tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29038727413334768232024-03-13T08:12:52.412-07:00Beyond Homeschooling AutismSpeaking the truth in love about the blessings and challenges of life with a teenager on the autism spectrum.
Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-21703358257736974122014-09-09T14:01:00.002-07:002014-09-10T06:58:31.508-07:00How to Select an Autism Homeschool Curriculum <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the time of year that I get the most requests for advice on how to homeschool children on the autism spectrum. Sometimes it is from parents who have decided to start this journey from day one of the new school year, and other times, it is from discouraged and disappointed parents who have encountered too many roadblocks in their child's traditional school situation to justify continuing to send them to their existing school. Regardless of the exact situation, it is likely that any parent would feel quite a bit of anxiety at the prospect of bearing the responsibility of their child's special needs education.<br />
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So for everyone...<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Step 1: Relax!</span></b><br />
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Most homeschool "experts" encourage new families to take at least a month off after leaving the traditional school setting. This is time for both the student and parent to decompress and unlearn some of the bad educational habits picked up from an unhealthy learning environment. For my son, he left school after an extremely stressful 6 weeks of constant punishment and meltdowns over a terribly executed ABA program that sent him to the corner behind a taped line for 90% of his day. He needed a full month to stop crying and self-injuring every time he "made a mistake". We all benefited from the renewed sense of safety and security of a newly peaceful and calm 11 yr old boy! From this point, I could embark on...<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Step 2: Connecting</span></b><br />
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I have personally found that connecting to other special needs homeschoolers has been an invaluable part of our success over that past 4 years. I jumped right on Twitter the week we pulled Jackson out of 6th grade. I started this blog the following week, and joined up with Hip Homeschool Moms shortly after that, then linked them all to a Facebook page a few months later. Just those 4 simple acts have helped me feel a part of a much larger community of passionate and dedicated parents who are committed to providing their children with the best possible educational experience! I have also connected locally with other homeschooling families of both autistic and neurotypical children. These friendships have grown into my closest relationships since my college days of actually living with my favorite people. Shared pain and shared victories have a way of helping us all through the roller coaster that is parenting - of ALL abilities and gifts!<br />
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I encourage you to set up a few of your own social media accounts. Here are mine:<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hometeachautism" target="_blank">Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blog</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Homeschooling-Autism/179479588818961" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br />
<a href="http://www.hiphomeschoolmoms.com/2011/12/reading-rainbows-for-learning-differences/" target="_blank">Hip HomeSchool Moms</a><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Step 3: Schedules</span></b><br />
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Even before you select your curriculum and materials, you need to develop an outline for your daily schedule. I would recommend expanding it from wake-up to bed-time, not just for your expected school day activities. Homeschooling autism includes so much life skills work, that even breakfast is a learning moment that shouldn't be over looked. Within a year of homeschooling our son, he was able to shower and get dressed on his own! That would never have occurred so quickly if I had not been so deliberate about teaching him...often times for up to an hour at a time (and who has that luxury when trying to shuttle them to the bus at 7:00 am). Prior to this, he was still taking nightly baths, with me pouring a cup of water of his head...sometimes getting hit in the face, sometimes not...<br />
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The first year I homeschooled, my son's schedule was broken up into 15-30 minute blocks. I created blocks for Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science even before I found the materials for each subject. Once I found the right flow to our day, I was able to insert academic work very easily. Here are Jackson's daily schedules for 6th-9th grades:<br />
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<li><a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/11/daily-schedule.html" target="_blank">6th Grade</a></li>
<li><a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2012/09/schedules-schedules-schedules.html" target="_blank">7th Grade</a></li>
<li><a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2013/11/rethinking-homeschooling-as-boy-becomes.html" target="_blank">8th Grade</a></li>
<li><a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2014/08/9th-grade-boys-autism-curriculum.html" target="_blank">9th Grade</a></li>
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I have used worksheets, clipboards, white boards, notebooks, chalkboards, & iPads to display the daily schedule, as my son needs a visual roadmap to follow along with, and even check off activities as he finishes them. Once you create a loose outline for your day, you will begin to get a sense for how much work you will reasonably be able to accomplish in a day, weeks and months time. If your child can only sit for 10-15 minutes at a time and do work (which would be an awesome accomplishment!) that will help you choose the best curriculum for him. If your child works best with an iPad and/or on the computer, then that will also direct your choices. Don't invest in any materials until you have a general daily plan. Otherwise, hundreds of dollars of good ideas will collect dust in the corner as you struggle to manage your day. At this point you should feel confident enough for...</div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Step 4: Curriculum and Materials </span></b></div>
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I use both the words "curriculum" and "materials" here, because in the 4 years that I've homeschooled, I have never bought an official, pre-packaged curriculum. I prefer to buy individual materials (books, workbooks, worksheets, games, puzzles, experiments, arts & crafts, downloads, apps, software, etc...). I am of the mindset that homeschooling should not break the bank or tax your family financially. It can be done with a very modest budget and no one should be intimidated by the perceived cost. The $500 curriculum packs are an option, but definitely not the best option for an autism program because most kids on the spectrum have very uneven academic development. Investing in a "4th Grade Language Arts" curriculum will likely be a waste of money as your child might be at 4th grade for reading, but a 2nd grade for reading comprehension, 5th for spelling, 3rd for vocabulary, and even 1st for handwriting. I relied heavily on the following resources during my 1st year of homeschooling. They were very inexpensive, required no long term commitment, and I simply printed a weeks worth of work and was able to readjust if the materials didn't work. </div>
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<a href="http://www.educationcreations.net/" target="_blank">Education Creation</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/" target="_blank">Super Teacher Worksheets</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.dadsworksheets.com/" target="_blank">Dad's Worksheets</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/" target="_blank">Teachers Pay Teachers</a></div>
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Once I gained confidence in both my and Jackson's abilities, I added more resources and activites including:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=kumon+math" target="_blank">Kumon Math Books</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=spectrum+spelling+vocabulary&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Aspectrum+spelling+vocabulary" target="_blank">Spectrum Spelling & Vocab Books</a></div>
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<a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/11/awesome-ipad.html" target="_blank">iPad Apps</a></div>
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<a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/12/unexpected-reading-breakthroughs.html" target="_blank">Independent Reading</a></div>
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New York Times</div>
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Books on CD</div>
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Devotionals</div>
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<a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/11/freedom-from-four-white-walls.html" target="_blank">Field Trips</a></div>
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Piano</div>
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Painting</div>
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Daily Chores</div>
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<a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2012/10/mid-term-progress-report.html" target="_blank">Science Experiments</a></div>
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<a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/12/yoga-autism-natural-calm.html" target="_blank">Morning Yoga </a></div>
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<a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2013/11/rethinking-homeschooling-as-boy-becomes.html" target="_blank">Weight Lifting </a></div>
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Treadmill</div>
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Some other curriculum and materials that other autism homeschoolers recommend are (in no particular order):</div>
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Online/Computer Based:<br />
<a href="http://allinonehomeschool.com/" target="_blank">Easy Peasey</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.abcmouse.com/" target="_blank">ABC Mouse</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum.htm" target="_blank">Time For Learning</a></div>
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Traditional Materials:<br />
<a href="http://lifeoffredmath.com/" target="_blank">Life of Fred</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mathusee.com/" target="_blank">Math-U-See</a><br />
<a href="http://www.beastacademy.com/" target="_blank">Beast Academy</a><br />
<a href="http://www.singaporemath.com/Homeschool_s/60.htm" target="_blank">Singapore Math</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sonlight.com/saxon.html" target="_blank">Saxon Math</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sonlight.com/horizons-math.html" target="_blank">Horizons Math</a><br />
<a href="http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/" target="_blank">Teaching Textbooks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.timberdoodle.com/" target="_blank">Timberdoodle</a><br />
<a href="http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/all-about-spelling/" target="_blank">All About Spelling</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bhibooks.net/swr.html" target="_blank">Spell and Write and Read </a><br />
<a href="http://www.hwtears.com/hwt" target="_blank">Handwriting Without Tears</a><br />
<a href="http://ww2.k12.com/mod/exp8/" target="_blank">K12</a><br />
<a href="https://www.abeka.com/" target="_blank">A Beka</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sonlight.com/" target="_blank">Sonlight</a><br />
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At this point, you are probably pretty overwhelmed with the choices and possibilities in front of you. This leads perfectly into the final stage of the process to beginning your homeschool journey...<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Step 5: Be Flexible</span><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></b><br />
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Unless you are willing to throw out everything you've just read and try something totally different, homeschooling might be a rough road! Trust yourself and your child. If something is just not working, no matter how many mommy bloggers swear by it, then pitch it and don't think twice. Your kid needs exactly what your kid needs. Don't waste precious time and energy forcing a program that is not the right fit. If you all have to go a few weeks glued to the TV while you try, and try, and try again to find better materials, then you lose a few weeks, and not a few years, which is what many of us feel was lost to our children while in public school. <br />
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Many blessings to you and your family as you begin, what I hope, are the best years of your family's lives! And just think, your days of making lunches at 7:30am are over too...it's the small things that usually make me the happiest, that and this guy...<br />
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Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-77911486618568988662014-08-05T10:49:00.000-07:002014-08-05T11:10:32.662-07:009th Grade Boy's Autism Curriculum <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>9th Grade Theme: Decisiveness </b></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">True Story #1:</span></b></div>
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I came home from an hours shopping trip to find Jackson on the couch with a towel wrapped around his waist. He had taken a shower while I was gone, and upon finding no clean shorts in his dresser, he just sat in his towel until I got back to find him clean clothes. He promptly said, "Pants please" when I walked in, to which I responded, "this year, buddy, we are going to work on your problem solving skills!". There were clean shorts in laundry basket NEXT TO the dresser! </div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">True Story #2:</span></b></div>
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Jackson's favorite drink at Starbucks is a Cool Lime Refresher, but occasionally they are out of the mix that is required to make the drink. When this occurred last week, I turned to him and asked, "What would you like instead?" He looked at me like there were worms crawling out of my head, even though I know he likes many other drinks there, like lemonade, iced tea and this yummy berry concoction. So I said, "this year, buddy, we are going to work on your decision making skills!" and promptly ordered him an iced unsweetened green tea, which he sucked down before we left the parking lot. </div>
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I have always assigned a general theme to each year of Jackson's homeschooling, and this year is no different:</div>
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<b>6th: Recovery Year </b>- Trying to undo the 8 weeks of stress that middle school caused and get his academics back up to speed, so the vibe was peaceful and comforting. </div>
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<b>7th: Push Forward Year</b> - Challenging him in all areas of academics, behavior, and life skills, which lead to a more angst filled home as we challenged him to push himself. </div>
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<b>8th: Free at Last Year</b> - After a year of raising our expectations for Jackson, he beautifully embraced his independence and showed us just how much he could do on his own! This did cause some friction with people and organizations that still treated him like a needy child and not the confident young man he was becoming. </div>
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<b>9th: Decisive Year </b>- This year we are going to focus on helping Jackson learn to be decisive. This is a character trait the my husband values above almost anything else (go figure as a former Army officer), and one that we have emphasized with out 12 yr old daughter so much that she knew the meaning of that word at 5! We have never expected decisiveness from Jackson though, and we can see how this has been a detriment to his development. Problem solving activities and decision making scenarios will be the two focus areas that will help foster this skill. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Problem Solving</span></b></div>
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1. Critical Thinking Book Series:</div>
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=following+directions+teacher+created+resources&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Afollowing+directions+teacher+created+resources" target="_blank">Following Directions</a> by Teacher Created Resources</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_19?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=puzzles+and+games+that+make+kids+think&sprefix=puzzles+and+games+t%2Cstripbooks%2C198&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Apuzzles+and+games+that+make+kids+think" target="_blank">Puzzles and Games that Make Kids Think</a> by Teacher Created Resources</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=building+thinking+skills&sprefix=building+thi%2Cstripbooks%2C294" target="_blank">Building Thinking Skills</a> by The Critical Thinking Company </li>
