Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Nathan FAILS .....

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Recently I blogged about Nathan failing his hearing test during his post cleft palate surgery check-up ....  before jumping on any band wagon - they wanted me to keep the hearing test I had already scheduled for him and see how he did for that one.

Well...  he had that one...... and FAILED.

So the option that had been mentioned during the first failed attempt, of doing the test while he was put under on medication was brought up again but Becky (our Audiologist that sees Noah too) but she didn't really feel the need to do it.  She felt he was responding and she got some slightly better results than the last time.  So ........ she said.......

She just wanted to fit him for hearing aids in both ears.

Yep!  That's right!  Again - just more comes ....  every time I feel like they couldn't POSSIBLY diagnosis him with something else.... they do. 

So he got to get ear molds done.... first the little spongy thing needs to go in so they can pull it out...
 Then the pink goo goes in and surprisingly - he didn't freak out .... 
 After Becky filled up his ear she put the rest of it in his hand so he could play with it.
 Nathan got to pick out colors...... he picked out a clear with a pink glitter, the hot (magenta) pink and the light pink....   cuz...... he ....... loves...... pink.....  he got this mix for both ears.
 and he's getting a purple hearing aid.
 then she did the left side...... 
I totally was caught off guard with this - and hadn't brought my camera - so I had taken these with my Mom's cell phone.

Anyway - we're going back to get the hearing aids on November 15th (long wait!) ...  and she's going to do another test then, too - just to make sure.

So .... that's that........ 

Big Red Safety Box ... take 2

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So at the end of last month I had blogged about the BIG RED SAFETY BOX put out by the National Autism Association.   It's a box that you can apply to receive for free if you have an autistic child in your household.

So ....  I thought it sounded interesting, and I applied.

Last week we got a post card in the mailbox (I don't grab mail everyday) ...  saying we had a parcel to pick up at the post office.

I was all....... huh, wonder what it is?

Then Dennis mentioned that it maybe his communication device, and I started thinking crap....  I should go get it now, but it was already to late and I'd have to wait.

Yesterday I went to pick it up ....   I got to the post office, waited in line and when it was my turn, I handed him the card and he brought me this red box.

I was thinking ..........  what the hell???  

No really, that's what I was thinking. 

It was too light to be his device, and I had completely forgotten about the Big Red Safety Box.  So I started to rip it open walking across the parking lot and Calahan was all "why don't you wait until we get home" ....

Cuz I'm more impatient then YOU sometimes..... 

But I didn't say that....

So I open it and I see the door alarms, and I remember.


Inside was ....

There was a folder with papers in it. 

The first one was a list of everything in the box and how to use it.
(we only got one decal, not two ...  but oh well.)

Then there is the Caregiver Checklist Tool....  which is pretty interesting.

  • I have secured my home, I have taught, or am teaching, my child/adult about wandering dangers. 
  • I have enrolled my child/adult in swimming lessons.
  • I have alerted my TRUSTED neighbors.
  • I have alerted my local first responders.
  • I have obtained a wearable ID for my child that contains all of my contact information.
  • I will initiate a "Tag, You're It" system during family gatherings, commotion, transitions.
  • I will monitor any changes in my home's security, especially during times of weather or seasonal transitions. 
  • I have addressed wandering at school, summer camp, and other external settings.
  • I continue to reassess as my child/adult grows and/or learns new ways to possibly exit. 
  • I continue to document actions taken to protect my loved one. 
These are all very interesting and I hadn't thought of all this.

The next thing was a Family Wandering Emergency Plan.

Starts off by listing critical information.....

Then goes into emergency steps....

On the back, there are other things, like .... list the places your child is likely to go in the neighborhood.  Before an emergency happens, assign at least five "Search Angels" who will be willing to drop everything to help search for your child.  It also gives you spots to write down law enforcement numbers, local media, and other notes.

And might I add.... I recently read something that I thought was an amazing suggestion.  Take a picture of your child every day - especially if you are out and about.  That way you have a picture of them - that day - with exactly what clothes they were wearing and all that.  You never know when that picture might come in handy!


Then there is the Autism Elopement Alert Form - Person Specific Information for First Responders
It's a pretty extensive front and back form with all sorts of questions.


And then there is the Sample Wandering-Prevention IEP Letter....

I know that a lot of this stuff, I didn't think about.  So I am going to make copies of the forms, fill them out - and keep the originals in case we move and information needs to change on them. 


There was also the Autism & Safety Wandering Pamphlet ...


Along with all these papers ....  were two door alarms ...
I immediately put one on the door and tested it out.  It didn't scare Nathan at all - but it intrigued him.  He was very interested in the beeping.  Kaedyn didn't like it ...  one bit.  He ran out of the room with his hands over his ears.


There was a large stop sign and four smaller ones - for a visual reminder of STOP ....

There is the Road Tag ID that you register with your child's information and your information and you attach it to their shoes.

And there is also a rubber bracelet ....
One side says "Safety Alert" and the other says "I have Autism" ...

Then there is the ONE (not two) Decals I got... it's a static window cling, and it's written on there in a mirror image - so I used my photography editing program to flip it so it can be read ....

We're already starting to implement some of it........

the large stop sign is on our door....  

the alarm is up...

it only has to be opened this much before going off....

Definitely really helpful!  So thank you very much National Autism Association ..... 

It seems you can still apply for a FREE ONE or you can go to the Big Red Safety Shop and buy them, and other items! 

Famous People with ADHD

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Famous People with ADHD

ADHD children are often highly gifted in some way or another. 
Here are some ADHD personalities who succeeded despite their ADHD.

Bill Cosby
Jim Carey
Harry Belafonte
Cher
Kirk Douglas
Ann Bancroft
Dustin Hoffman
Robin Williams (big surprise, right?)
Suzanne Somers
George Burns
Steve McQueen
Tracey Gold
George C. Scott
Sylvester Stallone
Whoopi Goldberg
Henry Winkler
Will Smith
Lindsay Wagner
Paris Hilton
James Stewart
Tom Smothers
Danny Glover
Pablo Picasso
Vincent Van Gogh
Ansel Adams
Bruce Jenner
Pete Rose
Magic Johnson
Jackie Stewart
Babe Ruth
Michael Jordan
Nolan Ryan
Jason Kidd
Greg Louganis
Leonardo Da Vinci
Orville & Wilber Wright
Benjamin Franklin
Thomas Edison
William Wrigley
Alexander Graham Bell
Sir Issac Newton
Galileo
Albert Einstein
Anwar Sadat
Abraham Lincoln
John F. Kennedy (father and son both)
Winston Churchill
Prince Charles
Dwight Eisenhauer
Robert F. Kennedy
Woodrow Wilson
Nelson Rockafeller
Walt Disney
FW Woolworth
William Randolph Hearst
Terry Bradshaw
Scott Eyre
Justin Gatlin
Cammi Granato
Jason Kidd
Michael Phelps
Pete Rose
Charlotte and Emily Bronte
Samuel Clemens
Emily Dickenson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Virginia Woolf
William Butler Yeats
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Andrew Carnegie
Malcolm Forbes
Henry Ford
David Neeleman
Ty Pennington
Elvis Presley 

Evil and Robbie Knievel
Justin Timberlake