It happens to all of us!
My faith is the constant in my life.... what an encouragement that the same Lord who created the universe, cares deeply about every aspect of our life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVJqRLU3J0I
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
The well balanced Child
I just read half a book today, because I found in one book what I have been trying to piece together for 3 years in the many books I have read. There is more to learn, as always, but like I said, this book was the most complete information I have ever read under one cover.
This blog will be about the first half, and then I will do another about the final chapters in the book.
Here is the book
http://www.amazon.com/Well-Balanced-Child-Movement-Learning/dp/1903458633
I loved something written in the forward by Harold N Levinson, MD. " Science progresses not by convincing the adherents of old theories that they are wrong but by allowing enough time to pass so that a new generation can arise unencumbered by the old errors" Nobel Physicist Max Plank
The forward talks about why it has taken so long to put together this information for learning disabilities! I think of RDI with this too, that the Science community ( some of them anyway) are resistant to anything that is different then what they know! Change is a hard concept for people to embrace!
The introduction talks about when you strip a child of his capability to cope with his environment, no amount of coaching, bribing or bullying will get him to want to do what you want! He actually becomes a larger problem. On page 2, the author states " I became fascinated at the functional impact of any stage of development.....what does each stage of child development actually do in helping to build the architecture of the brain?"
Chapter one starts the movement of a baby in their mothers womb thru birth.
Chapter two talks about balance... " the art of not moving". Balance helps our kids know where they are at in space. This chapter basically goes over the vestibular system and how our vestibular system talks to our brain. And how what we do to our vestibular system effects our balance. Then it goes into talking about how babies learn about balance, and sense of direction.
"Types of movements that help to train balance involve changes of movement in space..1. Up and down movements 2. to and fro 3. Centrifungal force- carousels 4. turning movements of the body, and 5. Depth ( riding on a scooter board) She goes into signs and symptoms that would indicate problems.....
Chapter 3 talks about the developing the mind. This chapter was the eye opener for me, as she then talks about reflexes! There are three groups of reflexes that support the child thru its first 3.5 year of life. 1. Intra Uterine reflexes 2. Primitive reflexes 3. Postural reflexes ( page 24). She talks about what they are for, and when they are supposed to end. Chapter 4 pretty much continues talking about reflexes but adds coordination and the developing mind. She goes over the Moro reflex. This was so interesting to me because I remember my SIL told me about this, when Jesse was a baby. If you let go of the top half of the baby (like you are going to drop the baby), an infants Moro reflex tells the brain to extend their arms! If this does not happen, there is something going on developmentally! She continues to talk about the Moro reflex, along with the Tonic Labyrinthine reflex, The Asymmetrical tonic neck reflex, and The Symmetrical tonic neck reflex. Then she talks about the rooting and sucking reflexes, The Palmar and Plantar reflexes, the babinski reflex, and the spinal galant reflex.
As I read this information, the last few years flashed before my eyes. Why was it that my son could not grasp my hand with a good grip when holding my hand to cross the street? Why was he totally confused when he did not understand how to do a jumping jack? Why could he not chew for the first few years of his life? These answers and many more were in this chapter! And while we have worked to help my sons issues, I never understood what went wrong....until this book! After each section with each reflex, is information on how each reflex functions, and the effects of the retained reflex. Then in the back are 20 exercises to help brain and body integration! Upon reading this book so far, I can see that the program ( DVD) I purchased last year, Move to learn, mimics working on reflexes with helping the child go thru the stages. It is great to understand why the program does what it does now! Many of the things I do with Jesse I know see why it helps because this book has explained it to me. Here is the blog again with all the things I'm currently doing http://dynamicdarrowduo.blogspot.com/2008/07/neurodevelopmental-health.html
After she covers reflexes, Chapter 5 and 6 are about music and the brain. I pretty much am familiar with the information because of the Listening program. I do see how if the listening program, or anything for that manner, is done without the proper developmental prerequistes, it is not to the maximum benefit. This would be why some people may say it did not work for their child!