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Each of these books come in a series ranging from K-5th grade. I have started at the 1st grade level for all 3. This will help Jackson quickly gain confidence in his problem solving and critical thinking skills. Each book addresses a different topic and helps build his non verbal, written, and audio problem solving abilities. </div>
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2. "What Should We Do?" Scenarios</div>
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Instead of trying to always make every experience with Jackson and smooth and trouble free as possible, I am going to create daily situations that require him to think through solutions, without me jumping in to fix everything. For example, if his book on CD is skipping, instead of giving into the "Mom, fix the CD please", I will ask him what to do...as he's seen me take it out and clean it with my shirt 50 times. These may seem like little things, but creating an environment of self-reliance is crucial to his future ability to function independently, and me jumping in at every wrinkle will not set him up for success. At this very moment, the dog is barking at a crew of painters who are roaming around the outside of our house. Usually, I will just go quite the dog down as to not upset J, who hates the sound of him barking, but I need Jackson to figure out how to handle the dog on his own. If that means him deciding to ignore the barking and deal with the loud noise, then that is a problem solved as far as I'm concerned! </div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Decision Making</span></b></div>
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1. Schedule </div>
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In the past I have always dictated his daily schedule...see them all here: </div>
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<li><a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/11/daily-schedule.html" target="_blank">6th Grade</a></li>
<li><a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2012/09/schedules-schedules-schedules.html" target="_blank">7th Grade</a></li>
<li><a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2013/11/rethinking-homeschooling-as-boy-becomes.html" target="_blank">8th Grade</a></li>
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But this year, he will be required to plan out his own day. I will give him a packet of work for the week on Mondays, along with a calendar of the pre-determined activities, i.e. yoga class, Adapted PE, appointments, Caroline's classes, etc... But from there, he will need to make decisions about when he wants to work out, shower, eat, study, play, shop, and so on. I imagine there will be a steep learning curve for both of us, but I am willing to stick it out if he is willing to engage in this process. </div>
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2. Life Skills Book Series:</div>
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<li> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Building-Real-Life-Math-Skills-Reproducible/dp/0545329647/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407252680&sr=1-1&keywords=building+real+life" target="_blank">Building Real Life Math Skills</a> by Scholastic</li>
<li> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Building-Real-Life-Reading-Skills-Reproducible/dp/0439923212/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y" target="_blank">Building Real Life Reading Skills</a> by Scholastic </li>
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Each of these books will present everyday choices for Jackson to learn how to work through. I plan to use each of these scenarios as a jumping off point to recreate in his daily life. For example, he will be required to read Caroline's basketball schedule and decide which games he's like to go to. He will also be required to begin paying for all his items in cash so he has to make some hard choices about whether or not he is going to buy strawberries or grapes with the $10 he has, because he can't get both. This might take a loooong time to master, but we need to begin at some point, and now is as good a time as any! </div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Academics:</span></b></div>
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This year, Jackson's school work will consist of a math and reading focus. We will do some special social studies and science units, but both within the context of math and reading. We will continue to push forward with more complex math that will help with his real life decisions. Fractions, money management, measurement, geometry, and pre-algebra are all very important for daily life success. Reading will focus on non fiction and technical materials to help him develop a familiarity with consumer related options and choices. He loves spending long periods of time reading and listening to books on CD, so we will definitely continue that practice. He is reading the Artemis Fowl series this summer totally by his won choosing. We are excited to add a "NightTime" unit to his program, as he is obsessed with being outside at night. We will be doing everything from constellations to moon phases to animal's nighttime habits to special lighting and photography. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Life Skills:</span></b></div>
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Jackson's life skills have taken a giant leap forward in the past 12 months. He is able to do things we never thought possible 10 yrs ago. To us, that means he might not have to live with us for the rest of his life, but can possibly achieve semi-independent living. If history serves us well, we can not even imagine what he will be like 10yrs from now, so we are choosing not to limit him anymore. So check back with me in June of 2015 to see what amazing things he learned how to do that are not even on my radar right now:)</div>
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I hope this summary of J's 9th grade curriculum has provided you with both encouragement and motivation that you can also create something uniquely amazing for your special needs kiddos! The sky's the limit when us parents are at the helm and throw wide open our doors of expectation and wonderment at our children. </div>
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Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-25315469465033951842014-07-24T11:51:00.001-07:002014-08-05T10:49:10.613-07:007th Grade Girl's Honors Homeschool Curriculum 2014-2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mmFUS-iqHYM/U9FUACsgSsI/AAAAAAAAAsI/sxCfeSmSE3M/s1600/photo.PNG-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mmFUS-iqHYM/U9FUACsgSsI/AAAAAAAAAsI/sxCfeSmSE3M/s1600/photo.PNG-2.jpeg" height="198" width="200" /></a>I decided to post my 7th grade daughter's curriculum before Jackson's, because, frankly, it was much easier to put together! She will be following the public school calendar and the Virginia state SOLs pretty closely, so I was able to create a comprehensive program for her in about a weeks time. Jackson's program has taken me all summer to think through, and I am still not even close to finished...ugh!! </span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">I know many of you homeschool at least one other neuro-typical child, so I thought a quick blog about Caroline might be helpful, and also make you feel less guilty about not having all your ducks in a row for your autistic child's upcoming school year. </span></div>
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As an FYI, Caroline is 12 and going into 7th grade. While in public school, she was enrolled in the gifted program (called AAP or Advanced Academic Program here in Fairfax County). We homeschooled her in 5th grade just for a one year experience, (she was jealous of her brother), but we found that when she went back into middle school for 6th grade, it was not a good fit for her...1500 out-of-control kids between the ages of 11-14 was just too much for my shy, introverted, witty, serious and intense kid. She will finish all her work for the following program by noon every day and spend the rest of her time with her many other homeschool friends or in the gym, where she is happiest.<br />
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As Caroline's mother, this has been my favorite age so far by a mile! I am so looking forward to spending more time with the most interesting, kind and funniest person I know, second only to my husband. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Math: Algebra 1</span></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://store.mathusee.com/catalog/math-u-see/secondary-math/algebra-1" target="_blank">Math-U-See: Algebra 1</a></b><br />
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Caroline is a visual learner who needs a multi-sensory approach to new concepts. Math-U-See uses a manipulative number system to help students learn new concepts in a variety of ways and styles. This curriculum also offers an option for live online <a href="https://www.mathusee.com/parents/online-classes/online-co-op-overview/" target="_blank">co-op support groups</a> for extra help, as well as instructional DVDs, student & teacher manuals and an extensive test book. <br />
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<b><a href="http://lifeoffredmath.com/lof-balgebra.php" target="_blank">Life of Fred: Beginning Algebra</a></b><br />
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I love the Life of Fred series, it is a textbook like no other. It presents math concepts in the form of a novel about a kid named Fred Gauss and his life adventures that revolve around the need to use math to solve his various problems. Since Caroline's major weakness in math has always been word problems, this series is essential to her developing a stronger understanding of Algebra.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Algebra-Exposed-Danica-McKellar/dp/0452297192/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406212068&sr=8-1&keywords=hot+algebra" target="_blank">Hot X: Algebra Exposed</a></b><br />
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This is such a cool series of books written by Danica McKellar, the actress who played Winnie Cooper from Wonder Years. Caroline has read all her other books up to the Algebra level. McKellar's focus is to help girls feel powerful and confident in their math skills while maintaining their right to be a girl first. So many STEM programs attempt to turn gifted girls into stereotypical "math nerds"and disregard their unique identity and interests as girls. Caroline has the right to like to make-up and nail polish as well as complex equations and brain matter. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.borenson.com/" target="_blank">Hands-On-Equations</a></b><br />
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Caroline used this introductory algebra program during her 5th grade year. We had the single student set and finished levels 1 and 2. It can be used with kids as young as 1st grade, and is a fantastic tool for students with multiple learning styles. This year, she will be doing level 3 using the iPad app only. Since we still have all the boards and pieces from 2 years ago, she can easily incorporate those if the app is not hands-on enough. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Science: Life Sciences</span></b><br />
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Caroline will be doing all of her science exclusively through a STEM Enrichment Learning Center called <a href="http://www.ideaventions.com/" target="_blank">Ideaventions</a>. She will take 3 classes per term that meet once a week for a lab session with a project assignment to accompany each lesson. This fall there are over 20 class offerings for grades K-8 ranging in topics from Kitchen Chemistry to Newtonian Physics to Ninja Robotics. Caroline is the most excited about having the opportunity to dissect a cow's brain! <br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Social Studies: U.S. History 1865-Present </span></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.joyhakim.com/works.htm" target="_blank">History of US</a></b><br />
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I used this text as a supplement to my 10th grade U.S. Government class because of its excellent use of primary source materials and well organized format. PBS created a 16 part series, called <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/" target="_blank">"Freedom: A History of US"</a>, based on this text that is an excellent supplement to the program. Caroline will only be using books 7-10 for her 7th grade curriculum as they align with the time periods to be studied. This text also comes with teacher support materials such as an assessment book, resource guide, and teacher's manual. I enjoy reading them as well, so I am excited to deepen my education into the history of us as well!!<br />
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<b>Historical Fiction</b><br />
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I was very dismayed that Caroline was not required to read 1 single book last year during 6th grade. Not one in any subject!! I am a strong proponent of the benefits of literature in the development of a well rounded understanding of history. So as part of each unit (9 weeks), she will be required to read between 3-5 novels that fill out the picture of life during each of these unique periods in American history. For example, her 1st unit is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reconstructing-America-1865-1890-History-Book/dp/0195327217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406214501&sr=8-1&keywords=a+history+of+us+book+7" target="_blank">" Reconstructing America: 1865-1890"</a> Therefore, she will be reading the following books:<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Plain-Tall-Patricia-MacLachlan/dp/0064402053/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406214650&sr=1-1&keywords=sarah+plain+and+tall" target="_blank"> Sarah Plain and Tall</a> by Patricia McLachlan<br />
2. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Huckleberry-Finn-Mark-Twain/dp/0486280616/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406214696&sr=1-1&keywords=huck+finn" target="_blank">The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</a> by Mark Twain<br />
3. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Water-Street-Patricia-Reilly-Giff/dp/0440419212/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406214783&sr=1-1&keywords=water+street" target="_blank"> Water Street</a> by Patricia Reilly Giff<br />
4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alligator-Bayou-Donna-Jo-Napoli/dp/0553494171/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406214826&sr=1-1&keywords=alligator+bayou" target="_blank">Alligator Bayou</a> by Donna Jo Napoli<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Language Arts: Oral and Written Presentations</span></b><br />
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I am very excited to have a new language arts teacher in our ranks this year! My husband will be taking over as Caroline's writing teacher! He will be focusing on her presentation skills to include both the oral and written formats. While she is an excellent creative writer, and feels very confident with short stories and poetry, she needs to begin developing her organizational writing skills as well. Paul will bring a discipline to her work that has not been taught, nor even expected before, while challenging her to elevate her writing to a level that rivals the work he edits daily at his job.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Music/Art: Digital Music Mixing and Drawing</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://mashup.mixedinkey.com/" target="_blank">Mixed in Key: MashUp 2</a><br />
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For the first semester, Caroline will be learning how to mix digital music files. Her music interest does not translate into playing an instrument, or performing, but she does seems to gravitate towards music appreciation. Through this software program, she will learn to identify and match tempo and key in order to create new and unique pieces of music. <br />
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<a href="http://www.drawspace.com/" target="_blank">DrawSpace</a><br />
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Caroline loves to draw. She has played around with sketching with charcoals and other pencils. We found this basic online drawing program that seems to be a good match with her current skills. We expect to try a new program next semester that aligns with another artistic interest of hers: photography. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Physical Education: Strength & Conditioning</span></b><br />
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<b>Tennis Lessons</b><br />
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Caroline will be taking tennis lessons from a friend of ours who is a wonderful teacher and super passionate about the game! She has maybe hit a ball twice in her life, so this is a new adventure for sure.<br />
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<b>Basketball</b><br />
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Caroline's typically takes a few months off from basketball from July-Oct to refresh her body and mind. She just finished up her summer swim team, and is looking to find a new basketball team for this fall/winter. This fall, she will be doing light training during open gyms and guest playing on different teams. We avoid joining teams until the winter season, so she can rest from the intensive Nov-June season that she currently participates in. <br />
