Calming Jars

Last night we made calming jars.  In hopes that it will help Alex remain calmer or calm down faster in a meltdown.  I did way to much googling..... and found several links I liked.  I am a crafty mama, I love these kinds of projects. So, Alexander's PASS worker and I worked with the kids to make calm down jars. We used old Bubbles containers and a peanut butter jar.

That's Alex's Pass worker, I will have to do a post on the pass program later.

So the jars are waiting overnight for the glue to dry (so the lid cant come off). And we will give these babies a test drive!

Here's my favorite link.   http://mycrazyblessedlife.com/2011/10/03/relax-bottletime-out-timer/

Alexander.......

So, I thought I would focus on Alexander first. Alex is 11 now, just hitting puberty.  Alexander was non verbal until he was 5, he was also self injurious (biting, headbanging).  He was my first child and an only child until he was 6, so I focused on him a lot in the early years. He has come so far!!  He was originally diagnosed mentally retarded, but we felt it wasn't right and sought a second opinion.  That is when we got the diagnosis of Autism.  He is now very intelligent, speaks beautifully. Is decent about talking about his feelings. He loves minecraft, legos and superheros.

Lately Alexander hasn't been functioning in school, he no longer asks for his breaks, and has meltdowns that last the entire day.  There has been emails and meetings and no one has a clue how to get him to function.  We have been working on a coping book, with reminders of his coping skills.

Introducing my boys!!

I have a son, his name is Alex. He is a handsome, clever, kind, helpful, creative boy. He also has Autism. He is considered high functioning, but is still requires some creative parenting! 

I have another son, his name is William. He is cute, pudgy, quirky and loud! He loves food and spongebob. I found out yesterday he is also Autistic.I already knew, but had really hoped I was wrong.....


My first reaction was how can I manage two children with Autism! William is not as high functioning as Alexander, I just don't have that much time and arms to go around.  But I have collected myself, and am ready to tackle this head on.  I decided I will blog my journey from now on. Perhaps I can inspire other families, or inspiring families will find me!