PLANET3RRY

Today is the beginning of the Knox County School’s Fall Break and other daycares, preschools, etc that aren’t associated with the County also follow the County’s School Schedule. So, there was a slight confusion this morning we Our Reliable and Resourceful Au Pair asked me, “Does The Younger have school (his Mother’s Day Out at a local Church) today?” It was clear (on the calendar and well announced to the kids) that there was no school for The Elder’s Kindergarten, but there wasn’t any indication (other than knowing that everything follows the school calendar) that others would share the same fall break.

Au Pair: Does The Younger have school today?

The Elder: (Very Eagerly and loudly) OOH OOH, I know Daddy! I Know the answer!

I bend down to his level and ask, “What is it?”

The Elder: (Matter of factly and softly) No.

It was very  funny to see him so animated and excited to share the information and then he proceed to “robot mode” to tell it to me. Not, “No! And we are going to play all day” or “No! The Younger doesn’t have school, just like me.” Just, “No.”

******

So that got me thinking about routines and schedules and changes. As everyone who has been in an U.S. school system knows, there are TONS of breaks and days off that are built into the school calendar, but the never seem like enough.

Seeing that ALL kids need structure, they need routine. It is so much easier to parent when there is routine, because everyone knows what to expect. Kids, like to know where the boundaries are, so they know what their limits are and they know when they are testing them (because THEY know!). And it’s much easier to parent when there is a routine established. OKay, so I established that routine is a good thing.

So what do Aspergians Kids do when there is a break in routine? They panic a little more, they worry a little more and it might be a trigger of some other (probably unwanted) behavior later on that is unrelated to what is actually happening at the time.

It’s not that Aspergian Kids are that much different when it comes to a break in routine. They do like to try new things or experience new places (sometimes) but they would prefer to be in their routine with their special interest. The AS kid is more like a big ship… they just needs more time to change course.

So, this past week The Elder had a substitute teacher last week prior to this week’s Fall Break. So that may have helped with breaking the whole “going to school everyday” routine since his “school” was already in a state of flux. We found it hilarious the comments that the Substitute left on his daily evaluation sheet… “needs to listen on first command” (in big red ink)

and we are like “Helllllllloooooo, do you know he is autistic? Have you read his IEP and he suppose to learn that by the end of the year?” It’s not a crack on the Sub, since they don’t know that he isn’t NT, but it’s just funny (now) to understand how The Elder’s mind works (and his motive for his actions) in relation to his peers.

I have started a new charity, it’s called Autistic Spectrum Disorder Athletes or ASDathletes for short. For a number of years I have wanted to start my own charity/foundation but wasn’t sure what the charity would be about or who it would help.

With the changes over the past year in my household, things just fell into place and PRESTO! ASDathletes was created. Right now, ASDathletes is not a not-for-profit chartable (YET), but I will be getting the paperwork in place to make it a 501(c)(3) organization, this will mean if you decide to donate to ASDathletes, you receive tax deduction benefits, I’ll make an announcement when that happens.

I am very excited about this, but also very scared.

The “working” mission statement is to help those under the umbrella of autism enjoy athletics.

Lets face it, Autism can be pretty expensive: Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Special Diets, etc. Participating in sports is often overlooked or not even considered because of the cost associated with sports. Soccer was an important part of my life and I see now the therapeutic benefits of playing soccer both social and physical. So I have created this charity to help support those who want to participate in sports and help mediate the cost. Who knows, maybe one day, I’ll be sponsoring an Autistic Olympian. It sure would be nice to have a business trip to London in 2012!!!

The website for the charity is www.asdathletes.org

Breakthrough Corporation
1805 Maryville Pike
Knoxville TN 37920

Dear Breakthrough Corporation,

Enclosed with this letter is a donation check for $477.00. That may seem like an odd amount (and literally, it is) but there is a reason for this unusual number. April 2^nd is World Autism Day, as you are well aware, and I did something special that day to help fellow people who have Autism.

One of my special interests is trading stocks and options. It’s a newly found interest and is a good fit for my personality, plus the potential to make lots of money makes it very useful. I decided that on World Autism Day I would take the highest winning trade and take profits on that trade and donate it to an Autism charity. It just so happens that trade was worth $477.00.

My next dilemma was to choose which worthy Autism charity to donate the money. It did not take me long to decide to keep it close to Knoxville. And since it just so happened that I was getting ready for Ribbon Run 5k on April 19^th, Breakthrough Corporation was fresh in my mind.

I look forward to Breakthrough Corporation making a larger impact in the Knoxville community. I’m also looking forward to participating in the Ribbon Run 5k in the years to come. My only regret is that I did not send this check in sooner.

Sincerely,

p.s. Here my blog entry on my plan for World Autism day: http://www.planet3rry.com/2008/04/02/world-autism-day/ and this is the result: http://www.planet3rry.com/2008/04/03/world-autism-donation-result/

Today is World Autism Day. Since The Elder and Myself both fall under the umbrella of Autism, this is our day, kind of.

