tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2864394486854097024.post7697960764635844617..comments2024-01-30T02:21:09.599-06:00Comments on Along Came the Bird: Living in the Bubble... Or NotAlongCameTheBirdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04590432394118183751noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2864394486854097024.post-8859423847664209292011-10-07T13:10:51.143-05:002011-10-07T13:10:51.143-05:00I probably should just call you but since I never ...I probably should just call you but since I never have 5 minutes alone I'll just comment:) I have an autistic child in my class which only goes to special area (Art, PE and Music). He also comes into my class every Wednesday with a Vietnamese teacher that visits our campus 2-3 times a week. On Wednesday he came in a little earlier than I expected and we were in the middle of writing number strings like 2,4,6,8,10....and so one for numbers 2-4. I had this child come up to my MacBook and help me. I would ask him what number came after 2 and he would type 4....my class would clap. We did this all the way through the 3's. It took about 15 minutes and that is all he could take. Another thing that was precious was that he realized his finger was hitting 2 keys sometimes so he picked up my pencil and started using the eraser end of the pencil to type the numbers. It was the sweetest most unplanned moment of the day. It takes time for our kids to accept those with special needs but exposure is HUGE and I am so thankful for the early childhood program we have here at my school as well as other schools in the area. I love having these kids come into my room!Darlenenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2864394486854097024.post-7863437670154802892011-10-06T10:02:39.019-05:002011-10-06T10:02:39.019-05:00I think if we had the magic answer we'd all be...I think if we had the magic answer we'd all be millionaires....that being said there is no easy answer. I do think we as mom's know the best answer for our own kids/family no matter how hard it is to look the truth in the eye.Lizbethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03449627964374811836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2864394486854097024.post-66962709144872357232011-10-05T22:38:58.907-05:002011-10-05T22:38:58.907-05:00I don't think you are wishy-washy at all! I k...I don't think you are wishy-washy at all! I know what you mean about "inclusion", "mainstreaming" whatever you want to call it. Do we push our kids to belong with the NTs or remove them to the environment of autistics only? I think part of the difficulty with this question is that our children are so young still and the very foundation of their disability is the communication/language barrier they face. They cannot tell us whether they want to be here or there and even if they could, they couldn't understand it enough to make sense of it altogether (not that we can either). <br /><br />So far, we have been exceptionally fortunate that the children in T's class want to play with him, desire his friendship and are very kind and easygoing. They don't care that he does not communicate the same way. They see him as special in a good way - they want him with them even when he doesn't talk - and perhaps because he doesn't talk! They get to say what they want and have him their captive audience (lol!) <br /><br />It is a heartbreaker when the situation popped up that LM faced but really was it LM's heart that broke or mama's? Yes, kids are intentionally but often unintentionally hurtful. Our reactions to those situations are the important part. The right approach might be to focus on LM being rewarded for her asking and making the answer irrelevant! It really seems unnatural some of the things we must teach our kids to let them flourish and brush off what - in the end - is not devastating after all. (that wave that is not returned back from the neighbor we really don't care to know...)<br /><br />I think, in the end, life is all about perspective. Sometimes, we just have to adjust to whatever comes along and acknowledge hurt feelings but move on. Focus on the good - the balance should always be tipped in favor of happy! :)Karen V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02432239210579792788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2864394486854097024.post-65971779289829098892011-10-05T19:17:00.772-05:002011-10-05T19:17:00.772-05:00I think you make some good points. It is not an e...I think you make some good points. It is not an easy question. I'm in the midst of obsessing about kindergarten for my daughter with autism, so I'm thinking about this. I don't think it should be either or, there should be some combination... But I don't know how well that works in reality yet.mamafoghttp://www.mamafog.comnoreply@blogger.com