Sunday, June 19, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Anything But Typical
Anything but Typical By: Nora Baskin
This is what I got from Roger on this book.
Main Characters:
Jason: A autistic kid who writes books.
Story Line:
He writes stories and goes to a writing convention. He has a hard time fitting in. He has a little brother, goes to his cousin’s house and gets in trouble. He has his own laptop. He liked the book and he would read it again.
This book is on our school districts summer reading list.
So let me help you out a bit I did not read it but here is a summary from Amazon.com
Product Description
Jason Blake is an autistic 12-year-old living in a neurotypical world. Most days it's just a matter of time before something goes wrong. But Jason finds a glimmer of understanding when he comes across PhoenixBird, who posts stories to the same online site as he does. Jason can be himself when he writes and he thinks that PhoneixBird-her name is Rebecca-could be his first real friend. But as desperate as Jason is to met her, he's terrified that if they do meet, Rebecca wil only see his autism and not who Jason really is. By acclaimed writer Nora Raleigh Baskin, this is the breathtaking depiction of an autistic boy's struggles-and a story for anyone who has ever worried about fitting in.From School Library Journal
Grade 4–7—Baskin writes in the voice of a high-functioning boy who identifies himself as having numerous disorders, most with labels that appear as alphabet soup. In the third grade, after yet another battery of tests, Jason receives the diagnosis of autism. Now in sixth grade, he relates how he does not fit in, even though he tries to follow the instructions of his therapists and helpers. He labels the rest of his classmates and teachers as neurotypicals, or NTs for short. While humor resonates throughout the book, the pathos of Jason's situation is never far from readers' consciousness. If only he could act on what he knows he needs to do, his life would be so much easier. Jason also shows himself to be a deep thinker and an excellent writer. Through his stories and thinly veiled fictional characters, Baskin reveals not only the obstacles that Jason faces, but also his fierce determination to be himself at all costs. Jason is a believable and empathetic character in spite of his idiosyncrasies. Baskin also does a superb job of developing his parents and younger brother as real people with real problems, bravely traversing their lives with a differently abled child without a road map, but with a great deal of love.—Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MDCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Summer
Am I the only one who is dreading summer vaca. It's not because we don't like having our kids around it's trying to keep them busy. You can only go to the pool so much.
I had thought that I would be working so that would mean the kids would be in some sort of daycare, well the job feel through. I need to find something for them to be around other kids. If given the choice Roger would sit at home in his room and read, he would be perfectly happy but alone and he needs to be around other people. I have tried to find social skills groups but they cost so much. I know we will figure something out and I got a week to do it.
Oh and did I mention the summer reading list for this year is 13 pages long. They only have to read a couple but you give Roger a list and he will read them all. Except for Twilight he says you can't pay him to read that one (I don't blame him it sucked)
I had thought that I would be working so that would mean the kids would be in some sort of daycare, well the job feel through. I need to find something for them to be around other kids. If given the choice Roger would sit at home in his room and read, he would be perfectly happy but alone and he needs to be around other people. I have tried to find social skills groups but they cost so much. I know we will figure something out and I got a week to do it.
Oh and did I mention the summer reading list for this year is 13 pages long. They only have to read a couple but you give Roger a list and he will read them all. Except for Twilight he says you can't pay him to read that one (I don't blame him it sucked)
Broken
We have plenty of broken things around here mainly electronics. The kids computer is missing keys and moves so slow. (that's what I get for buying a Dell, never again), my husbands Ipod wasn't working, and now Rogers ereader is not working.
As for repairs the computer will not be fixed. Dell wants more than it would cost for us to just buy a new one. So for now the kids can deal with a slow computer. I will need to get the situation fixed before school starts though but new ones are so expensive. The Ipod was sent in and fixed very quickly and sent back, but now it is MIA at fedex. Fedex wouldn't talk to me so Apple took over and has been trying to figure out where it is. All fedex told them was they have a large facility and it takes time to sort packages, hmm 15 days at a sorting facility sounds like code for we lost it or someone stole it.
I am in the process of sending Roger's ereader back to be fixed. It is no longer charging we have only had it since March so it should still be working but they seem willing to fix it. We recently had to send Lucy's Nintendo DS in for repairs and they are very fast and painless on repairs.
So what I know now is Dell sucks at repairs, they don't want to help and usually you can't get anyone who speaks English so its just frustrating. Will not use them again.
Apple is awesome at repairs very quick and have been very helpful in this lost package situation.
