Taylor has been in Kindergarten for a little over 2 months now and I would be lying if I told you she’s doing wonderfully.

The fact is, she’s struggling, and it shows.

She loves going to school, but to her it’s a game.  She enjoys her day, but when it comes to doing any “work” and participating in things like gym she outright refuses.

I was so sure she’d transition into this new school well.  Not seamlessly, but well.  She usually does so well with big transitions…until now, that is.

It almost seems like she has regressed.

Regressed.

I hate that word.  It sucks.

Her teachers and therapists don’t really think she’s regressed, but they do think she’s “protecting” herself.  In other words, she’s built up another wall and she’s hiding behind it.

I say “another” because it seems like there are many walls around her.  I wish we could break them down all at once, but this is a process, and a lengthy one at that.

So, we are pushing on day by day.  She has her good days and her not so good days.  I should mention that when she has a bad day that Taylor is not necessarily bad.  She will just refuse to work, but smile and laugh about it.  Have I ever mentioned that she’s really a happy kid??  

I’m glad she’s not “really bad” like destructive and stuff like that.  That is definitely a relief.  =)

Doug and I are disappointed by this turn of events because we had (and still do have) high hopes that Kindergarten would really be a big turning point in Taylor’s life.  We are trying to be optimistic, though.  Hopefully, it won’t be long until things improve.

Remember Adam Jasinski? I sure do.  He’s the jerkface guy that caused all the controversy on Big Brother 9 by using the R- word in reference to autistic children.  As a supposed “advocate” for disabled people, his remarks caused an uproar in the autistic community.

We haven’t heard too much from him in the past few months.  And that’s fine by me.  But today, a story popped up on several internet news sites about our old nemesis friend Adam.

Mr. BB9 winner (I didn’t even know he won.  How sad.) “was arrested Saturday as part of a drug-trafficking bust after attempting to sell 2,000 oxycodone pills to an undercover government witness”.  I guess he found a use for the prize money he won on BB9!

“If convicted, he faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, with three years’ subsequent supervised release and a $1 million fine.”  Again, so sad.

I seriously believe that this dude’s bad Karma finally caught up to him!

I just have one thing to say:  Have fun in the pokey, Adam!

(SOURCE: E! ONLINE)

Today, Life Unscripted is 3!

I can’t believe it’s been 3 years since the start of this blog!  In celebration of turning 3, here’s a photo of Taylor from 3 years ago…

And Taylor now…

Isn’t it amazing what happens in 3 years?  =)

Last week Taylor finished her summer classes.  In doing so, she wrapped up her 3 and a half year stint at her school.  Which means:  Taylor’s starting KINDERGARTEN!

On September 8th, she will offically be a kindergartener.  I’m really excited for her.  Not only does she get to go to a new school (which is a lot closer to home), but she will get to go full days!  I’m not sure how we’ll handle it (I’m sure she’ll do better than me…she LOVES school!), it’s going to be a huge transition.  But I really have no doubt that things will be great!

My little girl is growing up!  [Sniff!]

My sweet little girl is 6 years old today.

I have no idea where the last 6 years have gone.

She has grown up so quickly, in a blink of an eye.

Love you, Taters.

Happy Birthday. =)

More Wordless Wednesday participants here. 

It’s been a little over 2 weeks since Taylor got her glasses.  It was a struggle to keep them on her, at first, but now she’ll keep them on all day.

Quite frankly, I am amazed.  She has never likeed having anything on her face, and now she does all the time and doesn’t think anything of it.  Although, sometimes I think she gets sudden impulses to pull them off and does…this only happens a couple time a day and when she wears them for 12-13 hours a day, that is really nothing.

Her teachers at school noticed a difference immediately.  She is more focused and participates a lot more in everything.  She wasn’t shy, she couldn’t see!  (Really, she couldn’t…her prescription is strong!)

Oh, and did I mention that she looks gorgeous in them?

She’s really growing up, isn’t she?

Some time ago, I noticed that Taylor was tripping and falling.  A lot.  I chalked it up to the fact that she has always been an unsteady walker.  This is due to many things…mainly her autism and the fact that she didn’t walk until she was 2 1/2 (she also has very low muscle tone in her legs).

