Autism Goes Mainstream

Autism Goes Mainstream; Chuckie Cheese Goes Sensory Friendly Improving the Experience for Some Children with ASD. I'm not sure if this modification would have helped Nick, but it's a great thing for many children who have ASD accompanied by sensory processing disorder.  

Most people envision kids with autism with sensory issues as holding their ears, or not being able to tolerate the overwhelming stimuli of places like Chuckie Cheese, but that's not the only sensory response children with autism can have, and it's not the response Nick has.

Nick's first birthday party was at Chuckie Cheese, before he developed autism, and before I had a clue how the environment might be affecting him, and he sure seemed to love it. Then post diagnosis (Nick was diagnosed at 23 months) during his preschool and elementary school years Chuckie Cheese was the place to go.  It was a safe haven where his behaviors and noises for the most part just blended in with the general chaos. A place where the typical kids were acting like my spectrum kiddo, running, yelling, darting, jumping, slamming into one another and all was accepted.  Perhaps best of all, parents were too busy trying to keep up with their own kiddo's to pay attention to mine. Oh how I miss those days!

Unfortunately reality set in and we had to stop taking Nick to Chuckie Cheese when he phased out of the "kiddo" age zone. Unlike other families we didn't stop because the never ending noises, lights and crowds were too much for Nick, in our case it was exactly the opposite we went for the chaos and Nick loved it! He loves all the lights, sounds, running kids, and the games that over stimulate his nervous system.  It's like a drug, a high for him. He loves the way it winds him up and he slowly spins into a frenzy, until he is jumping, spinning, drooling and exploding with uncontrollable laughter. He's escalates into a "Happy Frenzy".

In this overwhelmed state he hears nothing from the outside world, he loses all impulse control and just wants more, and more and more. The result is inevitably his flailing body gets the attention of other parents and kids as stare, grab their children and I can tell they are wondering if Nick is a danger to their children. Before I know it a space clears between Nick and everyone else and the reality that his excitement could prose a danger to the smaller kids becomes really obvious.  So we fade away, and go home. Then comes the slow and painful crash from his sensory high.  For days to follow Nick is agitated, unable to sleep, experiences bouts of aggression, and his repetitive behaviors escalate.  A terrible price to pay for loving a place.

Sensory Solutions for Teens and Adults!

"Yogibo" a giant pillow designed to give big kids the sensory input they need!

Nick is 5'10", 170lbs and needs full body pressure to calm and organize his body. When he was younger there were so many choices from park swings to mini trampolines to indoor suspended equiptment.  Now he's too big for bean bags, and when he leaps (actually he agressively throws himself) onto a bed or couch, I cringe knowing he's going to break something!

Until recently I had taken to covering him with big pillows and then sitting on him, which seemed wrong on so many levels! LOL 

Recently I introduced the "Yogibo" and he loved it! It is super dense and sturdy enought to take all Nick can dish out, which is alot! Seems it is well worth the investment as he can keep it for years to come, it makes him happy and I'm sure it's going to save our funiture.

BTW:  The only drawback is finding a place to keep it when it doesn't have a kid on it. I just stand it up in a corner and ignore it :).  

https://www.yogibo.com/?gclid=CjwKEAiA3vamBRDJ1Lfwt5Pckw4SJAAdhnk29pmAvS5vWwQafqg4cpXWSf_FW7mdBySB6PUzmoyHnhoC_QTw_wcB

Expanding Food Choices Can Work: Nick from Nuggets to Octopus!

Nick's Food Life

0 to 12 months - Nick could not properly digest any food. Everything he ate from breast-milk to formula to soy upset his stomach and had him in severe pain. He cried day and night, so much so he got a herniated belly button!

13 months to 3 years old - Everything Nick ate made him sick and he suffered from chronic diarrhea for 2 years.



4 to 8 years old - I was so happy he was eating and not sick, it was easy to live with the limitation of a diet consisting mostly of potatoes and chicken in every form imaginable. He loved chicken, he became obsessed with it.  I knew we had a problem on our hands after I nearly crashed the car when we drove by a McDonald's. Nick unbuckled his seat belt, leaped onto me from the back seat screaming "McDonalds" and demanding I get him McNuggets!



