Zoom Zoom around Mummy

If you really knew me, you would know that my daily life is really full of activities with me constantly having to zoom from one activity to another to ensure that everything gets completed on time.

Here’s a list of things which you should know about me if you have been around long enough.

Riona and Ruffy

I love my teddy bear .

This teddy has traveled with me throughout collage and back and seen met through the birth of my 3 kids. I named him Ruffy after my favourite brand of chips – Ruffles. If you look closely you can see the resemblance – Chubby Cheeks

I love having my own set of wheels.

It really helps me get around with the kids in tow. If I’m driving myself around or just R and I are having a date night it would be nice to go around town in a Golf GTI if we do have spare cash for a 2nd car.

I multi-task when I cook.

I do desserts together with the main meal. If I feel up to it I will be baking chocolate cake and chilling jelly while I marinate the meats and fry/steam the vegetables. At the same time I would be singing nursery rhymes to tiger girl as she rocks herself in her rocker and supervising Monkey boy or Doggy boy as they do the laundry.

I have a really varied range of hobbies.

They include photography, graphic design, cooking and baking , reading, playing musical instruments, learning languages, computer programing and flower arrangement. I have interest in reading up all the technical stuff that R is into so that I’ll be able to understand him fully whenever he engages in his boy talks with his friends.

I really hope that I will be able to travel this year.

I’m currently taking a few years off work to focus my energies on the kids. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to travel during the off peak seasons and tag along with R on his business trip. I’m thinking of visiting Germany this year if possible.

April 6, 2011

Colouring outside Autism’s Lines- A Book Review

Dominique Thoughts

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book for review purpose. The opinions in this review are 100% my own and in no way influenced by the copy I received.

Autism is word that many parents dread to hear. It can be an uphill battle for a parent if his/her child is diagnosed as being Autistic.

It is not the end of the world if one is equipped with the correct tools to deal with the problems which may arise from this disorder.

Autism is defined as a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. It can be sometimes mistaken for the child having bad behaviour while in reality he is unable to express himself in a socially acceptable manner.

In her book Susan talks about how you can make daily life more interesting and less stressful for your autistic child. Even though more planning and preperation may be needed initially, it is worth the effort as the whole family would be able to enjoy the activties that were planned together.

The eleven chapters in the book she guides parents on how they can make life easier for themselves and their autistic child. She highlights how important it is to understand what triggers your child and help to avoid a total meltdown.

The two key factors to “surviving” are.

Identifying the critical aspects of your usual routine that can (or must) be incorporated into any day.
Be prepared with tools to smooth over trouble spots.

It does help to do some homework before embarking on your trip outside the home to see if there are facilities to cater to your child’s special needs.

Susan gives a lot of suggestions and case studies which advices parents on how to handle their child in a given situation. She talks about how autistic children too can have a “normal” childhood alongside other children.

No doubt each autistic child may behave differently depending on the serverity of their syndrome but the message given in the book is clear- You are not alone. There are many resources out there which can help you in your parenting.

I found that many tips that Susan has given in the book can also be applicable to toddlers and pre-schoolers who need a routine to make them feel comfortable and safe.

Reading the book gave me more insight on how to deal with autistic kids and helped me understand how their mind works. I have taught several autistic kids and have personally experienced how easily it is for them to fly off the handle if something like a chair is not in the “correct” place in class. You feel totally helpless and many time use the wrong techniques to retify the situation due to lack of experience or information on how to handle such a child.

This book can be purchased from Amazon or most local bookstores.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=frodomsdes-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1402241208