Still have to read Chapters 8-11...and will blog about those when I do :) Please ask me questions...... I could not of possibly covered the material in one blog for this book.....there is alot, but I can answer specific questions for members at the RDI homeschooling board and/or The Autism remediation board. Or you can just post your questions in the comments section here.
This blog will be about the first half, and then I will do another about the final chapters in the book.
Here is the book
http://www.amazon.com/Well-Balanced-Child-Movement-Learning/dp/1903458633
I loved something written in the forward by Harold N Levinson, MD. " Science progresses not by convincing the adherents of old theories that they are wrong but by allowing enough time to pass so that a new generation can arise unencumbered by the old errors" Nobel Physicist Max Plank
The forward talks about why it has taken so long to put together this information for learning disabilities! I think of RDI with this too, that the Science community ( some of them anyway) are resistant to anything that is different then what they know! Change is a hard concept for people to embrace!
The introduction talks about when you strip a child of his capability to cope with his environment, no amount of coaching, bribing or bullying will get him to want to do what you want! He actually becomes a larger problem. On page 2, the author states " I became fascinated at the functional impact of any stage of development.....what does each stage of child development actually do in helping to build the architecture of the brain?"
Chapter one starts the movement of a baby in their mothers womb thru birth.
Chapter two talks about balance... " the art of not moving". Balance helps our kids know where they are at in space. This chapter basically goes over the vestibular system and how our vestibular system talks to our brain. And how what we do to our vestibular system effects our balance. Then it goes into talking about how babies learn about balance, and sense of direction.
"Types of movements that help to train balance involve changes of movement in space..1. Up and down movements 2. to and fro 3. Centrifungal force- carousels 4. turning movements of the body, and 5. Depth ( riding on a scooter board) She goes into signs and symptoms that would indicate problems.....
Chapter 3 talks about the developing the mind. This chapter was the eye opener for me, as she then talks about reflexes! There are three groups of reflexes that support the child thru its first 3.5 year of life. 1. Intra Uterine reflexes 2. Primitive reflexes 3. Postural reflexes ( page 24). She talks about what they are for, and when they are supposed to end. Chapter 4 pretty much continues talking about reflexes but adds coordination and the developing mind. She goes over the Moro reflex. This was so interesting to me because I remember my SIL told me about this, when Jesse was a baby. If you let go of the top half of the baby (like you are going to drop the baby), an infants Moro reflex tells the brain to extend their arms! If this does not happen, there is something going on developmentally! She continues to talk about the Moro reflex, along with the Tonic Labyrinthine reflex, The Asymmetrical tonic neck reflex, and The Symmetrical tonic neck reflex. Then she talks about the rooting and sucking reflexes, The Palmar and Plantar reflexes, the babinski reflex, and the spinal galant reflex.
As I read this information, the last few years flashed before my eyes. Why was it that my son could not grasp my hand with a good grip when holding my hand to cross the street? Why was he totally confused when he did not understand how to do a jumping jack? Why could he not chew for the first few years of his life? These answers and many more were in this chapter! And while we have worked to help my sons issues, I never understood what went wrong....until this book! After each section with each reflex, is information on how each reflex functions, and the effects of the retained reflex. Then in the back are 20 exercises to help brain and body integration! Upon reading this book so far, I can see that the program ( DVD) I purchased last year, Move to learn, mimics working on reflexes with helping the child go thru the stages. It is great to understand why the program does what it does now! Many of the things I do with Jesse I know see why it helps because this book has explained it to me. Here is the blog again with all the things I'm currently doing http://dynamicdarrowduo.blogspot.com/2008/07/neurodevelopmental-health.html
After she covers reflexes, Chapter 5 and 6 are about music and the brain. I pretty much am familiar with the information because of the Listening program. I do see how if the listening program, or anything for that manner, is done without the proper developmental prerequistes, it is not to the maximum benefit. This would be why some people may say it did not work for their child!
