 |
| I love Zach's little grin. |
 |
| A picture of my three sons... because I love them and they love each other! <3 |
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Zach loves his new tool
Here are some pictures of Zach enjoying his ipad while Linus looks on. I am still in the "discovery" phase of finding apps that are good. I am looking for more educational apps. My friend Cheryl clued me in to Bugs and Buttons, which is great. I will admit Zach does also like bowling apps and Temple Run. He has always enjoyed adventure and chaos!!! I wish I had gotten more suggestions (more than zero) from Zach's SLP... but I guess this is a learning situation for all of us. I can't figure out how to write more (besides captioning) beneath the pictures, so I will just add it here: if you have not been thanked in any way other than in the written word, you will be! One or two people at a time. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! And in case you were wondering, yes, Zach's Pepsi shirt is his favorite shirt! :D
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Happy birthday Zachary!
 |
| Zach and Linus enjoying watching Monica try her hand at "Perfection" |
Friday, December 21, 2012
Happy birthday to you, Zachary!
Tomorrow Zachary will be 17 :) I am ever thankful for his sense of humor (when we were watching "Father Christmas" last night something made him laugh so hard he cried. It was such a contagious laugh and though Monica and I could not figure out what tickled his funny bone so, it made us both laugh to hear his laughter bubbling over). I am grateful that he likes and accepts hugs. I am glad for his happiness, for times when he be-bops to music. I am thankful for his sweet and gentle nature towards animals and most of the time, his younger sibling. I am thankful that he is a part of our family. I won't sugar coat it at all. It is not the life I "assumed" I'd have (because I think most people go through life with certain assumptions about how things will go, including parenthood) but it is one which has challenged me to be a better person and it has shown me worlds I might never have understood had I not lived through them.
The other morning while waiting for the bus with Zach, my son took my hand in his big, soft hand and I had a fleeting "if" moment. The "if" moment is inevitable from time to time. Milestones make one particularly vulnerable to the "if" moment. A moment can become a focus if you let it, but doing so would be devastating, so they are to be avoided, or at the very least, not lingered upon. My "if" moment went something like this. As I looked up at my nearly 17 year old son I thought: If Zach was a typical teenager he would not be holding my hand. In fact we wouldn't be waiting for the bus together. He would run out the door like my other kids and catch the bus himself. There is the possibility he would already have earned his license, might have a girlfriend, would be looking at colleges to attend in a year or so.
As I stopped myself from thinking along those lines, more deeply into the "if", I smiled up at Zach with teary eyes and I told my son that I loved him. I thought about all of the amazing progress he has made over the years. I remembered the summer when he was 7 and for the first time addressed my husband and me by name! I thought thankfully about how his struggles have made me take Linus's development that much less for "granted" as most of us are wont to do.
This birthday I rejoice in Zachary. In the unique, mischievous, lovable person he is.
Happy birthday, Zachy!
The other morning while waiting for the bus with Zach, my son took my hand in his big, soft hand and I had a fleeting "if" moment. The "if" moment is inevitable from time to time. Milestones make one particularly vulnerable to the "if" moment. A moment can become a focus if you let it, but doing so would be devastating, so they are to be avoided, or at the very least, not lingered upon. My "if" moment went something like this. As I looked up at my nearly 17 year old son I thought: If Zach was a typical teenager he would not be holding my hand. In fact we wouldn't be waiting for the bus together. He would run out the door like my other kids and catch the bus himself. There is the possibility he would already have earned his license, might have a girlfriend, would be looking at colleges to attend in a year or so.
As I stopped myself from thinking along those lines, more deeply into the "if", I smiled up at Zach with teary eyes and I told my son that I loved him. I thought about all of the amazing progress he has made over the years. I remembered the summer when he was 7 and for the first time addressed my husband and me by name! I thought thankfully about how his struggles have made me take Linus's development that much less for "granted" as most of us are wont to do.
This birthday I rejoice in Zachary. In the unique, mischievous, lovable person he is.
