The Benefits of Animals for Kids with Autism

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

This is a post in the weekly Autism Hopes series by Lisa Quinones-Fontanez, a mom who blogs over at AutismWonderland.

Recently there was a study on the positive results animals had on children with autism. And I know of many autism parents who have expressed that their kids have a special bond with their pets – usually dogs.

Our building complex doesn’t allow pets and Norrin doesn’t have much interaction with dogs. He’s terrified of them, actually. And on the occasion he sees one on the street, he tries to run away. Which makes navigating certain blocks of Manhattan interesting since every other person is walking a dog.

My husband and I have spent a great deal of time trying to teach Norrin about animals – it continues to be a work in progress. Norrin’s been around cats, dogs, ponies, birds and fish. And in each interaction, I’ve seen different things:

Gentleness. Last summer we visited an aquarium in Connecticut and we let Norrin enter the bid house to feed the birds. He was timid by all the birds flying overhead but he was laughing, giggling. But as my husband demonstrated what needed to be done, I watched as Norrin held out his hand to feed the bird. His other hand, still at his side. He knew that any rapid movements would scare away the birds.

Understanding. Norrin is scared of dogs. The barking, the sudden movements – make him anxious. But still, he is interested in them and he’s curious. My best friend has two dog and two cats and it usually takes a lot of coaxing to get him into the apartment. But after a while, Norrin gets used to the pets. He understands that they must all share the space while he’s there. Sometimes, he’s even okay if one of the pets get close to him.

Focus: A few weeks ago, we took Norrin for a pony ride – his first. The kid who refuses to get on the carousel got on a pony. And he LOVED it! I admit I was a little surprised. After a few laps around the stables, we came home – the rest of the afternoon, Norrin was so focused, so calm – able to concentrate. And now we’re thinking of looking into hippotherapy.

I don’t know what it is about autism and animals. Maybe it’s easier for autistics to connect with animals. I’ve read about that. Reading about the benefits about animals and kids with autism is one thing, seeing it is another. And to see it for myself is really special.

Have you seen a connection between your child and animals?

AutisMate: A New App for Individuals with Autism

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

This is a post in the weekly Autism Hopes series by Lisa Quinones-Fontanez, a mom who blogs over at AutismWonderland.

A few weeks ago in an effort to get my seven-year-old son, Norrin, settled into a routine, we (our amazing therapist) created a visual schedule. It’s been so helpful for  us that I was thinking of creating schedules for other parts of our day – after school, bedtime, weekends. But I’m as crafty as Norrin’s therapist and it’s just one more thing on my never ending to do list. So when I was asked to review AutisMate, a new app for the iPad, I immediately said yes!

AutisMate is an iPad app that is designed to overcome the developmental challenges associated with autism by utilizing a more comprehensive, holistic approach that emphasizes the interconnected issues of communication and behavioral skills together.

Jonathan Izak, founder of AutisMate, collaborated with over 300 special educators, tech experts, clinicians and parents to create the app.  However, Izak, was inspired by his younger brother Oriel who is autistic and nonverbal. Empathetic to the frustrations individuals with autism may have, Izak describes his brother as “someone yearning to communicate with the outside world.” The AutisMate is designed to help alleviate those frustrations. More importantly, AutisMate can be personalized to suit individual needs and to grow with the user.

Within minutes of downloading AutisMate, I was immediately impressed. It is so user friendly and offers plenty of help along the way. The “My House” menu features several rooms in a house. One of the many cool things about this app, is that you can upload pictures of rooms in your own home to replace the default photos. You can also download additional scenes like “My Pets,” “Dining Room” or “The Park.” And since the AutisMate is GPS enabled – you can create your own scenes.

The Kitchen is one of my favorite rooms. Norrin likes to click on the hands by the sink – a video of someone washing their hands pops up.

We are really working on toothbrushing – this scene will be helpful for us. By clicking on the toothbrush a video pops up of a little boy brushing his teeth.