Still have to read Chapters 8-11...and will blog about those when I do :) Please ask me questions...... I could not of possibly covered the material in one blog for this book.....there is alot, but I can answer specific questions for members at the RDI homeschooling board and/or The Autism remediation board. Or you can just post your questions in the comments section here.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
4th of July, Part 2 ( In Maine)
Uncle Anthony ( Daves Brother) Aunt Marion, Noah and Dan
So the three boys are back from their week in Maine....... Noah had a great time in the Kayak, by himself and with Dad! Dan got to practice his driving skills for abit on the road where they were staying.
So the three boys are back from their week in Maine....... Noah had a great time in the Kayak, by himself and with Dad! Dan got to practice his driving skills for abit on the road where they were staying.Saturday, July 5, 2008
How could I forget!
Fire engine rides on the 4th! Jesse and Grace loved them!.... I could of done without trying to cram my butt on top of a fire engine while taking pictures!!!! The things we do for our kids!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Neurodevelopmental health
Jesse on his astronaut board..... Gucci not looking all the thrilled lol
Turns out Jesse's Sensory obstacles ( in addition to Autism) needed some additional addressing. A few years ago we did this program for 2 years http://www.hope-future.org/ . Since he still had alot of stimming I thought maybe it was not doing so much so we stopped. Once we found out that the stimming was from food allergies (see previous post )http://dynamicdarrowduo.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html, I realized that the time spent doing brain exercises did alot for Jes and was useful. Hope and a future was an excellent program, but I found other things I could do on my own. Move to learn is a DVD program that Im currently doing together with Grace and Jesse. We also do some BalAVisX type activities ( http://dynamicdarrowduo.blogspot.com/2007/01/bal-vis-x-brain-gym.html ).
I just finished reading a book called The fabric of Autism. It is also about a Neurodevelopmental approach, but with a gentlier approach. At this point I cant afford to pursue this therapy...and Im not convinced that Jesse has not moved far enough beyond needed it...so we will just keep trucking along with his sensory programs as it. I take him to OT twice a week and we do exercises at home that include Move to learn, http://www.movetolearn.com.au/
An Astronaut board http://www.otawatertown.com/pdfs/newsletter-F2004.pdf......
http://astronautboards.com/ , Bal A Vis X http://www.bal-a-vis-x.com/,
and we will be doing another round of the listening program once September rolls around.
http://www.advancedbrain.com/tlp_intro.asp We saw great things with the first round! With this and lots of playground time, Jes is getting plenty of time getting the * do over* that his developing mind needs to overcome Autism! All the sensory help is helping him progress in RDI!
I just finished reading a book called The fabric of Autism. It is also about a Neurodevelopmental approach, but with a gentlier approach. At this point I cant afford to pursue this therapy...and Im not convinced that Jesse has not moved far enough beyond needed it...so we will just keep trucking along with his sensory programs as it. I take him to OT twice a week and we do exercises at home that include Move to learn, http://www.movetolearn.com.au/
An Astronaut board http://www.otawatertown.com/pdfs/newsletter-F2004.pdf......
http://astronautboards.com/ , Bal A Vis X http://www.bal-a-vis-x.com/,
and we will be doing another round of the listening program once September rolls around.
http://www.advancedbrain.com/tlp_intro.asp We saw great things with the first round! With this and lots of playground time, Jes is getting plenty of time getting the * do over* that his developing mind needs to overcome Autism! All the sensory help is helping him progress in RDI!
Noahs RDI
Noah has been in stage 6 of RDI this year. He is nearing the end and still gets hung up on a few of the objectives. Things like him regulating his emotional reactions when things dont go as he thought, or not taking certain actions because you are aware of how others may see those actions. We are hoping he will be in stage 7 by September. Stage 6 of RDI also has alot of collaberative activities in it.
Noah has been doing really well this past year. He is more relaxed and curious....and he is ok with taking chances now, instead of feeling incompetent. Homeschooling has worked well for us.....and we take that one year at a time!