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<b>Personal Physical Training</b><br />
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As Caroline's basketball gets more serious, she needs to be adding as much muscle as she safely can for a girl her age (12yrs). She is currently 5'7" and 100lbs soaking wet. She plays with girls who have 30 lbs on her and it is getting to the point where she is constant danger of getting injured because of her aggressive style of play. We are looking into everything from CrossFit Kids, to P90X, to a personal trainer (to be done with a friend), to daily workouts here at home with my husbands extensive gym equipment. She is too young for weights, so body mass resistance is the main focus of whatever program we finally decide on. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Bible Study: Proverbs 31</span></b><br />
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This year, Caroline will be focusing her Bible studies on gaining a better understanding of what a Godly woman looks like based on the model presented to her through Proverbs 31. There are many great small group and individual studies available on this topic. She will begin with both a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310722381/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">new Bible</a> and the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626202109/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">P31 Bible Study for Teens.</a><br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-mmFUS-iqHYM%2FU9FUACsgSsI%2FAAAAAAAAAsI%2FsxCfeSmSE3M%2Fs1600%2Fphoto.PNG-2.jpeg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mmFUS-iqHYM/U9FUACsgSsI/AAAAAAAAAsI/sxCfeSmSE3M/s1600/photo.PNG-2.jpeg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mmFUS-iqHYM/U9FUACsgSsI/AAAAAAAAAsI/sxCfeSmSE3M/s1600/photo.PNG-2.jpeg" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mmFUS-iqHYM/U9FUACsgSsI/AAAAAAAAAsI/sxCfeSmSE3M/s1600/photo.PNG-2.jpeg" -->Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-65658120469874303722014-02-02T08:59:00.002-08:002014-03-08T06:24:37.737-08:0010 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Homeschool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart. It is for the determined, the committed, and the passionate. But before jumping in with two feet, it can be helpful to ask yourself a few honest questions. Discussing and sharing ideas and expectations with your family is a critical part to the homeschooling journey, as this is not a solo mission! I answered these 10 questions myself to give you a frame of reference. And the beautiful part of being a homeschooler is that all of our answers will and should look totally different. The goal isn't to fit into a "autism homeschooler mold", but to find your sweet spot in a wide open world of possibilities...because that is what homeschooling offers at it's core - possibilities.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">1. Why do I want/need to homeschool? </span></b><br />
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Tremendous anxiety in public middle school caused behavioral problems, inability to learn, and stress at home.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">2. Strengths and weakness of your child</span></b><br />
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S: Disciplined with schedule, hardworking, charming, funny, creative, loving<br />
W: Short tempered, easily frustrated, loud, inflexible, destructive, demanding<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>3. Strengths and weakness of you</b></span><br />
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S: Resourceful, confident, flexible, intelligent, adventurous<br />
W: Short tempered, easily frustrated, isolationist, sensory overloaded easily<br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">4. Child's Interests</span></b><br />
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Jackson loves music, TV & movies, iPad, photography, drawing, and shopping.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">5. Budget</span></b><br />
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I prefer to make a smaller investment up front so I can make adjustments during the year as he seems to constantly change. We allot $200 at beginning of school year and $50-$75/month during the year.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">6. Space</span></b><br />
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Our house is not huge and I do not like clutter, therefore I like to keep all his materials and work in the dining room area, but they seem to have taken over a corner in the living room as well.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">7. Time</span></b><br />
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I am not a morning person. So my husband helps with the early morning activities. And I like to be done an hour before my daughter gets home, so I can decompress before all the afternoon activities. <br />
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6:30-2:00 Jackson<br />
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9:00-2:00 Me (6:30-7:30 with Dad and 7:30-9:00 Independent)<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>8. Community</b></span><br />
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We live in suburban D.C. which has plenty of access to services, therapies, socialization and educational opportunities, but it's heavily populated, so all outings need to be in the morning to avoid overstimulating situations for both Jackson and I. <br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>9. Support Network</b></span><br />
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No family and limited friends, as I'm a bit of an introvert. Most support comes from husband and a few close friends with special needs children. This can cause loneliness and feeling overwhelmed easily, so I need to take periodic breaks during the school day and time away on the weekends.<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>10. State Requirements</b></span><br />
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Virginia's requirements are minimal which makes my life a lot easier! We do a letter from a certified teacher who has reviewed and approved my son's work from the school year. Check for your state's requirements here as some are much, much more rigid:<a href="http://www.hslda.org/hs/default.asp" target="_blank"> http://www.hslda.org/hs/default.asp</a><br />
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Notice that not one of these questions is about what curriculum to use - that is secondary, and the subject of my next blog. A lot of people get hung up on WHAT they are going to teach, that they forget that HOW and WHY they are going to teach is more important. It reminds me of the mistake a lot of couples make when they get married...they focus all their time, energy and money on the wedding, and not on the marriage that follows. Curriculum choices come much more easily once you understand your child's emotional, social, physical, intellectual, and spiritual needs - all within the confines of your adult realities. <br />
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As an optimistic realist, I firmly believe in being brutally honest with myself, but I'm also hopeful that everything will work out in the end:) "What could possibly go wrong??" is the Trotter family motto!<br />
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-23855318733493747852014-01-08T13:19:00.001-08:002014-01-08T13:19:05.131-08:00Broken Things, Not Broken People I just wanted to post a quick blog about a big lesson I learned toady, one that I have struggled with for years with Jackson. Earlier today he threw a remote control at our only TV and permanently damaged the screen. He came up and asked me to "help fix the Tivo please" in a very pleasant tone. I said, "Sure, buddy" and when I got downstairs, I saw the damage. I knelt in front of the broken TV and bent my head forward...in tears. <br />
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As I cried over yet another costly repair resulting from his anger and/or lack of understanding of how to take care of things, he began to rub my back and kiss my head. He simply said, "You made a mistake and are sorry for the fix it." <br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">I felt like, for the first time, I could put his feelings of remorse in front of my own of frustration or self-pity. I learned today that people are more important than things, and I'm ashamed to say that it has taken me a long time to get to this point. </span></b><br />
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Few people outside of autism parents, (notice I didn't say the "autism community" because you really have to be a parent to get this), understand that there is a real monetary cost to autism that blows apart any estimate on how our finances will be impacted by our special needs kids. We literally spend thousands and thousands of dollars a year fixing, replacing and repairing things that we NEVER anticipated in any reasonable budgeting process. It can be exhausting and disheartening as the years march on and on...<br />
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But today, I feel like I've come to see that Jackson feels a lot worse that I ever could about these situations. And instead of trying to lie and manipulate his way out of it, like most teenagers would, his only concern was for my feelings. He is a true servant and the best model of love that I have in my life, and I need to learn more from him and less from the world about the value of people over things.<br />
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Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-63872518681135527852013-11-23T07:29:00.001-08:002013-11-23T07:34:59.365-08:00Rethinking Homeschooling as a Boy Becomes a Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Eight grade is a transitional year for many students, Jackson included. So as I entered our 3rd year of homeschooling, I decided to shift my homeschooling focus from my lesson preparation to Jackson's new found wants and needs as a young man. The majority of homeschooling lesson planning resources that I have encountered seek to ensure that I, as the teacher, am fully equipped with all the materials and tools that I need to present the best content, coupled with the most appropriate educational technique to meet the needs of my child. And while this has worked wonderfully for Jackson's 6th and 7th grade years, I was feeling a longing for a simpler and more student focused approach. I felt a lot of stress regarding my readiness and teaching aptitude - meaning that way too much of his success depended on my success as a teacher. Not a good formula for an effective <b>and </b>peaceful school year! <br />
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So as the summer began to wind down, instead of ramping up as the teacher for the school year, I slipped on an attitude of a student and spent that time learning as much about Jackson as I could. And what I discovered was that my little boy had turned into a man before my very eyes, and I needed to stop treating him like a child and respect the wants and needs of this young man. He needed more say in his daily educational experience. He needed to feel more in charge of his body and mind. In short, he needed more freedom, like all teenagers need as they begin the transition into adulthood.</div>
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We decided that his anxiety had become too overwhelming and was beginning to consume his daily life. So we added a mild blood pressure medicine (Intuniv) that has helped tremendously with his angry outbursts and over reaction to stressful and confusing situations. We also felt that as he stormed full steam into adolescents, he needed to spend more one-on-one time with his father. So we added 30 minutes of weight lifting to his schedule - EVERY morning at 6:30, the 2 of them watch SportsCenter and lift free weights in our manly, but unfinished, gym space in the basement. The combination of these 2 things alone, has been remarkable. But his school-life had to also be adjusted to fall in line with his new wants and needs as a young, proud and confident man. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2dzg2YT13uU/UpDEcVPdoYI/AAAAAAAAAn4/zolEIATC0BE/s1600/75237765-0A21-45BA-8FC3-F9B325D1E054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2dzg2YT13uU/UpDEcVPdoYI/AAAAAAAAAn4/zolEIATC0BE/s320/75237765-0A21-45BA-8FC3-F9B325D1E054.jpg" width="320" /></a>So instead of a rigid daily schedule that stressed consistency and continuity of topics and activities, I decided to give him more autonomy over his courses. We stuck with a loose outline of the day, but gave him a lot of options within that structure that looks something like this:</div>
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<span style="color: red;">6:30-7:00 Weight Lifting with Dad</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">7:00 Make Coffee</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">7:30 Make Breakfast</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">8:00 Treadmill</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">8:20 Shower</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">9:00 Book on CD & Devotional</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">9:30 Starbucks & Shopping</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">10:30-12 Activities</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">12-1 Lunch</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">1-3 Activities</span></b></div>
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After we get back from our daily coffee run and shopping, which includes everything from the grocery store to the cleaners to Target, we begin going through the 5-7 activities that he chose that morning. After following this schedule for a few months now, I have discovered that he has definite preferences. This has been very eye opening, and has helped me learn more about what he perceives his strength and weakness are. He loves:</div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="color: blue;">1. Cooking</span></i></span></i></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: blue;">2. Baking</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">3. Piano</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">4. Science</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">5. Puzzles</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">6. Cards</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">7. Social Studies</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">8. Photography</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">9. Chores</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: blue;">10. PE/Yoga</span></i></div>
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He is a cool mix of left and right brained strengths. He is not "an autistic savant" in any one area (like every other TV special on autism likes to glamorize), but a nice, healthy mix of creativity and analytics. He grown in both physical and mental strength, as he can settle his body and mind much more effectively than ever before. And while I would not go so far as to say he has mastered the art of self control (as I have not even achieved that feat yet), he has come a long way since the school year began. I attribute his progress to our shift in perspective from how we want to parent/educate him, to how he needs to be parented/educated, as a new and growing young man, who one day might just surprise us all and be an independent and impactful man that this world could learn so much from. </div>
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Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-87648572694930945962013-09-13T08:08:00.000-07:002013-09-13T08:22:14.602-07:00My Most Honest Confession<br />
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Their faces say it all. What starts as judgemental stares quickly change to desperate concern as they watch Jackson go from angry and frustrated to full blown wild animal. The flash point is so intense that it scares people and while they move away, I have to charge in to try and rescue him from himself. It is heart breaking to see him suffer and in that moment onlookers can finally see his pain as I do. I pull him close as he bites me, pulls my hair and scratches my face because he needs love to recover and heal and while it hurts me, it hurts him more to feel so out of control not knowing why his mind fails him when he needs it so desperately. My anger at autism quickly moves to anger at God as I struggle to understand why He doesn't charge in to help Jackson. </div>
Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-92063867293275607722013-06-14T13:54:00.000-07:002013-06-14T13:54:01.864-07:00Our One Year Homeschooling Experiment Take-Away <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now that our time as a true homeschool family is coming to a close, I have had more time to reflect on the ups and downs, victories and failures, and lessons learned. With Caroline going back into public middle school this fall, our homeschool will once again, be just Jackson and me. And while I love and miss our special one-on-one dynamic, there will be a huge hole in our hearts without her here, because the biggest take away I got from this year, regarding both my kids, is that <b>quantity of time always trumps quality of time</b> with children, especially adolescents. <br />
