Tag: Autism

World Autism Awareness Day

High School is around the Corner

My son will be starting high school in the Fall! I was a little nervous about the idea of him graduating from elementary school at the beginning of the school year, but have since calmed down. He’s made tremendous strides over the past few years and I now feel confident that he is ready to take the next necessary step! We went to visit a couple of high schools, which helped a lot. Time really does fly!

Managing my Anxiety

So because anxiety always pops up uninvited, I had to learn some combat skills to keep it from ruining my life. I could be having a great day… and then those crazy thoughts come out of no where. Thoughts like somethings going to go wrong soon or thoughts of people that have been nothing but kind to me will betray me soon. I’ve gotten tired of these thoughts ruining happy moments for me so I begin to get to the root of them.

  • First thing I do is remind myself that NOTHINGS HAPPENED. I’ll be sitting there worried about things that haven’t even happened.
  • Secondly, I think of all the possible outcomes of what I’m worried about. I’ve found that the worst case scenario is something I can live with.

For instance, I had terrible anxiety a couple of weeks ago because I hadn’t renewed plate sticker because my car wasn’t passing the emissions test. After I sorted through all the anxiety, I calmed myself by remembering that the worst case scenario is that I will get a ticket…and I can pay a ticket.

Anxiety is always an inconvenience and there is never a good time for it to show up. However, I am determined to continue to fight for the good life that exists beyond anxiety.

Anxiety

The word Anxiety has been getting a larger spotlight in mainstream media lately as more people are realizing they suffer from it. This disorder can be absolutely crippling and at the very least, a big hindrance to anyone that suffers from it. According to the Mayo Clinic some of the common symptoms of anxiety are Excessive worry, insomnia, feelings of impending doom, fatigue, lack or concentration and racing thoughts. 

As a parent to a special needs child, I myself have experienced many of these symptoms. It’s often times forgotten by others, that as a special needs parents we have a lot more planning to do for our daily routines. We have to research schools harder, make sure our children know and use proper bathroom etiquette, remind them to use their words when they want or need something,etc. This is why being plugged into a network of parents that have the same special concerns as you is so important. Even if it’s just exchanging phone numbers with the parents who have children in the same classroom as your child.

The most important take away from this post should be that your are not alone. Feel free to contact Autism But Life Goes On as we are definitely supporters of our Special Needs families.

Kalin Bennett: Autistic Rising Star

Screenshot_2018-12-21-21-55-51.png

 Kalin Bennett, is an 18 year old athlete from Little Rock, Arkansas who is making headlines across the country because he may be the first Autistic Athlete to sign with a Division I sports team. Earlier this month Bennett was recruited by Kent University, a Division I school because of his “stellar athletic record” according to NBC news. The now 6ft 10 inch Bennett did not start out athletically inclined. Like lots of autistic kids he was behind with some of his early childhood development skills as he did not start walking until he was 4 years olds and didn’t start to speak until he was 7. Having accomplished so much over the last few years, the Autism community is overjoyed with the fact that Bennett is breaking barriers. He says that he hopes to inspire other autistic kids and I suspect that will be yet another goal he achieves.

Summer Camp for our Special Children

Summer camps are a great resource for parents.

All over the country children are bubbling with excitement, for they know summer break is days away or for some has already started.  Many parents are bubbling to; I’m just not sure all of it is excitement as much as a tad bit of stress. For the next 2 months we’re in charge of making an itinerary to keep our children busy and happy for the several hours a day that they were in school.

Summer camps are a great resource for parents. A lot of camps have 8 hour schedules, which allow the children to be somewhere safe where they can interact with other children and learn some cool stuff at the same time. This of course allows for the parents to keep up their work schedule and/or other interests they’re committed to.

The Park Districts in most cities have “Special Recreation” for special needs individuals ranging from the ages of 7- 19. In addition the prices are drastically lower than other camps. However, don’t let that be the determining factor.  We know our children better than anyone so definitely choose the camp that’s a good fit for your child. I highly recommend visiting the park with your child prior to signing them up. Good vibes makes for good experiences for both the parent and child.

I look forward to sharing and reading your summer camp stories very soon.

Big Hug

Bernadette

Time to Dream

Time, one of the few things in life that is irreplaceable. You can’t buy it, you can’t produce it and you certainly get a refund for any of it that is wasted. With all of these things being well known facts, it’s important to make note of how we process the huge clock in our lives.

In the time I spend alone with my thoughts I’ve found that I’m always super conscious of how quickly time moves. With that being said, I find myself stressed a lot and often times am unsatisfied with the timeframe in which my goals are accomplished. My childhood dream was to become a journalist. That’s what I earned my degree in and worked as for a few years during and after college. However, life happened and I was forced to put that dream on shelf for what I thought would only be for a little while. Eleven years later I’ve looked up and realize I’m still trying to fulfill that dream.

To be completely honest I’m pursuing it more aggressively in the past couple of weeks then I have in previous years; I just feel like it’s time. My son is eleven now and I’ve been a single parent for that long as his father died eleven years ago. Please… there’s no pity party necessary. Instead I am diligently searching for opportunities to make my dreams a reality. I’ll update you on my progress as it is made. Meanwhile, be mindful of how you spend your time.