The good with some bad...

I'm not quite sure yet, it depends on how into it I get..but this might be a long one...

Before I start what I REALLY want to talk/bitch about, I'm going to do my update.

As I put in my last post, this past Friday we went to Albany for Gage's 6 month evaluation with his developmental pediatrician(or whatever her title is, lol). I have to say I was pretty nervous, last time Gage was NOT a happy camper. I think mostly because it was a long drive there, he didnt get to walk around before we went in, it was close to nap time and my mother was there. He is so obsessed with my mother that it normally does more harm than help. Anyway, this time we were prepared. We left early enough to have lunch and let Gage run around the mall a little bit to get some energy out. He also had a little nap. We got to the doctors about 20 minutes early, just enough time for Gage to explore. I was afraid that Gage wouldnt show anything that he has learned, because last time he just had a meltdown because we were making him do things he wasnt used to. Well..much to my surprise this time he did awesome! He signed all of the signs he knows, listened to directions, gave up toys when asked, made awesome eye contact with everyone, stacked blocks with the doctor and did some puzzles. I think the doctor was impressed too. She even said that she was amazed at the progress, but of course compared to last time he showed off. So basically we were told that he is making progress, he isnt flying off the charts but it is steady progress. I'll know more when I get the report. Either way, I'm happy with progress..as long as he isnt regressing, its good. All in all it was a good trip..but the Chinese food from the mall was not a fun time....at all.

I watched a special on Discovery the other night, it was called Uncovering Autism..then right after that we watching Autismx6. The first was about how they are trying to find the genetic marker for Autism and what they are doing to work towards that. It was pretty interesting, it showed older teenagers with Asperger's and how they are transitioning into adult life. It made me think of Gage and what will be in the future for him. I know adulthood is ALONG ways away, but really..its not that far. It just really made me think about what is going to happen and how scary it is not knowing what is going to happen. Will Gage live on his own? Will he get married? Will he talk? Will he go to college? There is no way of knowing and that is scary as all hell. The second show we watched was about a family that has 6 kids, all on the spectrum. Ranging from Classic Autism to PDD-NOS and all spots in between. I will say, and I know this is horrible...but Justin agreed. It made us feel better about our situation. Gage is by no means half as bad as some of these kids. He is quite high functioning compared to many kids on the spectrum. I hate to use someone else's family to make mine see not so bad, but its life..we all do it. It just made me realize it could be much, much harder than it is. Also, I liked the way they described PDD-NOS. They said that is basically like yes, you have Autistic characteristics but we dont what it is and that its not that bad. I liked that, the "not that bad" part.

So yesterday I decided to do something I dread. Getting Gage's hair cut. He was waaaay past due, he looked a little too shaggy. I figured well, we will make a day of it. He had a community visit with his speech therapist at McDonald's Playland. He was so funny! He went up into the play thing all by himself for the first time. Of course, inside I am freaking out. All I could think was "Oh, he is going to stumble, hit his face and knock a tooth out". Then I thought, "I'm going to have to climb in there, find him and clean up the blood..and then rush to the doctor's" I thought all of this in a matter of seconds, lol. Overprotective? Me?? NEVER! hehe..Now there were only a few other kids in there, so thats why I even let him. The funniest thing though was he would get to the top of the slide and just start blabbing. He was too afraid to go down by himself. I would yell his name and he would sort of chirp as a response. Then, two other boys came down the slide, one by one and finally like 2 minutes later...here comes Gage flying down the slide for the first time all by himself. Keep in mind that the whole way down you could hear his hands sliding down trying to grip the plastic..lol. He was so proud of himself when he came down, I wish I had my camera with me(I know, I know) but of course I didnt grab it, because I didnt plan on being there too long. Now I am kicking myself, but next time. We left Playland and headed to the mall to meet my mother. We got there way before she did so I decided to get the haircut over with. Now, this is never a pleasant experience for anyone involved. Let me explain...Gage hates anything near his ears or neck. He is VERY ticklish. So I rented those huge, ugly strollers from the mall. I figured, it has a wheel..so he can spin it while he is getting his hair cut. Wrong. That didnt work. I went to Regis, because I have tried so many places and havent been able to find a good fit. So, I went in there, gave my warning about how fun it is to cut his hair and then we waited for the woman to get us. She was VERY nice and patient with Gage. I specifically asked for someone that had experience with kids that are beyond difficult, lol. She did everything right and tried her best to help Gage. He just wasnt having it. We did get it cut though, which I am glad about. After we left Regis I went to that noise maker thing to help calm Gage down. He rode a ride or two, then off to Target. I was going to get him a little prize because I felt so bad, lol. I know, I know..but I also though if I gave him a reward he would look at it as a positive thing.

