My child frequently has a "high engine." He was taught this phrase to describe how his body is feeling. A high engine means he’s racing inside. His body sometimes has a “low engine” but that typically takes place first thing in the morning. Low engine means he has no energy in his body.
When his engine is high, our child needs to do something to help his body. He wants to regulate his body to get the level to a moderate level, one that he's comfortable with and leads to less body-related behaviors.
A child in Pittsburgh with cerebral palsy was escorted out of a local swimming pool by police for wearing a pair of floaties.
Jen Wymer was playing in the pool with her son Max when a lifeguard instructed her to remove the boy’s water wings, citing pool rules.
I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve had the best of times and the worst of times with child care. It’s not like you can place a general ad or hire the first person off the street as if you were Wal-Mart.
In my first blog about OT, I focused mainly on oral issues, specifically teeth grinding.
OT issues, however, involve the entire body.
Remember, one part of the "OT experience" is trying to teach a child self-help skills. These are life-long skills such as potty training and being able to put on your own clothes. Other issues include brushing your teeth, combing your hair, feeding yourself, bathing your body, drying off your own body, and many more.
"OT" is a term that every parent of a child with autism is probably very familiar with.
What does OT mean?
While she technically cannot be charged with a crime, a mother from Illinois is on the receiving end of a firestorm of criticism for doing what most see as unspeakable. She left her mentally disabled daughter at a bar in a completely different state.
When 19-year-old Lynn Cameron had to use the restroom, her mother, Eva Cameron, stopped at the Big Orange Bar in Caryville, Tennessee. Then she left her by the side of the road and returned home to Algonquin, Illinois.
For a couple of years, whenever I saw a director friend of mine she would say, “We should do a short film together.” I agreed with her but never had a short film written.
Eventually, we came up with an idea that involved a third party but that project fell through.
I often tell people that I believe my child will have some sort of specialty job as an adult and probably even live on his own. Often I add, "He may not have any friends."
With that in mind, my child has said to us, "Why do I have to have friends?"
After I pick my heart up from the floor, I typically answer, "Well, you don't really. But we'd like you to learn how to have friends."
When our son was first diagnosed, my husband had a full time job and I was the stay-at-home mom.
When we understood the commitment we had to partake for our son’s issues, our decision was relatively easy - he remained at his job and I was responsible for the 22 hours of autism-related therapies and programs per week.
Most kids learn to ride a bike, right? I did it at age, oh, maybe four. I was a quick learner and the youngest and my brothers easily "challenged" me to learn to ride for myself. Because I'm also athletic, it wasn't a hard challenge for me.
For our kids on the autism spectrum, transitioning from a bike with training wheels to one without training wheels may not be easy.