Happy birthday, Zachy!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Education
I am inserting a backtrack in here... before we went to the neurologist who diagnosed Zach, he was seen by one at the Cleveland Clinic. Zach underwent a CAT scan (had to be put to sleep and even asleep he refused, physically, to lie on his back so they had to scan him lying on his side. It was a harrowing experience during which a nurse argued with me about something but then an attending doctor told her "this is his mom, she knows her son!" YAY for that doctor). The doctor who ordered the scan told us this: "Well, his brain is all there... he could grow out of it or he could not." That's IT! You see, Mrs. M, you have a nose on your face...
When Zach was six we began looking for a house. We were living in a 2 bedroom 65' x 15' mobile home. When I see them now I have no idea how we fit in it, but I do understand why it was so cluttered! (Unfortunately we followed with an old house with few closets and no usable basement... Hmmmm.) Our first concern was, of course, affordability. The second was always "what can the local school district offer Zach?" We looked in many local cities, townships, villages. When we settled on a house in Kipton, it was largely because the school district was supposed to have a great new fabulous program for autism.
Leaving the Amherst preschool was one of the hardest things I ever had to face regarding Zachary's education. My gut told me something about the new school was not in line with my own educational philosophy. I wasn't wrong and I will keep this short and as sweet as possible. After several years at the school in our district during which we requested a new teacher (my sister-in-law Teri came to that IEP meeting for moral support and to help me speak when I couldn't find the words. I am so blessed to have a family that cares!)and could have taken the school through due process for not following his IEP, (I am leaving a lot out here because what I have to say is not positive and I will just leave it at that), we decided that the county MRDD would be better able and more importantly WILLING to provide Zachary with his educational needs(here is my plug: SUPPORT YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS TAX LEVIES!). It was a tough decision when it is often best to have a child educated in the "LRE" (least restrictive environment) and I will admit that in our cruel world there is a stigma that goes along with the name of the MRDD school. I didn't want my son to be thought of as a "retard" and people can be cruel and ignorant.
It was a bumpy start at the MRDD school... mostly because, God bless her, the teacher he was placed with seemed overwhelmed and unsuited to the job of handling a classroom of special needs students. I believe it take a special person for this job... that they are "cut from the cloth" for this job. An aide in the classroom brought it to my attention that Zach spent his entire day sitting doing nothing, that the education he was there for was not happening. This aide risked her job to tell me the truth and to this day I pray that God is blessing her for that strength of character. Fortunately, after some conversation, Zach started spending part of his day in a room across the hall, in which taught a woman who became very dear to my heart. The following year he was placed in her room.
Mrs. D was one of the most dynamic, loving, creative and INVOLVED teachers I have ever known. She had been an educator for years, some with special needs and others with typical students. She knew how to seek out that which lit a spark in her students and build upon it across the curriculum. Zachary started to do simple math. He learned to address people and learned how to calm himself through sensory therapies. Zach used a weighted vest at school and spent time in a quiet area when he was finding it difficult to deal with the sights and sounds of the world.
Unfortunately Zachary's verbal abilities were still very stilted. Mrs. D. was very firm and had a specific direction for him and he learned a lot of social skills from her. Repetition is very helpful to Zach and he learned to greet people by name (not always successfully, because sometimes I think he just forgets).
To this day Zach uses a speech pattern called echolalia, which is basically repeating what a person says to him. Because of his lack of receptive language, there is a barrier to his understanding the appropriate response.
When Zach was six we began looking for a house. We were living in a 2 bedroom 65' x 15' mobile home. When I see them now I have no idea how we fit in it, but I do understand why it was so cluttered! (Unfortunately we followed with an old house with few closets and no usable basement... Hmmmm.) Our first concern was, of course, affordability. The second was always "what can the local school district offer Zach?" We looked in many local cities, townships, villages. When we settled on a house in Kipton, it was largely because the school district was supposed to have a great new fabulous program for autism.
Leaving the Amherst preschool was one of the hardest things I ever had to face regarding Zachary's education. My gut told me something about the new school was not in line with my own educational philosophy. I wasn't wrong and I will keep this short and as sweet as possible. After several years at the school in our district during which we requested a new teacher (my sister-in-law Teri came to that IEP meeting for moral support and to help me speak when I couldn't find the words. I am so blessed to have a family that cares!)and could have taken the school through due process for not following his IEP, (I am leaving a lot out here because what I have to say is not positive and I will just leave it at that), we decided that the county MRDD would be better able and more importantly WILLING to provide Zachary with his educational needs(here is my plug: SUPPORT YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS TAX LEVIES!). It was a tough decision when it is often best to have a child educated in the "LRE" (least restrictive environment) and I will admit that in our cruel world there is a stigma that goes along with the name of the MRDD school. I didn't want my son to be thought of as a "retard" and people can be cruel and ignorant.
