This is the monthly announcement by our sponsor, the Columbia-Inland Corporation.

*NOTE FROM ADMIN: View the Video at the bottom of this page

If your child can benefit from the Power Pumper, please remember that funding sources are available to provide free Power Pumpers in your area.

Click here for more information

More information about our sponsor:

The Columbia-Inland Corporation manufactures the Power Pumper.  The Power Pumper is a “cool-looking” physical therapy device which has been proven useful to children with special healthcare needs. It is being used successfully with children who have autism, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, brain injuries, hemiplegia, brachial plexus injuries, and many others.  The Power Pumper improves strength, coordination, bilateral integration, vestibular (movement) processing, proprioceptive (heavy input to muscles and joints) processing, body awareness, and directionality.

Compared to a regular bicycle, the Power Pumper focuses more on upper body strength, rather than lower body.  Additionally, it provides enough stability for those children with balance dysfunction to allow independence that is not achieved with other wheeled equipment.  For many children, riding the Power Pumper increases their self-confidence; since this is the first time they are able to ride a “bike” independently.

If any of you are interested in getting one for your child, you can visit their website using the link below for more information.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Kind regards and thanks for supporting our sponsor,

Rebbekah White

Click here to view Invitation

Tickets are $100/person

Price includes Heavy Grazing and Open Bar

To sign up go to the Give Autism The Boot’s Official website

CLICK HERE

***Heal Yourself  Talk Radio show host  Rebbekah White and Buffy Lauer will be there volunteering and have donated commercial air time and on site advertising from both Heal Yourself  Talk Radio and Heal Yourself  Magazine.

Promoting Success For People With Autism By Using Their Strengths - Just Like Everyone Else: Looking At Employment

Most people would consider their employment successful if it involved something they like to do, are good at it, and if it brings fulfillment. The same holds true for people with autism, except perhaps to a greater extreme. One of the characteristics of autism is an extremely diverse set of strengths and challenges.  For example, a person with autism may have such skill in mathematics that they can tell you how old you are - in seconds, rather than years. However, that person may be significantly challenged navigating the complicated social maze that make up most working situations such as dealing with office politics.

As a teenager, working as a busboy was my first “real” job. Although I was excited to be employed and approached the task of cleaning tables with much enthusiasm, there were two major challenges making the job unsuitable. One was sensory related and the other was social.

A restaurant is a fast-paced, busy, noisy environment. As a result I would go into a sort of sensory overload and shut down resulting in my working very slowly, which was not appreciated by my supervisors…

To read the entire article, click the link below:

https://schneider.infusionsoft.com/go/home/healyour

Excerpt from “Are We There Yet? Coming Full Circle with Autism”

“My children are my world, and it is my hope that by sharing with the world my sons stories and their differences that it will help those who do not understand Autism get a better feel for their differences and like me celebrate them. By sharing their stories it is my hope to open the doors for communication and awareness. There is nothing I would honestly change about my sons! They are my reason for being here on earth. All of my  sons God sent here to teach me and others a lesson in love and understanding”-Rebbekah White

A Few of Adam’s Traits

• He does not like to be alone

• Is affectionate but only with me, and a small handful of people-when he chooses to be affectionate to someone he gives all of his love to that person!

• Takes a long time before he trusts anyone

• Does not like to be touched by people without his knowledge, you cannot just touch him without his permission even on the shoulder as this frightens him. ONLY when he decides will he allow people to touch him

• Does not like socks that go above the ankle or that have the stitching at the end of the toes

• Sleep issues-from never sleeping to sleeping to much it all depends on the stimulation he has during the day, so we never know when he will be going to bed.

• Very picky eater

• Will not sleep in his own bed, fear of being alone

• Has to be touching me, reassuring himself that I am here

• Loves his computer games, this boy can do things on the computer that amazes me

• When he finds clothes that feel good to him he is hard pressed to change those clothes  so I can wash them, he especially loves soft blankets and sweatpants. There are times where to my chagrin he goes to school wearing what he did the day before, while yes I could force him to change, this only makes thing worse and in my eyes as long as they are still “clean” I will allow him to go one more day in the same clothes. That night we will discuss with him all evening that he needs to find another set of clothing that is comfortable to him to wear for the next day. This usually works

• However-when he has a stressful day he will shed his clothes. In fact when he first started going to school he would get off the school bus and start removing his shirt and pants before he even got into the door. After we realized this was a sensory issue and started following what his teachers told us to do we no longer have this issue.

