Friday Free For All

So here we are on Friday…playing hooky from school since we apparently need to sign an IEP to officially remove Nik from school. I haven’t returned school’s calls yet; I am waiting to talk to the person from Legal Aid to determine the next steps which will protect Nik. I also got a message yesterday from “Nurse Nosy” from school. Thank goodness for caller ID; I let the machine get the call. Her message was a chatty but brief “How are you?” and “What’s going on?” Funny, she didn’t bother to call at all during the ten days Nik was actually ill. Fishing for information much? Yeah. Oh, sure, I’ll call her back…right after hell freezes over.

But enough of that rant. Today I have random thoughts and stuff to share.

I usually delete all the Autism Speaks emails I get. Today, for some reason, I checked it out and found a link to an interesting RAP video. It’s made by a young man who works with autistic adults in New York. I couldn’t find a lot of information but it appears that he is a licensed professional who works in an institutional setting. It’s an interesting video. On the surface, I don’t necessarily agree with some of the choices he makes to describe autism. But then again, if he is working with an institutional population he may see more of the extreme end of the spectrum than I have. None the less, I think his message is heading in the right direction —no mentions of cures! It’s worth a look. Check it out and share your thoughts. You can find the video HERE.

On another tangent, I’ve not yet had the chance to read the wonderful book which Kristen sent me —What You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Child With Autism. That’s on my nightstand to start this weekend. I’ve also reserved a copy of John Elder Robison’s Look Me in the Eye at my local library and can’t wait until it’s available. Some other lucky person currently has the one copy available in my county. Yes, Delaware is a small state.

Meanwhile, Nik seems to be doing so well since he’s been home from school. I’ve already written about that in a few other posts. I have been trying to capture this on video but Nik is very aware of the camera and tends to either clam up or come right to the camera to play with it. So, it’s a little late for Wordless Wednesday but here is a quick clip to give you an idea of what I’ve been hearing more and more of these days. It’s becoming more consistent and ubiquitous —as Nik plays in the family room, during his PT and OT sessions, in his crib, at the dinner table, in the car. The boy has lots to say in his own unique and beautiful way.

I’ve had so many ideas for some posts inspired by other blogs. Alas, I haven’t written them down and they are gone for now— crowded out by all the recent events and concerns with school. If they return I’ll share them. If not, just know that those of you whose posts I read regularly inspire me to thought and action throughout the day.

Happy Friday.

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