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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Christmas


Christmas was relatively painless this year.  Once again, we were able to put up the tree.  In past years, Todd pulled the down the tree so much, we always gave up and just put it away.  He was like a cat, just couldn’t resist climbing up in there and timber…

This year the tree stayed up.  He was tempted by the lights a few times.  He would stare at me with his finger moving in slow motion toward the lights.  Sometimes he stared at me with his open mouth in slow motion moving toward the lights.  Electrocution would have really put quite a damper on Christmas, but my disapproving return stare was enough to deter him.

Both sides of the family have gotten good at getting Todd-proof gifts.  No small chokeable pieces, nothing with stuffing that he can rip open and eat, just sturdy heavy-duty stuff and touch screen electronic toys that light up.  Nothing that makes too much noise – not that it’s a sensory overstimulation for the kids – it’s a sensory overstimulation for Daddy. J

Todd’s class went to Orland Square Mall to see Santa.  His teacher told me Todd quietly sat on Santa’s lap, touched his cheek very gently and smiled.  Sean’s class also visited Santa and both kids were sent home with the sweetest photos of Santa with their class.  They did the same thing last year.  Last year, Todd’s class photo with Santa showed Todd freaking and turning away from the camera.  This year, he was calm and posed, smiling nicely.  Like I always say, little things mean a lot, especially with ASD kids!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

message from school

This morning, I received the following email from my kids' school:

**The Elim Christian School community offers our thoughts and prayers for the families of Newtown, Connecticut. We grieve with that community as colleagues, as parents, and as fellow Americans as they try to deal with this senseless tragedy. Like many of you, I’m sure, I cannot make any sense of this horrific situation. I’m confident we will hear more details about the how and why of this tragedy, but there is no real way to come to an understanding of this. And while I can’t understand it I can call on our God in heaven who promises in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

I also want to let you know that the safety and welfare of your children, our students, is our top priority. We have crisis policies and procedures in place, and we practice lock down drills twice yearly. In the next few weeks I plan to review our procedures with the administrative staff and with the local law enforcement agencies to make sure we are doing everything possible to keep students and staff safe. If your child has questions or concerns related to this incident please let us know and we will have one of our counselors speak with them.

Many of you know that Elim has a trained comfort dog named Abbi. Mr. Griffin, assistant principal for Crossroads, went with Abbi to Newtown so that Abbi can do what she is trained to do, and that is to comfort some of the people impacted by this tragedy. Please pray that Abbi will be a blessing to those who need her and pray for the children and families impacted by this terrible and violent act. Pray that somehow they might rest in the knowledge that our God is there with them in their sorrow.**
 
I'm sorry we live in a world where it is necessary for our children to practice lockdown drills.  I'm also glad the boys' school did what little they could to help an enormous situation. Little things mean a lot, as we continue to pray for those who continue to suffer and will continue to suffer for some time from what happened last week.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Special Needs Movie Event 12/22/12 in Orland Park-Monsters, Inc.


Ability On The Go!  presents:

 

Monsters Inc in 2D


 

Who:  Children and Adults with Special Needs

(Family and friends are welcome, too!)

 

Where:  Marcus Theater in Orland Park, IL

(16350 South LaGrange Road. Orland Park, IL)

 

When:   Saturday, December 22nd @ 10:00 a.m.

(NO PREVIEWS - movie begins promptly at 10am)

 

Cost:  $6.50 for ticket and popcorn

(Purchase tickets at the counter upon arrival – cash & credit cards accepted)

 

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Enjoy a new-release movie with your entire family in an understanding environment

without the worry of possible disruptive behavior causing a scene. 

 

SENSORY CONSIDERATIONS INCLUDE:

·      Reduced volume of movie (please note:  there is an uncontrollable burst of noise at the very start of show; volume is able to be adjusted once movie begins)

·      Dimmed lighting (not completely dark)

·      NO PREVIEWS!

 

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Registration is not required, but an RSVP is greatly appreciated to plan accordingly for staffing and accessibility for all movie-goers.

 

Please e-mail Jennifer Koller: slpjen@gmail.com by Thursday, December 20th

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Chula Vista - Wisconsin Dells


Traditionally, we spend Thanksgiving with my father’s side of the family.  The cousin who usually hosts went out of town this year to Myrtle Beach.  We thought, why don’t we go out of town, too?  We spent Thanksgiving this year in Wisconsin Dells.

 

Wisconsin Dells is like Vegas for little kids. There’s even a main strip and old downtown area.  Many childhood family trips were made to the Dells, as it is only a four hour drive from Chicago.  My husband and I have brought the kids to the Dells several times. 

 

This year’s Thanksgiving trip was exciting for my brothers who had not been to the Dells since childhood.  We had two first-timers – my sister-in-law, who is from San Diego and my six-month-old nephew.

 

On my last visit to the Dells in April, we had a buffet dinner at Chula Vista.  It was fabulous and the kids actually behaved!  The resort is off the beaten path – you keep driving and driving deeper into the woods until you think you must be lost and then there it is.  Actually, about a mile before you reach Chula Vista, there’s a sign by another facility that says, “Chula Vista one mile,” leading me to believe they must get a lot of travelers who believe they are lost.  My brother determined they had a suite big enough for the whole family (9 of us), so we decided on Chula Vista.

