Autism

My daughter is autistic, she is 11 years old and the joy of my life. I found this great site for kids and thought it was worth posting.....



What Does Autism Mean?

Autism (say: aw-tih-zum) causes kids to experience the world differently from the way most other kids do. It's hard for kids with autism to talk with other people and express themselves using words. Kids who have autism usually keep to themselves and many can't communicate without special help.

They also may react to what's going on around them in unusual ways. Normal sounds may really bother someone with autism — so much so that the person covers his or her ears. Being touched, even in a gentle way, may feel uncomfortable.

Kids with autism often can't make connections that other kids make easily. For example, when someone smiles, you know the smiling person is happy or being friendly. But a kid with autism may have trouble connecting that smile with the person's happy feelings.

A kid who has autism also has trouble linking words to their meanings. Imagine trying to understand what your mom is saying if you didn't know what her words really mean. It is doubly frustrating then if a kid can't come up with the right words to express his or her own thoughts.

Autism causes kids to act in unusual ways. They might flap their hands, say certain words over and over, have temper tantrums, or play only with one particular toy. Most kids with autism don't like changes in routines. They like to stay on a schedule that is always the same. They also may insist that their toys or other objects be arranged a certain way and get upset if these items are moved or disturbed.

If someone has autism, his or her brain has trouble with an important job: making sense of the world. Every day, your brain interprets the sights, sounds, smells, and other sensations that you experience. If your brain couldn't help you understand these things, you would have trouble functioning, talking, going to school, and doing other everyday stuff. Kids can be mildly affected by autism, so that they only have a little trouble in life, or they can be very affected, so that they need a lot of help.
What Causes Autism?

Autism affects about 1 in every 150 kids, but no one knows what causes it. Some scientists think that some kids might be more likely to get autism because it or similar disorders run in their families. Knowing the exact cause of autism is hard because the human brain is very complicated.

The brain contains over 100 billion nerve cells called neurons (say: nur-ahns). Each neuron may have hundreds or thousands of connections that carry messages to other nerve cells in the brain and body. The connections and the chemical messengers they send (called neurotransmitters) let the neurons that help you see, feel, move, remember, and work together as they should.

For some reason, some of the cells and connections in the brain of a kid with autism — especially those that affect communication, emotions, and senses — don't develop properly or get damaged. Scientists are still trying to understand how and why this happens.
What Do Doctors Do?

Figuring out if a kid has autism can be difficult. A parent is usually the first to suspect that something is wrong. Maybe the kid is old enough to speak but doesn't, doesn't seem interested in people, or behaves in other unusual ways. But autism isn't the only problem that can cause these kinds of symptoms. For example, kids who have hearing problems might have trouble speaking, too.

Usually, the results of lab tests and other medical tests are normal in kids with autism, but doctors may do them to make sure the kid doesn't have other problems. These medical tests can include blood and urine tests, a hearing exam, an EEG (a test to measure brain waves), and an MRI (a picture that shows the structure of the brain). Intelligence (IQ) tests also might be done.

Often, specialists work together as a team to figure out what is wrong. The team might include a pediatrician, a pediatric neurologist, a pediatric developmentalist, a child psychiatrist, a child psychologist, speech and language therapists, and others. The team members study how the child plays, learns, communicates, and behaves. The team listens carefully to what parents have noticed, too. Using the information they've gathered, doctors can decide whether a child has autism or another problem.
How Is Autism Treated?

There is no cure for autism, but doctors, therapists, and special teachers can help kids with autism overcome or adjust to many difficulties. The earlier a kid starts treatment for autism, the better.

Different kids need different kinds of help, but learning how to communicate is always an important first step. Spoken language can be hard for kids with autism to learn. Most understand words better by seeing them, so therapists teach them how to communicate by pointing or using pictures or sign language. That makes learning other things easier, and eventually, many kids with autism learn to talk.

Therapists also help kids learn social skills, such as how to greet people, wait for a turn, and follow directions. Some kids need special help with living skills (like brushing teeth or making a bed). Others have trouble sitting still or controlling their tempers and need therapy to help them control their behavior. Some kids take medications to help their moods and behavior, but there's no medicine that will make a kid's autism go away.