On the bottom right corner of each scene there is a  ”1 2 3 star” – by clicking on that, the visual scheduler appears – another of my favorite features! The “Brushing teeth” visual schedule even has a timer to show kids how long they should be brushing. After checking off each step, they work until they reach their reward (goal). Again, you are able to create your own visual schedules and customize it with your own photos.

The sentence builder will be especially useful for individuals who are not only non-verbal but for those who want to expand their vocabulary. By clicking on each picture, you can create a sentence and have the sentence repeated to you.

I’m not tech savvy at all, but this was easy enough for me to navigate and figure out. And I’m excited to create new schedules for Norrin and incorporate this into his daily routine. Norrin has been having fun with it too and the toothbrushing schedule and video is really helping us. This is something I could see us using for years.

The app is available via iTunes App Store for $149.99 and while it is on the more expensive side – it’s truly an investment and one that will grow as your child grows.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary app for review, all opinions are my own

When You Know One Special Needs Mom…

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

This is a post in the weekly Autism Hopes series by Lisa Quinones-Fontanez, a mom who blogs over at AutismWonderland.

A few weeks ago I went to a party. Now, it’s not often that I get to go out to a party on a Saturday night. And it’s certainly not often that I attend a party where I know no one other than the host. And as friendly as I am – I can be quite shy. I’m not good at walking up to strangers at a party and striking up a conversation. I can very easily hold up any wall.

But I really like the woman (another special needs mom who has been so helpful in my journey) who invited me and it was an opportunity to get out. When my husband dropped me off, I assured him I wouldn’t be home late. “I’ll be home before before eleven.”

I entered the apartment and kissed the host hello. I scanned the room even though I knew I wouldn’t recognize anyone. There were couples and clusters of friends in almost every corner. I poured myself a glass of wine and pretended to examine the art on the walls. (Thank goodness, my host had a beautiful collection to keep me occupied.)

A few awkward smiles and hellos to strangers later – I was ready to call it a night and be home in time to kiss my son Norrin goodnight.

Then my host started handing out stickers to some of the guests – on the stickers were 3 letters, “SNB” (Special Needs Board). It was a way for guests to identify other special needs parents. (Brilliant!)

Within minutes I was chatting with a couple whose son attended the same school as my son. Then I started talking to another  couple. By the time the party was in full swing – I was laughing with a group of women. All special needs moms. We shared our stories, exchanged advice, complained about the NYC school bus strike.

The thing I love about meeting another special needs mom for the first time is that automatic comfort level. The ability to have a conversation without having to stop and explain a term or acronym. That feeling that someone understands.

I had such a good time, I didn’t leave until close to midnight.

So the next time you’re invited to a party hosted by a special needs mom and you’re on the fence about going because you think you won’t know anyone. GO! Because if you know one special needs mom – you know a network of special needs moms.  And it feels good connecting with a network who gets you.

How Kids With Autism Express Their Love

Thursday, February 14th, 2013

This is a post in the weekly Autism Hopes series by Lisa Quinones-Fontanez, a mom who blogs over at AutismWonderland.

Today is Valentine’s Day and love is in the air. My son, Norrin, is seven years old and I can count the times that he’s said “I love you” to me spontaneously. When I tell him I love him, he usually says it back (I never taught him to say it). Or he just says “yes” (and that makes me smile). I don’t know if he understands what love means. Love is an abstract concept for many kids with autism to understand. But I know that Norrin loves me, he doesn’t need to say it with words – he shows me.

I asked some autism mom bloggers how their kids show their love and this is what they shared:

Lizbeth, Four Sea Stars: Alex sighs when I give him a kiss goodnight. Like a big peaceful, happy sigh. That and he says, “I love you,” when I give him the go-ahead to play minecraft.

