Autism Awareness / Giveaway III

Part III of the Autism Awareness Giveaway Blog Series

GIVEAWAY - details about the giveaway is at the end of this blog post.

Do you know someone with autism? Unless it's a close friend or family member with autism, you would probably answer with "no". And you might be wrong, although you don't know it!

Why?

Because many people have autism and yet they live normal, wonderful, incredible lives.

I LOVE stories of people with autism who have faced challenges, and yet have managed to not only have a great life, but they've THRIVED at life. It encourages me.

Here is a confession about a recent guilty pleasure: I watch American Idol!!

Some may laugh but let me tell you, I'm normally not an American Idol devotee. I couldn't tell you about any of the winners except for maybe Carrie Underwood, because I like country music so I know about her and oh yeah, Kellie Pickler. Anyway, this year is different because I'm connected to a number of Autism websites like Autism Speaks, The Autism Society of America, and the Autism Support Network. Around the beginning of the year, these sites started buzzing like crazy about a guy named James Durbin, a young man with autism, who was on the new season of American Idol. My curiosity was peaked! I started watching to see who this guy was and what his talent consisted of. Granted, he's considered a metal rocker and those who know me, know that I am NOT a metal rocker person! However, this young guy is fascinating. As of today, he's in the American Idol top 11, and I love him. I watch him perform with a smile in my heart, and I even signed up to be his Twitter follower!

Why am I a fan of his? Because he has Asperger's Syndrome. If you read Series I of this Autism Awareness blog, I briefly mentioned Asperger's. Aspies, as they jokingly refer to themselves sometimes, are high-functioning autistics. They can run the normal gamut of autistic persons; with any variety of skills and challenges. Typically, they can focus intently on one or two restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. They may be clumsier than most, have limited ability to interact appropriately with peers, and may also have communication delays. I say "may" because every person diagnosed with Asperger's is unique. I recently read the book 'House Rules' by Jodie Picoult, which was a fantastic book, in my opinion. It is a murder mystery that is partly told from the point of view of the brilliant Aspergers oldest son. It offers tantalizing insight into how the Asperger mind functions. If you are looking for a good book, check this one out.

Anyway, back to James Durbin...this interesting young man gives me hope. Not only does he have Asperger's, but he also has Tourette's! But other than some obvious facial tics, the average American Idol fan would have no idea. He seems 'normal'. He has a fiancee and a son. He's been in theater performances and bands. And I'm cheering for him to be the next American Idol, or at least, to get a record contract from all of the publicity. Because he is a very real shining light to those of us raising children with autism. He gives all of us hope. Hope that our kids will be OK, will grow up successfully and find something that they enjoy doing and can thrive at, and that most people who meet them really won't know that they have an invisible 'autism' label over their heads.

Through the Autism Speaks website, I came into contact with another inspiring person named Megan Christian. Here are her words:

My name is Megan Christian and I am a twenty-six year old young woman with autism. It's been quite a long journey; when I was younger people told Mom that I wouldn't be able to read or get a high school diploma. I was able to achieve a high school diploma and in May of 2009 I got my Associate's degree from Mesa in Psychology. I plan on transferring to San Diego State University to obtain my Bachelor's degree and eventually, get my Master's degree in Special Education. I plan on becoming a Special Education teacher, teaching children with autism and other disabilities.

So let me end this Series by just saying this: if you don't think you know anyone with autism, maybe you are wrong! It may be the kid at the library, who is talking just a bit too loudly, diligently searching for a book using the Dewey Decimal System. It may be the toddler at the grocery store with his mom, who is happily reciting the entire dialogue, word for word, from his favorite Pixar movie. It could be your physician who you love to pieces although you can't explain why...you just like how she is so completely thorough with her questions and details that you feel like she truly cares about you as a person. Autistic people might be a little quirky or obsessive about some things, but they are awesome.

You should get to know a few, if you aren't blessed to already!

GIVEAWAY

The giveaway is open to anyone and basically, the more entries you have the better your chances of winning a prize! You can view the FANTASTIC prizes in the prize vault here.

How to get entries:

1) Register here. You only have to do this ONCE so if you already have, skip to #2.

2) After reading this blog post, comment below. You can say anything about this blog post, how you felt reading it, something it made you think of, something you learned, etc. Comment once specifically about this post and be sure to leave your name!!

3) Post a link to this blog post on your FB and comment back here that you did.