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A great analogy for this truth is the dreaded power outage. I spent the past two days fretting over losing power during the latest derecho warnings in the D.C. area. We lose power at the drop of a hat in our neighborhood, as it is filled with large, old trees and overhead power lines. But as I reflect on the times we have lost power for extended periods (blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, Oh My!), there is always that sweet point where having no power frees everyone's mind and schedule to just sit and enjoy each other and slow down to reconnect. That is what this year of homeschooling felt like to me...a prolonged sweet spot to reconnect with both Jackson and Caroline, and for them to reconnect with each other. <br />
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In this day and age, there is article after article about the need for quality time with your children. Go on a "date" with your kids so they will feel special. Carve out 20 minutes once a week to really discuss their feelings over an ice cream sundae. Make their favorite meal to draw them out of their bedroom for some one-on-one time. And while all of these are great ideas, that I have done in the past, and are sure to achieve some level of connection, what I discovered was that the most meaningful relational moments occur after spending 2 hours lounging on the couch reading or in the daily routine of running errands together. These are the unsung moments where connection seems to organically sprout. A comment about a sports star coming out as homosexual, naturally leads to a causal, but meaningful hour long dialog about gay marriage. An eye roll over a friend's overly dramatic Instagram post while eating lunch together on the couch, spurs an afternoon spent discussing the parameters and pitfalls of social media in the 21st century, as well as how to manage our own emotions when we feel out of control.<br />
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For Jackson, these elongated moments of connection have occurred in a similarly authentic fashion. Before he was homeschooled, he could not bath or dress himself. He relied on me for every daily need. His development was hindered by his lack of independence and freedom. His communication skills were limited to addressing his immediate needs only. But after 2 years of quantity over quality of time together, our connection has transformed from caregiver/receiver to mother/son...which, to those of us in the autism community, we realize is a significant emotional milestone to be recognized and celebrated.<br />
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After spending a year getting to know Jackson and Caroline on a much deeper and more personal level, I can honestly say that I really like them both. Caroline is witty and charming, thoughtful and tender-hearted, fearless and ambitious, obedient and trustworthy. Jackson is entertaining and endearing, hardworking and disciplined, strong and brave, affectionate and loving. And while it was by no means all sunshine and roses, I hope and pray it was enough to lay a solid foundation for the inevitable rocky teenage years in our future. These special bonds were not created during the big splashy moments of childhood, but in the tedium and trenches of daily life that was spent together, arm in arm, during a year with "no power" other than each other, our books and our coffee shops!<br />
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-18457111983958006572013-03-20T11:44:00.001-07:002013-03-21T07:48:23.442-07:00Teenagers with Autism are Awesome! <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-458DOmvZUNU/UUn917J1_zI/AAAAAAAAAi0/lXwk1Y3SOtw/s1600/photo-47.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-458DOmvZUNU/UUn917J1_zI/AAAAAAAAAi0/lXwk1Y3SOtw/s320/photo-47.JPG" width="240" /></a>So what have we been up to the past few months? Not blogging apparently... The addition of my 5th grade daughter to our homeschool day has made for very little writing time! And thanks to my husband's Christmas gift of an Ikea chaise lounge for our bedroom, any down time I get, I find myself curled up on there with a cup of tea and a good book...this introverted mama needs some alone time after all:)<br />
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As spring desperatly tries to bloom here in Virginia, I find myself watching Jackson grow into a man before my very eyes. He just turned 14 a few weeks ago and seems older and wiser with each passing day. He is tall, strong, handsome and charming. He is funny, gregarious, extroverted and friendly. He is musical, athletic, comedic, and techy. He is moody, loud, disruptive and angry. He loves YouTube, Netflix, Sports Center and The Colbert Report. He is 14 and acts more "neuro-typical" everyday...for better or worse. </div>
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His academics are still a work in progress, with math success continuing to outpace language arts. But he diligently does all the work asked of him and seeks my guidance and approval in all areas. His mastery of geometry is fascinating to me as it was always such a weakness of mine growing up. We will tackle fractions after spring break, grades 4-6 is our target level for this unit, and finding good materials is proving to be a challenge, too basic or too advanced seems to be the theme in my search so far. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OoPmcIL2QdY/UUn-TcpBGmI/AAAAAAAAAjM/MTmr4wT_ih0/s1600/photo-49.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OoPmcIL2QdY/UUn-TcpBGmI/AAAAAAAAAjM/MTmr4wT_ih0/s200/photo-49.JPG" width="150" /></a>I have also really enjoyed our recent science & social studies units on the skeletal system and world geography. As a professed map-geek myself, I've loved using an interactive globe to learn over 150 countries with him. He is creating a World Fact Book as well, including a page per country with information such as capital, population, area, distance from United States, continent, flag, etc. I also loved using the iPad games, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ua/app/stack-the-countries/id407838198?mt=8" target="_blank">Stack the Countries</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/bone-scan-bob/id347378842?mt=8" target="_blank">Bone Scan Bob</a> for these units. We would love to travel with Jackson once Caroline goes off to college and use that time as a type of advanced degree for him. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H6qqPDFy8-4/UUn95rsenjI/AAAAAAAAAjA/9BWYdkOcmfg/s1600/photo-48.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H6qqPDFy8-4/UUn95rsenjI/AAAAAAAAAjA/9BWYdkOcmfg/s320/photo-48.JPG" width="240" /></a>But the most essential and rewarding part of our winter homeschool season has been our community involvement. Jackson is extremely social and outgoing. He loves talking to people and trying to make them smile or laugh. He can walk into a room full of strangers and have them all smiling by the time he leaves. He has absolutely no inhibitions or awkwardness which makes he a natural charmer and motivational figure in our community. He can work a room like a seasoned politician. He randomly gets gifts from people who desperately want to give back to him, because he gives so much to them without even realizing it. He is so generous with his joy and affections that people look to him for encouragement and rely on him for a "pick-me-up" on a regular basis. "Where's my Jackson?" is a frequent question I get if I dare go somewhere without him these days. I love the fact that so many people refer to him as "my Jackson". There is a special ownership of him and pride in that relationship. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SxFxpXg9Ed4/UUn-iNW2lzI/AAAAAAAAAjU/DsmSXPXd4oM/s1600/photo-50.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SxFxpXg9Ed4/UUn-iNW2lzI/AAAAAAAAAjU/DsmSXPXd4oM/s200/photo-50.JPG" width="150" /></a>So while he can drive me up the wall some days with his moodiness, I am thankful that I have a teenager who is making such a positive impact on his community that is not driven by forced volunteerism, adult manipulation for a reward, or college transcript bullet points. I might not know where his place in the world is yet, but I feel more confident everyday that the world needs him a lot more than he needs the world! </div>
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Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-87977151075194212142012-12-12T16:53:00.001-08:002012-12-12T16:53:06.076-08:00Training Up Independent Learners: Autistic and Gifted Alike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have two very different children that always seem to surprise me with how similar they are! <br />
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Today I gave my 11 yr old daughter only one assignment for the entire day...Make an iMovie about the North Korean rocket launch. This event has meaning to her because she has shown an interest in this region and conflict since she was a little girl. I remember checking out DVDs from the library when she was in 2nd grade about the Korean War and she has followed the Kim regime ever since. She has similar fascinations with other countries like Peru, Saudi Arabia and Cuba. I might have the future Secretary of State on my hands...she does love her some Condi Rice too:) <br />
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I sent her away at 9:30 with no instructions besides, "Make a 2-4 minute iMovie on the rocket launch." She sprawled out on my bed with the laptop, snacks and the dog, and at 2:30 she emerged with this:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w3RX5TclRt8?list=UUAGc27B93Tq_cF_KUMAAOzA&hl=en_US" width="560"></iframe><br />
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She layed out her process for me afterwards which included:<br />
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1. Internet research from: Business Insider, Fox News, and CNN (all bookmarks on the laptop). <br />
2. Cornell note-taking<br />
3. Photo selection and editing<br />
4. Music selection and editing<br />
5. iMovie creation based on notes<br />
6. Final editing<br />
7. Laughing at mom because she had no idea how to do any of that herself!!<br />
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And while this project could have been a lot more intensive and in-depth from an informational stand-point, I really wanted to see if she could independently move through this process without my constant direction and/or nagging. I have been trying to transition her to a more independent learning environment that allows for her establish the time and tempo required to complete big projects. I know this will be helpful once she hits middle school next year. <br />
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As for Jackson, I have tried creating a similar environment for him in regards to his life skills. Less than 3 months ago, I was still micro-managing most of his daily activities to ensure he checked all the necessary boxes of personal hygiene, academic work, household chores, social activities and behavioral management. But as he roars full steam into the teenage years, I have had to step back and give him a lot more independence than I am comfortable with, but know how critical it is that he take on these responsibilities himself.<br />
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I am completely out-of-the-loop on ALL personal care and hygiene issues and he has done a tremendous job! He is the least smelly teenage boy I know, and very receptive to any changes or new introduction to his routine in this area. So thankful for this!! He also has no need for my assistance with any of his household chores. He empties the dishwasher, carries in and puts away all the groceries, puts his dirty clothes in the laundry, takes out the trash, and starting this spring, will be mowing the lawn. He will do any work you ask, as long as he knows what time you expect him to start work and for how long. He is a human timer and has an expiration buzzer for sure - but will work hard when he understands the expectation and task.<br />
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Academically, since he has been watching Caroline, he has been asking me to leave him alone to do his work. He occasionally asks for my help, especially in math, but does a great deal of work alone. I usually supervise from afar or pretend to sweep near him so I can keep an eye on things, but he is wanting more freedom, which is terrific! Socially and behaviorally, he has come so far, but still has a long journey ahead. He recently tackled the good manners vs. bad manners issue with great success! He is very proud of himself when he can be polite in public and have good manners when he is frustrated. It is hard for me to do that, so I commend him for the effort! <br />
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Paul and I were joking that Jackson is the odd combination of autistic and extroverted, which makes for some pretty interesting social situations, but he is learning to shake hands, respond to questions and make better eye contact. He wants to interact with a variety of people, and has varying levels of success, mainly based on how receptive the other person is to his unique communication skills.<br />
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In summary, I am being pushed WAY outside of my comfort zone with these 2 kids. They are each growing and developing by leaps and bounds, and I feel left in the dust most days. I am exhausted trying to stay ahead of them so I can prepare the way for the next milestone. But at the end of the day, I just need to:<br />
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-68756427166355524752012-10-20T13:34:00.001-07:002012-10-20T13:44:16.035-07:00Mid-Term Progress ReportAfter my first 6 weeks of homeschooling both Jackson (7th - Autism) and Caroline (5th - Gifted), I can honestly say that it was the best decision we have ever made for our family. And while I clearly have no time to blog about it, there has been no shortage of monumental breakthroughs and good old-fashioned fun in our house...both of which we rarely experienced while they were in public schools. <br />
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As you scroll through the some of the photos I took on my phone, you get a great visual picture of the beginning our of school year - and by the looks of it, you might be concerned that we are having too much fun with too little learning!<br />
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All of these were taken during our "school day" which goes from 8:30-3:00ish. We go on a lot of outings and spend a lot of our time outside doing experiments, reading, hiking, and wrestling apparently:) When we are working inside, we have a mixed bag of learning styles, Jackson likes to be at the table with minimal sensory distractions, while Caroline prefers to snuggle up on the couch or sprawl out on the front lawn - to each their own as far as I'm concerned! </div>
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I've been focusing on math with them both these past few weeks b/c they are both very strong in math, but have gaps in their knowledge. I feel a bit like a painter who has to spackle before I can add a new layer of color. As we enter late October, I finally feel like they are both ready to plow forward into new math concepts and challenges. For Caroline, that is Algebra, and for Jackson, that is word problems. Wish me luck with both of them:)</div>
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For those of you who wish I blogged more often, please check out my Twitter and Facebook pages, as I find posting on those takes 30 seconds vs. 30 minutes and I can handle that a lot better. I post on Twitter daily, and Facebook weekly.</div>
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-47043274803284954102012-09-15T08:07:00.001-07:002012-09-15T08:07:03.100-07:00Think Inclusive Guest BlogI had a wonderful opportunity to write a guest blog for <a href="http://www.thinkinclusive.us/" target="_blank">Think Inclusive</a> this week! I was asked to discuss the reasons why we decided to homeschool Jackson. I loved the idea since I know most of the readers of this particular site are educators seeking information and support for special education inclusion. Since I have already wrote about this topic on my blog, I decided to give the subject a twist and use an analogy to explain it! For those of you who know me best, you'll appreciate my comparison of autism education to BigAgra business vs. local organic family farms. <br />
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<b>Check out my post here:<a href="http://www.thinkinclusive.us/my-decision-to-homeschool-my-son-with-autism/" target="_blank"> My Decision to Homeschool My Son With Autism</a></b><br />
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Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-11177279568643528812012-09-02T11:42:00.001-07:002012-09-02T11:47:08.084-07:00Schedules, Schedules, Schedules <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many people have asked me how I plan to manage the needs of my two very differently-abled children this year. Jackson needs a tremendous amount of structure and one-on-one teaching to maximize his learning potential, while Caroline needs more freedom and independence to spread her wings and push the boundaries of what she can accomplish. That puts me in a tough spot...right in the middle! My way to bridge the gap is to rely on a very unique scheduling system that allows for both the detail J needs, and the flexibility C craves. Each form that I have shown has a link to a Goggle Document if you want to explore them in-depthly.<br />