At her IEP back in October, we discussed this with her teachers and at first we thought she might have some ear problems (balance issues).  Then it was suggested that maybe she has vision problems.  It all started to click then…she has always had a “lazy eye” (her left one).  We had it checked out when she was little…way before her autism diagnosis.  At the time the doctor said her vision was fine and that the “lazy eye” was not affecting it .  He had said that the condition would most likely correct itself.

Unfortunately that has not been the case.  We have been seeing Taylor over reaching and overstepping, causing frustration and falls.  Turns out, after a seriously freaking fun visit to the ophthalmologist, that Taylor is farsighted in both eyes. (On a good note, they are the same….one is not worse than the other.)  So that means glasses for my little girl.

I’m not sure how this is going to play out.  Taylor is very sensitive to touch…especially on her face.  Having to keep glasses on all the time is going to be an issue for us.  I asked the ophthalmologist if she was going to prescribe some super glue to go with these glasses.  All I’m getting is a strap to help keep them on.  Yippee.

So, yesterday afternoon, we went to pick out Taylor’s glasses.  We tried several pairs on before settling on a cute pair of light pink (oh yeah!) frames with little oval rims.  She looks precious in them.  Surprisingly enough, every time I put a pair on her she went straight to the mirror to admire herself.  Not quite the reaction I had anticipated, but the real teat will be next week when we get them. Fun, fun!

On a related note, I think that if Emma were to ever need glasses, we’d be okay.  She tried on about every pair there and was bound and determined to leave with a pair, too.  I told her I’d buy her sunglasses this weekend and that seemed to work.  She’s too funny.

I’ll be sure to post some photos of her in her glasses soon!

See more Wordlessness here.

View all my work on my flickr photostream.

World Autism Awareness Day

April 1, 2009, 5:28pm

To encourage all member states to take measures to raise awareness of autism in society, the United Nations General Assembly supported a campaign to promote early diagnosis and intervention on autism and set April 2 of each year as World Autism Awareness Day.

Autism or Autistic Syndrome Disorder is a development disorder that affects the way a person communicates with and relates to people around him. It is usually first noticed when a child reaches the age of three and is basically identified by three areas of difficulty for the autistic person: Social relationships and communications, imagination and planning, and repetitive behaviors.

Some people with autism may never learn to talk. They engage in repetitive movements. They have a reduced sensitivity to pain but are abnormally sensitive to sound, touch, and other sensory stimulation. Some speak in a sing-song voice on topics, with little regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking. The autistic person may appear aloof and indifferent to those around him. He may be sociable with one person but may not be able to function in a group.

The cause of autism is not known and last throughout a person’s lifetime. Recent studies, however, strongly suggest that some have a genetic predisposition to autism. Researchers are looking for clues about genes that contribute to this increased susceptibility. Evidence also suggests that some emotional disorders such as manic depression occur more frequently than average in the families of people with autism. There is no cure but treatment can help. Treatments can include behavior and communication therapies and medicines to control symptoms. There are many strategies for helping an autistic child or person but the best ones are based on understanding the individual.

World Autism Awareness Day expresses deep concern for the prevalence and high rate of autism in children, the consequent developmental challenges it brings, and highlights autism as a growing global health crisis. The day also celebrates the unique skills and talents of people with autism. By bringing together all autism organizations worldwide on this day, we can give a voice to the millions of individuals who are undiagnosed, misunderstood, and looking for help.

Let us join together in our efforts to empower and respond to the needs of the autistic, and inspire compassion, inclusion, and hope vital to their cause.

This article on Autism Awareness Day is courtesy of  Manilla Bulletin Publishing Corporation.

Facts and Statistics

• 1 in 150 births
• 1 to 1.5 million Americans
• Fastest-growing developmental disability
• 10 – 17 % annual growth
• $90 billion annual cost
• 90% of costs are in adult services
• Cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3 with early diagnosis and intervention
• In 10 years, the annual cost will be $200-400 billion

Autism Statistics courtesy of the Autism Society of America.

^{Video courtesy of Autism Speaks.}

^{Please take the the time to learn a little about autism today.   Awareness is the key to finding the answers we are looking for!}