• Is obsessed with cars-he has over 500 matchbox cars!

• Has to drink a certain milk and only the milk from our local Kroger store

Adam is well loved by everyone who meets him, he is a very happy and lovable child most of the time.  He is no different in that aspect than other children. He is overcoming issues with peers and actively starting to interact more often with his peers.

I do have to thank his teachers and for the early diagnosis. I do believe because of the early diagnosis and my understanding of autism because of Alex’s hard time in the early years, Adam has a better step up in the world than Alex did. However both boys are doing great and there is help on the way. I will be writing more about treatments and supplements that we will be starting for the boys in the upcoming weeks and months.

I have been more active in the boys autism in the recent months as it processed in my own mind. To me my boys and our life is “normal”. I do understand to others it is not, for this reason many times I didn’t talk about them having autism or I stopped trying to “defend” them to others. I didn’t want to defend them, I just wanted others to understand them and love them the way I do.

I honestly could go on and on with the differences between the boys and what issues they face in their day to day life, but it is my hope to bring more attention to the good things they do and the lessons that I have learned from them.

There is so much information out there on Autism YET so many people still do not understand Autism.

I do believe that “Are We There Yet? Coming Full Circle with Autism” will be a continuing process as more and more of us come together and share our stories with the world.

So if you have a story of inspiration to share and would like to be included in our next edition or on our website http://www.AutismAreWeThereYet.com please email me at

Rebbekah@healyourselftalk.com please put in the subject line “Autism Stories” so I can keep them organized.

We will be adding forums and more to the Autism Are We There Yet website in the upcoming weeks, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter as we continually work with others to bring together a great resource and community for those who are dealing with Autism.

It is my wish to one day to have this eBook published and filled with stories from all realms of the autism world. To have stories from adults with autism, teenagers opening up about what they deal with on a day to day basis, parents and caregivers sharing what worked for them what didn’t and all the wonderful things they learned from their special child.

This I believe is my mission and why God gave me two wonderful children with autism. I won’t sit here and color coat the issues and I won’t tell you that life is all good, we have days were I wish things were normal and then there are days when my boys-all my boys-share something with me that I would have otherwise missed!

As of this writing, we are not sure what causes autism. There are many theories and some strides in what causes autism. I am not here to talk about what causes autism, vaccines or food or other issues, I am here to show the world that all special needs people have a place in this world and if we only pay attention we could learn a lot about ourselves and others in the process.

Rebbekah White

www.healyourselftalk.com

www.autismarewethereyet.com

I would like to invite you to Heal Yourself Talk Radio and Are We There Yet’s Monthly Roundtable Discussions on the first Wednesday of each month from 1:00-1:30 pm est. on Blog Talk Radio we will have open mic for anyone who would like to come on and share their stories, products or services they have used that have helped their autistic children. For more information and to be sent reminders of these Open Roundtable Discussions be sure to sign up for the  newsletter on the www.AutismAreWeThereYet.com website.

Excerpt from “Are We There Yet? Coming Full Circle with Autism”

“My children are my world, and it is my hope that by sharing with the world my sons stories and their differences that it will help those who do not understand Autism get a better feel for their differences and like me celebrate them. By sharing their stories it is my hope to open the doors for communication and awareness. There is nothing I would honestly change about my sons! They are my reason for being here on earth. All of my  sons God sent here to teach me and others a lesson in love and understanding”-Rebbekah White

Now I hit fast forward and Alex is 15 years old. He still has the same difficulties with social cues; he gets very upset if someone says something to him that is mean. He has over the years lost his temper and become aggressive to himself , however he is still a sweet boy and loves his animals, his brothers and family….the hardest thing for me as a mother to see is to see Alex reach a boiling point and lose control. The changes to him they happen are so fast, I have been told that the hormonal issues with Alex will be harder for him than a “normal” teenager (please forgive me I hate using that word but not sure how else to say it). When I watch his anger overflow or watch him explode I want to run to him, hug him and love him and tell him it is going to be ok. But I can only hug him on his terms still today. If I hug him when he doesn’t want to be hugged he goes limp in my arms.