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And it all starts with...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--g_X1fVx1G8/UEOVG2CiPlI/AAAAAAAAAdc/6BG3j7U3bas/s1600/photo-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--g_X1fVx1G8/UEOVG2CiPlI/AAAAAAAAAdc/6BG3j7U3bas/s320/photo-14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Their very own clipboards, which Caroline so thoughtfully, and boldly, decorated for me yesterday:)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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Jackson's clipboard always has 2 pieces of paper on it: a <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3vNIWa5KaAVMmgyU0NzT0syVms/edit" target="_blank">Daily Schedule</a> </span></b>and a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><b> <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3vNIWa5KaAVZ0Z4Sm11Y0V6alE/edit" target="_blank">Daily Work</a></b></span> sheet. The daily schedule is broken down in 15 min increments from 8am-8pm, with clear labels for each activity or subject. The daily work sheet is a very detailed list of all the school activities for one day, down to the number of pages in each book. Since his audio-processing is so poor and he gets very anxious with the unknown, I have to make sure all my expectations are written down and that I give him adequate time to process the information. The pictures below are the exact sheets I have on his board for the first day of school, Tuesday, Sept. 4th.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A0oetyhQBVk/UEOb8MfedfI/AAAAAAAAAd8/oNRw0-72POM/s320/photo-15.JPG" title="" width="240" /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IB-U35nxWx4/UEOb881TMJI/AAAAAAAAAeE/kcIzvX4KDMU/s1600/photo-16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IB-U35nxWx4/UEOb881TMJI/AAAAAAAAAeE/kcIzvX4KDMU/s320/photo-16.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I plan on managing Caroline's work much differently. One of the things I really want to teach her this year is how to organize her work and set timelines to complete assignments and projects on her own. This will begin slowly and hopefully build to a very independent and self-guided approach to not only her school work, but her whole life. I will sit down with her every Sunday evening to present her with her weekly work expectations. On her clipboard will be 3 pieces of paper: a <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3vNIWa5KaAVZEo4WmpSaUV6TTQ/edit" target="_blank">Daily Schedule</a></span></b>, a <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3vNIWa5KaAVWGswSHZhanFfakk/edit" target="_blank">Weekly Work</a></span></b> sheet, and a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3vNIWa5KaAVbkZobU1GX3hzaXc/edit" target="_blank">Weekly Progress Chart</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span">. The daily schedule below is actually for Wednesday of this week, just to show you some variety from day to day. Caroline's agenda is in the middle column. You will notice her time is sectioned off much more vaguely with large chunks of time just labeled "work". You can also look at the weekly work sheet, to see what things she needs to finish by the end of this 4 day week - with one of those days being a field trip to the Udvar-Hazy Museum. We will have a meeting at 3pm every afternoon to review the work done that day and record it on her progress chart. I am interested to see how she manages this new type of learning environment. I have a feeling the first few weeks will be a bit rocky, but I am ready to guide her through the transition with patience and an understanding that this is a new approach for her as well and we both need time to adjust. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1t-r8VgcmRY/UEOe6y7HGkI/AAAAAAAAAeo/iac6EgyJn7E/s1600/photo-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1t-r8VgcmRY/UEOe6y7HGkI/AAAAAAAAAeo/iac6EgyJn7E/s320/photo-18.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7je9nSTiZw/UEOe54q_QUI/AAAAAAAAAeg/5PhB1i2lQnY/s1600/photo-17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I7je9nSTiZw/UEOe54q_QUI/AAAAAAAAAeg/5PhB1i2lQnY/s320/photo-17.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">For those of you who have either really good eyesight or clicked on the pdf version of the daily schedule, you'll notice that there is a 3rd column labeled "Mom". I did this to ensure that both my children know that I also have a few precious minutes carved out for just me: coffee and working out being the most important!! This way, I know that no matter what is going on inside these 4 walls on any given day...I will have an hour in the morning to mentally prepare and 30 min to myself to run out all my stress in the afternoon until my amazing husband comes home from work to share a glass of wine with me on the front patio. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Here's to an awesome 2012-2013 school year for everyone!! </b> </span><br />
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Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-51025449000813336142012-08-22T08:45:00.002-07:002012-08-22T08:45:46.814-07:00Why We Decided to Also Homeschool Our Neuro-Typical Daughter<div style="text-align: center;">
There is one reason and one reason only: </div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">Because I can</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V4nun4iRTV8/UDT7nngNVaI/AAAAAAAAAco/p8DUW8_x_To/s1600/179588_3935430702792_273270115_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V4nun4iRTV8/UDT7nngNVaI/AAAAAAAAAco/p8DUW8_x_To/s320/179588_3935430702792_273270115_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>Now, of course, that is a loaded answer, but it is the truth at the core of our whole debate in regards to Caroline's 5th grade year. After we unexpectedly pulled Jackson out of the public middle school's autism program last fall, we scrambled to put together an academic program to meet all his needs. Thankfully, it was a tremendously smooth transition considering the circumstances. Over the course of the following few months, I spent a lot of time continuing my research into middle grade academics and discovered a huge body of work on educational reform for this age group. What I came across time and time again, as the only solution to our nation's growing educational crisis, was the call for more individualized education. <br />
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The concept of individualized education is very familiar to me for obvious reasons - autism education is based around the IEP (Individualized Education Plan), so I have seen first hand the power of this model. However, I had never considered it to be necessary for Caroline, as she has always done quite well in school, so the need never crossed my mind. But after stumbling across Sir Ken Robinson's talks on educational reform, <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html" target="_blank">"Are Schools Killing Creativity"</a> and his follow-up message, <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html" target="_blank">"Bring on the Learning Revolution"</a>, I was hooked on the concept of rethinking Caroline's education as well. <br />
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At this point, I simply wanted to augment her public school education with some of these concepts. I came up with projects and lessons that could be taught outside the classroom, with the hopes of stimulating her academic creativity in regards to her natural learning style and interests. However, as many of you can attest, there are just not enough hours in the day to add that kind of endeavor onto an already super busy tween girl's packed schedule. So I shelved my ideas for a latter, more convenient time. <br />
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Then, in January, Caroline approached us and asked to be home schooled. We immediately said no and that was that. She persisted, and even gave us an oral presentation with visual aids, outlining her case. We told her we'd discuss it, pray about it and let her know. Months went by and she never relented...and for those of you with negotiators in your family, you can guess that she never gave up hope, and continued her campaign to be home schooled. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-55G0CIr8VEM/UDT8WCCpyZI/AAAAAAAAAc4/IMn0DqTvMVE/s1600/photo-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-55G0CIr8VEM/UDT8WCCpyZI/AAAAAAAAAc4/IMn0DqTvMVE/s320/photo-12.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sometime in April, Paul and I began to seriously discuss her options for 5th grade. She could go back to her current elementary school, which we loved and had absolutely no issues with or she could go to another area public school where she was accepted into the county-wide gifted program, but we are not big supporters of separate gifted education, so that seemed off the table easily. We considered private schools, but at this age, the financial investment seemed silly because her public educational options we so strong. <br />
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So unlike Jackson, the idea of homeschooling came about not so much as an option against the public schools, but as an augmentation to them. We decided, after much prayer, to pull Caroline out of school, for 1 year, and 1 year only, to invest in her individualized education. All the necessary pieces to the puzzle aligned since I was already home with Jackson, and I have the time, experience and interest in exploring her learning needs and potential...or simply put, <b>because I can</b>. God has blessed our lives with the right season for all these moving parts to fall into place, so we felt called to move forward with our decision to homeschool both our children.<br />
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On top of that, Caroline is just a really neat kid with so many interests and abilities that every teacher, coach or trainer she has ever had has enjoyed her so much! She is a veritable sponge who can learn so rapidly and efficiently, that the boundaries to her capability are forever being stretched. And if I'm honest with myself, I simply want to be a part of that too. I want to foster her intellectual growth just as much as Paul fosters her athletic growth. I want to watch her brain move swiftly from one concept to the other making connections and discoveries that only strangers got to witness before. She is God's gift to me and I want to take this small window of opportunity to be a part of her learning journey before she jumps back into the chaos of adolescence. <br />
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And I hope and pray that the bond we build over the next year can help keep us close during the tumultuous teenage years that already have me shaking in my boots!!!<br />
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Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-12985070964611915572012-06-19T11:09:00.002-07:002012-06-19T11:30:32.252-07:00Sibling Respite - Even Caroline Needs a Break!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Respite is a popular term in the special needs community. To quote <a href="http://jillshouse.org/" target="_blank">Jill's House</a>, the premiere respite center on the east coast, the term means the provision of <span class="Apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;">"a</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6;"> safe haven to which parents can entrust their children, allowing the parents a time of rest.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d;">" </span></i>I would add that siblings require respite just as much as parents do, and often times more, if they are a heavily relied upon resource or care giver to their special needs brother or sister. </span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">That is why, even though it broke our hearts, we sent our 10 yr old daughter, Caroline to an 8 day sleep over camp called <a href="http://www.sb2w.org/" target="_blank">Summer's Best 2 Weeks</a>. She is an integral part of our family and not having her here has been hard. We find ourselves a little lonely and bored. Even Jackson has been out of sorts all week, and while not able to communicate exactly what he is feeling, his behavior is speaking loud and clear that something is amiss. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Caroline puts a tremendous amount of pressure on herself to be a good sister. She still cries when recalling the time she pushed J off the bed when she was 2 yrs old and broke his arm. She is his biggest advocate and number one fan. She has spent the first 10 yrs of her life sticking up for him on the playground, calling out bully after bully, standing up to them in front of the whole school, only to reveal how powerless they are to true bravery...to that of a sister. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">As a result of 10 years of constant confrontation with people who have shunned Jackson or given him a judgmental glance, she has developed a bit of a chip on her shoulder. She lives as if she constantly has something to prove. And while this attitude has served her well on the basketball court, it has exhausted her emotionally as well. She seeks to protect and care for not just Jackson, but me as well, as she knows how upset I get when people discriminate against him and all special needs individuals...which happens more often than our society cares to admit. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X1t0eCWUOG0/T-C8LNsRqMI/AAAAAAAAAbg/qKneenwWOzs/s1600/sb2w1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X1t0eCWUOG0/T-C8LNsRqMI/AAAAAAAAAbg/qKneenwWOzs/s320/sb2w1.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">And while she has been involved with a few sibling support groups, those do not provide her with what true respite should, A BREAK! She does not want to talk about her feeling and the pressures of having an autistic brother, she wants to escape and play so hard that she crashes on her bed without thinking about Jackson all day! She needs a solid week to be Caroline and not a sister. She needs time to explore her interests and beliefs outside how they effect Jackson and our family dynamic. If she wants to sing at the top of her lungs, she does not have to worry about him shushing her. If she wants to play soccer in the dark with fireflies, she does not have to worry about waking him up because he goes to bed so early. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Respite is essential for parents with special needs children. It must also be considered essential for siblings. I know a lot of families who have children with all sorts of disabilities and in each one is an incredible brother or sister who selflessly helps to raise and care for these children. Many of the most remarkable adults I know grew up with special needs siblings. There is no circumstance so profound in a developing child's life than that of caregiver to a differently-abled loved one, but there is also none so taxing. I hope and pray that we can continue to provide Caroline with more true respite opportunities as she grows up so that she is able to maintain that fierce attitude of protection and love that she has for Jackson. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-34938352516214113442012-05-30T10:46:00.001-07:002012-05-31T07:55:28.027-07:00Quiet Voice Victory!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C2sFw3RkQmM/T8ZS7tEMS6I/AAAAAAAAAa0/WMbkqSvQd40/s1600/IMG_2415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C2sFw3RkQmM/T8ZS7tEMS6I/AAAAAAAAAa0/WMbkqSvQd40/s320/IMG_2415.JPG" width="320" /></a>It has taken us 10 years to figure out how to help Jackson manage his volume and tone of voice. We were just joking the other day that an autism diagnosis is not an accurate representation of him (for many reasons I'll go into on a later date), so we made up a more humorous, but fitting term: <b>LASS...Loud, Angry, Silly Syndrome. </b><br />
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But in all seriousness, this spring, we have made a few breakthroughs in regards to helping him understand how and when to use a quiet and calm voice. Sadly, it is a fairly simple formula that has proven extremely challenging, on our part, to implement. But, as they say, knowing is half the battle, so now that we know, we can continue the battle! The 3 key parts to this formula are:<br />
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<i>1. Creating an anxiety free environment</i><br />
<i>2. Leveraging his newly developed interest in a social life</i><br />
<i>3. Consistency!!!!!</i><br />
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Step 1 is by far the <b>most important</b> part of this grand plan, and the reason he was so unsuccessful in a public middle-school environment - which I now understand is one of the most stressful environments on the planet for all kids, not just for special needs ones. <br />
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Jackson has a tremendous amount of anxiety. His adrenal glands do not work properly, so his "fight or flight" response is terribly out of whack. His pupils dilate very quickly when any stressor is encountered and remain that way for a prolonged period of time, indicating a highly anxious biochemical state far past what we would consider appropriate. Simply put, he freaks out early and often!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cgDSR-vj4GQ/T8ZahAOGlII/AAAAAAAAAbA/5KkdFTvxncw/s1600/DSC_0484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cgDSR-vj4GQ/T8ZahAOGlII/AAAAAAAAAbA/5KkdFTvxncw/s320/DSC_0484.JPG" width="186" /></a>Creating an anxiety free environment is not as hard as you'd think. We do not feel comfortable medicating Jackson, so anti-anxiety meds are out of the question. So we do other things that seem to have a similar effect, such as:<br />
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* daily morning yoga<br />
