Friday, September 16, 2016

When They Grow Up

An autism diagnosis for your child is devastating, but it comes with an element of hope. There are autistic characters on TV using their savant skills to solve crimes or crack computers. Programs hawk incredible changes. Then there is all that research. Your child will be in school until he's in his twenties, by then there will be a solution right? Everything will be just fine.

There are many possible futures, but unfortunately this is one that is not uncommon.

Your child has become a man or a woman, most likely a man, and things are not fine. They're not fine at all. It's not like what they show on TV. All that research worked great on mice but didn't do much for human beings. And those programs that promised to make your son look and act normal, they didn't. His spoken language has the syntax of a two year old and he has regular meltdowns, pinching or sinking his teeth into the nearest person who can't duck or get away in time. Often that person is you. Now what do you do?”

Okay, you can take time for a good cry, but after that you need to get busy. Services are usually provided by medicaid waiver. That means doing lots of paper work. You have to do it. Get on every list you can. Even if you don't need the services, the need may sneak up on you. If there's a waiting for housing or respite, even if it is years long, make sure you get on it too. Eventually you will reach the top.

Cling to whomever his willing to help, whether it is your family, your friends, or your religious institution.


Most of all, take care of yourself. You are in this for the long haul. Perhaps there will be a cure and if that happens, it will be wonderful. But you have to cope with the present. Remember to sleep. Remember to eat. Find something you love to do and do it. Be checked for high blood presure. It happens to parents of individual with autism --- a lot. The last thing you need is a heart attavk or a stroke. And believe you can do it. You can.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Only the Father.

I just remembered a funny thing that happened when my son DC was in school. However primitive his speech may be, his computer skills are anything but. He comes by them honestly through his father, who hs been a computer professional since the sixties. DC is very possessive about computers and his time on them. He managed to lock everyone out of a computer belonging to his school.

Usually my husband and I were notified of everything DC did, via his communication book, but not about this incident. Perhaps the school was embarrassed. They had called in two computer experts to fix the problem, to no avail. A few days later, when my husband and I were attending a PTA meeting when one of the teachers sheepishly confessed about the problem to my husband. It took my husband about five minutes to straighten it out and give the school access to their computer again.


Only the father could undo the work of the son.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Mix 3

You can get these flours from Bobs Red Mill. They are certified Gluten Free by Elisa testing. You can cut the amounts if you like. I actually prefer baking by weight. I will give those values as well

                                            Small batch

4 cups amaranth flour  480g         144g
4 cups tapioca flour     480g         144g
3 cups arrowroot flour 384g         115g


Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2/3 c shortening           105g
1/2 c sugar                  105g
1/2 c brown sugar         81g
1 TBSP water               24g
1 large egg                     53g                 
1 tsp vanilla                      2g
1 1/2 c mix 3                207g
1/2 tsp baking soda           3g
1/2 tsp salt                        3g
6 0z or 604g Enjoy Life dairy, nut and soy free Mega Chunks Semi Sweet

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cover cookie sheets with  parchment.

Cream shortening, sugars, and water. Add egg and vanill and mix intil smooth. Add dry ingredients except for chocolate chunks. Mix until smooth. Blend in chocolate chunks.  Drop by heaping teaspoons on cookie sheets. You may form into balls by hand for more even cookies. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool two minutes on cookies sheets and transfer to cooling racks. You should have 3-4 dozen cookies.

Hints:
For flours: bobsredmill.com
You can get the chocolate chunks on Amazon.
Try to make your cookie sheets full, cookies are less likely to burn.