Kobo I'll let you know once we are done with them.
Nintendo if you have kids yes use them, not only does the equipment have the 1 year warranted if they fix something it resets the 1 year warranted on the product. Also very fast turn around.
***Disclaimer - I bought all the items none were given to us by any company nor was I asked to do this by any company's, This is just my opinion****
As for repairs the computer will not be fixed. Dell wants more than it would cost for us to just buy a new one. So for now the kids can deal with a slow computer. I will need to get the situation fixed before school starts though but new ones are so expensive. The Ipod was sent in and fixed very quickly and sent back, but now it is MIA at fedex. Fedex wouldn't talk to me so Apple took over and has been trying to figure out where it is. All fedex told them was they have a large facility and it takes time to sort packages, hmm 15 days at a sorting facility sounds like code for we lost it or someone stole it.
So what I know now is Dell sucks at repairs, they don't want to help and usually you can't get anyone who speaks English so its just frustrating. Will not use them again.
Apple is awesome at repairs very quick and have been very helpful in this lost package situation.
Kobo I'll let you know once we are done with them.
Nintendo if you have kids yes use them, not only does the equipment have the 1 year warranted if they fix something it resets the 1 year warranted on the product. Also very fast turn around.
***Disclaimer - I bought all the items none were given to us by any company nor was I asked to do this by any company's, This is just my opinion****
Friday, June 10, 2011
White Coat Syndrome
I was reading a post by Diary of A Mom , where she was talking about the doctors who don't read paperwork but just know it all. We all have heard of White Coat Syndrome where as soon as the Dr. comes in we forget everything and BP goes up all that good stuff. Really though I think some of the doctors have White Coat Syndrome where once that coat goes on they know it all.
The post made me think of a psychiatrist we saw years ago. Roger would have been about 6 or 7. The way she did things was the parent would come in first and talk with her and then she would see the child on another appoint. Ok seemed kind of weird but whatever.
I went to see her and was telling her about some of the things Roger was struggling with no friends, difficulty paying attention unless its something he likes, easily distracted, etc... She talked to me for less than 10 min. never saw Roger much less meet him, didn't talk to teachers. In that 10 min she deiced he was ADHD and needed to be medicated immediately. She wanted me to take a script for Ritalin for daytime and some sort of sleeping pill for the night.What she was not listening to was the school district had already evaluated him for ADHD and said that was not it but they didn't know what at the time.
I asked her shouldn't you see him first. She said no I already know whats going on. I didn't walk away from that doctor I ran.
Fast forward 4 years and age 11 and he is diagnosed with ASD, SPD, Executive functioning all of which explain the behaviors that were so confusing to everyone. I wish I still had her number, I can't even remember her name and who knows if she is still in practice. Just to call her and say hey remember that kid you tried to dx without seeing him (oh wait there's probably hundreds) you were wrong!!!
The post made me think of a psychiatrist we saw years ago. Roger would have been about 6 or 7. The way she did things was the parent would come in first and talk with her and then she would see the child on another appoint. Ok seemed kind of weird but whatever.
I went to see her and was telling her about some of the things Roger was struggling with no friends, difficulty paying attention unless its something he likes, easily distracted, etc... She talked to me for less than 10 min. never saw Roger much less meet him, didn't talk to teachers. In that 10 min she deiced he was ADHD and needed to be medicated immediately. She wanted me to take a script for Ritalin for daytime and some sort of sleeping pill for the night.What she was not listening to was the school district had already evaluated him for ADHD and said that was not it but they didn't know what at the time.
I asked her shouldn't you see him first. She said no I already know whats going on. I didn't walk away from that doctor I ran.
Fast forward 4 years and age 11 and he is diagnosed with ASD, SPD, Executive functioning all of which explain the behaviors that were so confusing to everyone. I wish I still had her number, I can't even remember her name and who knows if she is still in practice. Just to call her and say hey remember that kid you tried to dx without seeing him (oh wait there's probably hundreds) you were wrong!!!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Camping
Lucy and I are going camping with the girl scouts this weekend. No its not the cabin sort its the tent sort. You would think all the preparations would be for her but nope they are for me. Besides the normal packing change of clothes, sleeping bag, flashlights, stuff like that we add my list also known as my insurance policy:
- Epipen (trust me do not want to be without this if I get stung wont be pretty)
- List of phone numbers to give to leader My husbands cell, sis in law and bro in laws numbers too. (one of them has got to answer right)
- leave directions to get to camp for husband
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