He is going off to boy scout camp in a week......he is looking forward to it, although Im still trying to come to grips with me not talking to him for a whole week!! He is sharing a tent with a friend Michael from scouts.
Oh thats another things stage 6 talks about...have a friend without adult support. Thankfully, Noah has a good friend from town, and 2 others from Scouts. Michael did seek him out to share a tent with him at camp. Those of you who live with Autism know the thrill of this!
Will let you know how he does!
Noah has been doing really well this past year. He is more relaxed and curious....and he is ok with taking chances now, instead of feeling incompetent. Homeschooling has worked well for us.....and we take that one year at a time!
He is going off to boy scout camp in a week......he is looking forward to it, although Im still trying to come to grips with me not talking to him for a whole week!! He is sharing a tent with a friend Michael from scouts.
Oh thats another things stage 6 talks about...have a friend without adult support. Thankfully, Noah has a good friend from town, and 2 others from Scouts. Michael did seek him out to share a tent with him at camp. Those of you who live with Autism know the thrill of this!
Will let you know how he does!
Jes Man hits stage 3
Stage 3 in RDI that is! What that means is he is gaining developmental progress........Progress that will eventually help his quality of life because he will, some day, be on the same developmental level as his peers!
Stage 3 is going to be a long stage....... it mimics alot of 2 and 3 year old development. And well, they don't call them the terrible twos for Nothing! Jesse has already been caught doing mischievous things around the house....... with brain activity comes a child who is learning about what is funny, and experimenting with well, what exactly does happen when you squeeze an entire bottle of shampoo down the bathroom sink drain?
Stage 3, along with all the stages of RDI, has co-regulation and commonality among partners....Dynamic analysis and and appraisal of situations. It also begins developmental pretending, something that we really have seen Jesse do alot lately. This has really taken off for him! A great book to read on these subjects, and a great compliment to why RDI helps the developing mind of a child with Autism, is titled " Awakening children's minds" http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Childrens-Minds-Teachers-Difference/dp/0195124855
It going to be fun progressing thru this stage! I ll be sharing what we work on!
At the end of stage 3, a child is on their way to being indistinguishable from their peers in regards to an Autism Dx.
Stage 3 is going to be a long stage....... it mimics alot of 2 and 3 year old development. And well, they don't call them the terrible twos for Nothing! Jesse has already been caught doing mischievous things around the house....... with brain activity comes a child who is learning about what is funny, and experimenting with well, what exactly does happen when you squeeze an entire bottle of shampoo down the bathroom sink drain?
Stage 3, along with all the stages of RDI, has co-regulation and commonality among partners....Dynamic analysis and and appraisal of situations. It also begins developmental pretending, something that we really have seen Jesse do alot lately. This has really taken off for him! A great book to read on these subjects, and a great compliment to why RDI helps the developing mind of a child with Autism, is titled " Awakening children's minds" http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Childrens-Minds-Teachers-Difference/dp/0195124855
It going to be fun progressing thru this stage! I ll be sharing what we work on!
At the end of stage 3, a child is on their way to being indistinguishable from their peers in regards to an Autism Dx.
Relationship Development Intervention
This is the therapy that our family is involved in with both Noah and Jesse. Both boys are very different, but the reason the same therapy works for them ( and any child on the spectrum) is because RDI is based on typical childhood development.
With Autism, the child fails to meet a very early milestone in development, and because of this, continues the downward spiral of missing milestone after milestone. What RDI does, is establish where the child stopped on their typical development ( Every child is so individualized) and provides them with a *do Over*. This enables the child to get back on the developmental track, which eventually leads them to meeting milestone after milestone, exactly as a typical child would. The result of this is they learn typically.
The stages set up in RDI are like the stages of typical development. For example, Jesse, who is in stage 3, exhibits thinking patterns much like a 3 year old. It will take another year or two to get him functioning at his age level.... but so worth it! How exciting it is to watch his brain at work! I never take child development for granted anymore!