4) Tweet this and comment back here that you did.

5) Mention this on your own blog and comment back here, with a link to your blog post.

6) If you didn't read the first Autism Awareness blogs, you can do so and follow the instructions at the end for even more entry opportunities! There is Series I and Series II.

Be sure and watch for the next Autism Awareness / Giveaway blog and more chances to win!

Thank you for your interest in spreading education about autism.

Autism Awareness / Giveaway II

Part II of the Autism Awareness Giveaway Blog Series

GIVEAWAY - details about the giveaway is at the end of this blog post.

One of the first things that people ask me about autism, when they find out that my son is on the autism spectrum, is how I knew.

Wait, let me back up for a minute...

Let me first say that most people do not want to discuss autism at all. It's the big elephant in the room that people just tip-toe around when they find out that my son has PDD-NOS. I see eyes glaze over or their attention being drawn elsewhere. They laugh nervously and say something like how cute my kids are or how tall Samuel is. This is annoying. I want to talk about his abilities and challenges. I won't break down and cry if you ask why he still can't talk very plainly or why he doesn't seem to obey very well, sometimes. It's OK to ask me questions or comment, or even joke about, my son. He's an awesome person like most kids and it's nice when people actually want to get into a discussion about autism. I'm sure I speak for many parents of autistic children in saying all of this. And so, moving on....WHEN people get into an autism discussion, they always want to know how I knew my son was different.

Tough question. With no concrete answer. I didn't know; it took time to find out, with his pediatrician, preschool teachers, speech pathologist, and child psychologist pointing me to the answer.

One of the things I've discovered about autism, is that no two autistic people are the same. This is tough for people to understand, sometimes. I think people want to look at those with differences or challenges, and see them all the same so it's easy to identify them. Like people born with Down's Syndrome, for example. I personally think it's fascinating that no matter what race a person is, if they are born with Down's, they all share similar features and look related. It's like God created another race of special people to live among us and teach us things. But it's not so easy with autism.

One of the ways I try to explain is this; imagine that there are 100 traits that autistic kids have, and Samuel has about 13 of those traits. But if you meet 20 more people with autism this week, you'll meet 20 people entirely different than Samuel, because they may have any number and combination of those 100 autistic traits.

Some traits are more common than others, and here are a few that Samuel has demonstrated:

* a speech delay (this was apparent at age one and still requires speech therapy)

* extreme food pickiness, such as avoiding certain foods or combinations of food

* it took him awhile to develop a sense of danger

* it is a challenge for him to understand consequences of actions

* he can get sensorily overstimulated and have a melt-down

* he can't relate socially with his peers and mostly plays along side of them instead of 'with' them

*he is just now beginning to play imaginatively with his toys but still has a tendency to just line them up in order

* he can memorize a movie and loves to act it out all over the house, reciting the lines while he plays. This can continue for hours/days/weeks unless we intervene.

There are other things, but these are some main ones. And when I've mentioned these to some people they've laughed and said; "oh well, he's a typical boy who wants to behave badly in public". HA! I wish! You have to take all of his issues into consideration.

There are very positive things about him though, that I want to point out just to even out this list...

* he hit many milestones very early, such as walking and being agile / athletic. At 10 months old he could slide backwards & upside down on the playground slide. At one year he was climbing to our ceiling and finding a way to bounce / flip down to land safely on the ground!

* he potty trained easily and early

* he learned his alphabet early

* with him, things are pretty black & white. Like most kids on the spectrum, he is honest and doesn't think in a manipulative manner. What you see is what you get with him.

* he has an amazing memory

But enough about Samuel...I want to you to hear about autism through another person's voice. I met Nikki through a mutual friend who wanted to connect me with someone else who had a child with autism. I am so glad, because Nikki is awesome! Here is her story:

I was first introduced to the world of autism when I reconnected with a high school friend who has a son with low-functioning Autism. I knew little about it at the time, but my eyes would soon be opened to the whole spectrum. It would soon become a part of our daily lives.

My son Connor was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at the young age of 4. It started with a speech delay that soon took us far beyond the ability of a speech pathologist. When the speech pathologist suggested that he might be on the spectrum I felt as though the wind had been knocked out of me. We were referred to the UC Davis M.I.N.D. institute. After a full day of testing we were given the blow. Connor was what they considered “High-Functioning” Autistic. My husband and I were crushed. I went home and got a hold of every piece of information I could. It was all about education at this point. I just had to understand what we were dealing with. I went through the full gamut of emotions, but had to set them aside and focus on Connor. He was soon placed in a SP-ED preschool class. He did well and was able to transition into General-Ed Kindergarten. Every year presented itself with new challenges and every year we fought to keep him in the least restrictive environment.

