Posts Tagged ‘Stimming’
The Beauty of Repetition
How many times have you watched that now? Like many 12 year olds, my daughter struggled to wake on a dark wet morning for school. To ‘soften’ the early start I said that after breakfast and getting dressed she could watch something for ten minutes before school. I knew exactly what she would watch and I was right. She watched the same episode of her current favourite programme for the 23rd time. As I walked her to school she asked if I had remembered her book. Due to current restrictions…
Read MoreA Letter Meant to Quiet an Already Silenced Child
The weather outside is glorious. So you capitalize on it and pop out to get some fresh air with your child. Outdoors is their happy place. The place where they can be free to run, and play, and holler, and giggle. The place where volume isn’t a factor, and you’ve not a care in the world. You can just “be”. For many individuals with Autism, just like our five year-old son Beckett, outdoors is a safe space. And one of the only true places that we get to witness the…
Read MoreWhat I Don’t Say
Autism is complex with many different angles and moving parts…as are those on the spectrum. All uniquely beautiful in their own way. My husband and I had a tough conversation today about all the parts we do not tell our friends and family…..the hard stuff. It is not my story to tell. It is his. My son’s. Sometimes I do have to share. To his teachers, to family and sometimes to friends. I never want to share that stuff. The raging meltdowns. Sometimes over something as small as a toy…
Read MoreNobody is Exempt
Isla’s first few months at the new ABA clinic were going great. She was learning a ton, and she really enjoyed seeing new therapists and kiddos each day as the clinic grew. However, with each new therapist came a new opportunity to test the limits and boundaries of her behavior. In about the second or third monthly parent training, I learned of a new behavior that was the most disturbing for me as a mother, a woman, and a healthcare professional. We were reviewing the graphs of Isla’s different behaviors,…
Read MoreReality Bites
I have 3 beautiful children. Ethan 13 and Gavin 9, have been diagnosed with Level III Autism, without intellectual impairment. My youngest Moira, 3, is just lacking that official stamp. Gavin showed textbook signs, lining up cars in perfect rows, total organization, sensory overload, late speech, I think I was ready for him, but I never quite put the pieces together with Ethan. Looking back I should have seen something. All the signs were there, but as a first time Mom you think, you’re overreacting. He NEVER wanted to be…
Read MoreThankful For All Those Who Have Crossed Our Path
My name is Stacy Hartmann. My husband Danny and I have been married for 8 years. We have a son named River, who is 5 and a daughter named Adeline, who is 2. We live near our families in Southern California where Danny works as a electrical engineer and I am a stay at home mom. River was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome just a year ago. While our son was the center of our world, my husband and I always knew something about him was different. As a baby he…
Read MoreThe Beautiful Parts of Stimming
One of my missions with this page is to give a glimpse inside our beautiful, unique world with severe, nonverbal autism. This photo is a perfect example. His mind is amazing. Cooper is absolutely in love with family photos. He even uses them to communicate. Thankfully, over the years he has relaxed a bit around them too. He used to take them out of frames, take them off the wall, even break the glass. Now, he just gathers them up, carries them around, spreads them out, studies them, shares them…
Read MoreA Letter to my Autistic Son
Dear sweet son, If you tell me why you fill my bathtub with stuff I will buy you a car. Or a real, life size, train car. Or all the Cheetos you could ever want. In fact, you name your price. I’ll buy it. I just need to know why emptying a shower of soap, shampoo and conditioner and walking it over to the bathtub makes so much sense to you. I want to know who you place each item so meticulously. I want to know why you are happiest…
Read MoreWhen Your Home Isn’t Your Safe Space
I am a home body. I always have been. I love being in the comfort of my home and it’s definitely my first choice when it comes to weekend plans. And I guess in a way, that’s a good thing, because Cooper’s autism brings a high level of isolation. Some could say I even settled into the isolation faster than my spouse. He is a social butterfly. Just like our other son. Lately though, the stress of being home is catching up with me. And it’s not just the isolation…
Read MoreLet’s Talk About Stimming
My son is six year’s old and on the severe end of the autism spectrum. When he was diagnosed, I had heard about stimming. I think we’ve all heard that word. To be perfectly honest though, I didn’t even know what stimming was. The definition is interesting: ‘Stim, stims or stimming is short for “self-stimulation”. Almost everyone does it (tapping feet, cracking knuckles, twiddling thumbs), but in autistic people these behaviors are more pronounced and may seem downright strange. Autistic people often engage in stimming when they are stressed, to…
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