Beyonce Makes a Wish Come True for a Terminally Ill Fan

Beyonce partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant a young girl's dream come true: to dance with her idol Beyonce. 

Get the tissues ready because this YouTube video will make you do the ugly cry. 

3 Important Life Lessons from Ashton Kutcher at the Teen Choice Awards

I don't make a habit of watching the Teen Choice Awards. I don't really watch any award shows - not even the Oscars. But I watched this 4 minute clip of Ashton Kutcher's acceptance speech at this year's Teen Choice Awards. And I was really surprised.
  
Ashton Kutcher was absolutely poignant. And his words of advice, the lessons he's learned can be of real value - especially to a kid like mine.

Ashton Kutcher "insider secrets" to his success and his thoughts on: 

Opportunity | Being Sexy | Living Life

This is a MUST WATCH for us all! 

A New iPad App to Help Individuals with #Autism

For my complete review of AutisMate check out my post on Parents.com ---> HERE

Day 4 of the NYC School Bus Strike aka My First Edited Vlog. Ever.

Day 4 of the New York City School Bus Strike.

I took my 3rd vacation day and spent the day at The Boy's school. 

And...because there was no Wifi - I decided to make a vlog. And I edited it (sort of). 

And yes - it took the majority of my day.  
(I was allowed to stay at the school for the day, provided I did interfere with The Boy's day.)

Are You On Google+ Yet? What Are You Waiting For?

I've been on Facebook for the last few years and it took me a while to get the hang of it. I'm not one for change. But lately sharing social media on FB has been challenging. While I am far from a tech/social media guru, the more I navigate Google+ the more I kind of love it. But it's a little bit lonely.

Whenever I talk about Google+ there is some hesitation. But it's really easy. Last month, I 'hung out' with someone from Google who gave me an overview. She was was great about answering my questions. So I thought I'd share a little of what I learned.

Link most social media sites, you can share photos, videos, events and links. You can share publicly or only with your circles.

Circles: Circles are private and are a great way of sorting your friends. You can share things on your profile with one circle without the other circles seeing your content. And the people in your circle will never know the "name" of your circle.

NO ONE CAN POST TO YOUR PROFILE.

What I love about sharing on Google+ are the little extra features that make your post pop (see above). 

For bold text use the * 

*NEW post on AutismWonderland*

For italicized text use the _

_One the deep secrets of life is all that is worth the doing is what we do for others_

      

And HASHTAGS - the hashtags work on Google+ (only on public posts or within circles).

If you want to tag someone in the post all you have to do is type the + followed by their name.

As for Google Hangouts...they are a great way to connect with friends, family or your social media pals.

And if you choose to Hangout Live - not only can others watch your live hangout but when it's over, it will automatically upload to YouTube. Back in October, I hung out with the Unknown Mami and we had a blast! (see video below)

I am still learning everyday. But I would love to be added to your circle. And you can find me by clicking HERE.  

The Most Random Blog Post Ever

Well...maybe not ever.  
But my mind is all over the place and I don't have the energy to put together a post that makes sense.

It's been a rough week. The kind of week that just kicks you in the gut and you're gasping for air. I have so many questions but no kind of answers. I've cried a lot this week. I'm in a weird kind of place with one of my very best friends. I'm hoping we can move forward...when all the hurt wears away.

The Boy started his after school program this week. With typical kids. The Boy is the only kid with autism. That makes me nervous. The only thing that makes me feel better is that he will be with his BCBA therapists. That's right. I'm paying for an after school program and for private therapists to work with him during the after school program. I'll be eating tuna and ramen noodles for quite some time.

I'm so behind in school this semester. And I need to start thinking about my thesis. I graduate in the spring. I went to this workshop thing at school and a 20 something year old girl (who just graduated) said she "couldn't possibly imagine having to work while writing her thesis." So yeah, thinking I may be sort of screwed...

Yesterday was really the bright spot of my craptastic week. Two cool things happened yesterday.

What has 2 thumbs, 4 eyes and is going to Texas for the LATISM 2012 Conference?
This girl... And best part - I got a full sponsorship! But I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

And then I had a 7 minute online chat with one of my favorite blogueras.  Check it out - we had a blast! 

Did you know I'm nominated as a Yahoo Women Who Shine? 

Read why I'm nominated & vote HERE.

Another Reason To Love #SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance)

I've been a fan of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) from the very beginning. I'm not much of a dancer, but in another life I like to think that I once was or that I will be.

One of the things I admire about the dancers is their tenacity. I mean you hear their stories, some of them auditioning year after year just hoping to make it through another round. It's inspiring for me. It reminds me, that we all have dreams. And if you have a dream, you do not stop no matter how many times you hear the word 'no.'

Last night while watching SYTYCD, The Boy said, "I wish I could dance." I asked him if he wanted to dance with Mommy and he said.

So last night, I danced with The Boy. Because when he makes that kind of request without any kind of prompting - I fulfill it. 

Was The Boy scripting?  Who knows. Who cares.  I'll take those 5 wonderful words and run with it.