Just as we were feeling confident about the whole situation we were delivered another blow. My daughter, Chloe, who was 9 at the time, was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. A.S. is on the higher-functioning end of the Spectrum. She had been dx w/ ADD at an early age so I just thought her little idiosyncrasies were because of that. She was receiving some Sp-Ed services from the school district because of the ADD. It was the school speech pathologist who suggested that we have Chloe tested for ASD. I was so angry! I couldn’t see it since she did not exhibit ANY of the same characteristics that Connor had. Talk about denial! Here was my gifted, beautiful daughter…she could NOT possibly have Autism! She was outgoing, friendly and talkative. I started to reflect…I had watched her closely during all the years of school. Chloe never really connected w/ her peers. She would gravitate toward adults or much younger children. I just figured it was her preference. I later learned that this was because there was less pressure to perform. Younger children didn’t mind that she said things that were off topic etc., and adults were forgiving and/or would correct her. Again, we set out to understand everything we could about her diagnosis.

Chloe is now almost 12 and Connor is 10. They are both attending a private Christian school and doing very well. They have been able to stay in a general education setting since kindergarten. They are extremely musical, singing at benefit concerts and in full length musicals. Don’t get me wrong…there are days when I want to pull my hair out. Homework takes us hours every night. We have visual schedules posted all over our house. We have to explain every idiom/metaphor we use, every sarcastic statement and all movies have to be played w/ the subtitles on. I wouldn’t change one thing about my children! They are my life, my joy! Most importantly, they are beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of God. =)

In my opinion, Autism is not a disability, but a dif-ability. They think, respond, and see the world from a different perspective. It’s not wrong; it’s just different. I often refer to my children as foreign exchange students. They are constantly learning how to understand the customs and language that surround them daily. All Autistic children are extremely gifted. Some of the greatest inventors and artists were thought to have had Autism; Albert Einstein, Andy Warhol and Isaac Newton to name a few. People with Autism could teach us a lot about perspective and character. One of my favorite quotes is as follows…”People with Autism don’t lie, they don’t cheat and they don’t play mind games.” So basically what you see is what you get! =)

Nikki Morris

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Connor & Chloe

GIVEAWAY

The giveaway is open to anyone and basically, the more entries you have the better your chances of winning a prize! You can view the prizes in the prize vault here.

How to get entries:

1) Register here. You only have to do this ONCE so if you already have, skip to #2.

2) After reading this blog post, comment below. You can say anything about this blog post, how you felt reading it, something it made you think of, something you learned, etc. Comment once specifically about this post and be sure to leave your name!!

3) Post a link to this blog post on your FB and comment back here that you did.

4) Tweet this and comment back here that you did.

5) Mention this on your own blog and comment back here, with a link to your blog post.

6) If you didn't read the first Autism Awareness blog, you can do so here and follow the instructions at the end for even more entry opportunities!

Be sure and watch for the next Autism Awareness / Giveaway blog and more chances to win! Thank you for your interest in spreading education about autism.

Autism Awareness / Giveaway I

Part I of the Autism Awareness Giveaway Blog Series

I've been thinking alot about how to approach this massive subject of autism. Frankly, it's daunting. It's such a huge and varied topic. But I'm just going to blog from my heart over the next few weeks and hopefully it will increase your understanding just a little bit. I'm sure that most people reading this have no clue about what autism really is or how it affects people. I know how you feel! And I'll be sharing alot of my personal story throughout these blogs along with the personal stories of some of my friends.

GIVEAWAY - details about the giveaway is at the end of this blog post.

For this first blog, I'll just answer two W's...what and why.

WHAT is autism? I'll use an abbreviated answer from Wikipedia... autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood. It is one of three recognized disorders in the autism spectrum (ASDs), the other two being Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), which is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met.

Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. The signs usually develop gradually, but some autistic children first develop more normally and then regress. Although there is no known cure, early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help autistic children gain self-care, social, and communication skills.

You can read the rest of the Wikipedia description here.

