Saturday and Sunday shows this year and she and her class did a great job. Coming off this performance, she can't wait to go to dance camp this summer and wants to take Jazz as well as Ballet next year (so she can have two costumes at the recital :0).

Rock Garden

2007-05-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

With the same passion he has for water, Little Frog has a new obsession - Rocks. Everywhere he goes, Little Frog finds, inspects, mouths, drops, and collects rocks. The picture above is our front yard now affectionately referred to as the Rock Garden. We also find rocks in the living room, the playroom, the bathroom, our bed and the car. We are reminded of our first child - a tri-colored cocker spaniel named Chopin (named after both the composer, Frederic Chopin, and the author, Kate Chopin). She was an avid rock hound who never missed an opportunity to add to her rock collection. At least she broke the ice and gave us a good sense of humor about living in the stone age. Chopin was gone long before Little Frog was old enough to remember her. I think they would have been great friends.

YOGA Frogs

2007-05-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

We are becoming a family of Yoga Frogs. Little Frog's Auntie M is a few hours shy of becoming certified as a yoga instructor. She is hoping to work with Little Frog this summer. I've dabbled in yoga for years - never finding the time to make it a part of my regular routine - something I am still trying to do this year (belated new year's resolution). Diva Frog has never taken a yoga class, but has learned several poses in her ballet and gymnastics classes. She can also put her foot straight up over her head with very little effort. Little Frog's Grandma took her first yoga class last week (and her second one today). So it was not a stretch (sorry about that) when I suggested that yoga be part of Little Frog's IEP. Fortunately for me we have an amazing new physical therapist at school. He is young, quiet and exudes calm. He is very knowledgeable about sensory processing issues and has already begun to use Little Frog's physical therapy time to work on them. When I got a copy of the draft IEP, he had added imitating a yoga pose as a goal to address imitation skills, complex gross motor planing, and body awareness. YEAH!

Today, after the IEP meeting I told him that I had started working on a short yoga sequence with Little Frog: Mountain Pose, Forward Fold, Lung, Downward Dog, Cow Pose, Child's Pose, reverse the sequence back to Mountain Pose. Little Frog and I worked on imitating Mountain Pose, the beginning and the end of the sequence. Beyond that, I modeled the sequence over and over while Little Frog watched from his swing. Within six repetitions, he knew when the sequence ended and waited until I returned to Mountain Pose to request another push on the swing.

Little Frog's Physical Therapist said he had given it some thought and wanted me to add another pose to the sequence, one that would be challenging but not unfamiliar and would give Little Frog a sense of his body. He asked me to add Frog Pose - how appropriate!

Second Chakra Excercise - Frog Pose
1. Come into a squat, up on the yoes, pressing your heels together.
Have the knees bent and spread apart, and the buttocks resting on the heels, which are off the ground.
2. Place the fingertips on the floor between the spread knees.
3. Inhale and keep the fingertips on the ground. Lean into your hands and push up, straightening your legs. The buttocks will raise in the air, while the head goes down. Try to bring the nose as close to the knees as posssible.
4. Exhale, come back down, letting the buttocks strike the heels. The inhale and exhale should be powerful.
5. Start off with eleven frogs at a time, and build up to twenty-six, fifty-four, and eventuall one hundred and eight frogs.

COREY'S SPECIAL DAY AT THE FARM

2007-05-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

Here in Western Washington we have a very special family who, 40 years ago, took some puppies to their son's special needs class. They quickly discovered that most of the children had never really been around animals. They invited the class to come to their family farm to see real animals up close. The kids had a wonderful time and some amazing connections were made. The Corey's decided to continue to offer their home for the field trip. Soon other schools heard about the day and asked if they could join in. Before long, the project had to be moved to the county fair grounds. The Corey's asked their friends and neighbors to pitch in and farmers from around the county showed up with their tractors, horses, bunnies, chickens, barbecues, and families to spend the day with special needs children.