 

Two experiences I want to report – the mother of two (twin) classmates of my boys reported to me that when her family stayed at Chula Vista this past year, the pullout couch-bed smelled like urine.  She was given attitude by the staff, especially the housekeeping staff.  Those were her only complaints and the rest of the visit was positive. (We didn’t have any dealings with the housekeeping staff, as we were staying in a condo, which is only cleaned upon check-out.)  My husband’s aunt spent New Year’s Eve at Chula Vista a few years ago with a group of friends and had a fantastic experience.

 

Our road trip to Chula Vista was uneventful and our cell phone GPS was accurate for once.  The condo was beautiful.  Cathedral ceilings, nice kitchen, roomy living and dining areas, three bedrooms, two with en suite bathrooms, one with a balcony, one community bathroom off the dining area.  The living area had a fireplace – the flickering flames were a hologram and a vent just above the flames blew out warm air.  There was a large flat-screen tv right above the fireplace and tvs in each bedroom. 

 

The balcony was in our room, but the balcony door was camouflaged by heavy curtains.  The kids thankfully didn’t discover it was there until the last day.  The only criticism I had was the lack of child locks on the doors.  The balcony door easily opened and the front door had a bolt/bar lock, but it was down low enough that Todd was able to open it.  We had issues with him trying to escape out the front door.  When we stayed at Disney World over the summer, the doors were much more secure with child locks up high. 

 

Chula Vista has an indoor water park.  This was very kid friendly.  When we stayed at Mt. Olympus this past April, there was only a small kiddie area and the non-little kid friendly areas were close to the little kid area and not cordoned off well.  At Mt. Olympus, Sean kept taking off and trying to jump into one of the pool areas restricted for older and more experienced swimmers.  The Chula Vista park is entirely kid friendly.  The kids can run around and not easily run into any danger zones.  It consists mostly of water slides.  Sean went on every single one.  There is one that is a water slide-rollercoaster combo, one where you go head first down the slide on a mat – he tried everything.

 

There is a spa on the lower level of the resort.  The spa primarily specializes in massages.  My sister-in-law and I got pedicures.  They did a good job!

 

As usual, we really enjoyed the food at Chula Vista.  Thanksgiving dinner was done very well.  The turkey was juicy and tasty – not easy to do when cooking for so many people.  There were many other meat options – chicken, beef and pork.  There were kid options like chicken nuggets and mac & cheese. There were fish options, a ton of sides and a huge dessert table.  Everything tasted great and was well-prepared.  The only criticism I would have would be that the reservations could have been staggered better.  We waited in line for quite a while, even though we had a reservation.  This was tough, as waiting is so difficult for autism kids.  About halfway through our meal, the restaurant was empty.  Then when we were leaving, we saw an even bigger line for those with reservations, this one about a block long.

 

We usually end a trip to the Dells with a trip to the Tanger Outlet Mall.  Since this time we were visiting over Thanksgiving, I took a pass.  Much as I love shopping, I hate crowds, so I am definitely not a Black Friday shopper!  I prefer ordering gifts from my computer and having them delivered.  

 

On the drive home, we made the requisite stop for Wisconsin cheese.  My kids love cheese curds.  My husband won’t touch the stuff – I think because the name sounds gross, but it’s really just globs of yellow cheese that taste like mozzarella.  My Todd could eat the whole bag in one sitting – I have to cut him off. 

 

Overall, we had a lovely visit to Chula Vista.  We enjoyed having a destination Thanksgiving.  This may become a new tradition! J

Monday, December 10, 2012

follow on Twitter

I am sorry I haven't been posting much lately - so much going on between shows, work, trips and the holidays.  For those who do the Twitter thing - I am on Twitter as @snippygirl66.  I post links to articles and sites that are relevant and interesting to me and those like me :)

Monday, December 3, 2012

iPads through Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks:
announce that through the generosity of Sevenly.org and the James W. Pickle Foundation, 625 financially disadvantaged individuals with autism and schools will receive an Apple iPad 2!
Eligible applicants are individuals who:
- Have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder by a licensed professional,
- Reside in the United States,
- Have limited income and cannot afford to purchase an iPad.
Note: If you already submitted an application for the iPad 2 grant in February 2012, you must re-apply to be considered for the new round.
Technology Grant Timeline
December 3: Online Application Opens
December 7: Application Closes
December 7-14: Review Committee Selects Recipients
December 17: Recipients Announced and iPads sent out!!


How to Apply

Applications must be submitted by the person with autism, an immediate family member of the person with autism, or a licensed teacher, social worker, or therapist. The Technology Grant Review Committee will review eligible applications based on established criteria and select the iPad grant recipients. Some applicants will be contacted by staff for follow up information. All applicants selected to receive an iPad 2 will be contacted on December 17. Others will receive an email informing them of their status.

Visit the AutismCares website to apply! You must create a login and select Autism Speaks iPad Grant.

Note: Please DO NOT complete the application entitled "AutismCares Application" if you are applying for an iPad. Only those applicants that complete the application entitled “Autism Speaks iPad Grant” will be considered.

Note:
Only applicants in the United States will be considered. We cannot accept applications from outside the United States.

Earlier this year, Autism Speaks was able to award 180 iPads to families across the USA. Read more about it here!
Questions or comments?
Contact Serena Selkin, Family Services Grants Manager at sselkin@autismspeaks.org or (917) 475-5059.
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