The Birds and The Bees Special Needs Style.....

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The Teen Years in Autism

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The teenage years of autism are downright hard and challenging when it comes to autistic boys. I think our son is at his highest, in regard to his anxiety level, and thankfully we have been able to get him to talk more about what is bothering him (that doesn't always work) but helping him find his voice and us listening helps him get it out of his system. 

We have found a temporary fix to him navigating all of the news headlines of the day and there are a lot and as we all know NONE of it is good news. It is like once he reads a headline, this invades his entire day, and his homework doesn't get done ***SIGH***. So, we have decided to take away his phone temporarily and only return it to him after he is done with his homework. It seems to be working really well and he is definitely not as preoccupied or distracted by the world around him. 

School is going great, and he is moving along really well. He is now in his second year online and he is able to take breaks when needed, end or start his day (at his own pace) as long as he completes his lessons for the day, he can do whatever else he would like after he is done. Finding the right environment for our autistic son to learn and progress was key in finding what worked. Believe me when I say that we tried it ALL. Once the pandemic hit and schools were shut down for a year this was a gamechanger. He was no longer distracted by the loud hallways, no communication teachers (at least for us parents) and not one teacher, even the special education teachers could tell us how much progress our son was making (sad huh?). Although this was stated in his IEP that we needed to see IEP progress reports often it was like it was acknowledged, but nothing was ever done to address the problem. 

Thank goodness for being strong advocates for our son and moving forward to the now. Puberty is rough at this age, but we are finding ways to keep him continually busy and engaged, especially because of how quickly he can get bored. If you are a parent of an autistic child, do you ever find yourself scrambling for other ways, opportunities, social groups, etc. to keep your autistic son or daughter engaged? 

At the end of the day, keep fighting for your autistic son or daughter, they deserve a fair chance at all that is available to them, and you deserve an opportunity to continue to do that for them. Keeping it Real. 

Recommended Reading: 

       

Autism and Anxiety

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Anxiety is high up there, especially when it comes to autistic individuals and their parents, and this year (as well as the last two years) is no exception. Emotional wellness is huge this year even with atypical individuals and school, social media, TikTok, etc. We have had to be more proactive when it comes to keeping him off the computer and into more hobbies, outdoor activities (that he is comfortable with), and finding more ways to keep him occupied. It started happening more and more with his increase of sceentime and he slowly started to become obsessed with all of the negative comments online. 

Thankfully we are finding things that do keep his interest and actually work. If you are an autism parent struggling to keep your autistic son or daughter from becoming depressed, please reach out to an autism support group and find ways to keep them from being on the computer all hours of the day and night. 

  

December 2022....It has been quite a year!

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We have been through a lot this year with inflation prices, a recession on the horizon and so much more we have to look forward to in 2023. But overall, we are thankful for the little things like a roof over our head, food on the table, friends and family and our sanity. 

We have had to change our tune when it comes to how we do things, especially the way we eat and shop in our grocery stores. Picking up our groceries after shopping for them online and so much more, but we are especially thankful that we have the opportunity to homeschool our autistic son and college aged daughter is able to do her studies in an environment where they both strive and blossom. No distractions and total focus. 

Happy Holidays!

From HSSNTidbits

Happy Thanksgiving 2022!

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Thanksgiving is the time to feel gratitude for everything that we have. It is not only the celebration, but also the spirit of thanks that makes this holiday so special. If we think about our life, and ourselves we should thank the clouds for giving us rain, the trees because they give us fruit, the earth because it gives us a place to live. Our parents for giving birth to us, our friends, for sharing our thoughts and being with God and us for giving all these. Thanksgiving Screensavers can help us remember all these and fill us with an attitude of gratitude. Let me tell you how to choose and download the Thanksgiving Screensavers. 

Message and Impact- When you view a screensaver, it should make you feel good. It should make you feel truly grateful. The colors should be very pleasing to the eyes. The font sizes and the effect of text should be very readable and artistic. The images used should merge to create a great effect. The screensaver should be like a movie where everything fits well to create a great impact.

Take These Precautions - Download from a reliable website. Most of the well-known websites also add adware to free content downloads. Refuse doing that. You do not need to pay for getting free content. Look for one of them and stick to that. The download process should be simple, and installation should be ideally one click away.

