Autism Journeys: JOY in the JOURNEY

Sunday, April 11, 2010

JOY in the JOURNEY

I am new to the world of autism and am still learning new things every day. As we stepped into this world 5 months ago I felt so alone, although there were many people and places on the net sending me to groups I didn't feel connected to anyone. I felt like it was up to me and yet I felt like I wasn't doing enough for my son (up until a month ago when we got help at Autism Journeys). I just wanted to read about someone elses experience and know that I was doing the right things and everything was going to be ok! I can finally say I am doing all I can do for my son and my family and everything is going to be OK!
Now that I have a handle on things, I thought it might be a good idea to keep record of the JOYS in our lives, instead of always thinking about what I should or could be doing, I started focusing on what we have done and accomplished. The JOY in the world of autism is different from the world with the older three children of mine. I have JOY when my cries if I leave him. I have JOY when he looks at me. I have JOY if he bites me. I have JOY when he says Hi or Bye (these are few and far between). I have JOY that one of the only consistent things my son does is kiss me on command. The JOYS I have are simple to everyone else, but to us they are HUGE accomplishments in our everyday lives. As I record these JOYS I realize how blessed I am. What an amazing family I have and exactly how far we have all come.
I know the days are hard and overwhelming at times, but there are few days when there isn't at least one JOYFUL experience to record. What JOY have you experienced recently, I would love to hear about it?

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Ms. Gamee goes to the Dentist

A client at Autism Journeys has a difficult time at the dentist. My co-workers thought maybe having me by her side would ease a bit of the anxiety. Since I’ve never been to a dentist’s office, Mom thought it best to test my skills out with her own children first.

Jordan, Carter, Mom and I went to the dentist on Wednesday. Jordan has always struggled to remain calm at the dentist. Usually, he needs laughing gas just to get his teeth cleaned. This was to be Carter’s first “real” visit. This was my chance to show Mom how I can help.

Jordan and Carter were nervous when we arrived at the dentist. But once we walked through the doors everyone in the lobby was ooing and awing over me and how adorable I am. When it was our turn, Jordan and Carter were both eager to take me to meet the rest of the dentist’s team.

Mom had me get up in the chair with Jordan. Jordan was still nervous, but was very preoccupied by me. He played with my ears and rubbed my head throughout the entire cleaning. I rested on his chest to provide him some deep pressure comfort. No tears and no laughing gas! It was over very quickly. Mom and the dentist were so proud of Jordan. Most importantly, Jordan was really proud of himself.

After Jordan, it was Carter’s turn. After seeing me with Jordan, Carter decided he wanted me on the chair with him too. At first, Carter was nervous when the instruments made those high pitch sounds. I could sense he was starting to wiggle, so I gently crept up a little higher on his chest to help hold him steady. It worked. He relaxed, opened his mouth and was able to tune out the remaining sound with headphones.

As for me, I quite enjoyed all the attention. The noises didn’t bother me a bit. The yummy smells of bubblegum and strawberries were quite interesting, but I think I’ll stick to my poultry flavored toothpaste at home. When we were all finished, the dentist offered me a job. Mom said I passed the test with flying colors. I am now available to accompany any clients to the dentist. If you want me to join you at your next visit talk to my Mom, Kate.

Here’s to a healthy and happy smile.

Woof Woof,

Ms. Gamee

Ms. Gamee's Gab

Holy cow! Or in my case, holy dog! What a crazy couple weeks I’ve had. Life in the spotlight is ruff. Each week I’ve been able to meet more of the families who visit Autism Journeys. It’s been fun to try new things with each of them. One of my favorites is playing fetch. Sometimes the kids are learning to take turns, and other times they’re working on speech and communication. Mom says I’m doing a wonderful job being patient and waiting for the kids to give me commands. One of my other favorites has been going on walks. It’s been so nice to get outside and take in the fresh air. Being traced with sidewalk chalk was fun too.

BBQ GAMES

That said, it was the older, more mature (aka trained) dogs like myself that won all the games. I came in second in the musical hula-hoops. It’s musical chairs but with hula-hoops. When the music stopped the dogs had to sit in the hoop. After musical hula-hoops we played wet t-shirt relay races. I must say I don’t really understand what the point of the race was, other then to embarrass all the dogs. Personally, I don’t get it, but Mom and my brothers, along with all the other people sure got a big kick out of it. Apparently dogs in wet t-shirts are adorable.