The hardest part is seeing him so sad when he doesn’t fit in with his peers. He has told me that he doesn’t want to go out into the real world, because every time he does people hurt him. He is tired of people picking on him; he is tired of trying to fit in a world that doesn’t understand him. It is my hope that he will become a voice for others who have Asperger’s syndrome and that he will one day be able to share with people these feelings. For right now we are working on him journaling and trying to get those feelings out of his mind so he can learn to deal with these feelings of anger he has when others don’t understand him.

Below I am going to share a few of Alex  traits in an effort to explain more about what he faces each day and share with you as well his wonderful differences.

Differences from the rest of the “world”-the way people see Alex

• Rude or inappropriate comments-doesn’t realize what is rude or inappropiate. It is a skill he is actively working on, and I am so very proud of him for starting to realize the differences.

• Misunderstands facial expressions, confuses anger and happiness, easily frustrated

• When younger would beat his head on the wall when he got frustrated or angry

• Was a very crabby baby-only calm when he was wrapped in a certain type of blanket-holding him did not calm him down

• Very picky eater

• Can become aggressive when he is over stimulated-mostly aggressive to himself

• Has a hard time understanding more than one task at a time

• Doesn’t show out right affection-even for me it is hard to understand his moods and feelings

• Draws away from physical touch

• Did not like socks that went above the ankle or that have the stitching at the end of the toes-this is no longer an issue

• Had a hard time processing numbers, letters and writing when younger but is steadily overcoming this

• Handwriting that is more like a 3rd graders than a 9-needs to use a computer in order to turn in homework so his work can be read by the teachers

• Has little or no patience-shows extreme frustration when he cannot get a project or a skill learned. This is steadily changing as we work on the skills and patience and he realizes that not everyone gets a task the first time. A work in progress.

The Wonderful Differences from the “World”

• Loves to build things and take them apart, Alex has always been interested in how things work, to the point of taking apart home appliances to see the inside while this was very frustrating and upsetting to myself and my husband it was also a good thing because it showed curiousity and a wonderment of  learning how things worked

• Loves animals-we have 14 cats LOL-we have found that having the cats helps Alex with a lot of his frustrations and helps to calm him when he has had a bad day

• Is obsessed with Tornados-when he was 1 years old my brother gave him the movie Twister. Over the years we have gone through at least 5 copies of the VCR tape and 4 copies of the DVD till he finally turned to books and researching on the computer. You could ask Alex anything about Tornados and he could recite every fact and figure that he knows!

• Wonderful gardener! Has more patience than I do when it comes to gardening. He has beaten my Father in Law with the best garden the past two years because of his hard work and concentration on finding what works. He researches new ways to grow better vegetables, takes great care with the garden and nurtures his vegetables like they were children or pets. I do believe that this will help him in life.

• Loves to help everyone! When you tell him to do one thing at a time you know he can be counted on to complete the project or chore.

• Nurturer-like I stated above Alex loves his cats. Recently one of our cats became a mamma and he watches over them like a mother hen.

There is so much more I could write about Alex, the one thing I really want to stress in all of this is that while the world may see Alex as a loner, or different or puts him down or shy away from him because of his differences. Alex has a lot to share with the world if only people would give him the chance! He is a wonderful boy who has a lot of love to share for those who truly understand him!

I would like to invite you to Heal Yourself Talk Radio and Are We There Yet’s Monthly Roundtable Discussions on the first Wednesday of each month from 1:00-1:30 pm est. on Blog Talk Radio we will have open mic for anyone who would like to come on and share their stories, products or services they have used that have helped their autistic children. For more information and to be sent reminders of these Open Roundtable Discussions be sure to sign up for the  newsletter on the www.AutismAreWeThereYet.com website.

Excerpt from “Are We There Yet? Coming Full Circle with Autism”

Hello, my name is Rebbekah White and I am a mother to two autistic children. My oldest Alex is 15 years old and my youngest Adam is 7 years old. Alex was first diagnosed with ADD in kindergarten but that didn’t feel right as the years went on and the medications didn’t help. In 2006 when Alex was in 6^th grade he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Adam was diagnosed in 2007 while he was in kindergarten. I do believe Adam was diagnosed faster because his brother has Asperger’s Syndrome.

