Compartmentalization

One of the most prevalent characteristics that Dakota displays with his Autism is "Compartmentalization".....the word is pretty self explanatory 

I have noticed from a very young age Dakota always seemed to prefer specific activities with one specific person.....or preforming an activity either in a specific time frame, hour or day...
For me is it rather confounding, but I also understand it's just another trait of his disorder ...

As an example he had a coach that he always went bowling with....we lost that coach...and every attempt since then to go bowling has been unsuccessful ....to the extent of aggressive behavior towards those trying to get him bowling again....

It goes much deeper than trips to the bowling alley but I guess my point about identifying and discussing it is that there is such a delicate balance between trying to offer opportunity and forcing an action or activity because it's is for the benefit of the individual. Again it goes back to picking your battles...you have to decide what is imperative for your child to experience and what can be excluded.

It is Frustrating as hell; as is a lot of dealing with Autsim. Keeping a perspective on what is exactly the focus and it is truly for the betterment of the child or is it because you want them to feel or hear or experience something that was a "staple" for your childhood or young adulthood or for any "typically"developed peer....like going to prom...or bowling, or a movie with friends, or the mall, talking on the phone ...any number of experiences that we identify as growing and socializing.

I also believe that there comes a time when you have to let the individual have some kind of control over his "world"( and/or environment)and if he only wanted to do something with one specific person and that person is no longer a part of his world ..then who am I to say that he needs to do it with some one else...? We have to understand that it all a part of the complex disorder called Autism and although our kids have permenent aspects that will never leave them they still do grow and develop in other ways and we have to let them be able to to do what they want and can do....

Guess there no right answer, it has to be what works for your families situation.all you can do is be as supportive and encourage your kid to do what he wants to do...and to live as much life as he can!

Vaccinations and a discussion among friends...

There has been a lot of attention to vaccinations and autism recently due to the out break of measles as well as a few other childhood illnesses...
Many believe that science has provided sufficient evidence that shits are not a causation of Autism...my reply is simply that I have sat I a room of parent who know that they have had typical pregnancies, births and development and one day at the doctors office for a regiment of shits and their children literally woke up the next day and started regressing ...so BELIVE what you will and say what you will but I know in my heart there is some piece of evidence missing in this scenario..

So friend joking posted an entry on my timeline that upset me as well a few others.(to the effect that vaccinations don't cause autism) which then turned end into a conversation and learning experience...we all are better for it..

My take is this vaccinations did not play a role in my child's autism at least I don't think it did as we dealt with development from birth..BUT I did see my child end up in the ER with seizures after being give. The DPT(Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus)..,and I ALSO have witnessed another family member have reactions from flu shots that were multi dose viles which had Thimerisol or more commonly know as mercury...so I know that medicine as much as we all want to trust it has it's draw backs and it is still one big experiment..and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for all...

From that our conversation ended up with a question about how I feel about a recent interview that President Obama had on the Today show, where he spoke about the measles outbreak and that science has "debunked"the theory of causation towards autism....
And this was my reply.....many will agree and many will not ..it is merely my opinion

...IMHO...he's no different than anybody else...and he can believe what he think is "proven" ..Just because he takes that stance doesn't mean I have to like it ..but it doesn't mean that I do t think he's done some good for our country as well...I have said this befor the Bushes in general I detest..everything about them BUT I still believe that both of them ran for president with the greatest intentions of what they THOUGHTwas right for our country...I truly believe no matter who it is they don't run to make an ass out of themselves or to screw up .....AND truthfully Obama is the last of a long line of many who believe it's been "disproved" but here's my take...each and everyone of us has right to smoke or drink or stuff our faces till we can't walk and there will always be a dissenting voice;whats happening specifically with the vaccination issue is this...we have manged to erraticate many illness with the power of vaccines and NO one wants that to revert,institutions, counties school districts,regional centers are finding that people are not going to cave to the demands of what is precieved as a safety issue JUST BECAUSE...everyone else is...So when we protest or standup or even stand out by refusing to vaccinate...they don't have much recourse to force us .....THEN ALONG COMES AN OUTBREAK.....just what they are drooling over because now they can point their lil fingers and say "ah-ha!"we got cha now.....you don't want to vaccinate then you can keep your kids out of school till the quarantine expires....It's not because they think our kids are truly contagious it is merely a POWER GRAB...to get back at us because we don't conform.... 

I also believe that out society has become so litigious that there is always the fear if for instance the school districts didn't attempt to do anything then there would be some Ya-WHO..that would say they were derelict in their duties of protecting the other children..... 

There's no pat answer here..it is a double edged sword. 

One might liken it to the gun Struggle we are having In This country..where certain individuals believe their rights are being threatened or taken away and they aren't gonna let that happen..well when it comes to my kid and others who have walked the same path for their kids ....again in my humble opinion.much more important than a cold piece of steel. 

Coming full circle to the presidents opinion and observations ..I do t have to like all he does to still support hi and it is the same with friends,family, professionals, politians ...you can still appreciate an individual even if you don't totally agree with everything they do....OK down off my soap box!!!