WHY do I want to discuss autism? Because my son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at age 3. Because when we received this diagnosis, I felt like I had been moved to a colony on Mars and told to start work immediately. I had no idea what it meant or what to do about it. In some ways, I felt relief because we finally had an answer about some of our son's 'quirks' and delays. But the overwhelming sense was fear, confusion, and apprehension. I headed to the library; my favorite source of information!

I had to look around for awhile to find the information about autism. I mean, how many of you could walk into your local library and know right where to go to find the latest books on PDD-NOS? I stood there and actually froze in place. The thought ran through my mind that you could trace my life through the library and the books I've checked out over the years. When I was single, it was novels and the latest bestseller. I got engaged and read through the books about wedding planning, premarital issues, creating a home, being a good wife. I got married and soon gravitated to the shelves holding the baby books, and read through everything from tracking a pregnancy from week to week, to having the childbirth experience I always wanted, to the latest baby names, and then the ones about getting my baby to sleep through the night or how to read to my baby and turn him into a superstar student by age 1. As life progressed I've moved through the library to the books about potty training, child discipline, and homeschooling. Throw in the occasional novel or chicken soup books of emotions, and there's my life. Never had I thought I would need the autism books. And yet, now I stood motionless on dull brown carpet in the muted silence of a Hawaii public library, and faced the books on autism...and cried. Where to start? What to do? What to read? Should I panic? Was God listening? Would Samuel graduate? Would he get a job? Would he know the love of a woman and eventually have kids? Would he understand the abstract concept of grace and the love of God?

Maybe it sounds silly to you. Unless you've been there.

Of course now I know he'll probably be OK. He'll grow and develop and perhaps it will be at a slower pace than others, and maybe his future will be somewhat different than what his parents have imagined, but maybe he'll be perfectly fine and just have minor 'quirks' that follow him in life.

But receiving an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis for your child is breath taking. If you've been there, you know. If you haven't, thank you for reading this, and for trying to understand, just a little. Just knowing that someone cares and is trying to learn more, means so much to the rest of us.

And to provide a wonderful glimpse into the mind of someone with PDD-NOS, I want to finish this blog post with a copy of a recent post from the Autism Speaks blog that I think you'll enjoy...it was a guest post by Autism Speaks staffer Kerry Magro. Kerry, an adult who has autism, is a rising senior at Seton Hall University, majoring in Sports Management. He started the club Student Disability Awareness on campus to help spread awareness and raise fund for those affected by autism.

My name is Kerry and I have Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified.

This means I have autism.

This does not mean I am autism.

This means I see the world sometimes in a different light.

This does not mean I'm in the dark.

This means from time to time I may have difficulty expressing my emotions.

This does not mean I don't feel

This means when I do communicate, I do it with a style that is my own.

This does not mean I don't have a voice.

This means I may have sensitivity when it comes to a certain feel or touch.

This means sounds can sometimes make me feel uneasy.

This does not mean I'm deaf or hard of hearing.

This means I can often focus on certain interests for a long period of time.

This does not mean those are my only interests.

This means that I'm the only person in my family to have this.

This does not mean I'm alone.

This means I may have 500 other symptoms/capabilities that are different than yours.

This does not mean I'm any less of a person than you are.

My name is Kerry, and regardless of what PDD-NOS means or doesn't mean, autism can't define me, I define autism. I can only hope those individuals, regardless of being autistic or not can define their journeys in the way they see it.

GIVEAWAY

The giveaway is open to anyone and basically, the more entries you have the better your chances of winning a prize! You can view the prizes in the prize vault here.

How to get entries:

1) Register here. You only have to do this ONCE so if you already have, skip to #2.

2) After reading this blog post, comment below. You can say anything about this blog post, how you felt reading it, something it made you think of, something you learned, etc. Comment once specifically about this post and be sure to leave your name!!

3) Post a link to this blog post on your FB and comment back here that you did.

4) Tweet this and comment back here that you did.

5) Mention this on your own blog and comment back here, with a link to your blog post.

Be sure and watch for the next Autism Awareness / Giveaway blog and more chances to win! Thank you for your interest in spreading education about autism.

Registration for Autism Awareness Giveaway

Ok I hope this isn't too complicated, for either you or for me! I am super excited about doing this giveaway and raising awareness / spreading education & knowledge about autism. I have researched some of my favorite blogs that do giveaways, and I came up with this idea to do a simple registration.