Now, I don’t expect The Elder to do anything special for World Autism Day, well maybe he will in class since it’s a classroom of fellow Aspergers and High Functioning Austitic Kids. But I am committing to doing something special.

I am going to take the profits that I make from my highest single trade that day and donate it to an autism supporting charity. I am not sure who that will be. If we were playing yesterday, the profit that I took from my best trade was $418. Now it could have been 3x higher but I was chicken to let trade move. Anyway… today, I will make a trade and we will see how much of a donation I will be making.

Since I am making up the rules, I wonder if donating it to my kid would be a legitimate charity? NAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Stay Tuned for the Results

Rocky Top Markets is going to help us raise autism awareness by offering a fundraiser at their 38 locations in the East Tennessee area, which covers over 12 counties. This event will last during the months of April, May and June 2008. All proceeds will stay in the community and will benefit the Autism Society of America - East Tennessee Chapter and Breakthrough Corporation -Puzzle pieces will be offered for different levels starting with $1, $5 or $10 donations. Please help us to raise autism awareness in East Tennessee and support your local autism organizations at the same time!!!We are very excited about this event and need your support!!! We all want more autism services in east Tennessee - please help us to make this happen!!!We need you!!!

FIND A ROCKY TOP MARKET NEAR YOU (if you are traveling through Knoxville, shop HERE)

During the event, I am going to as may of the Rocky Top Markets as I can and donate $10 at each place for a puzzle piece, I’ll document it here on my blog. There, I said… it will come true now!

This Article has been around for some time now (Aug 2007). It’s the New Yorker article about Tim Page, an adult with Asperger’s, he recently spoke at the University of Missouri and here is the student newspaper article about the event. (Thanks to Redheaded Editor for the link)

It’s a nice article because it’s not as cumbersome as the New Yorker Article, but it does highlight a few typical Aspergian traits.

the part that struck me was the last two lines of the article:

 ”MU freshman Simone Francis, a journalism student who attended the event, said she had never heard about Asperger’s syndrome.

“It’s hard to grasp a problem like that when you don’t know how it feels,” Francis said.”

Yesterday I posted about Nathan, a young fencer who has Aspergers Syndrome. Well, I received an email from his father with some information about Nathan and his dog:

The dog came from Susquehanna Service Dogs in Harrisburg, PA. They train hearing dogs and service dogs. Many of the service dogs are for people in wheelchairs or for balance but they have also been using dogs for autism including Asperger’s. You might want to check out their site.

http://www.keystonehumanservices.org/ssd/ssd.php

Prise de Fer
(French : Literally take the steel); also “Taking the Blade”; an engagement of the blades that attempts to control the opponent’s weapon. See also beat, press, expulsion, bind, croisé, envelopment, opposition, transfer.

I was chatting online with one of my best friends from college and he sent me a PDF article from American Fencing Magazine about his cousin’s son (Nathan) who has Asperger’s Syndrome and also fences. Not as in White Picket but as in “ENGARDE!” type fencing.

Download the article in PDF form HERE (will open in new Window)

Nathan’s story is unique because of (what I guess) is some sensory issues associated in conjunction with the Asperger’s, running his hands through his service dog’s fur (the sensory part) helps lower the anxiety of being in the fencing arena (Aspergers). The Elder has a similar tick, which is pulling strings… which would NOT go over well with getting a service dog. The Loud and Lovable Skipper Doodle has enough to worry about just getting his tail pulled.

It’s pretty awesome that Nathan is participating in a sport that demands such physical coordination. Typical Aspergians have normal to poor body control which is why they are deemed “clumsy” or “uncoordinated”. To participate in this sport that requires precision is not only fun but also great therapy. Also, this type of sport is great because it gives him the atmosphere of competition but he doesn’t have the baggage of playing on a team sport. Sure, he has his own anxiety, everybody does, but for Aspergians “fitting in” on the team is often more difficult than not.

In the next episode of my running podcast Gravity@1053′ I am going to talk about why I think that running, especially marathons, is a perfect fit with my Aspergers. I’ll be publishing it on or near March 3rd. Plus, fencing will be coming to the forefront of the world this year. Okay, maybe not the forefront, but it’s part of The Olympics and this is An Olympic Year. Here’s the website to U.S. Fencing, in case you want to figure out what Passata-sotto is (hint: It’s NOT a new dish at Olive Garden)

I’m in a much better mind frame now then when I was just 1.25 hours ago. I made it to the bank, got the letter I needed, had some fees reimbursed, paid a bill that was late (and I didn’t know until last night), found a new (to me) recycling area, called a person that I didn’t want to call but did anyway, ate some chocolate…

Now, I am back at my desk with only my first diet coke of day and despite the drop in temperature, I am ready to run today.

oh… and it helps that I’m up about 20% in my investments! Well, at least right now… that could change but right now… all is good.

In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) the following is one of the symptoms for diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome (p77)B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
2. Apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals.