Rebbekah White w/her sons Alex, Adam & Kyle

With a child who has  Asperger’s or autism there really is no outward physical symptom or signal that they are different.  Over the years I have watched my son Alex being picked on by other kids because he doesn’t “fit in” or process at the same speed they do. We have come up against family members and other adults who don’t understand what either of my son’s sees or how they process their daily life.

I want to help others understand Autism and how these wonderful kids learn and how much they have to share in the world. To show them the same things I see, how unique they are, how much they give to the world, how sweet, and lovable they can be. Each one of my sons, Kyle included are a blessing from God to me and to the world. My boys have shown me so much in this world that I may have missed had they not got my attention. Later on in the book there is a story called The Ugly Bug, it is a lesson Alex taught me when he was in kindergarten that still to this day moves me and reminds me to really take a look at what is in my world.

Many times you will hear that autistic children are not affectionate and have a hard time showing love. I disagree with that! Thankfully both of my sons will allow me to hold them and touch them. While I am usually the only one that my youngest Adam will let touch him, he has allowed those HE TRUSTS touch him. I can say this in his 7 years of being on this earth I have only seen him hug or allow someone else to touch him 6 times in his life.

For instance Alex while he has always hated being touched, he gets stiff and when he was a baby he cringed whenever someone touched him. He hated being held as a baby which was heartbreaking for a new mom. Alex will come to me now and hug me once in awhile but he mostly shows his love when he bakes. Alex loves to bake!

Alex has always loved to bake and build things. I remember when he was barely able to walk, he didn’t start walking till he was 18 months old, and he would crawl around our living room tearing the coach cushions off and start to build a fort. When he was 3 years old my mother in law was watching him while my husband and I went off on a much needed adult date. When we came back she ran to our van, my first thought was that something had happened, then I realized she was beaming with pride. “You need to see what Alex built on the beach!” So we walked over to see the beach not expecting to see what we saw…a whole city with tunnels of flowing water, trees, houses, driveways, expressways etc the whole city! Alex had built an underground irrigation system with old PVC pipes that were in the barn to have the running water go around his city and down into our pond. I even asked my mother in law if she helped him, she said “No, I was weeding by the beach and was watching him and he did this all himself!” Of course I didn’t believe it till I sat there on the beach and watched him continue playing. Sure enough he spent time digging a ditch, ran to the barn and brought out another PVC pipe laid it down into the tunnel he had dug, put dirt over it and got a bucket and made water run through it. All the while with a huge smile on his face!

continue….

I would like to invite you to Heal Yourself Talk Radio and Are We There Yet’s Monthly Roundtable Discussions on the first Wednesday of each month from 1:00-1:30 pm est. on Blog Talk Radio we will have open mic for anyone who would like to come on and share their stories, products or services they have used that have helped their autistic children. For more information and to be sent reminders of these Open Roundtable Discussions be sure to sign up for the  newsletter on the www.AutismAreWeThereYet.com website.

In April the Heal Yourself  Radio team participated in the Give Autism the Boot Walk for Autism in Sylvania Ohio at the Northview High School.

There is a lot of coverage on America’s Pride the local Sylvania team that helps teens stay away from drugs.

For more information in the Great Lakes area for autism please go to http://www.giveautismtheboot.org

Being a mom with 2 autistic boys and actively involved in finding a cure for autism or even a link to what causes autism so I can help my boys it is exciting to hear news about a possible link in genes that may be able to help families.

It has always been a  concern of mine for my boys and their future families. We have 3 sons and 2 of them have been diagnosed with Autism. I wonder everyday why 2 of my sons have autism and why my other son doesn’t? What caused it? I hear about vaccines causing it? Diets causing it? Yet it can all be very confusing…and intimidating…

Now here is the video from CBS News seen on The Early Show on Wednesday April 29, 2009:

“One of the most heartbreaking aspects of autism is that no one really knows why it happens. New research offers some important clues for families struggling with autism. Dr. Jennifer Ashton reports.”