I'm sorry to say The Boy fell asleep and missed one of the most beautiful performances I've ever seen on SYTYCD. Dancers Sebastian Grubb and Joel Brown, of the Axis Dance Company, perform an excerpt of Sebastian Grubb’s The Narrowing set to music by the fabulous Joan Jeanrenaud and PC Muñoz. I had never heard of the Axis Dance Company but Sebastian and Joel’s performance was unlike anything I had ever seen before.  

The Axis Dance Company believes “everyone can dance.”  They even have a program for kids. I won’t go on about why the Axis Dance Company is so amazing...go on and see for yourself.
 

IQs, Autism & iPads

In the last four years, The Boy has been evaluated several times.  By neuropsychologists, Board Certified Behavior Analysts, developmental pediatricians, special education teachers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists. 

All the evaluations reveal the same thing about The Boy's cognitive ability.  His IQ is inconclusive.  In his last evaluation, the doctor wrote:

"Full scale IQ was in the extremely low range, however due to significant variability in performance this cannot be considered a valid representation of overall cognitive functioning."

Does autism impact his ability to test?  Is it the ADHD component?  Is it both?  I don't know. 

What I do know is that The Boy is way brighter than any test score reveals. 

And you know what else I know?  The Boy is just as sneaky and mischievous as any other typical 6 year old boy.  Maybe even more so.  Especially when it comes to the iPad.

The Boy is a wiz with the iPad.  He plays games, colors and complete puzzles.  He goes on Netflix.  He adjusts the brightness and the volume independantly.  He goes on YouTube - he types in what he wants to watch.  And like most kids on the spectrum, he watches the same thing - over and over and over and over again.  

Stuff like this...

And this...

All harmless stuff.  Annoying to listen to after 1000 times.  But hey, whatever makes The Boy happy right?

And then The Boy discovered The Family Guy.  (hanging head in shame) In particular this episode:

And when The Boy would watch it, I'd make him turn it off and/or take away the iPad.  But then The Boy started scripting lines from The Family Guy.  Which secretly made me giggle the first time I heard it but "horse sperm" isn't exactly the kind of thing I want my kid to say out in public.

So we did what any other decent parent would do.  We deleted YouTube from The Boy's iPAd.  (Yes, he has his own iPad - we got tired of sharing.)

And you know what that little stinker did?  He found that exact episode on NetFlix.  So that got removed too.

HAHA - we showed you!  Or so we thought.

The other morning I found The Boy quietly sitting on the sofa.  He had my iPad in his lap and my earbuds in his ears.  Now, I don't keep my earbuds connected to the iPad - so he had to find them.

And you want to know what he was watching?

The Family Guy.

Foiled again by a 6 year old.

So much for a "low range IQ." 

What Do You Do When Your Child's Special Education Teacher/Aide is The Bully?

This is going to be a short post because I want you to go right to the video - it's about 15 minutes long.

NO PARENT should have to experience this.  And NO child - certainly NO SPECIAL NEEDS child should have to endure such humiliation and torment by a teacher or aide.  These are the people we trust will take care of our children. 

  

What kind of special education teacher/aide calls a 10 year old autistic boy a bastard? 

What kind of special education teacher/aide openly discusses drinking, parents and complaining about their husbands?

This New Jersey father, Stu Chaifetz, - so desperate to know what was going on with his son, Akian, sent him to school with a wire.  And what Stu discovered...was appalling and disgraceful.     

Watch the video.  Share it on Facebook and/or twitter.  Email it to friends and family.  And then - sign this petition --> http://www.hnva.net/teacherbully/

As a mother to an autistic child - Norrin cannot tell me about his day.  He cannot tell me when someone hurts him.  He does not have the capacity to speak up when he is wronged.  I am his voice.

And Stu, is Akian's voice.  Please listen.  

Spread the Word to End the Word

I'm Puerto Rican.  Would you call me Spic?

Probably not.

Would you use any kind of slur to degrade yourself or insult someone or something else?  Chances are if you're a decent human being - you wouldn't. 

So why is it okay to use the word "retard" as an insult?  

March 7, 2012 is officially Spread the Word to End the Word Day  and if "retard" is part of your vocabulary, I urge you to stop & think about what the word implies.  

The Boy is a bright and beautiful kid.  But many of his test scores fall in the Intellectual Disability (formerly "Mentally Retarded") range.  Look at his smile.  Would you call The Boy retarded?      

I won't say any more.  But please take time to watch any (or all) of the videos.  They explain it far better than I can.  Especially the one below by my blog pal Ellen of Love that Max  - Her boy Max is pretty awesome :) 
   

Sundays in my City: The Boy Can Count to 100!

This is actually 90 pieces, I had already filled a cup cake holder with 10 pieces.

Today we concentrated on the number 100.  It was inspired by a class project to celebrate the 100th day of school this Tuesday.  And I wanted to do something a little creative (and cheap).   