Today was the 40th annual Corey's Special Day at the Farm. With the help of several service clubs, our special ed PTO raised the money to send 7 buses with 100 (pre-school to high school) Students and 60 Teachers, Paraeducators, Therapists and Parents on the 1.5 hour trip. Schools from 4 different counties are invited to participate. There were horseback and pony rides, hay rides, a petting zoo, tractors to climb on, a cowboy clown making balloon animals, llama's and other animals to pet, the army reserves were there to pose for pictures and let the kids climb all over their rig, a roping demonstration and class, musical acts, tee-shirts, pictures and a hot-dog lunch all free to every special needs child who attended.

The kids had a blast. Everyone participated to the level they felt comfortable with. Nobody noticed much when there was crying or tantrum or unusual behaviors. It was a very liberating public experience. Over the years, the volunteers have also come to love this event. Many have commented that working at Cory's Day has completely changed the way they look at disability.

This was Little Frog's first year to attend. He was not too sure about participating, and waiting in line was a little too much to ask. But he seemed to be taking it all in. He did ride a pony for about five seconds. The volunteer helped him get down and brought him back to his teacher. Later, when we asked him about riding the horse - he got the biggest smile on his face!

Thank You Corey Family - you have created quite a legacy.

TONIGHT'S TOP 10 LIST

2007-05-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

TOP 10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BEING A MOM

10. Being able to say “because I said so” with authority. You would think it would work with my employees too.

9. A good excuse for eating extra treats – someone has to finish that ice cream cone before it melts all over the mini van.

8. An easy out from awkward social situations, “I’d love to, but Diva’s ballet class, Little Frog’s therapy, need to be home to check the homework and read the bedtime stories….”

7. Checking homework and reading bedtime stories. The great feeling you and your child get when you explain a new concept so they understand and aren’t frustrated anymore. Getting to revisit your childhood friends – Good Night Moon, Winnie the Pooh, Laura Ingles Wilder, Where the Wild Things Are, Horton Hears a Who, Hop On Pop, The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Make Way for Ducklings, A Wrinkle in Time - all over again and experience them like the first time through your child’s eyes.

6. Playing – really playing like you did when you were a kid. I have Little Frog's Autism to thank for this also because play has become so important and I truly have license to let go and play.

5. Singing to and with a very forgiving audience.

4. watching them grow, mature, overcome developmental and social obstacles. I think I feel even more proud when they succeed (and sometimes just trying is success in and of itself) than when I succeed.

3. Perspective – being a mom shifts what I find important and/or necessary – and I like who I am all the better for it.

2. The Secret Mommy Handbook – I feel I understand my own mother much better now that I have passed the initiation. Now we can even share the secret handshake!

1. Unconditional Love – My love for my children is the closest I’ve come to experiencing unconditional love and I am in awe of its power.

Happy Mother's Day to Moms everywhere!

Welcome Home

2007-05-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

The view from our Condo in Waik0loa on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The Ocean Beach across the street at the Hilton.

One of the Dolphin Quest Dolphins with a Trainer at the Hilton.

One of the Many pools at the Hilton (we took this picture for Diva Frog). We had Daddy Frog's Birthday Dinner at the Provision Company (pictured here above the pool with the blue roof) the night we arrived. It is one of our favorite places to watch for the Green Flash just as the sun dips below the horizon.

I'm Back!

Hawaii was wonderful, as usual. We went earlier in the year this time and the cooler weather (if you can call 80 cooler) and smaller crowds suited me just fine. Daddy Frog swam and snorkeled to his heart's delight, and I just did things for "ME". I packed one whole suitcase with reading materials, exercise DVDs, art supplies, and music for relaxing. Daddy Frog thought I was crazy, but being the supportive, and extremely intelligent husband he is - he said nothing! And I used every bit of what I packed :0) I even packed my ballet shoes for the one real ballet class I take every year from Ms. Virginia at the Kohala Spa at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. I treated myself to uninterrupted Pilate's and yoga sessions, a Dan Brown novel, and drawing , while Daddy Frog swam with the dolphins (not the ones at the hotel program - the real, wild dolphins who came into a cove on the island to rest and play). In the afternoons we found each other and ate, shopped, wandered, and soaked in the sun together.