* daily morning devotions and prayer<br />
* high doses of B vitamins including lots of B-12<br />
* green tea<br />
* melatonin at nighttime<br />
* gluten and casein free diet<br />
* sugar free diet<br />
* toxic chemical free home<br />
* no yelling in our home<br />
* clear, written daily schedule<br />
* careful transition management<br />
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Some people might think it would just be easier to give him a Xanax and drop him back into stressful situations, but we are just not comfortable introducing a synthetic substance into his already neuro-chemically compromised brain. Maybe someday, but not today. We also feel strongly that the above practices are going to help teach him, and Caroline, life-long stress management and not to rely on quick fixes. Being able to manage his anxiety helps set the stage for us to tell him to "quiet down" without him lashing out at us verbally or physically. <br />
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Step 2 is the <b>most recent</b> puzzle piece to fall into place and has been the most eye-opening! For more than a decade, Jackson has been totally uninterested in socializing with anyone outside our family. He had only tolerated his peers and other adults, but in the last 12 months, he has blossomed into a social butterfly. I noticed it last summer, and have spent the last year trying to figure out how to help him embrace this new side to his personality in an appropriate manner (i.e. no hugging everyone at Trader Joes, talking only to people who are not talking to others, etc...) <br />
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But in the last 6 weeks or so, I have discovered another benefit to this huge developmental milestone...leveraging his social life to get him to control himself. At the end of the day, Jackson is a 13 year old boy. He has finally realized that he likes other people and they are fun to hang out with...a lot more fun than school work or boring time at home. Using positive reinforcement or incentives had stopped working with him. Giving him access to the computer or iPad just wasn't cutting it anymore. A giant light bulb went off in my head that what we have been using for his 10 yr old sister, would now work for him..."If you don't clean your room, Savannah can't come over."<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-alC4JEDjlN8/T8ZbPSTWkiI/AAAAAAAAAbI/6JTW7OJtywg/s1600/IMG_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-alC4JEDjlN8/T8ZbPSTWkiI/AAAAAAAAAbI/6JTW7OJtywg/s320/IMG_0461.JPG" width="320" /></a>Five minutes ago, I noticed Jackson's voice was getting really loud and angry sounding as he was watching a SpongeBob cartoon, so I went downstairs and told him in a calm voice, "You need to quiet down, or there will be no pool today." And there has not a peep out of him since! It has been such a big breakthrough because it is a developmentally appropriate consequence for a 13 yr old boy. The addition of the social component has opened up so many new doors for him as well as for us as his parents. Now we can leverage his interest in all kinds of social situations such as church, shopping, yoga class, adaptive PE, pool, basketball games, friend visits, swim meets, etc... Just like his sister, he can now find the ability to control himself if the possibility of losing social time is an option. <br />
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Step 3 is the <b>most difficult </b>component because it is 100% our responsibility, not Jackson's. We need to be super consistent with the first 2 steps in order to pull this whole caper off! If I revert back to yelling because I am frustrated, he will get more anxious and his tone will get more angry and take twice as long to calm down. If I fail to follow through on taking away a morning at Caroline's basketball game (even though every fiber in my body wants to go), I have to stay home with him. Over the years, we have ebbed and flowed in our consistency with him because nothing seemed to really work, so we'd give up quickly on the newest technique or behavioral fad. Now it seems obvious that the failure was ours, not Jackson's and that consistency is more important, more difficult and more humbling because it is our burden to bear, not his. <br />
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<b>Real Life Update - Thursday, May 31st:</b><br />
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This morning at Target, Jackson had a colossal freak out over a bottle of water that we could not reach on the top shelf. He threw himself on the floor (all 5'4" 100lbs of him) and began shouting and kicking the wall. <br />
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I took a deep breath, drawing on all of my patience and understanding of the need for consistency and held out my hand to him and said, "Can you stand up please?" He took my hand and as he stood up, he spit in my face and put his hands around my neck. I took another deep breath and gently moved his hands from my neck to around my waist and pulled him close saying, "You're Ok, Buddy." He put his head on my shoulder and squeezed me pretty hard. I whispered in his ear, "Do you want to go to gym class today with Mr. Ricardo?". He whimpered, "Yes, please." I asked, "Do you want to check out now?", and I got another "Yes, please." So I handed him my debit card, which is a good concrete transition object that helps him know when shopping is done. After a few moments to collect himself, we quietly and calmly proceeded to checkout and head back to the car without any issues. Once we got in the car, I turned to him and we talked about what had happened and why it was wrong. <br />
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I share this now because I think it is a good way to illustrate the points I made in the post earlier about the importance of all 3 steps. Although everything in me wanted to yell at him to "get the hell up off the floor and stop acting like a baby", I knew that would generate 100 times more anxiety in him and the whole situation would blow up even further...and really, yelling something like that at a kid in public is more for the parent to let off steam or to try and look in control to the myriad of smug observers who've gathered to watch your parenting failures. So I stayed calm and that peaceful spirit helped to defuse him as well. <br />
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I also did not give into my urge to threaten to take away all his activities for the rest of the day - "you get up now or there will be no computer, library, pool, etc"... I quickly picked the social engagement I knew meant to most to him and placed the choice in his hands. He responded like I had hoped and chose gym class over anger. <br />
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Situations like this always remind me that Jackson's flash temper is a lot like an addiction. You can see how the instant a high anxiety situation presents itself, he reaches right for the aggresssion fix much like someone would reach for a cigarette or a drink to calm their nerves. It makes sense biochemically because Jackson has the same elevated levels of dopamine found in addicts. My goal is to help him master the tools to resist this self-destructive habit as he grows into adulthood before my very eyes. <br />
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</div>Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-41479435099914840922012-04-27T09:29:00.002-07:002012-04-27T09:31:27.913-07:006 Month Anniversary!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today marks the 6 month anniversary of Jackson's homeschooling adventure! We began on Friday, October 27th, 2011. It didn't hit me until I was reviewing his math work from this morning, saw the date, and then realized how advanced his work has become in such a short period of time. When we first began homeschooling, he could not add or subtract double digits, did not know all his multiplication facts and forget about division or fractions. He was just telling time, counting money and doing basic computation. But this morning, he was doing all kinds of complicated math, with zero help. I wasn't even in the room! Not only has his skill level increased, but his independence and confidence has skyrocketed as well. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning Math Work from 10-27 and 4-27... 2 grade levels difference</td></tr>
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Here are some other updates on how far he has come in just 6 months:<br />
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<b>Getting Ready</b><br />
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<i>Then:</i> I would have to help him shower, get dressed, brush his teeth, put on his deodorant. We had a list and followed it faithfully so he understood good personal grooming habits.<br />
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<i>Now:</i> At 8:45 on the dot, he disappears down the hall, does all of the above by himself, reappears at 9:00 totally clean and ready for yoga! Unbelievable change from 6 months ago - life changing for the both of us.<br />
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<b>Yoga</b><br />
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<i>Then</i>: Very slow and deliberate movements that he could follow easily so he would not lose focus or get too silly. <a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/12/yoga-autism-natural-calm.html">http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/12/yoga-autism-natural-calm.html</a><br />
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<i>Now:</i> He leads our practice every morning for 20 full minutes and we add new things weekly - this week was a headstand! We also go to an hour long class at a studio in Alexandria with other homeschooled teenagers with special needs. <br />
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<b>Morning Work</b><br />
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<i>Then: </i> Handwriting sheet, simple math and language arts sheet, outloud reading of Lyle or Big Nate (picture book and comic book level) at the dining room table <a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/11/daily-schedule.html">http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/11/daily-schedule.html</a><br />
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<i>Now:</i> 10 minute Bible reading & devotional time with prayer followed by 20 minutes of outloud chapter book reading (<i>Fantastic Mr. Fox</i> and <i>Frindle </i>recently) - all on the comfy couch instead of at the table.<br />
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<b>Shopping / CBI</b><br />
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<i>Then:</i> We ran errands or visited local attractions every morning, but he needed his iPod to help him stay focused and calm while we were out and about. <a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/11/freedom-from-four-white-walls.html">http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/11/freedom-from-four-white-walls.html</a><br />
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<i>Now:</i> At 10:00, he jumps in the car, iPod free and raring to go out and see his friends around town...Yasouke and Marcus at Trader Joes, Saba at Harris Teeter and the gang at Starbucks are always psyched to see him!<br />
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<b>Language Arts</b><br />
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<i>Then:</i> Basic, basic, basic reading and writing. He was relatively combative regarding his work and struggled in so many areas. It was clear that he hated all things language arts and we muddled through most of our lessons. There were some big breakthrough along the way, which helped keeps us both encouraged. <a href="http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/12/unexpected-reading-breakthroughs.html">http://homeschoolingautism.blogspot.com/2011/12/unexpected-reading-breakthroughs.html</a><br />
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<i>Now: </i> We begin each language arts block working on reading stamina in the form of audio books...this has been a great way to help him transition into harder work. He is currently reading Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone. Once he is in the reading zone, we move to 3rd grade level comprehension level work which he can now do without much trouble. His spelling continues to be amazing and he even enjoys his daily handwriting practice. <br />
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I am so proud of how far he has come in the last 6 months! He has overcome a lot of obstacles and challenges that many thought were insurmountable! He exudes self-confidence and genuine happiness that is contagious to all those around him. <br />
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I am excited to see what the next 6 months bring and can't wait to watch him grow into the man that God has planned! <br />
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-45731004480268425252012-04-19T14:33:00.000-07:002012-04-19T14:55:37.083-07:00Video: Introducing New Math ConceptsThe following is a 11 minute video of a math lesson from Wednesday, April 18th. I decided to record our lesson, so I cold go back and learn how Jackson responded to the way I introduced a new and challenging math concept to him - <i>double digit multiplication</i>. This is unedited, and comprises our entire lesson for this material. If you scroll below the video, you will see I've made a few notes that correspond with the time stamp on the screen, as well as my big take-away from teaching him this lesson. <br />
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<b>0:10</b> When introducing new concepts, I try to make the lesson short. Here I clearly state that he only has to do 3 pages. That helps him to not be anxious if the work is too hard at first. <br />
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<b>0:24</b> After fumbling over how to explain step #1, he sees how I am writing the problem and offers his own term, "multiply down"...I quickly jump on that phrase because he came up with it and that seems to help him absorb new information better - ownership is important. <br />
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<b>1:50</b> After he incorrectly says 7x7=14, I do not say, "No" or "That's wrong." He hates to get anything incorrect and often gets angry if he does. So, I simply remain silent or repeat the question which is his cue that there is a different answer. An obvious way to avoid a meltdown that takes nothing away from the work.<br />
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<b>2:06</b> He chits chats a lot during the lesson, which is his way of telling me that he is concentrating on something difficult. He is like a tea kettle that needs to let off a lit steam so it doesn't blow. Jibber jabber is his steam and it helps him focus - no shushing from me!!<br />
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<b>2:31-3:10 </b>Just like his language, he learns a lot of academic skills through mimicking. So here, I offer him the same white board, marker and racer I am using. This helps him transfer the skill from me to him.<br />
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<b>4:00 </b>Excuse the nose picking:)<br />
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<b>4:14 - 4:41</b> Took me 30 sec. to realize that he wanted to order that work differently than I was asking - he wanted to round all the problems first, then go back and solve. It is important for me to give him the time and ability to tell me how he wants to approach a problem, not let my preconceived notions dictate his mind's eye.<br />
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<b>6:05 </b>He speaks so literally that his answers come out backwards sounding, "zero-twelve", because he is saying the numbers in the order that he solves them...ones place then tens, hundreds and so on...So i need to keep an eye on what he is writing to make sure he is getting the correct answer.<br />
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<b>7:47 </b>This is the beginning of the transition between me leading him through the process to him taking control over his own work. I start by asking him if he still wants me to write the problems. He is capable of telling me how much assistance he needs and when he is comfortable enough to do the work independently.<br />
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<b>8:30 </b>After only 8 minutes, he is ready to do the problems by himself. <br />
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<b>9:38 </b>Even though he is doing the work independently, he still needs a lot of positive feedback and reinforcement of correct answers.<br />
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<b>10:15 </b>And he even claps for himself after a hard problem because, at the end of the day, isn't that what we all want to do when we've done something hard and we've done it well!! <br />
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So my big lesson-learned from re-watching this video a few times is that J learns academic skills exactly like he learns social, linguistic, emotional, physical or behavior skills...by modeling and repetition, with a careful and deliberate transition to ownership and independence. He's not complicated, just a bit more labor intensive than some kids...but I think a heck of a lot more fun!!! <br />
