Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Christmas

So I finally was able to get a new camera for Christmas... somthing I have not bee able to own since everyone went digital. It really put a damper on my spirt. But yay finally and now there is this awsome giveaway for a new lens!

What a great addition this would be to my Christmas Present!! http://www.ohsoposhphotography.com/blog/?p=5558


Friday, December 16, 2011

Why is it always calm before the storm?

This blog started out to be a sounding board for all the frustrations, hard times and ups and downs that I have with mostly my son and handling or coping with his Autism. It turns out over the last couple of years Xander has adjusted to many new and changing situations quite well, so there was no need for me to vent or get feed back... at least I thought.
 It turns out I should have been posting all the good things so that on days, weeks or months like this I could look back and see that there is a light at the tunnel...this very dark and stressful tunnel that I feel like I am in right now.
So today I am going to try and remember all the good stuff before I write all the bad stuff so that I can remember that this to shall pass.
Xander has been attending the same school for a while this is actually his third year here and amazingly enough even though I was pulling him off my roof at the beginning of the first year up until 3 weeks ago he has not had a problem going. Oh sure there were the occasional slow getting started days, but over all he has made leaps and bounds. He had always been about a year and a half behind and the last three years he has all but closed the gap. He is ready way above grade level and his comprehension is right on grade level, this is amazing for any student but for one that had struggled to even talk when he was first diagnosed to be reading and be understanding right a long with his class mates, well needless to say I am very proud of him. He has always struggled with the concept of math, for some kids with Autism or Aspergers Math and Science are the areas that they can achieve in but for Xander these areas are a struggle. He is finally understanding how numbers work and how they corresponds with time and money. Thank goodness,  because as he understands more he ask for less and he is on time (most of the time). One thing that he has become extremely good at is his art. Being an artist I love the fact that he has always wanted to draw, but at his age of 10 he shows more promise and talent than some of the student I was in college with. He has more patients with his art than I have ever had, I expect perfection the first time and he will work at until it is just the way he likes it, it does not need to be perfect.








Xander will be a fantastic artist when he gets older and I couldn't be more proud...this said his love of drawing gets in the way of his school work sometimes to the point where this is all he can focus on. I want to be supportive and let him know his art is important to me but there are other things in life that he need to focus on also.
The last three weeks have been tough, he is back to wanting to stay home everyday, making himself vomit to convince me he is sick so I wont send him to school. he has been bullied in the past and is know feeling bullied by more than just the kids at school. His choir teacher yelled at him, his school counselor is talking the tough guy approach and making threats instead of implementing a positive reinforcement approach. These are isolated events not something that happens all the time but I know he feels ganged up on. When he struggles I struggle. It tears my heart apart and I don't know what to do for him.