Lots of pictures

We went to the Zoo this weekend!  It was so much fun and Michael loved it.  He liked watching all the aquatic animals best.  We saw the dinosaur exhibit too.  Michael wasn't too sure of them, some of them spit (water) at you and he didn't like that but we made it through.  We stopped by some friends house by Champoeg Park on the way home and then came home in time to see Rick's Tia Pat from New Mexico.  It was a long but really nice day.  Here are some of the pictures.

                                                     Cheesey me

                                        No idea what Michael's doing!

 

                                                   being silly on the train

 I really liked reading this, it was a little scary how I could relate to almost every one of the examples.


Everyone Has Autism

By William Stillman

Ever awaken in the middle of the night and realize your arm is “asleep” from the elbow down? It is a common situation experienced by nearly everyone at one time or another. As much as your brain is willing that arm to budge, it is deadened to the signals or impulses your brain is sending it. How many of you have actually had to physically move the asleep arm with your other hand in order to free up circulation and regain its use? If that same nightime paralysis were in more than one limb, or lodged in your voicebox, you would outwardly behave in ways that were autistic, just like any of autism’s “cousins” such as Asperger’s Syndrome, dyslexia, Tourette’s, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Cerebral Palsy, Lou Gehrig’s, ADD, ADHD, OCD, Sensory Integration Disorder, and a realm of other human experiences on a neurological continuum.

I’ve heard people refer to autistic children as “mutants” or functioning on par with a dog! This is hard to fathom when we consider that we are all more alike than we are different, and we all are truly brothers of one another. It is this kind of fear that the multi-billion dollar autism industry is founded upon—hastily, intensively, erasing all traces of autism in favor of normalcy. But in my work as an autism consultant, 90 percent of what I endeavor has absolutely nothing to do with the autistic one; it has everything to do with creating a transformation in everyone around that individual!

Noteworthy about those who would suggest that anything less than their perception of normal is unworthy, is that they fail to recognize a truth: at the present rate of autism statistics (one in 150 children and counting), it is they who will soon be the minority if they’re not first rendered “disabled” by virtue of genetics, deteriorating health, poor lifestyle choices and the aging process. They would surely wish for others to continue presuming their intellect regardless of the physical transformation their bodies will endure (which may cause them outwardly to present in an autistic-like manner).

The curious thing is we all have autism to one degree or another! We’ve all experienced neurological crossed-wires that result in motor-control blips, misfires and disconnects. You experienced an “autism” if you’ve:

driven from Point A to Point B, but upon arriving at Point B you have no recollection of the drive.

begun driving from Point A with Point B as your final destination, but today you need to make a special stop to pick up something or someone—and you end up driving your regular route, having forgotten to make the detour.

been driving along, and hear a song you like with the intention of listening all the way through, but soon realize your mind has wandered and you haven’t heard a word of it.

been driving along and hear a song you haven’t heard since high school—and experiencing the song immediately conjures memories of that era in your life. We create a strong associative connection in the same way with scents and smells we link in memory to certain people and places (a food aroma, cologne or perfume, or tobacco), as well as life-defining events such as an accident, a birth or death, or a disaster of some sort (you could probably relate details about where you were and what you were doing on September 11, 2001).

happened upon someone familiar while out shopping, but seeing them out of the context in which you know them disables you from recollecting their name on the spot and in the moment (although it may come to you after you’ve had sufficient process time).

had to physically retrace your steps in order to remember something, or you’ve misplaced something you suddenly realize you’ve been holding the whole time you’ve been searching for it (a pair of scissors or your eyeglasses).

lost track of time or self-awareness (no need to eat or use the bathroom) while immersed in an activity for which you hold great passion (painting, jogging, dancing, gardening, etc.).

had a case of the giggles so severe that you could not regain your composure until the experience ran its course.

ever been so angry, or afraid, and words escaped you in the moment.

absolutely had to scratch an itch and could not focus on anything else until you were so relieved.

calmed your anxiety by biting your nails, tapping a pen, shaking your leg, rocking yourself, twirling strands of your hair or toying with a piece of jewelry, or talking or humming to yourself.

experienced uncontrollable shivers so intensely that your teeth chattered involuntarily.

struggled to decipher the meaning of certain words in the appropriate context, such as “she shed a tear over the tear in her new dress.”

organized your items in your kitchen cupboards, bathroom, work space, or clothes closet in alphabetical order (canned good with labels facing out), by color-coordination, or at right angles.

come in from frigid weather and your hands are so numb with cold, you could not use them to hold an eating utensil, write longhand, or unbutton your coat.

had a song in your head that absolutely will not go away! It may be The Star-Spangled Banner, a commercial jingle, or a Barry Manilow tune. You may have even been awakened in the middle of the night hearing the song you cannot seem to banish. Imagine if that experience of being “stuck” with the song in your head (which precludes your thought processes) transferred throughout your body, or stuck in your throat and hindered your vocalizations?

These common experiences—“brain fades” or instances in which our body vetoes brain signals—affect us all, making us kindred in our humanity. But if you did them with any degree of regularity, you’d be eligible for an autism diagnosis! The next time someone suggests an autistic person’s hand-flapping or finger-flickering is maladaptive, gently remind them that they do it too, only it looks like the times they sit and shake a leg!

As much as we are all on a learning curve about autism (including some “experts” in the medical community), we are also all on a curve of diversity in our collective human experience. This begs the question: is there really any such thing as “normal?” Just maybe autism isn’t really as autistic as it seems.

© 2008, William Stillman

William Stillman is speaker, consultant, self-advocate and author of numerous autism and special needs parenting books. His Website is http://www.williamstillman.com./

Crazy hot weekend

Since it was supposed to be in the 90's and 100's this weekend we decided to go to the coast.  We went to Pacific City and played on the beach.  Michael loved playing in the sand.  He would make a sand castle and then jump on it, it was fun to watch.  After we were done at the beach we went and had lunch at Fat Freddy's Diner.  They didn't have the fastest service but the food was really good.  After lunch we headed to Tillamook to see the cheese factory.  It was completely packed!  I had only been there once before and it was probably 25 years ago.  Man I'm old!  We weren't there very long because there was so many people it was hard to move, but we did manage to get T-shirts for the guys and a hoodie sweatshirt for me.  Yeah, that's right we're gonna be rockin' Tillamook gear.  Don't you wish you were as cool as us?  Here are some pics.

                                                         Ready to hit the open road

                                                                 My pack mule  : )

                                                               Playing on the beach

                                        

                                              Michael wouldn't stand still of course

                                                     Cheese!  Cheese!  Cheese!

On Sunday we were going to go to the Library to suck up some AC but when we got there we realized it was closed.  We ended up downtown walking around the mall.  Michael saw the kiddie ride ons on the first floor so we took pics of him on the rides.  Here they are.

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Enchanted Forest

This weekend we took Michael to the Enchanted Forest.  He had a good time but didn't want to ride any rides and really didn't pay attention to the stuff to look at while we were in the various houses.  I have to admit that it didn't really bother me that he wasn't into looking at the stuff in the houses, they're kind of creepy and old.  I kind of hoped he might want to go on the rides but I'm not sure he even saw them.  We pointed out the roller coaster to him but he didn't have any interest.  I didn't expect him to want to ride it but I thought he might want to see what else they had.  But he was happy just going through the houses.  When we left we tried to hold his hand in the parking lot and he had a total meltdown!  He cried and whined and kicked the back of my seat the whole way home and continued after we got home.  It was a lovely end to what up until then had been a pretty decent morning : )  I don't have any pictures because Michael had our camera for about a minute and when we got it back it didn't work.  I bought a new one today so more pics soon!