Beth, Maternal Instincts: Every morning, first thing, and every night as I tuck him into bed, Nik will lean in to me to give me a soft kiss on the lips. He lets me give him kisses all the time and he’ll give them to me when I ask. But these two times –the bookends of the day– he gives them freely. It is also the only time he looks me directly in the eyes. I live for those moments of connection. [Nik is non-verbal and 9 years old]

Varda, Squashed Mom: It was really really important to me that Jacob’s ABA therapists never taught him to say “I love you” as a rote thing. I was even ok with the idea of him never saying it back to me, because nothing would be worse than him saying it and never knowing if it was because he felt it and understood what it meant or because it had been taught as the “correct” response, So that the first time he told me “I love you Mommy!” – he was about 5 – I knew it was completely spontaneous and real.

Sunday, Adventures of Extreme Parenthood: Every morning as my boys ride off to school in their bus I do the sign for “I love you”. Last year when Sam was about to turn 9 he waved to me and held up his hands and did a perfect Spock “Live long and prosper” sign back to me. I know for sure my boys know I love them but in that instant I knew without a doubt that Sam loved me back.

Diane, Our Adventures with Riley: Ri will ask “Can I kiss you gently?” and then plant a kiss ever-so-gently on my cheek.

Patty, Pancakes Gone Awry: I know Danny loves me because even when he needs a break from the whole world, even when he’s tired of his siblings, his classmates and everyone, he will let me sit with him quietly. I will ask him if he wants me to leave him alone and he will say, “No, you can stay.” Sometimes he’ll talk to me about LEGOs or Minecraft. And other times we just sit there quietly together.

Jessica, Don’t Mind the Mess: I see signs of love in physical affection. Graham wants to sit on my lap, he wants to lay on me, he wants me to hold him close. And, of course, sometimes when he doesn’t want me to go he’ll wrap himself around my leg.

Miz Kp, Austistic Seas: My son Angel can’t say I love you. but I know he does when he saids “kiss kiss” and plants one on my cheek. His actions speak louder than any words.

Jennifer, Want a Peanut: Because my son is non-verbal, Moe expresses love in more subtle ways, like the way he leans his head on my shoulder when we sit together on the couch. His babysitters also report he looks for me when I’m not there. The first time they told me that, I cried!

How does your child show that he/she loves you? 

For Kids With Autism, It’s All About Consistency, Schedules, and Routines

Wednesday, February 6th, 2013

This is a post in the weekly Autism Hopes series by Lisa Quinones-Fontanez, a mom who blogs over at AutismWonderland.

I cannot take credit for making this – Norrin’s therapist did.

From the moment I learned that my seven-year old son was diagnosed with autism, the three words I heard over and over again were: consistency, schedule, and routine. Now, I’m an organized person but keeping to a routine has never been my strong suit. And as much as I try to set a routine – it’s hard. There are just too many schedules involved. Our lives are too hectic. And I want Norrin to be the kind of kid to just go with the flow, because life is so often unpredictable.

There are times when I forget that Norrin has autism. Since he’s my only child, I take for granted that many of his characteristics are simply part of his personality. And then when his routine gets messed up and he has a meltdown – I’m like, oh yeah – that’s the autism.

The reality is – sometimes Norrin just can’t go with flow.

I’ve been struggling to get back into a consistent routine since last fall, especially after I was stranded in Texas due to Hurricane Sandy. That week I was away really upset him – he still says, “Mommy’s in Texas,” sometimes when I’m  leaving for work or coming home late.

And almost two weeks out of school because of the New York School Bus Strike, having our daily routine change from day to day ,hasn’t helped either.

When Norrin’s routine is disrupted, his behavior changes as well as his sleep patterns. He becomes anxious and emotional.

The other day, our home therapist suggested we create a schedule for Norrin. I’ll admit it’s been something that I’ve been meaning to do. I just didn’t know how to go about setting one up.

A few days later, our therapist arrived with a schedule for Norrin. We’ve been using it for the last few weeks and it’s really working. Norrin especially likes arranging his schedule.  And on days when I forget about keeping up with it, Norrin reminds me.

Do you use a schedule with your kids?