Students with mild autism sometimes can go to regular school. But most kids with autism need calmer, more orderly surroundings. They also need teachers trained to understand the problems they have with communicating and learning. They may learn at home or in special classes at public or private schools.
Living With Autism

Some kids with mild autism will grow up and be able to live on their own. Those with more serious problems will always need some kind of help. But all kids with autism have brighter futures when they have the support and understanding of doctors, teachers, caregivers, parents, brothers, sisters, and friends.

Easter 08

We had such a wonderful Easter today. We went to a friend's farm and had a egg hunt with about 50 other kids, and we all had a blast. This was Isaac's real first Easter and he had such a great time, except for trying to pick up cow pies..... we came home and had another egg hunt and I think the kids are all worn out even ol pap paw....













Even our dog Tinkerbell got in on the hunt....

Spring is here

Spring is my favorite time of year, this week the birds have been out in herds. The children found a bird nest with 5 little blue eggs in it, so they came inside and used our Handbook of Nature Study and the net and found out they are Robin eggs. We wanted to get some pic's but the mamma bird wasn't too happy with us. We have enjoyed watching the trees turn green and a little bunny who lives nearby comes out the same time every night.

This weekend we're going on a farm and go egg hunting, the kids are really excited. This will be Isaac's first real Easter. Hubby will be on call this weekend so we will be having some family time without him this year. We usually cook out and play outside weather permitting.

I got my order in this week for my AbCeDarian books for Noah, Im trying to help him with his reading, having dyslexia makes it hard for him to do Phonics. I am also using another book , The Dyslexia Workbook. I really like that one as it makes him think and put words and sentences together.

We are also using First Language Lessons 3, for Grammar. And we are getting a lott of great results with that. The kids really like MUS, I like the concepts that they use with MUS. Today we studied about Augustus Caesar, he was Julius Caesar's adopted son, we found out that the month of August is named after Augustus Caesar and the month of July is named after Julius Caesar. Thought that was neat.....we absolutely love the story of the world books.

We are planning a day out tomorrow with the kids, and enjoying another beautiful day.

Homeschooling and Heartschooling

This week has been a busy one, and I feel as if Im getting further behind with all the appointments I have had to go to the past few months. But Im plugging along. I have been thinking the past weeks about " Heartschooling", hmmmm well in other words "character training" I think it begins with Mom and Dad, as I was sitting here the other morning and listening to my children bickering over something it made me think.....how do we sound to the Lord when we react to each other like this?

I truly believe we need to get back in God's word and begin to examine our lives under a microscope and change our character in the likeness of Jesus himself. As the saying goes WWJD? That is the way we should react, speak and handle things as parents and our children will see how we respond and they will begin to follow in our paths. I hate dissention, arguing, and chaos. God is our peace.

Children mimmick what they see, I have been guilty myself of not handling things the way they should be handled and the Lord has been speaking to me about character training. I read a wonderful article on Lifestyle Homeschooling that hit home. This week we are going to work on our family's "Character Training" and see where the Lord leads us.

Chuck Norris on HSing in CA

Please continue to pray for the HSers in California.

Time for a Texas-style round up!
Posted: March 10, 2008


Our twins are homeschooled. That is the present educational option we have chosen for them and us. It is our right to do so as parents and American citizens. But, increasingly across this union, private academic alternatives are coming under attack, being legally stripped of their value and even being labeled unconstitutional and illegal.

Dr. James Dobson calls it "an all-out assault on the family … [and] an imperious assault on the rights of parents."

Brad Dacus, the president of the Pacific Justice Institute, said about one recent ruling, "The scope of this decision by the appellate court is breathtaking. It not only attacks traditional homeschooling, but also calls into question homeschooling through charter schools and teaching children at home via independent study through public and private school. If not reversed, the parents of the more than 166,000 students currently receiving an education at home will be subject to criminal sanctions."

These disparaging remarks are the result of a shocking California state appeals court ruling last week, that declared parents without teaching credentials do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children. Besides statewide consequences, this decision could set a legal precedent for other states as well.

A brief summary of parental erosion

At the core of these types of ludicrous rulings is the assault on the parent-child relationship by judges who refuse to support or even acknowledge parental rights. This California appellate judgment shows how lower courts are also following suit in alliance with similar federal verdicts. Crossing the borders of our homes, government is infringing upon our parental freedoms and responsibilities.