Watch CBS Videos Online

Over the years of dealing with autism and the effects on our family has lead me to write an eBook about Autism sharing my thoughts, and family stories you can find out more information at http://www.autismarewethereyet.com

Plus the first Wednesday of every month Heal Yourself  Talk Radio offers a round table on Blog Talk Radio for families, caregivers and people with autism to come and share their stories and their findings of what works, what doesn’t work and be involved in a community of others who are there to help each other. In fact later this month we will be opening an online community on http://www.autismarewethereyet.com so that we all can be there for each other through the good times and the bad times. To be sure you receive this announcement please go and sign up for the newsletter.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this video and this new discovery, please feel free to post your thoughts below.

It’s the greatest day of your life: the moment the life force from the depths of your belly finds way into the vast real world. The moment you have longed for is finally here, to actually hold and hug with your arms the little wonder that the universe has granted into your life. But something is different, something you can’t put your finger on.

This is the journey for all who have experienced Are We There Yet?, a book that gets to the core of what parents experience in situations just like you. It will be months, maybe years before someone can help you put your finger on it: your beautiful wonderful miracle child has autism.

In a way, it can be a relief – to know that your child is not the “bad seed” or a natural troublemaker. It can be a relief to know that it isn’t a lack of love for you that they admonish those hugs you so desperately want to give them. It is because they simply cannot process such strength of emotion and love as they process data. But the relief is lost with the knowledge that your child will face most things alone, in a world that no one else can quite understand. It’s their world and as their mother or father, you will be their greatest protector, most valued teacher and ultimately their greatest student.

In a compelling account of personal experiences, Are We There Yet? helps parents, grandparents and friends understand that different is not bad. There are ways to learn how to cope, not only for parents, but also for your autistic child. Parents are their children’s biggest advocates and with their undying love and compassion, an autistic child can develop well beyond their social stigma.

Yes! Autistic children can do great things, are capable of great love and have insights into the world most of us would never stop to ponder. It’s all about a viewpoint and when you sit down on the ground and take a look at what they see, you begin to understand. Are We There Yet tells the journey of autistic children but doesn’t stop there. It gives you the insight as their parents to take a breath and start to understand and go on the journey with them!

“Are We There Yet? Coming Full Circle with Autism”

Contents

Part I - Diagnosis

Part II - Treatment

Part III - Diet

Part IV - Family

Part V - Social Community

Part VI - Family Stories

Part VII - Additional Resources

What others are saying about “Are We There Yet?”

For more information go to: http://www.autismarewethereyet.com/autism-book.html

by Stacey Kannenburg

I am not a teacher or educator but I have a national platform speaking to educators, schools, parents and kids!  But along the way, I have uncovered an alarming trend in my preschool and head start workshops nationwide: the majority of preschool and head start teachers that come to my workshops do not know what children are tested on in the first Kindergarten assessment test, so if they don’t know this information, how are parents and children suppose to know this information?  In fact after testing my teachers at a couple conferences  ONLY 12 of 630 listed those 7 things!  That’s what is wrong with education!!! Many are astounded and angry that I am the first person to share with them that information.  I am not even a teacher!  They have no clue that Kindergartener’s are tested on coins and counting to 100.  Many know shapes and colors but don’t realize that during Kindergarten kids are expected to know hexagon and octagon by the end of the year.   So I am on my grassroots mission to change all that!!!

How can parents and kids be ready for Kindergarten when preschool teachers are not on the same page as Kindergarten teachers? If they aren’t empowered at Kindergarten, they are less likely to be involved in First, Second, Third Grade and beyond!

Parents are told during Kindergarten roundup that their child is ready for Kindergarten in fall.  They are not told what they were tested on so parents assume you tested them on the Kindergarten curriculum you did not!!! You want to change education, it has to begin before Kindergarten! I look forward to hearing back from you about some of my alarming findings!

So when parents come to that first parent teacher conference and they are told that their child only knew 5 of 26 letters all mixed up or was only able to count to 35 on the way to 100; parents feel frustrated and at that point many feel if they can’t help their child in Kindergarten how are they suppose to help in First Grade, Second Grade and beyond!  At that point, many opt out and let the “teachers” teach their children and become disengaged in the educational process. I am on a word-of-mouth grassroots mission to help us all come together and get on the same page starting at the core, Kindergarten!

2009 Copyright Cedar Valley Publishing, Stacey Kannenberg; Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!