| Welcome to my Autism Mom blog! Purpose I am a mother of two boys, Maddex, 4, and Carter, 7. Carter was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 1/2. The amount of parenting stuggles, IEP meetings, therapies, and meltdowns has been very hard; with over 5 years of experience as an Autism Mom, I decided to create The Autism Soup for a number of reasons: mainly to spread awareness of autism, give people a greater understanding of the amount of patience, compassion, and persistence it takes to get through all the daily events of an autism family. I cannot think of a better way to bring people together for awareness, and to also share my parenting fails and successes as an Autism Mom. Soup? Why did I pick "Soup" for part of my blog title? Soup is made of a number of ingredients; autism also has a number of variables, such as sensory issues, behavioral incidents, power struggles, communication struggles, and also, social acceptance. Those are just a few parts of autism - I cannot list them all, as new ones appear all the time! And that is okay, the more yummy food in my soup, the better! (I have always been a fan of stews and chili, can't have those with just broth or tomato juice! Below are a few aspects (ingredients) I am referring to in my "soup": Water: Oh dear. Bath time and the kiddo needs his hair shampoo'ed. Once the whole song and dance is over, your neighbors may wonder if you performed an exorcism on a cat. Or on the other end of things - water play can be a godsend; let the kiddo play in the pool for an hour during summer break to regulate his body and calm. Along with other water good's and bad's. Meat: The muscle of the soup! Autistic kiddos sure are strong! Among the amount of furniture and other household items I have found broken or damaged, including a door (I'll save that story for later), we sometimes as parents wear down and get fatigued. How to beat the fatigue? Physical wellness! (I may post time to time on exercise, dieting, and other self-wellness routines) Remember the empty bowl thing? It's an important part of being an Autism Mom. How to slow down the craziness when your kiddo is going 90 miles an hour and making your head spin? Regulation techniques and communication. All "meats" of autism, main parts. Starches Crackers / Potatoes / Pasta. Something to beat the hunger and give the soup some sustenance; what would we do if beef stew didn't have potatoes? I personally enjoy spaghetti in my chili, and chicken noodle soup. Some starches are also sweet! Candy and all those cakes - spoil time from grandparents, family friends, aunts, and uncles. Sometimes it is hard when you work for months on a behavioral issue with your kiddo, and then Auntie Jean decides it's okay to not follow your instructions because it's a "special day" for your kiddo to visit with his aunt. Now we need cake, right? These times are frustrating, learning how to get through the power struggles, and manage our own behavior when others do not follow through with the regime you have worked on with your kiddo for quite some time. Also, am I the only one, or does your kiddo find starchy foods to be the best? Mac and cheese anyone? Pizza? Dinner Rolls? All staples in my household. Spices: A little bit of flavor for the food. All of us have our own style, our own personality and preferences. Of course those change over time, and accepting our kiddos for who they are, who they want to be, and how to help them get there is a must. Yes I will admit, it was embarrassing in the past when Carter would wear his shirts backward and pants inside out, refusing to change. I did catch quite a few stares in the grocery store. And you know what I did? Stared right back. My kiddo can dress himself that way if it helps relieve something that is causing him a sensory issue (tags on pants or zippers). Nowadays, I could care less how many stares or comments I get for my son wearing a dress shirt with sweat pants (he refuses to wear jeans). We may not enjoy some of the same "spices" as our kiddos, however, they still are ours and we need to embrace their personality and preferences. Vegetables: This one's a biggie. I do enjoy vegetables, however, as I am sure almost every kiddo on the planet does not. The power struggle there can be great, there are ways around food aversions! I am very familiar with how these can trigger behaviors, and the extent of those behaviors. A cleared table over one floret of broccoli? Been there, done that, no longer an issue. Also, most vegetables have fiber, an important part of a healthy digestive tract! What comes along with fiber? The 'P' word. Yes, I am talking about poop. I have had my fair share of poop messes, accidents during events, constipation due to medications, along with poop obsession. (I am referring to my son, not myself - however, I am sure when I was a little girl my mother could probably admit to a few of these for me. Ha-Ha!) Spoon: Or spork, or fork, or straw, or whatever the heck it takes for that kiddo to eat it! Utensils can be a struggle, along with other fine & gross motor skills. Sometimes it's okay for your kiddo to eat spaghetti with their hands; maybe they are exploring the sensory side of their food - and need to touch it before they eat it. You never know. Physical therapy during IEP's ties into this also. Keeping up with therapies across the board, from school to home, is also very important. Bowl: In which the whole soup is contained; the bowl represents family, the foundation for success for your kiddo. Of course, family sometimes is often expanded to family friends, other moms, therapists, among other caring people who want the best for your kiddo. As an Autism Mom, it is important for myself and my SO to be that bowl, to help Carter grow and develop the skills he needs to be successful. That's a lot for one bowl of soup! And there is so much more I could mention!
A little about myself
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| Okay on to me now! Of course, as a mom, we do put our children first, which is okay, however, you can't pour from an empty cup; or bowl of soup, if you will. I am 28 years old, engaged to the best man I could ever ask for, Andy. He does not have relation to my children, however, he has been in the autism trenches with me for 2 1/2 years now. I do not know how I would get through each day without him by my side. All of us Autism Moms need our rock, Andy is my rock! Along with my mother, who has babysat Carter since he was born, and has been through all the meltdowns and craziness along with us. Thank you Mom for all you do! These two are my support system, and I lean on them when I need to vent about an IEP meeting, a stranger who was rude to Carter or myself with Carter along, among any other thing that throws my day off. I am currently a stay at home mom (SAHM), working on my new blog (hello!), and holding down the fort at home. Recently I had an unfortunate job loss and have not yet looked into going back to the working field, with all of Carter's needs, and considering how stressful being a full time working mom and full time Autism Mom is, I need a break from the career side of things. I exercise and diet, I am working on losing a few more pounds so I can start planning my wedding with Andy! How horrible would that be to plan our wedding, pick out a gorgeous dress, and not be able to fit in it on my wedding day? I would definitely cry. Also, going to the gym gives me some "me" time, away from the kids, to just focus on my wellness and take a mental break from all going on. The gym I go to does have a sauna and pool in one of their locations - which I do enjoy when I have some free time. The gym also has a daycare, and Carter loves to go! It gives him a chance to socialize and learn from his peers how to act in the community, and is a good time to practice the social skills we work on at home. I enjoy gaming, both mobile and console editions. Our family is big into Minecraft, Andy and I also enjoy Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. I have a good sense of humor, am optimistic, and work hard. I am very bold and do not have a problem standing up to someone to defend my child. The stories I could tell! I will get to some of those in future posts! I like to socialize and have a bit of charisma. I have a background in accounting, and as a child dabbled in HTML coding. (I plan to get this page formatted and prettied up a bit within the next coming months) All in all, I have not attempted a blog before, however, I feel I can do it. I have a lot of advice I can give, and a lot of stories I can share. I hope you enjoy my posts and keep coming back to see what else I have to share. Thank you for reading! Enjoy your soup and come back soon! |