Comments on: Miracle worker

By: dominique

dominique — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:41:42 +0000

does anyone know the best way to potty train an autistic child my son its dificult but my daughter cant get her to look at me most of the time let alone sit on a potty for 30 seconds its a battle i fear i cant win they are both four and still in diapers will i beable to change it or will autism keep me up to my elbows in diapers

By: Jill Cornfield

Jill Cornfield — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:16:15 +0000

Thank you for writing. We all need to remember that our kids are teachable and capable of change – maybe not all at once, maybe not everything we want. These days I try to think of one or two things I want to do with Alex.

More on the Miracle Worker: all that spelling really hit a nerve with me, and I spent a day or two spelling a lot of words to Alex when I talked to him. I’d say the word, spell it slowly, say it again. It really made conversation kind of cumbersome but I think Alex slowed down and paid attention to it. He loves words and letters and spelling. Maybe spelling words is a way of getting him to take them in better.

By: Jill Cornfield

Jill Cornfield — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:13:47 +0000

Thank you for reading and appreciating! I think helping your 3-year-old back to the table is wonderful. You could be laying groundwork for future meals that really pays off. That connection is there, I’m sure. It may just not be in a way that you can see right now.

About the sugar-coating… thanks. I know we’re not the only ones who feel the way we do – so I’ll leave the other perspective to people who feel that way and keep speaking honestly about how much we love our son, and how hard our lives are at times, and how we pray for some of the rougher symptoms of autism to calm down a bit.

By: Jill Cornfield

Jill Cornfield — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:10:58 +0000

If we’re not slacking, you’re not slacking! Autism is hard. If Alex doesn’t wander around eating from our plates, it’s probably because he won’t eat what’s on our plates. We’ll have spaghetti or chicken or whatever, and he’s eating those same damn hot dogs. I feel like a bad mommy when I really think about what he eats during a typical meal. It has gotten easier over the years though. He eats yogurt. He eats bananas. He drinks milk. And the last few weeks we’ve started to withhold pretzels or crackers until he eats a strawberry or a blueberry… he is starting to like them! (Almost.)

By: Ecki

Ecki — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 04:16:25 +0000

I wonder if I could even watch that movie now. The scenes that stick out with me are where Anne keeps insisting Helen eats with utensils. Ummm, yeah, well we’ve been waaaay slacking on that. Part of it is that Kayla only eats like 3 foods, none of which require utensils. And a big part of it is that it’s just easier when she eats with her hands! No screaming, crying, throwing and cleaning up. Sigh. I feel like such a bad mommy sometimes.

By: JD in TLH

JD in TLH — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:37:25 +0000

Every night when our 3 year old boy wanders away from the table, I get up to steer him back and I immediately think of the dinner table scene from the “Miracle Worker”. I also think about the “water” scene where Annie connects with Helen. I pray every day for that connection with my son, be it a small or large connection.

I love this blog, BTW; I get a lot of strength from reading of your experiences and how you cope (thanks so much for the Thomas the Train link; emotion identification is big problem for us). Thanks also for not candy coating the toll autism has taken on your family; I appreciate that honesty more than you know.

By: Kiki Golando

Kiki Golando — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:17:31 +0000

Jill – your post really spoke to me. Yes, my boy also rarely eats with us at the table and we allow it and also watches way too much TV (and plays too much xbox, for that matter!) I had not thought of it from the Miracle Worker angle and it has given me something to chew on. Thank you. These are hard questions to sort through.