How it works: "register" here by following the instructions below. That way if you win, it will be easy for me to track you down and let you know that you won, and to begin communicating with you about how to send you your prize. Sound good?

Once you are registered here, you can improve your chances of winning by participating in the instructions that will appear on each Autism Awareness Blog that I do, whether those are daily or weekly, etc. You will NOT need to register on this page again.

If you are late getting started in the giveaway, no problem! I'll post a link that comes back to this registration page so you can still get registered, and you can go back and participate in all the Autism Awareness blogs that you wish to.

By the way, be sure & check out the Prize Vault blog to see what goodies are already being offered!

TO REGISTER

(all of the registration entries below will count as entries

for the giveaways so don't skip this part!)

Become a follower of this blog, or if you already are, great! If you aren't and you don't have a way to do so, don't worry. This doesn't lessen/improve your chances of winning.

Either way, leave a comment below in this format:

FOLLOWER. YOUR NAME or USERNAME. YOUR EMAIL or HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU IF YOU WIN.

Ex: "Follower. SoShawna Gray. soshawnagray@email.com

Let me know if you have any questions!

And keep a watch for the upcoming Autism Awareness blogs!

Prize Vault for Giveaway

OK, here are the prizes that you can win in my Autism Awareness giveaway! As I get more prizes added, or more details about the ones already listed, I'll keep updating this page so all you have to do is check back occasionally.

First of all let me say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, to all the gracious people who are donating prizes for this giveaway. I appreciate this more than you know.

HOW TO WIN: Click on any of my blog links about Autism Awareness on the right side of this page, and follow the instructions. Good luck!

PRIZES:

1) I LOVE this adorable prize and you will too, if you like classic, homemade treasures. My good friends Cheyenne and Robert Johnson (THE Robert Johnson of ROJO photography!) have created a wooden memory/matching game out of small tree branches, that is hand sanded, polished, painted, and stamped! Here is a picture of one they gave as a gift last year, so this prize will be similar:

2) Ever heard of SCENTSY? A Scentsy warmer uses a low-watt bulb to slowly melt the specially formulated wax, maximizing the fragrance time that you can enjoy. There are no flames, soot, or wicks so this is a safe way to savor more than 80 different scents. Shannon LaPuma is a Scentsy consultant who found me on one of the autism sites I'm a member of, and she kindly offered to donate a Scentsy warmer to the winner! You can win the Piece by Piece warmer pictured below AND a bar of scented wax! If anyone wants to buy this warmer, 100% of the profits (AND any commission she makes!) are donated to Autism Speaks! Just visit her site here to purchase it or any other scentsy products.

3) My dear friend Amy Miraflor is the brilliant creator of Evy's Tree embellished clothing, and her business is growing by leaps and bounds. If you don't own an Evy's Tree item now, you will want to. If you already do, you know how comfortable, practical, and addicting they are! You can see some of her items here, or read her blog (she frequently has giveaways!). For my Autism Awareness giveaway, she is donating one of her Navy Lacey's (you pick the size if you win)!

The Navy Lacey Zip Up

Up close...

4) A good friend of mine from Bogalusa Louisiana is very talented, and she knits for pleasure and as a way to raise funds for causes. Joy McMurray creates these adorable boa scarves and beanie hats to match, and she is going to send the winner one of her scarves! Stay warm in style!

Pictures coming soon!

5) If you like accessories but aren't familiar yet with Dainty Button, you should be! Charity Morgan, the owner and creative mind behind Dainty Button, is based in San Francisco. She is super talented and is constantly coming up with beautiful new designs. You can see her etsy page here or her blog here. In the past she has designed items specifically for Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness, with portions of the proceeds for sales of those items going to various charity's or survivors. She decided to design something specially for Autism Awareness, with a portion of the proceeds from sales going to an autism charity! Using the blue associated with Autism Awareness, here is her gorgeous head wrap! (I have several of her wrap designs and I get compliments every time I wear them...plus they double as a cute belt!)

6) My friend Michelle Lagmay also creates stunning hair accessories / brooches. She is donating a prize that will be similar to this one:

7) A friend from college days, Amy Woodson Stoops, is another talented creator that I am blessed to know. She crochets adorable pieces and is offering one of her 'Freckled Lemonade' sets...adorable! This is a beautiful bloomer made to grace tiny hineys and comes with a matching headband. Made with 100% cotton and hand crocheted. This pictured one is a 12-18 month old size but can be made in sizes newborn to 18 mo.