On the Autism front

I spent the morning in an Autism Eligibility Meeting for Scharae today. First I took her to daycare and got Keira off to school. This left me able to concentrate completely on the meeting rather than having to split my focus between the meeting and my girls.

The verdict is that Scharae most definitely was found eligible in all 4 of the areas they look at for an educational eligibility. I can't remember off-hand what those are. 1)Social 2)Sensory 3)Communcation 4)....? spacing it. Anyhow, she fit the bill for all of them. She has a TON of very very good skills. The problem is that she has a lot of holes in her skills. She's got a lot areas where she's either at or slightly below normal. And a lot of areas where here skills are far above her age. And then other areas where she's just missing skills. Just sort of missing some of the bridges between skills-how to get from here to there. Or even why anyone would want to go from here to there?

Often no one would really know that we struggle with this-with either of the girls. Which actually makes life more difficult. I often think it would be easier in many ways if people could look at us as we're out shopping and see their differences and go "oh, okay" and not be left going "good golly, why can't that mother get a handle on her children?" I know that it really wouldn't be easier...just that whole "the grass is greener on the other side" syndrome, I guess.

The autism specialist was absolutly enthralled with my "eye spy" bag that I made at last month's Enrichment activity. She has decided that during Winter Break she needs to come over and have a workshop on how to make them. She's an avid sewer, so I know she'd be a quick study!

She spent a lot of time commending me on my parenting. I think it was supposed to make me feel good. But it doesn't really. It leaves me going...um...I'm just doing what I need to do to survive. She picked out a couple specific things that I do and just raved about them. One of which I pointed out was NOT my idea-was actually my mom's. She says it doesn't matter or not if it's mine. What matters is that I'm the one doing it day in and day out. Another of the things that she pointed out that she loves that I do she told me she actually "stole" and used on her 16yo daughter this past weekend...I told her that her daughter probably hates me for it!

The meeting ended with them asking me if I'd be willing to be a monthly Parent Training presenter!? I was pretty noncommital about it. I hate public speaking. I mentioned it to my mom and she went hogwild about it! She thinks we should team-present. I have to admit I like that idea much better. She's where I get all my good ideas in life, to begin with, ya know? Dad says if we did it then she'd "create it" and I'd just have to tag along. She's got a lot of tips and tricks that she's gathered over the years. And she's really good at finding the good/happy in the not so happy situations. I would feel dumb doing a presentation on my own because my kids are only 2 and 3 and many of the parents would have kids aged on up through high school. If mom did it with me we could cover the gamut of ages-on through college even-as well as from both a parental and sibling point of view!

Oh, and Scharae's team also thinks that I should go back to school and come to work for the ESD and work with them as another autism specialist...now THAT is an idea I kind of like the sound of!