Happy New Year   ....2013....style
May your efforts, especially for your autistic loved one be guided by these wise words....."I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it."  My child is raised now and every parenting moment that seemed difficult as I raised him, was so worth the extra effort! Bless you who are in the midst of the struggle and keep on .....keeping on.


Christmas is such a busy time, but I still want to enjoy the creativity of the season. It's one of the richest aspects of preparing family times together.
I found this wonderful idea on Mary Hunt's Everyday Cheapskate site-  http://www.everydaycheapskate.com/

Happy Holidays! You've all seen Gifts in a Jar. I've gotten cookie mixes, brownies, etc. but never anything as unique as Journal in a Jar.

Give the Legacy of a Life History
It's an idea that sparks the imagination and encourages stories about your life. You should give one to yourself! Or give a jar filled with paper, a lovely pen (wouldn't a lightup pen be special for those late night inspirations?), a journal, and a bunch of strips of paper with relevant questions. The fun element is the daily story starters that you create: What was your favorite toy as a child? What was your favorite family activity? What was the silliest thing you ever did? Be creative and fun with specific questions that make them laugh or ponder.

NPR story about how the brain works for people with autism.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/06/04/154175007/whats-different-about-the-brains-of-people-with-autism?sc=emaf

I think you'll find it interesting.

You have got to see this. Theater Autism Awareness performance provided for those with ASD. What a wonderful thing!
http://youtu.be/SbW8HUoK-aY

  Baked Egg Boats Makes 4

Ingredients:

4 demi sourdough baguettes
5 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 ounces pancetta, finely chopped and fried until crisp
3 ounces gruyere cheese, grated
2 green onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut a deep “V” through the tops of each baguette until about a 1/2 inch to the bottom. Partially unstuff the baguettes. Set aside.
3. Place the eggs and cream into a mixing bowl and lightly beat together. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and lightly season with salt and pepper.
4. Divide and pour the mixture into each baguette boat and place onto a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and set in the center. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, cut and serve.

An interesting article in the NY Times about new genetic findings regarding autism.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/health/research/scientists-link-rare-gene-mutations-to-heightened-risk-of-autism.html?emc=

One of my family's favorites.
 Easy, healthy, delicious

Sesame Pork Tenderloin

2 lbs of pork tenderloin  (2- 1 lb roasts, or 8 -1” thick 6 oz. individual servings)                        
½ c. soy sauce
3 T. olive oil or canola oil
½ Tsp. Ground ginger or 2 tsp fresh minced ginger root
1 to 3 garlic cloves (minced)
½ c. honey
¼ c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. sesame seeds, toasted

          Place pork in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add the soy sauce, oil, ginger and garlic; seal and turn to coat.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. 

Drain and discard the marinade.  Place pork tenderloins on a greased rack in a foil lined shallow roasting pan.  Combine the honey and brown sugar; spoon over the top of the pork.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake uncovered, at 375˚ for 30-40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 160˚.  Let stand for 5 to 10 min. before slicing.  Serves 8

Autism rate rises to 1 in 88 children

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20282428/autism-rate-rises-1-88-children-screening-better

With all the negatives about ASD, it's good to remember that there are some positives. Here's an article  about the 10 positives of Aspergers.http://www.autisable.com/760663594/10-positives-of-aspergers/

 

 

 

KDLT.com South Dakota News - Experts React To New Definition Of Autism ...

http://www.kdlt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14862&Itemid=57

 Read an opinion about what the change in DSM-5 will mean according to one local counselor.

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2012 South Dakota Walk Now for Autism Speaks Saturday, June 9, 2012

Join Autism Speaks as we walk to change the future for all who struggle with autism! Walk Now for Autism Speaks is a fun-filled, family friendly event . Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disorder in the U.S. – we need more volunteers to join our fight. Whether this is your first walk or the 10th, take the first step and register today. You will not only raise funds, but you will become a part of a fun and supportive family-focused community. Every 15 minutes, another family receives the devastating news that their child has an autism spectrum disorder. Help us change that!  Don’t wait another minute - start a corporate, school or family team today! We look forward to seeing you at the event! Questions or Comments? Contact us at southdakota@autismspeaks.org

My friend Linda did this. I'm lucky to have a friend who can make even the most mundane things in life BEAUTIFUL!

I just read a book that's been around for awhile (2008 copyright), A Friend For Henry  by Nuala Gardner, about her autistic son and the impact that their dog Henry had on Dale's life. When he was 10, he began speaking through Henry--his pet was his constant companion.
If you haven't read it, you might enjoy it. I hope the sun shines on you today!
Hugs,
Ellie

p.s. I kind of just adapted to my recipe problem. I'm leaving the ones I've put up here & I might just add another one now and then.