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-50130248812130243932012-04-18T12:34:00.002-07:002012-04-18T12:34:45.712-07:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-58633841374486330642012-04-13T08:56:00.004-07:002012-04-13T09:53:13.202-07:00My Biggest Fear<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YMAtQSmbmSM/T4hHgGt3XkI/AAAAAAAAAY0/DzRg5wFl-uc/s1600/photo-9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YMAtQSmbmSM/T4hHgGt3XkI/AAAAAAAAAY0/DzRg5wFl-uc/s200/photo-9.JPG" width="149" /></a>Every Friday, Jackson asks to drive through a quiet little neighborhood near our house. So on the way home from our daily errands, I indulge this inexplicable whim of his, and turn into Sleepy Hollow Woods and slowly drive around the hilly streets that make a nice loop back to the main road. It takes all of 5 minutes, but it gives him so much pleasure, that I never mind our weekly detour. <br />
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This morning, however, my heart was heavy with worry. I have not been feeling well lately and have become consumed with fear that it is more than just a seasonal bug or a passing inconvenience. As the mother of an autistic child, my biggest fear is dying young and leaving him alone in this often cruel and harsh world that does not seem to be getting any better in terms of special needs care and acceptance. Paul and I both struggle with this issue, as all parents of autism do. It is rarely talked about, since the day to day issues can be so overwhelming...so we push this fear deep, deep down, where is will never come back again...or so we hope. <br />
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As a generally healthy person, I am not used to feeling prolonged periods of pain or discomfort. At the risk of over-sharing (which I'm pretty sure I blew by months ago on this blog), I have not taken anything stronger than an Advil in 15 years when I was on birth control for all of 6 months. I eat well, take tons of vitamins, exercise and manage my stress well. So, now as I creep closer and closer to 40, and my body no longer snaps back like it used to, I am finding my self worrying about my health like I never have in the past. Does every lump, bump, creek and crack mean I have cancer? And while I know these thoughts are ridiculous, having a special needs child seems to magnify my worry beyond rational bounds.<br />
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So on our leisurely car ride this morning, as I was lamenting what I know are just the natural and normal ailments that come with getting older, a song came on the radio that I had never heard before and it was as if God was speaking directly to me. I even pulled over to Shazam it so I could download it and look up the lyrics later. It is called "Wait and See" by Brandon Heath. Here is the part of the song that provided me the exact encouragement I needed at the exact moment that I needed it:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>There is hope for me yet,</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Because God won't forget,</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>All the plans He has for me.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I'll have to wait and see.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>He's not finished with me yet.</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So whether I have 5 years or 50 years left on this planet, I know God has plans for me and I know that I can not change those plans, nor do I want to. I trust that my life has been predestined and preordained to follow a unique and special path that is just for me and I am choosing to have a grateful and thankful attitude. I also know that Jackson can claim this promise to and I can rest easy knowing that his life is being guided by God and not dependent on me or my ability to take care of him. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.</i></span></div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jeremiah 29:11</span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-8557646043713965532012-04-02T12:08:00.003-07:002012-04-02T12:51:23.473-07:00Impact of Nutrition and Healthy Living<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Three months after Jackson was diagnosed with autism in October of 2001, I took him to a pediatric developmental specialist who recommended a biomedical treatment program that included dietary changes and nutritional supplementation. It has been exactly 10 years since we started these treatments, and they have had a profound effect on his health and development. I strongly recommend biomedical interventions for any and all health issues and have personally seen dramatic improvements in people of all ages. Each member of my family has their own personalized dietary and nutritional programs based on our unique health needs and it has been transformational in all areas of our life. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PnPmMtp9it0/T3oDB0e99gI/AAAAAAAAAYc/wD0L4cI7BFs/s1600/557258_10150770861496289_788571288_11573109_2105494932_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PnPmMtp9it0/T3oDB0e99gI/AAAAAAAAAYc/wD0L4cI7BFs/s200/557258_10150770861496289_788571288_11573109_2105494932_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">I have asked a longtime friend of mine to write this weeks blog on her personal experiences with the impact of these programs in her life. As a disclaimer, I do not use any of the products she is discussing nor am I endorsing any particular program. But I do love and admire her passion and ability to communicate her story!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222;"><b>Written by Shauna Sheets, mother of three and Ariix independent representative. Shauna works with Ray Strand, MD in Rapid City, SD promoting his Healthy for Life program and Health Concepts International website. </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">The women in my family have always struggled with carb addictions. Of course I didn’t call it that, or even know that’s what it was, but recently I learned otherwise. Like so many people today, I have settled on the fact that I will always be the size of the average woman – better stated, the size of Marilyn Monroe. After having three kids, my best dieting efforts have ended with 10-15 pounds lost, pounds that slowly creep back over a year. So, when I had the chance to meet author and international speaker, Dr. Ray Strand, at a recent “Healthy For Life” seminar, I was the first to sign up!</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fpbv3jnc2bg/T3nYl_ZLpxI/AAAAAAAABvw/ShDu0hDHTOk/s1600/healthy%2Bbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726846548362110738" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fpbv3jnc2bg/T3nYl_ZLpxI/AAAAAAAABvw/ShDu0hDHTOk/s200/healthy%2Bbook.jpg" style="height: 200px; margin-top: 0px; width: 200px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">I became a fan of Dr. Strands after reading his book, <u><a href="https://www.healthconceptsint.com/store">What Your Doctor doe</a></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><u><a href="https://www.healthconceptsint.com/store">sn’t Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You</a></u>. That book changed how my husband and I looked at health and nutrition, and I believe has set our family on a nutritionally strong path. However, I had not yet read his book, <u><a href="https://www.healthconceptsint.com/store">Healthy For Life</a></u>, which focuses on the obesity epidemic and type-2 diabetes.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">In the 1990s, Dr. Strand began to notice that his patients were struggling with unavoidable weight gain. He also noticed some patients who were not overweight, but had high triglycerides and low HDL (good) cholesterol. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">What he learned and ultimately published in his book deals with the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><u><a href="http://www.glycemicindex.com/about.php">Glycemic Index</a>.</u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"> The concept is simple really, but understanding the impact on our health and more importantly our children’s health is critical!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">This is what Dr. Strand taught at his recent Healthy For Life Seminar and what Allison Trotter has asked me to share with you.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">My first “take-away” from the seminar was <i>no more instant oatmeal for breakfast</i>! The second, and probably more important point is: I can no longer blame the metabolism I "inherited” for my Marilyn Monroe figure!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">Why no more oatmeal? I always thought I was choosing something better than cereal by choosing this in the morning; but the truth is that both foods are high glycemic! Maybe this isn’t new information for many of you, but to me it caused me to question every “healthy” food I eat and wonder where it lies on this infamous index. For me, my carb addiction just looked like hunger. I would eat oatmeal for breakfast and by 10 or 11am be starved! Stomach growling-low blood sugar-headache-starved. Therefore, I would eat a sandwich (with high glycemic bread) and once again, 4pm: starved! I learned that the glycemic index is far more inportant than simple and complex carbs or the FDA’s food pyramid.</span><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726846942992685810" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BvI9m20Utz0/T3nY89gcWvI/AAAAAAAABv8/L3a_kwngFVg/s320/GI-chart.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 179px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 298px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">The glycemic index and glycemic load measures how </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><i>fast</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"> and how </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><i>high</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"> a food spikes our blood sugar: the higher it goes, the lower it will crash a few minutes later. This occurs over and over until one becomes resistant to insulin (the hormone that regulates carbohydrates and fat in the body by pulling the glucose from the blood.) Once a person becomes resistant, and this is the key to Dr. Strand’s study, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><b>a calorie is no longer just a calorie</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">. The simple math of working off more calories than you eat to lose weight doesn’t add up any more. And that is how “suddenly” we get a belly! AKA: a muffin top. What’s worse (and maybe of more interest to the mom’s reading this article) is that statistically 1/3 of all children born after 2000 will develop type-2 diabetes due to this insulin resistance epidemic.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">Dr. Strand’s <u><a href="http://www.healthconceptsint.com/hfl-hub/hfl-hub">Healthy For Life Program</a></u> is a triad approach, which includes a low glycemic diet, moderate exercise, and nutritional supplementation at optimal levels. I won’t go into great detail of his program, but here is an overview:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><b>Low Glycemic Diet</b>: This isn’t overwhelming, unrealistic or really all that difficult. He breaks it up into 2 phases and it includes the use of meal replacements, low glycemic meals and snacks, and journaling.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><b>Moderate Exercise</b>: Not a marathon. Simply walk briskly for 30 minutes, 3-5 days per week. What better time to start than in the Spring!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><b>Nutritional Supplementation: </b>The FDAs recommended values for vitamins and minerals were not meant for preventing or reversing major health issues. Rather, they were created to be the minimum necessary to avoid scurvy (and the like)! To see actual health <i>benefits</i> you must supplement at what Dr. Strand calls <i>optimal levels</i>. Dr. Strand has strong requirements from nutritional health companies to recommend their supplements to his patients. You can read his article on <u></u><a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-jGrvzre3_iUk9BcVdFTW9SVWkyQjk2UFE4WG1Tdw">“Choosing High Quality Nutritional Supplements” here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">Combined, this triad approach to healthy living has been clinically proven to reverse diabetes, reduce triglycerides, increase good cholesterol (HDL), and as a <i>side effect</i>, release fat resulting in <b>weight loss</b>! But as I mentioned above, <i>you don’t have to be overweight to have insulin resistance</i>. Even thin people can have insulin resistance (also known as a silent killer.) To find out if you might have insulin resistance or for more information on nutritional and preventative medicine, <a href="mailto:shaunasheets@gmail.com?subject=Homeschooling%20Autism%20Blog%20Request">email me</a>, and I will send you additional information.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">I want to thank @homeschoolingautism mom, Allison Trotter, for inviting me to write for her this week. To learn more about Dr. Strand, his Health Concepts, and Healthy for Life Program, go to <a href="http://www.healthconceptsint.com/">www.healthconceptsint.com</a>. For a free 30 day FREE trial of his program, use coupon code SS2012HCI.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div>Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-84224857552490043812012-03-26T16:58:00.000-07:002012-03-26T17:39:14.239-07:00How I "Do It"<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YdyTfcQPRhg/T3EAdF-pbSI/AAAAAAAAAYM/-ExvSzkm8j8/s1600/421725_3316012177716_1190556695_3211733_783182325_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YdyTfcQPRhg/T3EAdF-pbSI/AAAAAAAAAYM/-ExvSzkm8j8/s320/421725_3316012177716_1190556695_3211733_783182325_n.jpg" width="239" /></a>I have been asked a lot lately, in reference to homeschooling Jackson, "How do you do it?" Usually, I just shrug and say, "I don't know. I just do it." But I got to thinking about that question and had a bit of an epiphany as a result.<br />
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Homeschooling is not common where I live. People in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County, Virginia take a lot of pride in how great the public school system is here in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Most families, in my immediate community of Sleepy Hollow, are run by parents who both have college degrees and often advanced education as well. Homeschooling is just not considered necessary or even practical. I wouldn't say it is frowned upon, just not given much thought as a desirable alternative.<br />
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To add to that, families from all of the world move to this area to get public educational services for their special needs children because of the high quality and diversity of offerings. It really is an amazing educational area that deserves a tremendous amount of praise and admiration.<br />
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<i>It just wasn't the right fit for Jackson. </i><br />
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<i></i>So I homeschool because I have to. I do it because I need to, and I do it because everyone else failed, and I refuse to fail Jackson. But that does not explain <b>how</b> I can do it with so much energy and optimism, with so much joy and enthusiasm...with so much genuine happiness. <br />
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Here is a great blog entitled, <a href="http://thelifeunexpected.com/archives/1705" target="_blank">"Dear School Personnel, Community Members, Teacher, Parents and Neighbors</a>, by Marianne Russo, a well known and respected voice in the autism community. She speaks to the heart of the special needs mother who feels "overwhelmed, confused, heart broken and struggling to unravel the complexities before her." It is a plea to not judge or persecute her or her child but to extend compassion and understanding. It is a heart-wrenching a totally honest look inside the spirit of many special needs mothers...<br />
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<i>It is just not how I feel. I am not overwhelmed or confused. I am not heartbroken or angry. I am not tired or frustrated. </i><br />
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Lon Solomon, the pastor of McLean Bible Church, said on Saturday night,<b> "Do not tell me what an omnipotent God can do!" </b>And that statement perfectly reflects how I feel about how I have the energy and passion to homeschool an autistic teenager. <b>Do not tell me</b> how tired I am supposed to be or how frazzled he is supposed to make me...because I am not. Homeschooling Jackson has given me a renewed spirit and vigor that I haven't felt in a while. He energizes me and motivates me to be a better mother, teacher, friend, and person. <br />
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Paul and I, for all our sarcasm and rigid emotional exteriors, are both eternal optimists! We believe that anything is possible, and honestly think that we can overcome any challenge or obstacle in our way. We are mini bulldozers and refuse to be derailed from whatever path we feel God has led us on. Some people might call us foolish or reckless. Many friends and family have questioned our various decisions over the past 15 years, but we move forward with a confidence and hope that is hard to explain but easy to see in our everyday lives. <br />
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Homeschooling Jackson is just one of many outrageous things the Lord has called us to do and we know there are many more crazy things on the horizon for the Trotter family and hope we can have the same unashamed optimism for them as well! <br />