It was a bumpy start at the MRDD school... mostly because, God bless her, the teacher he was placed with seemed overwhelmed and unsuited to the job of handling a classroom of special needs students. I believe it take a special person for this job... that they are "cut from the cloth" for this job. An aide in the classroom brought it to my attention that Zach spent his entire day sitting doing nothing, that the education he was there for was not happening. This aide risked her job to tell me the truth and to this day I pray that God is blessing her for that strength of character. Fortunately, after some conversation, Zach started spending part of his day in a room across the hall, in which taught a woman who became very dear to my heart. The following year he was placed in her room.
Mrs. D was one of the most dynamic, loving, creative and INVOLVED teachers I have ever known. She had been an educator for years, some with special needs and others with typical students. She knew how to seek out that which lit a spark in her students and build upon it across the curriculum. Zachary started to do simple math. He learned to address people and learned how to calm himself through sensory therapies. Zach used a weighted vest at school and spent time in a quiet area when he was finding it difficult to deal with the sights and sounds of the world.
Unfortunately Zachary's verbal abilities were still very stilted. Mrs. D. was very firm and had a specific direction for him and he learned a lot of social skills from her. Repetition is very helpful to Zach and he learned to greet people by name (not always successfully, because sometimes I think he just forgets).
To this day Zach uses a speech pattern called echolalia, which is basically repeating what a person says to him. Because of his lack of receptive language, there is a barrier to his understanding the appropriate response.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
I was in the middle of writing a blog continuation of our journey with Zach... but I have to tell you all
Today an angel stepped forward who wants to gift Zachary with an iPad!
I am amazed and humbled and excited and in awe and all sorts of feelings at once. To this angel I say Thank you for the very depths of my heart. This is a tremendous gift you are giving and I can't wait for Zachary to start learning new things and for new worlds and avenues of communication to be opened up to him! God bless you 1000x over in return. <3
All money collected to this point will be used for a case, for cords, for accessories (headphones, etc...) and other things he might need. The money will be kept in the separate account. If you have any questions or concerns please send me a message!
Praising God for his Glorious goodness and for those who give of themselves, honoring Him by doing so.
God bless you all. I will continue to write about Zach and keep you all posted on my sweet son. <3
Today an angel stepped forward who wants to gift Zachary with an iPad!
I am amazed and humbled and excited and in awe and all sorts of feelings at once. To this angel I say Thank you for the very depths of my heart. This is a tremendous gift you are giving and I can't wait for Zachary to start learning new things and for new worlds and avenues of communication to be opened up to him! God bless you 1000x over in return. <3
All money collected to this point will be used for a case, for cords, for accessories (headphones, etc...) and other things he might need. The money will be kept in the separate account. If you have any questions or concerns please send me a message!
Praising God for his Glorious goodness and for those who give of themselves, honoring Him by doing so.
God bless you all. I will continue to write about Zach and keep you all posted on my sweet son. <3
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Trying not to cry and trying not to get discouraged. Secondary health insurance is denying Zach's Prozac. It took many years before Zach was on any type of medication. When puberty hit, that changed. He tried about 3 before a generic Prozac that Walmart used worked to decrease life-disruptive OCD and other behaviors which interfered with daily life. Walmart switched their provider and we noticed immediate reemergence of destructive behaviors and OCD. I went in search of the old generic brand at ALL of the local (and by local I mean within 25 miles) pharmacies to no avail... then we tried a handful of generics, none of which worked. Finally got the ok for name-brand Prozac, which brought him back to an even keel. We just switched our secondary (Health Families) insurance in order to keep our pediatrician. and HERE WE GO AGAIN. The co-pay isn't doable if we just ignore the secondary insurance. Praying for a good holiday season while this gets sorted out again. Holidays are rough enough on Zach. We will get through this but I feel for poor Zach who has to be a guinea pig. Thank you for your prayers.
Maria
Maria
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)