A week definitely goes by too fast, but we were eager to get home to see the kids and feeling a little guilty about leaving the grandparents in charge for so long. The kids did great but were ready for mom and dad to be home. Diva had play dates with her two best friends thanks to their wonderful moms who knew I was away. She also went out to dinner with her very cool Auntie M. Little Frog has most of the week off from school and his speech therapy was also cancelled. He got Grandma to take him to the beach and spent lots of time outside with Grandpa. Grandma said that shortly before we returned she took the kids back to our house to play with their toys. Little Frog wandered around the house calling mamamamama, and acting a bit upset. But when I met him as he got off the bus, he was all smiles. It took him a little while to process his emotions, but by the next day he was all hugs and giggles.

Diva, of course, was thrilled to be picked up at school by mom and dad. I was greeted by several of her classmates who said "You're Back. I knew you were coming today." Diva's teacher let her leave class early since she hadn't seen her mom for a whole week! She was very glad to see us, but her thoughts quickly turned to what might be in our suitcases. She was not disappointed - we found the perfect swimsuit she was longing for.

We were relieved to hear that the week went smoothly for the kids and the grandparents. It was nice to know we were missed and even nicer to know that the kids are able to cope without us knowing that we will return shortly. We have Daddy Frog to thank for that. He insisted from the day Diva was born that we needed to keep our annual couple's vacation as long as it was possible to do so. The kids have gotten used to us taking short trips and week long vacations since they were babies. And we are blessed to have two sets of grandparents who are such a big part of our children's lives who are willing and able to take them for a one week stretch. We don't know how much longer this arraignment will last, but for now it seems to do everyone some good.

Of course, the kids are never really off my mind. Things I learned on vacation: (1) Little Frog is a strong Right Brain processor who would benefit from spacial and gestalt (as opposed to discreet) approaches to education. This came to me as I read and worked my way through The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. (2) Pialte's might be the ticket to helping Diva hold her handstands for a longer stretch - scoop the belly!

ALOHA

2007-04-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

Just as I get back to my blog - I'm gone again. I promise I won't stay away so long this time. But when there is an opportunity for two frogs to bake on the beach sans tadpoles - well, you gotta jump at it!

ALOHA!

We Don't Call Her Diva for Nothing

2007-04-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

Keeping up with the house work is always an issue around the pond. There is always laundry to wash, dry and fold; there are always dishes to be washed and put away; there is always something spilled that needs to be wiped up; there is always something to wash off of the windows and furniture; there is always something to vacuum; there is always clutter. Sometimes we just throw our hands up and say "what can we do". Little Frog gets blamed for a lot of the mess - primarily because he has three cardinal rules:

1. Flat surfaces must remain flat - the corollary being, anything that causes a flat surface not to be flat must be removed. Little Frog enforces this rule by "clearing" every table, counter, or desk by pushing the offending items to the floor.

2. Clothing may be worn for no more than three hours at a time (skin must breath). He learned quickly that in order to get some time sans clothing or at least get a new outfit, he needed to make a mess out of the one he is wearing. Also, we have never had to address "Will independently remove shoes, socks, shirt or pants" in an IEP.

3. All liquid must be freed. There can be no liquid contained in any cup, bowl, can, bottle, sink, tub, bucket, fountain, sensory table, toilet bowl, or other vessel of any kind. Little Frog must seek out and release all that he finds (and he does find it all). His coup de grace was when he decided that raw eggs also fall into this category and he "released" a dozen eggs from their shells in the dining room.

That being said, today as I cleared the floor in preparation for the daily vacuuming what I kept coming across were shoes. Not my shoes, not Daddy Frog's shoes, and not Little Frog's shoes:

Be reminded that I vacuum everyday - these are just the shoes from yesterday! We don't call her Diva for nothing!