We then met up with my mother and off to the bunny we went. I did know how it would go. Gage is on and off with Santa but liked the Easter bunny the last time he saw him. This time, I was quite impressed. He LOVED the Easter bunny! He sat right on him and was mesmerized. He kept petting him, grabbing the bunny's hand and putting it to his face. He wanted the bunny to pet him, lol. He kept sticking his fingers in the bunny's mouth. He did awesome! We got 2 pictures, because I couldnt decide. After I took him off of the bunny's lap, he turned around and signed more to the bunny. He wanted to get back on him. After that we visited my gram and came home to settle down. I'll post the Easter bunny pics...but of course my scanner isnt hooked up so I did it ghetto style. I took a picture of a picture, so please excuse the quality :)



Isnt He Adorable??




How sweet is that?? He LOVED the bunny!

So..now that the good stuff is all done, now on to my rant. Ok, I was looking around Facebook at different groups and whatever. I came across a group for 2 local girls that died in a car accident recently. On it there was a video of this guy getting blasted on a tv show. This guy's name is Michael Crook. I have no idea who he is, but I figured I would look at it because the person that posted it said he was talking about the girls that died. So..I watched the video and out of curiosity went to his site. Now, I dont know why I go to these things, because they always tend to get me heated. So on his site, this guy is taking about how the girls were speeding and how they deserved to die. He went on and on with this nonsense. I could NOT believe what I was reading. This guy is insane! Who cares if speed was a factor, if they were not driving carefully or whatever. We wont ever know and its not for him to judge. The fact of the matter is that these girls died too young and it is horrible for someone who doesnt even know them to speak so badly of them. Was it probably something stupid that caused the accident? Possibly, I dont know. I dont care what the causes were, its sad and horrible that two young girls had to die. Thats enough. Now..again..no clue why I did it, but I did. I typed Autism in the search box of his site. I knew I was headed for something ugly, but oh did I not expect what I read. Let me give you an example of what he writes.

"As my longtime, gentle readers know, I consider people with autism to be annoying and amusing all at the same time. Why, in my past life as a retail manager, I used an autistic employee as a chew toy, teasing and prodding him for my amusement, to the joy of a few customers and fellow employees. Oh yes, autistic people are here for our entertainment.

But aside from that, they can be extremely annoying, what with the screaming, temper tantrums, and general bad behavior. They know what they’re doing, and the way to deal with them is to treat them like the bad people that they are, instead of the kid gloves treatment that the bleeding-heart liberals beg for.

So why are there so many ill-mannered autistic people around? Because of families such as the Bilsons of Seal Beach, California. They allow their 13-year-old daughter to act like a selfish, arrogant, spoiled brat, all because they don’t want her to scream.

Don’t they realize that by allowing this behavior, they’re validating it? This girl isn’t stupid, and she has full knowledge of what she’s doing. She knows full well that in order to get her way, all she has to do is scream.

This is the method that autistic people use to get special treatment. Sympathetic people give them carte blanche to annoy others with their loud behavior, under the guise of their autism.

The only way to deal with these people is to first of all use them as a chew toy for your own amusement. If they choose to scream, and cause a scene because they’re not getting their way, their autism is not an excuse. I don’t want to hear the “symptoms”: the whining about the pain they’re feeling, the sleep deprivation, the need for a precise schedule..if they can’t keep quiet in public, they need to be dealt with swiftly and harshly."

In another blog he also says :

"As amusing as people with autism are, though, it’s nobody’s obligation to cater to their every whim. If someone can’t take care of themselves, that’s their cross to bear"

How ignorant is that? People are entitled to their own opinions on everything, but come on! This proves that his guy has no concept of what Autism actually is. I'm not saying that people have to be supporters or understand anything. There are alot of disorders/syndromes/diseases that I cant begin to understand. I dont use them for my own amusement though. Autism is so diverse, that is why its a spectrum disorder. This guy is an ignorant jackass. He is the one with mental problems. I just cant believe how some people are...not all Autistics scream, kick, bite and throw tantrums. Just the fact that he thinks that these kids are showing this behavior because they want something shows how ignorant he truly is. Sure some are probably spoiled..that is going to happen with any kid, Autistic or not. I for one discipline my son, but only when he is doing something wrong. Not when he is stimming because he is over stimulated. That is not an act of bad behavior that is him trying to cope with his environment. I can see him as being one of those idiots that sees a mother with her crying child in the supermarket and being the person to ask the mom to shut her kid up. Do I want to hear a kid screaming its lungs out? No, of course not..I dont enjoy migraines. I do consider though, that the kid could be screaming for a few reasons.

1- It could be sick/in pain
2-It could have some sort of developmental issues and is freaking out about over stimulus around it
3-It could be a spoiled child that isnt getting its way
4-The parent could have just spanked it/disciplined it some how
5-Its over tired and needs a nap..or is hungry and hasnt eaten

There are MANY reasons why a child could have a meltdown. Who am I to judge the reason and say something to the parent? Its not my place and it isnt anyone else's either.

Mr. Crook, its not all about you. Different people have different levels of need. If you can not understand that or dont have the patience then move to another country. We dont need you here. There are many other people that would love to have the air that you are wasting by breathing yourself.

This is just my opinion, of course it doesnt mean much is the big scheme of things, but I couldnt believe the ignorance of some people. Also, why is some guy in New Jersey looking at a Facebook group for people that live up here?? Get a life and go back to your dirty, smelly state!