Senseless Senses

I just read an update from a good friend of mine, Bree , she wrote about traditions and being accepting of change, this really got me thinking, especially this holiday season. Thanksgiving week has always been crazy for us. My dad comes up from Kentucky every year to visit, the one and only time we get to see him every year. My daughter celebrates another wonderful year of life and we get to celebrate the start of the Holiday season with family.  Until this year we have balanced a very hectic week of visits with our life. After reading my girlfriends update on her blog I realized that I continue to try to fit my special family into a "normal" tradition and I'm starting to ask myself "Why?". Why do we expect our children to be "normal" at the Holidays? Why do we feel the need to ensure we spend as much time this week with every family member we can vs. the rare occassions we visit throughout the remainder of the year? I know the Holidays are about

I recognize that in most houses time out is a useful and effective tool for diffusing a situation. I also recognize that asking my SPD kids to go to time out in the middle of or at the start of a meltdown is the equivalent of expecting to hit Powerball every time you by a ticket! You know, for most of us we may hit a $3 winner but in our lifetimes the chances of every seeing the big payoff are pretty much non-existent. Let me tell you, Time out, while not effective for my children in our world is effective for, hang onto your seats folks, ME!! Yes, that's right, Mommy LOVES time out!!! You know those moments when your child has hit the motherload of all meltdowns? The physical challenges of protecting yourself, your family and your child from his powerful anger? The emotionally draining moments when you know that if this continues for even one more minute you will fall into a heap of emotional garbage right in the middle of the kitchen floor? I know these moments all too well!

A few years ago, right after Austin was diagnosed with SPD, we decided to purchase a Wii. I'm sitting in my living room this evening watching Austin play. This is a nightly event in our house. What I've learned is that video games are not as horrible as I've heard. Quite the contrary, the Wii and the physical aspects of it are actually theraputic. I know I've seen an article or two on OT's that have incorporated Wii therapy for Sensory kids but I guess until recently I didn't really believe it. Wii gives Austin the hard movement needed to remain calm. He doesn't argue with us when he's engaged in a game, regardless if it's battling Aliens in Ben 10 or dancing to "Who let the dogs out" playing "Just Dance" (which he happens to be playing as I type this). I think playing the Wii also allows his brain to be challenged as well. In a game like "Ben 10" he has to think strategically in order to defeat aliens and progress t

I have to be honest and let you all know that I am not really in the mood to be eloquent and ensure what I'm writing makes sense to all that read. I am tired, very tired. It's been a long month and a very long evening. After an agonizing month long wait I finally met with the Psychologist to get the answers I've been searching for regarding Austin's behaviors. I wasn't really sure to what to expect, however, I can share that I told my mom tonight that my biggest fear was that they were going to tell me that I have a very intelligent son that has learned how to "play" us.. nothing more than that. HA... would that have been nice to hear now that I have answers!!! Not sure where to start here, so I'm going to brain dump... 1. IQ test -- for those that are not aware Austin had an IQ test done last Spring when we were considering a private school for gifted children that our daughter attended. Bottom line, that test revealed Austin had a well above av