Comments on: He’s Right Here With Me (Big Head and All) http://www.blisstree.com/articles/hes-right-here-with-me-big-head-and-all/ Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:53:34 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Marla http://www.blisstree.com/articles/hes-right-here-with-me-big-head-and-all/comment-page-1/#comment-541533 Marla Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:06:45 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/hes-right-here-with-me-big-head-and-all/#comment-541533 We have had the best luck with creating a home atmosphere that helps Maizie learn at her own pace. I squeezed lots of therapy into her life early on. We paid for it all out of pocket, got into a lot of debt doing so and I truly do not think she benefited from most of it. We were able to read and learn how to do a lot of the sensory techniques and other thearpies on our own. The biggest area we need help with is learning math and when she was learning how to read. I totally agree with the comment above. Maizie will go at her own pace. When she is forced her ability to control her behavior drops and we lead a very stressed life. It is also possible though that some parents may not have the time to read and do much of the work on their own. I just know for us we had little choice. The more appointments and pushing we did the more irritable, sensitive and aggressive she would become. We have had the best luck with creating a home atmosphere that helps Maizie learn at her own pace. I squeezed lots of therapy into her life early on. We paid for it all out of pocket, got into a lot of debt doing so and I truly do not think she benefited from most of it. We were able to read and learn how to do a lot of the sensory techniques and other thearpies on our own. The biggest area we need help with is learning math and when she was learning how to read. I totally agree with the comment above. Maizie will go at her own pace. When she is forced her ability to control her behavior drops and we lead a very stressed life. It is also possible though that some parents may not have the time to read and do much of the work on their own. I just know for us we had little choice. The more appointments and pushing we did the more irritable, sensitive and aggressive she would become.

]]> By: MomtoJBG http://www.blisstree.com/articles/hes-right-here-with-me-big-head-and-all/comment-page-1/#comment-540845 MomtoJBG Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:46:10 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/hes-right-here-with-me-big-head-and-all/#comment-540845 We have known our boys had autism since they were 18 months old (although the diagnosis came at 22 months). We did homemade therapy for a long time (floortime with Verbal Behavior), and now have added OT, speech and some ABA. What amazes me daily is that what they learn seems to have so little to do with what they are working on in formal "therapy". Both have learned a LOT from DVD's and from singing, (at one point almost all of their communication was thanks to Signing Time DVD's). I do think the therapy helps, especially because they are forming relationships with a variety of warm, caring people. But they seem to learn what they choose to learn, when they choose to learn it. And they were never, ever in a deep dark hole! We have known our boys had autism since they were 18 months old (although the diagnosis came at 22 months). We did homemade therapy for a long time (floortime with Verbal Behavior), and now have added OT, speech and some ABA.

What amazes me daily is that what they learn seems to have so little to do with what they are working on in formal “therapy”. Both have learned a LOT from DVD’s and from singing, (at one point almost all of their communication was thanks to Signing Time DVD’s). I do think the therapy helps, especially because they are forming relationships with a variety of warm, caring people. But they seem to learn what they choose to learn, when they choose to learn it.

And they were never, ever in a deep dark hole!

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