Share Thanksgiving Screensavers- I have noticed that most people avoid sharing screensavers and wallpapers with friends and family. This habit should be cultivated, and any good content should be shared to express joy. 

~Happy Holidays

November is Here and we are in a tridemic.... ARGH!!!

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Hello November!

How was your Halloween? Ours was celebrated the week before because that is how we roll, LOL! Although my kiddoes are now a teen and an adult, we still had our candy, watched a scary episode of American Horror Story: Coven  (never again). My oldest loves that stuff but for my autistic teen son and myself it was definitely something that we would not want to experience again. Don't get me wrong, if you are into really dark, true story history then by all means go for it. On a lighter note, we watched the new Minions movie, and it was pretty awesome! 

   

What's in the News....

We are officially, at least here in the PNW, in a tridemic-what the heck!? I am so very tired of all of this and thankful that our family jumped on it as soon as the new vaccines were available. Now we are hearing of the scarcity of available COVID-19 vaccine appointments and that regular flu numbers and RSV in infants has tripled:-(. So very sad and disappointing that our nation and small cities can't get the very necessary resources in order for them to be and feel protected. Wherever you are in this journey with your family, stay safe out there.

Homeschooling Online......

We are so very thankful that we are able to continue schooling online and our autistic son continues to grow and progress. No more chasing down teachers (SPED/Gen Ed. Teachers) about how our son is doing. Now we are able to see for ourselves and he is able to work at his own pace. No cookie cutter curriculums here. Our decision to do this for our autistic teen is priceless and we are not looking back, just forward. 

Wherever you are in your journey of schooling your children take note in the options around you and don't be scared to do what you feel is right and helps your child.

Take Care:-)

October is Here! Enjoy the Recipes Below (Life Skills)

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Spooky Recipes for Halloween

Halloween is a great time for serving creative and "gross" foods. Kids' parties and adult get-togethers can both benefit from some creepy food. From freaky finger foods to ghoulish drinks, you can serve up a memorable meal! Here are some spooky recipes for Halloween, from classy and fun to ghastly and delicious!

Cheese and Deli Meats

Cheese and deli meats may not be the scariest foods around, but you can cut these flat foods into Halloween-themed shapes, like ghosts, pumpkins and cats. The more orange the cheese, the better! Then layer them on crackers and add details with black olive slices for spooky hors d'oeuvres.

Mummies-in-a-Blanket

Use your favorite pig-in-a-blanket recipe but wrap a full-sized hot dog with dough rather than the small weenies. Press peppercorns into the top of the dough for eyes. If you don't have a favorite pig-in-a-blanket recipe, it's quite simple. Just use store-bought breadstick dough and wrap one breadstick's worth of dough around each hot dog. Press in the peppercorns and bake at 375 degrees F for 12 minutes. For a gory effect, dollop ketchup on the mummies-in-a-blanket right before serving.

Bloody Glasses

Grab a tube of red cake decorating gel and apply it to the rims and edges of your guests' cups. You can create a bloody look by letting the gel drip down inside the glass. Apply the red gel after the drink is in the glass. You can use this for kids' drinks or adult beverages. 

Witches' Brooms

Party guests of all ages will love these! Here is what you'll need to make these witchy treats.

* Sliced cheese (the American kind works best; it holds up a bit better without crumbling)

* Scallions

* Cream cheese

* Straight pretzels, or pretzel rods (you'll need the large variety)

Cut the cheese into ribbons about 1/4-inch wide and 4 inches long. Cut the green part of the scallions into ribbons about 4 inches long; place these in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Steep for 1 minute and remove (this makes the scallion ribbons limp). 

Use the cream cheese to make a "glue" for the cheese strips - cover about 2 inches of one end of the pretzel rod with cream cheese. Then press on the cheese strips all the way around and wrap a green onion strip around the top of the cheese strips to make it look like a broom. Refrigerate until right before serving. 

Cheesy Eyeballs

Have you seen those mozzarella balls in the grocery store? Grab some and make them into eyeball snacks. In addition to the mozzarella balls, you'll need sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives and cream cheese. Put a small blob of cream cheese on each mozzarella ball and press on an olive slice. Instant eyeballs! Serve on a tray with crackers and sliced tomatoes. 

I hope you get a chance to try at least one of these for the upcoming holiday and even if you don't celebrate this holiday that's okay, you can try them as is and they will still be just as delicious. Have fun and create some memories. 

Welcome to October!