Since the beginning of the school year, we've gone through lots of crayons.  (Seriously, there are crayons everywhere in our apartment.) And we had a 100 pieces of broken crayons.  So last night The Boy and I peeled off the paper (though he's done a good job of doing that himself over the last few months).

Now a while back someone told me she did this with her kids and suggested I try it with The Boy.  And I kind of laughed.  Because (a) I'm not artsy craftsy and (b) I don't really bake.  (Yes, I realize, this doesn't really count as baking.)  Anyway - I've seen lots of other bloggy moms do it.  So...I figured why not.    

And it was pretty cool!  Wanna know how I did it?  Well, I went to a bunch of different blog mom sites and it's all the same.  But since the Unknown Mami is one of my favorite mommy blog writers - go HERE to see how she did it. I didn't have the cool tray she has and when I pulled them out of the oven, I swirled the liquidy crayon mixture around with a takeout chopstick.  (Some sites, suggested toothpicks - I just don't keep toothpicks around.  So I improvised).   

I'm not sure if this is the kind of project The Boy's teacher had in mind.  So I'm sending in a backup project...just in case.  Check out the video below.  Today I heard The Boy count to 100!  Something I wasn't sure he could do.  (Don't worry - I started recording 80.)  But he was so proud when he finished and that smile is priceless!  (After he colored the numbered squares, he cut them out and glued them on another sheet of paper.)   

What's a Sunday like in your City?   
Unknown Mami wants to know!  
Go on over to Sundays In My City. 

Through the Looking Glass: If You See Me

post submitted by Melissa Stevenson ~ Stevensons Life in Pieces

*

If you see me spinning in circles, it’s because it feels good to me.  While it might make you feel dizzy, it actually makes me feel more grounded.

If you see me biting or chewing on my clothing it might be because I’m nervous or in a new situation.  It soothes me.

If you see me crying in a restaurant it could be any number of things, the music playing in the background, the people conversing around me, or even the smell of the food.  Sometimes, these things are too much for me to handle.  It even took my parents a long time to understand that these things actually hurt me.

If you see me playing on a playground and I don’t tell you my name or try to play with you, it isn’t because I am mean or don’t like you.  It’s because I am not really sure how to interact with you.  Maybe you can help to teach me how.

If you see me, and I am making noises, or repeating words that make no sense to you, I am either attempting to soothe myself, trying to communicate, or working to understand something.  This is how I process things.

If you see me, don’t just look, please try to really see ME.  I am a person just like you.

The song “Pieces” came to me one day during a time when my son was extremely frustrated and unhappy.  I felt overwhelmed and out of control most of the time.  There was nothing I could do to make him feel better and I just felt helpless.  No one was ever actually meant to hear the song.  My husband recorded it at our home and we liked how it came out.  Still, I did nothing with it for months thinking, “How can I share this with people?” “Do I really want to put myself and my family out there like this?”  Then I thought, “if I don’t do it, who else will”?  People need to know about autism, the struggles and the rewards.  I created a blog to tell a little about autism, my family, and the song. 

We decided to make the song available for download, and we’re giving half the profits to our local chapter of the Autism Society, because it has been such a helpful organization for us.  Please visit my blog to download the song.

Then, a few weeks ago, my husband decided to create a video promoting autism awareness to accompany the song.  Again, I thought, “How can I put this out there?”  It was a very scary thing for me.  But, so far, it has been extremely worth it.  Everyday someone tells me they have either been touched by it, can relate to it, or have learned something from it.  This is what keeps me sharing, and it’s great free therapy, too!  Hope you like it.

"Retarded"

Watched this YouTube video yesterday and was so moved by it.  I cringe whenever I hear this word.  I am always amazed by how often this word is used by adults, teenagers, parents, parents of special needs children (something I don't understand), teachers, therapists, attorneys, people with college degrees and by people without.  It's as common as "OMG," a word tossed out casually in conversation.  And it has to stop.    


This young woman's message to the world is simple, poignant and powerful.  If this doesn't change a person's mindset, then I don't know what will.   

The Story of My Feelings (video & lyrics by Laurie Berkner)

Just wanted to share the song "The Story of My Feelings" that The Boy sang at graduation a few weeks ago.  The book & lyrics are by Laurie Berkner. Since I couldn't find Laurie Berkner's video, I'm posting Rachel Rambach's cover.  Rachel is a board-certified music therapist and has a beautiful voice.  I think it's a great song to sing with our kids.  Check out her other videos on YouTube. 

This is the story of when I cry
When I'm feeling sad that's when I cry
And it makes me feel better
You know I feel better
After I cry
This is the story of when I laugh
When I'm feeling happy that's when I laugh
And it makes me feel better
It makes me feel better
You know I feel even better
After I laugh

This is the story of when I yell
When I'm feeling angry that's when I yell
And it makes me feel better
You know it makes better
You know it makes me feel better
After I yell

This is the story of when I sigh
When I'm feeling peaceful that's when I sigh
And it makes me feel better
It makes me feel better
You know I feel even better
After I sigh
And after I cry
And after I yell
And after I laugh
You know it makes me feel better