Even strict Constitutional interpretation has been used to lessen the roles of guardians, citing a growing belief that a right cannot be protected by the federal courts if it isn't explicitly stated in the Constitution.

And, strange as it might seem, even international law is encroaching on our parental borders. Violations to our inalienable rights are being exacerbated through gatherings like the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, or UNCRC.

Educational elimination déjà vu?

The reason government courts are nationally cracking down on private instruction has more to do with suppressing alternative education than assuring educational standards.

The rationale is quite simple, though rarely if ever stated. If one wants to control the future ebbs and flows of a country, one must have command over future generations. This is done by seizing parental and educational power, legislating preferred educational materials and limiting private educational options. It is so simple any socialist can understand it. As Joseph Stalin once stated, "Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed."

Is it merely coincidental that homeschooling was outlawed by the Soviet State in 1919, by Hitler and Nazi Germany in 1938 and by Communist China in 1949? Will California be next? America? Will we yield control and our educational rights as parents? Such would not only be an American travesty but a human disgrace.



What you can do to fight educative and legislative tyranny

1. If we are to sustain private educational options in society, we must rid ourselves of passivity and step into the rings of political activity. The system will get worse, not better, if all we do is complain about it. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

2. Educate yourself on your particular state's legal academic options. Understand your parental and educational rights, and teach them to others. As Thomas Jefferson also said, "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. … They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."

3. Whether you homeschool or not, support an organization like Home School Legal Defense Association, or HSLDA, that protects families who do.

4. Oppose bad or unconstitutional rulings. Petition the Supreme Court of California to "depublish" its ruling and opinion, which would restrict it from being used by other California courts. And don't forget to appeal to my old buddy the Governator. Tell him to flex his muscle on this appellate motion, or Texas might have to export a Ranger to get 'er done!

5. Petition your representatives to support a constitutional amendment protecting the child-parent relationship from unreasonable government intrusion.

'Eternal hostility toward every form of tyranny'

Unfortunately there are people and forces out there that truly fear traditional family values and particularly the Christian voice taught in private education. We must remind any prejudicial dissenter that our parental rights and educative freedoms were also embedded by our forefathers into the Constitution, and even the Declaration of Independence. Therein government is demanded to "secure" or protect them:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

As our Founding Fathers swore to uphold these, so must we. Thomas Jefferson committed, "I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." I know others would join me in rightly assuming that in our day "every" form of tyranny could also include publicly forced educational indoctrination. Friends, while you keep one eye on our national borders, you might keep the other on your state's. If academic corruption is easily conceived in California, how long will it take to crawl to your state line?

My warning to such creeping companies of corruption is this: Best not to test Texas. If you thought we fought hard for the Alamo, wait until you see what we can do for academia. You can hide your sleaze behind No. 2 pencils, but our branding irons will find your tail sides.

California Homeschool Ruling

I received this today, it sounds a little promising for the California Homeschoolers. We need to be praying for them, we have to stand in the gap for them.

Governor Schwarzenegger Vows to Protect Homeschooling in California
Teresa Neumann (March 10, 2008)

"Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children's education. This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts, and if the courts don't protect parents' rights, then as elected officials, we will."

(Sacramento, Ca.)—Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denounced a state appeals court ruling, concerning the home-schooled family of Phillip and Mary Long, that severely restricts homeschooling. In addition, the governor has promised to change the law if necessary to guarantee that parents are able to educate their children at home. (Photo: Chronicle/Lacy Atkins)

"Every California child deserves a quality education, and parents should have the right to decide what's best for their children," said Schwarzenegger. "Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children's education. This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts, and if the courts don't protect parents' rights, then as elected officials, we will."

Says Phillip Long: "The parent-child relationship existed long before any government and makes it the responsibility of the parent to educate the child. That responsibility includes protecting one's children from things hazardous to the child, emotionally as well as physically. I believe the Creator wants us to protect our children from things we believe are hazardous to their character."

I am asking for prayer for Robin Sampson, a wonderful friend and fellow homeschool Mom. She is the owner of Heart of Wisdom blog, homeschool store etc. She is in the hospital under going some tests on her heart and I would like prayer for her and her family as they go through this situation. We need to cover each other in prayer and believe God for a miracle and good report. Robin we love you and are praying for you!!!