This past Tuesday marks the first day of school, when Jeff enters a typical 1st grade class at Paularino School in Costa Mesa. I felt a bit scared to leave Jeff in his new class with his new teacher, but sucked it up and left him behind as he waved with some tears in his eyes. Well, I am happy to report he did very well for his first day and had lots to tell me about his experience with his friends and new teacher.

Since July, we have been talking about 1st grade, made a social story about how Kindergarten was done and 1st grade is next. We even front-loaded a good deal of the 1st grade curriculum over the summer. But you still worry about placement and your decisions – are you setting up your child for success? I have found you will always have to take your gut into your hands and move forward with adjustments as needed versus not making a decision. It never seems like it is the right decision, but Jeff always seems to rise to the occasion. It amazes me how he has the seemingly innate ability to make that leap forward.

It has been a good summer getting him ready for this first day at 1st grade. We have prepared Jeff with the following:

• Tomatis – Jeff’s sixth round (read info here: http://www.tacanow.com/tomatis.htm )
• Fast ForWord:
  • This experience was WONDERFUL FOR JEFF. Jeff’s biggest area of weakness continues to be his auditory processing. (Well, there are several issues, but more or less, the issues all seem to start here.) We started Fast ForWord not knowing how he would do, but Jeff went through the first round of Fast ForWord in just four weeks! My understanding is that ASD children take anywhere from 6-8 weeks. But the results have been wonderful for Jeff, and out of the many auditory processing related drills, software games, and interventions, I just loved Fast ForWord for Jeff! It has helped him tremendously. You can read more about Fast ForWord here: http://www.fastforword.com/  (Important note: Talk to your speech pathologist about Fast ForWord. They can explain the process and let you know if your child is a candidate for this therapy. Speech paths typically provide this product in their speech center. Some providers provide this service in your own home – costs and services vary. Check with your child’s current speech path on next steps.)
  • Other auditory interventions used:
    • We started with Away We Go (also from the makers of Fast ForWord. Please note, it was re-named and packaged as a new product.
    • We then moved to Earobics 1 and 2. (Info link: http://www.earobics.com/products/) These are computer programs done in home.
    • We have worked a lot on work sheets and short stories (any short children’s book will do) with reading comprehension questions. LinguiSystems has a great series: “Scissors, Glue…”. Here is the link: http://www.linguisystems.com/series.php?series=11
      We do these daily with Jeff. Note: Make copies of the books for use because you will re-use these books regularly with your child!!
    • If you think your child may have auditory processing issues – get an evaluation by a professional that specializes in CAPD (Central Auditory Processing disorders.) There are some on the TACA web site. More on my experience with auditory processing evaluation and treatments can be found in the March newsletter here: http://www.tacanow.com/enewsletters_archive/March_2004_2.htm
• Camp James – We rounded off Jeff’s summer experience with this typical kids camp with an aide. This was a great experience for Jeff with lots of great activities and social situations. For next summer, check it out at www.campjames.com

Now on to TACA’s August meeting: Wow! What an amazing meeting we had in Costa Mesa on August 14th with record crowds. Six wonderful parents came to talk about 8 children recovered or well on their way to losing their diagnosis. It was truly a wonderful event. The most inspiring aspect of the day was the many times parents came up to me to say, “My child will be your poster child next year. I look forward to speaking to the TACA group then.” The entire audience was captivated by the stories, the humor, the love, and amazing success for their children. Tears flowed on several occasions. It demonstrated to all in attendance that autism is truly treatable, not only from a traditional therapy, which I highly recommend (this includes: ABA, speech, OT, etc.), but treatable with biomedical intervention and never giving up hope. Each story was unique with a different road map of recovery for each child. I marveled at how different each child and their path to recovery was and of course their parents (and grandparents) resolve to make the difference for their unique child. I wanted to send a special note to: Kim D., Kim P., Karen and John, John and Yvonne, Sharon and Julie, and Claire for their willingness to share such remarkable stories and personal information about their beloved children. Thank you for giving the hope to so many TACA families aspiring to stand where you are!

Each day seems to be a circus at my house. First, getting Jeff fed, ready and out the door for school, and second, to my TACA friends. I often don’t recall if I sat down to eat a meal versus grab a snack on the road before I pick up Jeff at school. I love my new “job” (the paycheck is not in money but in many other ways), responsibilities as Jeff’s mom (first and foremost), but also love talking to (via email and phone) the many families that make up TACA. This community is extremely motivating for me to keep moving, keep talking and keep helping families. I am learning about this “non-profit world” and truly miss one aspect about my old job – being an expert in your field. For the past few years, I have begun to learn about how to help, mentor, and be a non-profit Executive Director, and learning where to spend my time is the toughest part of all. My favorite time of the day is when I get to talk to a family and help them with some of the unanswered questions. With each call, I remind them I am just a parent like them, looking for answers myself and many times I don’t have them – but as a community, we will find them together and forge new paths for our children.

Hugs, thanks, and be SAFE,
Lisa A Jeff's mom