I obviously recommend this therapy if your child is on the spectrum! For Jesse I also had to treat his cooccurring conditions along with the Autism. http://dynamicdarrowduo.blogspot.com/2008/07/neurodevelopmental-health.html
For more information on RDI go to-
http://www.rdiconnect.com/
If you are a parent ( or grandparent) with a child on the Autism Spectrum and would like to join a yahoo group that can assist you in your understanding of guided participation/RDI, go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-remediation-for-our-children/
With Autism, the child fails to meet a very early milestone in development, and because of this, continues the downward spiral of missing milestone after milestone. What RDI does, is establish where the child stopped on their typical development ( Every child is so individualized) and provides them with a *do Over*. This enables the child to get back on the developmental track, which eventually leads them to meeting milestone after milestone, exactly as a typical child would. The result of this is they learn typically.
The stages set up in RDI are like the stages of typical development. For example, Jesse, who is in stage 3, exhibits thinking patterns much like a 3 year old. It will take another year or two to get him functioning at his age level.... but so worth it! How exciting it is to watch his brain at work! I never take child development for granted anymore!
I obviously recommend this therapy if your child is on the spectrum! For Jesse I also had to treat his cooccurring conditions along with the Autism. http://dynamicdarrowduo.blogspot.com/2008/07/neurodevelopmental-health.html
For more information on RDI go to-
http://www.rdiconnect.com/
If you are a parent ( or grandparent) with a child on the Autism Spectrum and would like to join a yahoo group that can assist you in your understanding of guided participation/RDI, go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-remediation-for-our-children/
July 4th 2008
While Dave, Dan and Noah are in Maine with our Brother and Sister in law, Grace, Jess and I stayed in New Jersey.
We have enjoyed our week of just the three of us!
Happy Independence Day!
We have enjoyed our week of just the three of us!
Happy Independence Day!
Dan's Graduation
Im sorry, but I will say what I thought I would never say! THEY GROW UP SO FAST! I cant believe Dan is now entering 10th grade. In three years I will have someone entering college.......yikes.....
The slideshow of all the kids as babies growing up was great to watch. There were 22 kids graduating, so it was a very personalized ceremony...which I love!
He looked so handsome that night ( Im partial) and he had a great time! A few of us moms put together a party for the kids afterwards, and then after the party most of the kids went to one of the graduates house to sleep over. The next morning I picked Dan and some of his friends up and took them all to school ( for the last time in Oaklyn school that is) to sign yearbooks, etc.
I did run into Dans math teacher, whom we had a good laugh about the year ( evidently Dans strong subject is not Math! lol )
This coming year will be the first year I will have no children attending the little school round the corner.
The slideshow of all the kids as babies growing up was great to watch. There were 22 kids graduating, so it was a very personalized ceremony...which I love!
He looked so handsome that night ( Im partial) and he had a great time! A few of us moms put together a party for the kids afterwards, and then after the party most of the kids went to one of the graduates house to sleep over. The next morning I picked Dan and some of his friends up and took them all to school ( for the last time in Oaklyn school that is) to sign yearbooks, etc.
I did run into Dans math teacher, whom we had a good laugh about the year ( evidently Dans strong subject is not Math! lol )
This coming year will be the first year I will have no children attending the little school round the corner.
Father's Day!
Dan, Grace, Jesse and Noah
Dad's Father's Day tradition was always to take the kids who were old enough camping while Mom stayed behind with the baby ( gee darn, I sooo want to camp..NOT)....so now that my *baby* is almost 5, Dave decided to take them ALL..and give Mom a weekend by herself!! Wow....it was great! What a great Dad!
Mother's Day
Our Mother's Day tradition is to go to Ocean City and ride the rides, romp on the beach, and eat Mack and Manco pizza..... I ride the rides for free, and since on Easter weekend we ride down to get half price tickets for the entire summer, I feel like it is a bargain! All the kids love this tradition...... Even Dan who is fast approaching 16!
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