Bacon Crescents

Bacon Appetizer Crescents

1 pkg (8 oz) low fat cream cheese, softened
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked & crumbled
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c onion, minced
2 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp milk
2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix cream cheese, bacon, Parmesan cheese, onions, parsley and milk until well blended; set aside.

Separate each can of dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal. Spread each rectangle with 2 rounded tablespoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture. Cut the dough lengthwise into 4-5 equal pieces. Roll up and place on baking sheet.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Source: Adapted from Kraft Foods

Garlic Monkey Bread

          2 (7.5 oz.) cans BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

   

    5 Tablespoons BUTTER, melted

          3 cloves GARLIC, minced

          2 Tablespoons DRIED PARSLEY

         1/4 cup GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE

         Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

·         Cut each biscuit into quarters and place into a bowl.

·         Combine butter, garlic, parsley and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Pour over biscuit pieces.

·         Gently toss together and make sure everything is evenly coated with the butter mixture.

·         Place 6-7 biscuit pieces in each muffin cup. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese.

·         Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.  It makes a dozen.

oops....this is supposed to be on the recipe page, but I'm not adept at this.
Hugs,
Ellie

My friend asked me for advice working

with a new employee who has autism.

 She wants to do the right thing. Here's some advice

I gave her that might be helpful for anyone else 

who is lucky enough to work for employers who

see the value in employing our autistic young people.

 

Autistic A+ traits on the job:	Ways to help your autistic employee:
·      Obey rules ·      Keep promises ·      Never take credit for another person’s efforts	·   Use email or a note for important information ·   Don’t use idioms ·   Listen to them
·      Are attentive to details ·      Set high standards ·      Have a sense of fairness	·      Don’t give vague directions ·      clear deadlines help ·      change is hard, so ease into it

Later this week, I'll share some challenges for autistic
personalities that it might be nice to be aware of if you're working with
them daily. It doesn't mean you have to make adjustments for
them. It just might be good for you to know the efforts they're making to
accomodate us, when they're part of our team in the workforce.

Hugs,

Ellie

                                                                                             

                                                                                                                 

Today, I ran across this lovely Emily Dickenson poem.
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

Hugs,
 Ellie

the sun is shining-- crawl out of that log

It's a sunny wintery day here on the prairie today, so I'm coming out to say hello and continue my discussion about dealing with my son's autism after he was diagnosed.

What made dealing with autism difficult for me, was the uncertainty. There were no guidelines that could be counted on. With other children, there are those step-by-step parenting books. At 6 months, they'll be crawling. At 1 year they'll be walking, etc. With autism, I wondered if I would be dealing with meltdowns when he was 15 years old. What can I expect? It was disconcerting.

Lately, I've been amazed at the number of books that are available on ASD (autism spectrum disorders) and PDD (pervasive development disorders). At first, I thought "This is GREAT! There's so much help out there now." There was literally nothing available that was useful when I was helping James. The theories of Leo Kanner and Bruno Bettleheim that pointed the finger at "refrigerator mothers"  (blaming us for autism) were so demoralizing! They made a hard situation even more difficult. Bernard Rimland later tried to clear our names but by the time I found his theories, I'd quit reading in disgust.

This year, I started reading......and reading......and reading......and reading...... I thought "This is exhausting!" I have a Masters of Education in Counseling & Human Resource Development and my mind was reeling with jargon and conflicting facts and data, even though everyone seemed to be an expert and touted research based theories. How can you wade through this (especially without a background in education) and still have time to do what needs to be done? I think it may be worse than having nothing!
So I'll try to be a comforting, reassuring presence available here to you if you need me. Don't let them wear you down, your child doesn't need fixing. He needs your time and attention and the world's acceptance and understanding. It'll be ok.
Hugs,
Ellie

I'm the mom. Blogging is out of my comfort range, but Katie is setting this up, in large part, for my benefit so I'm determined to get up to speed and offer my insights. I'm a reader, writer, and former teacher. I taught at the elementary and college level. I plan on sharing some writing and maybe literary frustrations or 'aha' moments, but this is so new to me......who knows where it will go?

One direction it will head toward for sure is help for children with autism. I will never tell you that my way is the only way, or promise a cure---so find another blog if that's what you want to hear. But many of the strategies we used with Katie's brother will work with any developmental delay, so we'll offer some suggestions that will be useful and offer support to parents of children with disabilities.

For today, I'll leave you with this thought:
There will come a time when you will value the circular way your child thinks, if you haven't reached that point yet. The autistic person's process may be more convoluted, but that journey enriches the tour so that the perspective and thoughts that result will be interesting and trigger new insights. Being unique is a good thing.

So for a little while this day focus on treasuring your child as he is, and notice the gifts he has: his determination, his perseverance, his resilience.
Let me know what you treasure....and take time to let a little sun shine in.

Hugs,
Ellie

Welcome to our new prairie blog!

We are excited to welcome you to our new prairie blog that will feature our family's favorite stories, recipes, and other life lessons.