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http://spockisanautist.wordpress.com/

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New Dr. On Grey's Anatomy Is An Aspie?

I will be very interested in following this particular story arc. I'll be posting my reactions after the 3 episode story arc finishes.

In the meantime: http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/10/mary-mcdonnells.html

	An aspie is one who has Asperger's Syndrome, which is believed to be part of the autism spectrum. Aspies, while being quite gifted verbally, have social, emotional, and sensory integration difficulties, among others. Aspie is an affectionate term, and is not meant as a put down

12am - Some quick initial reactions.

My son couldn't be more opposite in personality from the character of Dr. Dixon. Unlike Dr. Dixon...he is very outgoing socially, talkative and friendly. The character of Temperance Brennan on "Bones" could very well be a portrayal of an independent, highly successful adult with Aspergers...but even then, he doesn't quite fit that portrayal either. Goes to show, what how broad the spectrum is...you really can't nail down an exact portrayal of an individual with Aspergers. At best, you can only give an outline - the details of which are filled in by that individual and not by others.

Similarities? While he doesn't cling as rigidly as Dixon's character does to "Rules," he does rely on a clear definition of rules to navigate the course of his day/week/etc. That said...it doesn't stop him from lying, omitting or fudging the facts if he thinks he's about to get busted for something. :-) He certainly has intense interests - I refuse to use the term "fixate." We also encourage him to explore these interests (medieval history in particular) and are gradually expanding his reading material on the subject, as much as we can find that is geared toward his age level.

Backward D Scale For Violin

My son is in his second year of violin. Because of his learning disabilities and Aspergers - he is behind his peers, just as with math and reading. However, as with his regular classwork, its not a matter of him not being able to learn - it's simply a matter of time and adjusting the teaching method to help him achieve the desired result. He is no less intelligent than his peers, but unlike them he has a few more obstacles on his path he must navigate around.

That said, at the age of 37...I seem to have found myself learning how to play the violin along with my son. During high school and college, I played clarinet...so it has been quite awhile since I actively touched any musical instrument. Yet, here I am reacquainting myself with notes, tempo, scale and how they apply to the violin. My oldest daughter, who has taken the violin a year longer than her brother, shows me the correct way to hold the violin. Being a 3/4 size, its a bit small and a tad awkward to hold. I also ask his teacher to double check that I am doing this correctly - she seems very excited and enthusiastic about my method of helping my son practice his violin.

So, during the day...while the kids are in school, I practice my scales from my son's book of beginning violin lessons. I give his current lesson a once over and later in the evening watch while he practices himself. Learning what he is learning helps me to better understand the particulars he has difficulty with. It may be his issues with his grip (which are related to his issues with muscle tone) are hindering his ability in moving fluidly from the A string to the D string. He also hates the way the chin rest must be placed and how his arms must be positioned...so that I am having to remind him not to keep them tucked down near his body. His biggest challenge,however, is maintaining the correct grip on the neck (which is to say very relaxed) and resist the urge to hold the violin by the body.

We stop before it becomes more frustrating than fun, taking some time to relax and come back to it later. He enjoys the violin and I want him to continue to do so. It is of no importance to him, that he is improving his skills in mathematics or strengthening the muscles of his fingers, hands and arms. All my son cares about is showing me how well he can play Hot Cross Buns...after which I look at him and say well done. I'm so proud of you!

Autism Myths

A very good site, worth checking out / sharing and bookmarking.

http://autism-myths.org/

A very good article

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/29/autism-agenda-beckons/

Lego Indiana Jones

Tonight...was a very good night. Apparently, I am now taking karate as well! Parents who opt to stay in the "dojo" with the kids, must also participate in the lesson. I am proud to say...I was able to do the jump from the kneeling position to up on my feet on my first try! Needless to say, the kids (all the kids) got a kick out of watching us Moms and Dads do THAT.

Later, I made the kids their favorite meal upon request (a Friday tradition). Tonight, it was cheeseburgers and salad. Yes, my kids LOVE salad...one of the few green things I can get in two out of three of them. My son especially loves salad when it has bacon bits on it (whatever gets the green stuff in...).

Afterwards, we all settled down to watch the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I tuned in and out while playing my son's Indiana Jones Lego game on his DS. A couple of times, I got stuck on what to do next. My son, with lots of "Oh Mom...Here, let me help you...." showed me how to complete my task and advance to the next level (I have my own spot to save my game and he has his LOL).

I know not all parents are fan of kids and video games...but for my son, it has been a help on so many levels. It has encouraged him to expand his conversation skills (not in just helping dopey Mom through an obviously "easy" level...but also in describing the game itself in a conversational sense). Video game play also has helped him develop his ability to forsee consequences to his actions, plan strategy to achieve a desired outcome and...lose gracefully.

With Autism, just like things of high calorie content...our philosophy is most things in moderation. That said...I'm going to kick his butt once we get Lego Batman. :-)

Yes Sensei!

Our first karate lesson WITHOUT a one on one was yesterday and went very well. He worked very hard at staying focused on what Sensei was teaching the class and as he put it "I'm being serious." It showed! Two years ago, we wouldn't have seen this level of focus from him...it is a testament to all the hard work on his part, his teachers and the one on ones at the YMCA. That said...once it was over, I let him flap and talk about Spongebob to his hearts content. He earned it.