Here’s the scenario: Friday is Date Night. My Lovely and Talented Wife was going to have some business near my place of work, therefore it would be logical for me to take the bus in the morning and then she could pick me up after she was done and we could have date night downtown. Simple Right. Well, I was okay with this. On Friday’s The Elder does not have school, so my routine in the morning is flexible. The only requirement is that I have to get the trash out because Friday is Trash Day.

The bus that leaves from Farragut and goes to UT has two departure times: 6:45am and 7:15am. For me to make it to the bus stop, I have to leave my house somewhere between 10-15 minutes before the time that I wanted to get there. Therefore, I would need to leave the house around 6:30-6:35am or 7:00-7:05. I would still need time to get ready, Friday’s are casual day, so maybe 10 minutes max. I would need to get the trash together and at least make the kids their breakfast, another 15 minutes. Loading the car, eh, 5 minutes. Plus make my smoothie, another 5 minutes. So, I would need to wake up somewhere between 6-6:30am to have enough time to get ready on my own terms.

The Kids woke me up at 6:35. And The Younger was very clingy… The Elder was fine but soon would be falling into an Asperger/Sensory meltdown that would rupture my thought process and instead of getting to work 45 minutes EARLY, I would end up being 30 minutes LATE.

The beginning of the Scenario starts with breakfast. The Younger indicated that he wanted Grits and The Elder wanted “Daddy Oatmeal” (read: flavored oatmeal). So, I make the oatmeal and the grits, thinking that The Younger is going to switch his mind because The Elder wanted Oatmeal and The Younger does whatever Everyone Else does.

I let the breakfasts cool down and then set them in front of the kids. The Younger, begins to eat his food, unassisted and unprompted. The Elder begins to meltdown. He doesn’t want to eat his Oatmeal. He tosses his milk cup, gets naked, threatens to pee on the floor, runs to his room, screams, and when he is set into a “wait area” he is crying.

He’s in a state of not using his words to tell us what is bothering him, even though we know that he can. Everything is familiar… bowl, spoon, milk, even the presentation of oatmeal is the same. Telling him that he has to eat his breakfast is making him meltdown even further. My Lovely and Talented Wife put the timer on the stove and tells him that he has 5 minutes to eat his oatmeal and then finally we get some indication on why he has been acting like a maniac.

It turns out that he didn’t want the spoon that I gave him. The same spoon that I’ve served him the last 3 times, instead he wanted the smallest (infant sized) version of our silverware. Once he got this spoon he ate his food without a problem and without fuss.

In contrast, our fairly neurotypical child, ate all of his grits with a regular sized spoon. Told us he was finished and asked up politely for more food.

So, back your Host (me)… this episode ended around 7:40 and so for me to get the rest of my stuff together, the trash, get ready for work… I finally left the house right after 8:05… totally in the wrong frame of mind because my routine, has been altered and even delayed because now I am late. It didn’t help that I missed my Breakfast Smoothie (for the second day in a row) and that I was late taking my anxiety meds.

Now, at work… I am very irritated and people are bothering me… just by talking amongst themselves. It’s distracting me from this post and I want to get this out. WON’T THEY JUST SHUT THE F- UP?

To screw up my routine even worse is that I have to do some bank stuff this morning… stuff that should have been taken care of without my assistance. And so… does this mean that I won’t get to workout… All HELL will break lose if I can’t do that. I need the comfort and routine of running to get back on the right path. I can tell that I am going to have chocolate cravings and drink extra diet coke this morning and afternoon.

But seeing that I am on the Spectrum and this is normal for me… I know how to control myself. I can now recognize what is happening and more importantly WHY. The Elder, doesn’t know why he’s acting the way he is… but we do. My Lovely and Talented Wife understands (better than I) how his Aspergian mind works and how it functions. So she can get the desired response (i.e. eat oatmeal) without her becoming too upset or frustrated… because SHE knows. Our marriage is MUCH MUCH better… because she KNOWS. It’s harder for me to see because I’m in the forest and can only see trees, but I am getting better at seeing the signs and understanding MY limitations. Because, if I … can get you to perceive that I am “pleasantly eccentric” then I’m on the right track.

So today… right now… is a little tough… but I know. And as I learned from the Neo-Classic (celebrating 25 years) GI Joe “Knowing is HALF the battle”…Doing is the other half.

Because of my inflexibility to adapt to the change in schedule… I’ve also met this criteria for Asperger’s Syndrome, which is one that I can usually overcome, especially when I around people I am NOT comfortable with as a way to appear normal.

A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
4. Lack of social or emotional reciprocity.  

One of the ladies here donated her hair to Locks of Love. Now this is a huge step for a woman… not only do have to plan for this… you have to be willing to make the huge change in hairstyle. My reaction this morning… indifference. I will have to make up for this later today when I have higher functioning… my coworker doesn’t understand how I am… so I’m sure that my body language was something closer to asshole jerk than someone who is impressed that she would take that step especially since she is helping others.

So… it’s now 10am… the fog of frustration is starting to lift and I have 2 hours to get stuff done so that I can workout today and get BACK into my routine.