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</div>Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-16638143059841444812012-03-10T05:35:00.002-08:002012-03-10T05:37:00.919-08:0013 Years Ago TodayIt is Saturday, March 10th 2012 and 13 years ago today, I woke up to a very different life. Shockingly, I didn't drink coffee or wine. I was organized and disciplined. I was ideological and judgmental. I had never heard of Osama Bin Laden, iPhones or autism. If someone had told me what 2012 would be like, I would have laughed and said, "you left out the flying cars!"<br />
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<b>March 10th, 1999 Kitzingen, Germany</b><br />
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I woke up at the crack of dawn because I hadn't been able to sleep in weeks. I was 40 weeks pregnant and tired. We lived in a tiny government issued, war-time apartment in a beautiful small town in northern Bavaria. Paul's first assignment with the Army was in Germany and we were so young, but so wide-eyed and excited to be on this new adventure together. Although we had no family within 3000 miles, we had friends, many of whom have come to be our dearest in the world...Kathleen, Dan, Shauna & Stacey. <br />
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Jackson was born at 4:30pm and after deciding at the last minute to change his name from Caleb Robert to Jackson Paul, we took home a perfectly healthy and wonderful baby boy along with all of our hopes and dreams for him.<br />
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If you had asked me what I thought Jackson would be like on his 13th birthday, I would have laughed and said: big, loud, messy and smelly with an attitude. I knew very little about 13 yr old boys and frankly could not imagine my sweet little baby boy as a teenager. <br />
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<b>March 10th, 2012 Falls Church, Virginia</b><br />
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I woke up at the crack of dawn because I heard Jackson roaming around downstairs and didn't want him to wake up Paul who has been so tired lately and needs his sleep. As I come out of my room, J strolls up to me, gives me the most genuine hug, kisses me on the cheek and says, "Good morning mom, I love you. Come this way", as he leads me downstairs to the coffee maker where he knows I gravitate this early in the morning. He flops down on the couch, pulls the blanket up under his chin and watches the news while I wake myself up with some strong coffee and check my email.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JIT8LXaJB5I/T1tWKnj70RI/AAAAAAAAAXo/hNEiMwE41rI/s1600/DSC_0484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JIT8LXaJB5I/T1tWKnj70RI/AAAAAAAAAXo/hNEiMwE41rI/s320/DSC_0484.JPG" width="184" /></a>Birthdays always lend themselves to reflection, and today is no different. Thirteen is a big milestone for some, but for Jackson, it seems less significant. Not because he has autism, but because his whole life has been significant and I have no new or higher expectations for him today that I did not have for him yesterday. Today does not mark the beginning of his manhood, we are not going to send him out into the woods to kill a bear or teach him how to shave. Jackson's impact on the world is not determined by his age, but by his spirit...and God has blessed him with an incredible spirit that has changed countless lives already. <br />
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As I am sitting here, I realize that autism has not taken anything from him, it has rearranged some things, but underneath all the challenges, lies a big, loud, messy and smelly boy with an attitude...just as I envisioned all those years ago...I just got a different attitude than I expected:)<br />
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-80335183211870380072012-02-21T12:15:00.000-08:002012-02-21T17:30:21.803-08:00Mom's Daily Homeschool Schedule!A lot of people having been asking me lately how I manage to get everything done now that I am homeschooling Jackson. I think those closest to me worry that I have taken on too much and it will negatively impact me on a variety of levels.<br />
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Prior to pulling him out of public school around Halloween, I was substitute teaching on a regular basis and/or part-time teaching reading, but did have plenty of free days as well. Now that I have J home everyday, I have rearranged a few things, but have found a nice rhythm that seems to meet all our needs, without adding unnecessary stress. So please don't worry about me - I have the best life and find plenty of time to take care of myself:) <br />
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I thought I'd write up schedule for a typical day for me and give you a behind the scenes look at how I keep it all running relatively smoothly and keep my sanity as well. I found this blog entitled <a href="http://www.hiphomeschoolmoms.com/2012/02/what-kind-of-mom-are-you/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+hiphomeschoolmoms%2FsppS+%28Hip+Homeschool+Moms%29&utm_content=FaceBook" target="_blank">"What Kind of Mom are You?"</a> and it is awesome! I am definitely a <b><i>"Rountine Lover" </i></b>which puts me at a personality type of A-, which is a perfect description of how I run both my personal life and our homeschool day!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aqnwLC64HvM/T0PxsX36rhI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/6_t5kbcygUc/s1600/coffeesleep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aqnwLC64HvM/T0PxsX36rhI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/6_t5kbcygUc/s200/coffeesleep.jpg" width="136" /></a><b>7:30-8:00 </b> Drink 2 cups of coffee, let the dog out, eat some yogurt, check email, news, Facebook, Twitter, etc...<br />
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<b>8:00-8:30</b> Get Caroline up (not an easy task), make her breakfast and pack her lunch, make Jackson breakfast<br />
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<b>8:30-8:45</b> Drive C to school (usually in my PJs and slippers)<br />
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<b>8:45-9</b> Help J shower. While he gets himself dressed, I get my yoga clothes on<br />
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<b>9-9:30</b> J and I do yoga together, then read a Bible devotional book and do some out loud reading (we are currently reading a poem book). <br />
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<b>9:30-9:45</b> Quickly change out of my yoga clothes and try to look presentable for the day<br />
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<b>9:45-11</b> Shopping w/ J...grocery shopping, cleaners, library, Target, CVS, Starbucks, car wash, etc...This gets easier everyday as he has more understanding of social expectations for behavior. We usually have a great time just tooling around town! Once we get home, I have until 11 to unpack and organize anything we bought because at 11 on the dot...<br />
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<b>11-11:30</b> We do a Math lesson & work<br />
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<b>11:30-12</b> I make J's lunch which lately has been corn pasta and fruit and my lunch which is usually leftovers<br />
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<b>12-12:30</b> While J is on the iPad, I prep his lessons for the afternoon and try to clean up from the whirlwind morning<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47kbaKwIAWk/T0PxE1PFQVI/AAAAAAAAAXI/mVDUAf4xPy0/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47kbaKwIAWk/T0PxE1PFQVI/AAAAAAAAAXI/mVDUAf4xPy0/s200/photo-1.JPG" width="149" /></a><b>12:30-1</b> J and I walk Duke, go for a short hike around the lake or play Wii Fit together<br />
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<b>1-1:30</b> We do a Language Arts lesson & work<br />
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<b>1:30-2</b> I teach J how to do daily chores which have included: filling and emptying the dishwasher, cleaning his room, vacuuming, sweeping, or picking up junk left strewn around the house.<br />
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<b>2-2:30 </b> We do a Social Studies or Science lesson & work<br />
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<b>2:30-3</b> While J does an iPad reading lesson on the couch, I clean up the books, supplies and work from the school day and prep the lessons for the next morning<br />
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<b>3-4</b> School day over!! At this point I have 1 hour until C gets home, so I try to do NOTHING and just relax alone somewhere in the house. I read a book, check the computer, watch TV, take a shower, workout, talk on the phone...whatever I want essentially:)<br />
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<b>4-4:15</b> Pickup C from school<br />
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<b>4:15-5</b> Hang out w/ C & help her w/ her homework<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BbVCUSHwG90/T0PyEy3lmNI/AAAAAAAAAXY/uKUAdaZXU7o/s1600/DSC_0221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BbVCUSHwG90/T0PyEy3lmNI/AAAAAAAAAXY/uKUAdaZXU7o/s200/DSC_0221.jpg" width="142" /></a><b>5-5:30</b> Paul gets home from work and we all get ready for whatever basketball event is going on that night: practice, games, Georgetown games, games on TV, etc...<br />
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<b>5:30-6 </b> Make snack or early dinner for Paul, C and I before they head out for basketball, make J dinner (special dietary needs)<br />
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<b>6-7:30</b> Putter around house cleaning up, putting laundry away, doing dishes, etc...Occasionally workout if feeling motivated<br />
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<b>7:30-8</b> Prep lessons for following day, answer emails, blog, tweet, etc... Paul and C usually come home during this time and heat up dinner leftovers if hungry<br />
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<b>8 </b> BEDTIME!!! Paul handles these duties: vitamins, teeth, pray, and read while I finish cleaning up and then open a bottle of wine!<br />
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<b>8-10:30</b> 2 1/2 hours of blissfully uninterrupted time on the couch w/ Paul and no kids! C comes downstairs occasionally to tell us something she deems urgent, but otherwise we just sit and talk, laugh, drink wine and relax from the day! <br />
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<b>10:30-11ish</b> Bedtime...We can rarely stay up past 11 these days...but I sleep like a baby until...<br />
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<b>7:30</b> Paul kisses me on the forehead when he leaves for work, and I roll out of bed to start the whole process over again...<br />
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903872741333476823.post-85146633896152315882012-02-08T15:12:00.000-08:002012-02-09T05:28:49.748-08:00My New Teaching Style: Less Talky More Laughy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Math has always come easily to Jackson. He is not a numbers genius or anything, in fact, I find it offensive that some people think all kids with autism have some weird super-math brain. He is just a like any other kid with a normal aptitude for math, but since he struggles so profoundly with language-based subjects, he excels in math by comparison. <br />
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However, teaching math to Jackson has not always come easily. Traditional classroom educators relay so heavily on verbal instruction that any student who struggles with audio-processing is going to get frustrated very easily. I found this to be true with Jackson during our first month of homeschooling. <br />
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When we pulled him out of Poe Middle School, after 8 weeks of being there, he had done "zero academic work". So I had to go all the way back to May of 2011 to get a sense of where to start with him. I decided to start him at the beginning of 3rd grade math just to sort out his strengths and weaknesses. I quickly discovered that his math skills were extremely unbalanced. He accelerated in telling time, counting money and basic computation skills, but had no concept of greater than/less than, rounding, estimating, or measurement. And while he could add, subtract and multiply well, he could not do any of them at an advanced level (i.e. regrouping or multiple digits). <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jx0t_gaFqIM/TzL1Zu7EhLI/AAAAAAAAAWk/gwuFBvE-efA/s1600/MM3SBWeek10+copy+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jx0t_gaFqIM/TzL1Zu7EhLI/AAAAAAAAAWk/gwuFBvE-efA/s400/MM3SBWeek10+copy+copy.jpg" width="307" /></a>I based his early math curriculum around a cool online resource by <a href="http://www.educationcreations.com/" target="_blank">Education Creations</a> called <i>Morning Math</i>. These 1 page sheets provided me with a succinct overview of his skills. I spent about 2 weeks evaluating him with these worksheets. During this time, I discovered that he was very resistant to me giving him math "lessons", almost to the point where I could not say anything out loud for fear of getting a pencil thrown at my head. He preferred to just do the work in silence and ask me questions as they arose. He needed to be in control of the volume and tone of the educational experience. This spoke to me of a deep sensory processing issue that was probably just seen as disobedience and defiance in the public school setting... "i.e. he is just being a pain in the a**" type observation by his teachers. This thought still makes me sick to my stomach just writing it down now...<br />
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At this point, I took a step back and tried to think about how I was going to teach him higher level math concepts without speaking out loud! That's right, you read that correctly...I had to figure out how to teach without talking. I guarantee no traditional university has an educational class on that! But I knew that was THE roadblock preventing him from progressing and instead of trying to change his learning style, I needed to change my teaching style to meet his learning needs. <br />
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I tried using other methods geared towards the visual/kinesthetic learner, but those still relied heavily on the teacher's verbal cues. And although Jackson's language skills are significantly delayed, he does not need a picture-card system to explain things. He can read and communicate well enough that those are a bit patronizing from both his and my perspective. So that left me at another dead end. <br />
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So I went to the only area I knew he responded to and that was humor. He loves to laugh and he loves when people think he is funny. How in the world would I use that to teach him subtraction regrouping!?! Well it all came together one afternoon when in December when Caroline suggested that I try using boxes to illustrate borrowing. I wrote a problem on the white board and walked him through it, without talking, but just quietly drew boxes around the numbers that needed to be regrouped and for whatever reason, he thought that was hilarious...he kept talking about Spongebob's box and started to immediately draw his own boxes around the numbers and while he rambled on and on about Spongebob, he began to subtract quickly and accurately. I just smiled and kept writing problems on the board and we walked through them together, him jibber-jabbering away and me laughing hysterically at his jokes.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yphCsAdfUfs/TzL2kGb2ktI/AAAAAAAAAW0/DsmV-semz6c/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yphCsAdfUfs/TzL2kGb2ktI/AAAAAAAAAW0/DsmV-semz6c/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">And that is how in the last 2 months I have been able to bring Jackson all the way through 3rd grade math and into 4th early grade having </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><b>learned</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> such things as:</span><br />
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<i>4 digit subtraction regrouping</i><br />
<i>Advanced addition</i><br />
<i>2 digit multiplication</i><br />
<i>Division up to 10</i><br />
<i>Addition & subtraction of fractions</i><br />
<i>Equivalent fractions</i><br />
<i>Greater/less than</i><br />
<i>Rounding & estimating</i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Df33GwDz3YM/TzL2GywsKwI/AAAAAAAAAWs/dUHaeifVX74/s1600/393946_10150655256887228_171503872227_11043651_697391124_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Df33GwDz3YM/TzL2GywsKwI/AAAAAAAAAWs/dUHaeifVX74/s320/393946_10150655256887228_171503872227_11043651_697391124_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Notice I did not say that I <b>taught</b> him these subjects, because I have not. He has learned them through the slow and methodical building of skills by repetition and reinforcement with a non-stop string of jokes pouring out of his mouth. I do not laugh at him, but have learned to appreciate his sense of humor and laugh with him so he feels understood and appreciated in a way I don't think he ever has before. By creating an environment of acceptance and recognition, he has been able to absorb the information and process it in a way that fit his learning style - which I now call "Laughter-Processing". <br />
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To quote Jackson:</div>
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<b><i>"Now that is funny, and I know funny." </i></b></div>
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<br />Allison Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07966715425606811768noreply@blogger.com0