Book Review: Dancing with Max

Book Cover

It's been a while since I posted, and this book review speaks of something I have been pondering about for quite some time.  See, more than just the physical, mental, social and emotional development for my son R, just as in important, if not more for me, is his spiritual development.

I have posted before about how we go about teaching R about God.  I've also posted some previous reviews on Christian books tackling special needs parenting and ministry.  But I will confess, there have been times I wondered if anything we tell R about God and Jesus even resonate in his mind.  There have been anecdotes that frighten me, because ASD minds are so literal, that some claim that they cannot seem to grasp the concept of a God who cannot be seen, touched, or heard, that many of them just reject the concept of God altogether.

So I went looking for more books to read, hoping to find something.  And I found this upon the recommendation of Christianity Today.

Thoughts on Educating our Children

One of the most stressful things I feel that parents go through, based on my experience, is the process of placing your child in an educational setting.  And for so long here in the Philippines, there has only been one option - a brick and mortar school with a traditional system of classes, uniforms, and schedules.

Within the last 30 years though, there has been some movements on putting up alternative systems for children.  Though not as widely accepted as traditional brick and mortar schools, progressive schools, playschools, special education schools, even homeschooling have been coming out of the woodwork.  The teacher in me is extremely thrilled for this, though at the same time I am dismayed at how little options there are for parents who, like me, dislike the traditional system and want an alternative for their child.

R is getting older, and the search for progressive preschools has not been too difficult.  There are plenty, at least as far as I know within the metropolis.  But now that he's getting too big and too old for preschool, around the middle of last year we started looking for schools to place him for grade school.

And as if that task is not daunting enough for parents of neurotypical children, for children with special needs, it's even more complicated, and the options pool is even smaller.

So let me tell you how we went about it...

Of Slang Words, Idioms, and Autism

Symphony in Slang from Lee Presson on Vimeo.

In 1951, MGM released a cartoon called a Symphony in Slang, written by Rich Hogan and directed by Tex Avery.  The story of this short video is about a young man named John Brown, who came to heaven with his life story, but to St. Peter and Noah Webster's discomfort, the way he told his story was so peppered full of idioms and slang that they imagined it as literally as they could.

I watched this as a child and found myself relating more to Peter and Webster more than I did with Brown, simply because I was so young when I first watched it on TV.  Nonetheless, this cartoon went deep in my mind and sort of stayed dormant until a few weeks ago.  I was lying in bed next to my husband and mentioned this cartoon because of the idioms that came with it.

It was during this conversation that I realized that this is probably one of the best ways to get people to understand how a person with autism processes language.

Book Review: Bible Promises for Parents of Children with Special Needs

Book Cover

This book review is going to be a little bit different from previous ones, simply because it's not the type of book you read once, and then you leave it to move to the next one.  On the contrary, this is the type of book that you would want to keep within reach, going back to it again and again.

The story behind Bible Promises for Parents of Children with Special Needs and how it came into our hands may seem ordinary and normal, but I don't think it's a coincidence that it happened.

Philippine National Autism Consciousness Week 2018

In 1996, former President Fidel V. Ramos signed Proclamation No. 711, declaring the third week of the month of January every year to be the National Autism Consciousness Week in the Philippines.

I will admit, I was not aware of this until just a few days ago.  I'm not sure if it's for a lack of information dissemination, or I'm just living under a rock all these years.  But now that I know, I thought I'd make a little post to contribute to this.

This week was kicked off, as they do annually, with the Angels Walk for Autism held at the SM Mall of Asia grounds.  It was also paired with events allowing people with autism or PWAs to showcase their talents, whether it be singing, painting, taking photos, or anything at all.  From what the news has shown, it was quite a successful event.

I kind of feel bad for not being able to partake in this, but it so happened I had to be out of town for my grandma's 100th birthday.  So in honor of this week, here's a quick list of organizations, merchants, and events in the Philippines that support PWAs and the research to find out more about autism.  

Please note that I have not attended many of these events and that these are shared for information purposes only.  This is not an endorsement on my part.

Autism Advocacy Organizations

• Autism Society of the Philippines - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
• Unilab Foundation Project Inclusion PH - Dare to Hire Me Now - Instagram
• Association for Adults with Autism Philippines
• Center for Autism and Related Disorders Philippines

Brands and Merchants Supporting Autism Research and Inclusion

• Banana Peel Flip Flops - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
• Kiehl's Philippines
• Canon Philippines
• IBM Philippines
• Krispy Kreme Philippines
• SM Supermalls
• SM Supermarket, Hypermarket and Savemore
• Cebu Pacific Air
• Eurotel
• The Legend Villas
• Puzzle Gourmet Store & Café

Foundations Affiliated with Autism Society Philippines

• SM Foundation - SM Cares
• Unilab Foundation - Facebook - Twitter - Instagram - YouTube
• Metrobank Foundation - Facebook
• One Meralco Foundation

Events for Autism Awareness (to be updated as events are added)

• Angels Walk for Autism (held annually on the third Sunday of January)
• Golden Heart Autism Awareness Fair
• Raising a Child With Autism

An Open Letter to the Lady in the Bathroom

Dear Lady in the Bathroom,

A few weeks ago, during the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, a fair was held in a location near my parents' home.  It was one of those usual Christmas fairs- full of people looking for bargains, stalls lined everywhere, and the din of sellers inviting potential sales coming from all sides.

It was one of those days when my mother, in an attempt to give me and my husband a break so we can do our Christmas shopping, decided to take my young son, who has autism, to this fair.  

And we all know how children on the spectrum deal with busy, and I mean busy, places.

Book Review: Leading a Special Needs Ministry

Book Cover

"No one has ever seen the wind. We've only experienced the effects and the results of the wind. And none of us have ever seen God. Just like the movement of a pinwheel makes us sure that the wind exists, we have ways to be sure that God exists."

Welcome to 2018 and to start it off for this blog, we have a new book review!

But first a story.

I had been thinking about this topic for quite a bit, ever since I had just written on teaching your child about God.  In fact, what prompted that post was a meeting I was involved in a few weeks before I wrote that particular article.

Waiting and Acting

And so another year has gone by, and it won't be long before we say goodbye to 2017 and hello to 2018.

I won't lie.  The last few years have been quite the roller coaster.  Starting with the lows of diagnosis, whether it was SPD or ASD, to the middles of therapy sessions and appointments here and there, to the highs of seeing progress with R in terms of speech, behavior, and schooling.  It's quite taxing for me as the parent, and I'm sure my husband and even R himself finds this exhausting.

And in the spirit of honesty, I will readily admit that this is not the family life I had envisioned for myself.  But God, in His infinite wisdom, knows what's best.  Romans 8:28 has always been of great comfort to me, more so now than ever before.

I suppose that I have learned - and of course still learning - a lot about parenting, child-rearing, and even about myself through this journey.  And with learning comes time for reflection. No better time to reflect on the past 12 months (or maybe even further) than at the moment nearing the end of the year.

I was planning to post tips on how to deal with the holidays with a child on the spectrum, as well as having sensory issues come to play, but as I continued to think on it, I realized there was one thing I wanted to discuss more than that.

Let's dive right in!