8 to 12 years old - We began working to vary his diet, against his will. He wanted chicken tenders or nuggets and fries so much he threw a massive tantrum and began banging his head against a restaurant wall when his food choices were not on the menu.  We knew things had to change. Slowly and  consistently we began adding more foods, implementing the "first this, than that" rule. Adding one food at a time, was a process that made it easy for us to learn what he liked, while keeping an eye out for allergic reactions.



Today - This slow and steady process has paid off. Nick eats bags of veggies, salads and just about anything. Last month he nibbled frog legs and wanted more! He requested roasted duck for Christmas, and last week he asked if he could eat octopus! I agreed, took him to a sushi restaurant, ordered it and he loved it, suction cups and all!!!

Thanks to ABA and alot of patience we've gone from nothing to everything...amazing!

PS: He loves animals and read animal books all the time I think he plan might be to eat everything in the book. This could bring new challenges, LOL. I'll let you know.

'The Art of Autism' Illuminates the ASD Experience

For those of you reading this review who are new to the world of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), its most basic explanation is that ASD is an alteration of the nervous system, affecting the senses and communication. The condition has a litany of characteristics and never affects two people in exactly the same way. In her book The Art of Autism, Debra Hosseini takes us on a journey exploring how the presence of autism can result in the extraordinary creation of beautiful and meaningful art.

While Hosseini seeks to dispel the myth that autism reduces creativity, she mostly does not present the book from a posture of defense. Instead, she makes her case by highlighting work after work, artist after artist, and lets the results speak for themselves. The artists also speak for themselves, describing making art as a liberating experience, an expression of their true self. With their art, they don’t have to make any apologies or fit into any norm. Obsessive tics, such as tearing paper, are turned into methods of producing textured pictures. Additionally, nature, a comforting experience to many with ASD, features strongly in the creations of these artists, with animals, oceans, trees, and flowers flowing throughout.

As a mom of an ASD kiddo I love the book, clearly the art is wonderful, but that’s only the beginning for me. Flipping the pages I imagine what my son is capable of, and I know each person who sees the book will have new perspective on our kids.

I also know that this book is not limited to being enjoyed by the ASD community at large. Lovers of abstract art and expressionism will appreciate this collection, too! (Although, I suspect the artists weren’t thinking of genre at all.) The bright colors and movement in these works leap off the pages, suggesting these artists have experiences that are hyper-vivid and abstract. A painting of the metallic, Art Deco-style Chrysler Building in New York City transforms the skyscraper into a rainbow prism.

The art in these pages, just like our kids, is bold and unself-conscious, with a distinct authenticity!

In his commentary of the book, Dr. Colin Zimbleman sums it up when he writes, “Autism … offers a chance for us to glimpse an awe-filled vision of the world that might otherwise pass us by.” Not all people with autism are able to transform their sensory experiences into artwork, but those who are prove that in the art world, autism is far from a disability. It is clear that the creation of the art in this book brought great satisfaction to the artists, but it will also give great satisfaction to people without ASD, and to a great many art lovers.

Thank you, Debra and Keri, for bringing us this wonderful book.


Here is the schedule for Debra and Keri's book tour for The Art of Autism (www.the-art-of-autism.com):

August 15 – Chaucer’s, Santa Barbara Book Signing, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

August 24, 2012 – Carpinteria Wine Company Abstract Art Reception, Carpinteria, 4:00 – 6:00 PM

Fall 2012 – Koegel Autism Center – TBA

September 15 – Vromans, Pasadena Book Signing, 3:00 PM

October 2012 – Curious Cup, Carpinteria Art Exhibit

October 7, 2012 – The Avocado Festival, Stage Show, Book & Comic Signings

October 11 – 13, 2012 – Texas Autism Conference, Austin, TX Presentation by Julie Coy, Debra Hosseini, and Debra Chwast

March 2013 – Mr. MusicHead, Hollywood, California, Reception March 21, Music Art

April 2013 – Seven Sisters Gallery, Morro Bay, Art of Autism Exhibit

April – May 2013 – The Good Purpose Gallery, Lee, Massachusetts, Art of Autism Exhibit

May 2013 – Curious Cup, Carpinteria and Carpinteria Art Walk, Art Exhibit, Book Signings