Showing posts with label food/instruments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food/instruments. Show all posts
Day 343
I was looking at the photos in my apartment and realized that I have four pictures of Kelt at different stages of his life. It's unbelievable to compare his past behaviors to his recent accomplishments, especially in terms of his original diagnosis: Your child will always be mentally retarded. It's pretty obvious that he's defied this prognosis. His senior year is a testimony in itself, from joining the Honor Society, winning Homecoming king, placing 8th at the state wrestling tournament, to getting the Juror's Choice award at the high school art show, etc. I couldn't be more proud of him or our family. He's surpassed numerous expectations, but now we have to figure out what's next. It's another stage of his life that's going to be challenging and force us to be creative, but we'll eventually figure it out.
Day 286
*A few swear words are in this song.
My friends Stevey B and Mike Pianki (Cake) are in the group Deadly D. They've created a strong collection of songs and are in the process of sharing their work. This is one of my favorites and think it goes well with Kelt and other people who don't conform to the norms of our society. If you're in the Bellingham, WA area, they're performing tonight at 9:00 pm at the Wheel House Tavern in Blaine.
Day 257
Tonight was the end of the year high school art show.
Kelt had his own display and won the Juror's Choice award!
Kelt had his own display and won the Juror's Choice award!
Rubber Band KeychainBlock Print
Day 220
Kelt's been playing the drums in the band for 7 years and
tonight was his last concert! The year's going by too fast.
tonight was his last concert! The year's going by too fast.
Day 204
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Larry began painting as a form of communication and outlet for stress.
I recently watched My Classic Life as an Artist: A Portrait of Larry Bissonnette, which is a short documentary about an artist who has overcome communication and societal barriers. Larry, who also stars in Wretches & Jabberers, was institutionalized in Vermont when he was 8 and diagnosed as "mentally retatrded, schizophrenic, clincally insane, and austistic." Larry believes that:
“Fastening labels on people is like leasing cars with destinations determined beforehand. Mostly it’s good practices for educating unconventional people, eccentric on the outside, but normal on the inside, that lops off weak branches of disability and promotes possibilities for new growth.”
I love this explanation and think it accurately describes Larry, who is first an intelligent and talented artist with a witty sense of humor; his diagnoses and form of communication (keyboard) are secondary to his character and accomplishments.
“Knowledge and learning of art have allowed my abilities to sore out on an airfield occupied by people that don’t have disabilities.” -Larry
“Knowledge and learning of art have allowed my abilities to sore out on an airfield occupied by people that don’t have disabilities.” -Larry
Larry began painting as a form of communication and outlet for stress.
Day 200!
A couple more blind contour drawings of Kelt's bobble heads. These drawings are blind except when I briefly look at the paper to set the pen. This series represents Kelt's uninhibited drawing style and enhanced visual skills. To view more, click the bobble head label to the right. This article further explains the project: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Brains of People with Autism Focus More on Visual Skills
This means less activity in areas used for planning and decision making, but the brain adapts, researchers find.
MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of people with autism concentrate more resources in areas devoted to visual perception, resulting in less activity in areas used to plan and control thoughts and actions, says a new study.
The findings may explain why people with autism have exceptional visual abilities, said the researchers at the University of Montreal.
They analyzed data from 26 brain imaging studies that were conducted over 15 years and included a total of 357 autistic and 370 non-autistic participants.
"Through this meta-analysis, we were able to observe that autistics exhibit more activity in the temporal and occipital regions and less activity in frontal cortex than non-autistics," first author Fabienne Samson said in a university news release.
The temporal and occipital regions are involved in perceiving and recognizing patterns and objects, while the frontal areas are involved with decision making, cognitive control, planning and execution, she explained.
The findings offer the "first physiological confirmation that enhanced perceptual processing is a core feature of neural organization in this population," Dr. Laurent Mottron, of the university's Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders, said in the news release. "We now have a very strong statement about autism functioning, which may be ground for cognitive accounts of autistic perception, learning, memory and reasoning."
According to the study, the finding shows that the autistic brain successfully adapts some of its cognitive functioning by reallocating brain areas to visual perception. The results may point the way to new areas of autism research.
Day 198
I just watched the documentary Autism is a World about Sue Rubin who is a 26-year-old woman with autism. This film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004 and produced and directed by Gerardine Wurzburg (Educating Peter, Wretches & Jabberers). This film tells the fascinating story of Sue who finds her voice, potential, and self through facilitated communication. Just like Larry and Tracy in Wretches & Jabberers, she uses a keyboard to communicate, which she started to use when she was 13.
Because she wasn’t able to communicate she was considered mentally retarded with an IQ score of 29 and age-equivalent of 2.5-months. Within weeks of using the keyboard she started to communicate. She was retested and received a 133 IQ score, which placed her in the 99-percentile (scored better than 99% of her peers)!
She was immediately put into mainstream classes and graduated from high school with honors. She currently studies Latin American History at Whittier College in Whittier, CA and works as an autism advocate; she’s written numerous articles; presented at over 100 conferences, workshops, and classes; and wrote the narration for Autism is a World. Sue needs 24/7 support, but is living an active, social, and successful life.
I definitely recommend this documentary for anyone interested in autism. It’s only 40 minutes and can be found at most public libraries. To see a video of Sue, Larry, Tracy, and other people talking with facilitated communication check out the Institute on Communication and Inclusion at Syracuse University.
Because she wasn’t able to communicate she was considered mentally retarded with an IQ score of 29 and age-equivalent of 2.5-months. Within weeks of using the keyboard she started to communicate. She was retested and received a 133 IQ score, which placed her in the 99-percentile (scored better than 99% of her peers)!
“I heard sounds, not words. It wasn’t until I got a communication system that I was able to make sense out of the sounds.”
She was immediately put into mainstream classes and graduated from high school with honors. She currently studies Latin American History at Whittier College in Whittier, CA and works as an autism advocate; she’s written numerous articles; presented at over 100 conferences, workshops, and classes; and wrote the narration for Autism is a World. Sue needs 24/7 support, but is living an active, social, and successful life.
I definitely recommend this documentary for anyone interested in autism. It’s only 40 minutes and can be found at most public libraries. To see a video of Sue, Larry, Tracy, and other people talking with facilitated communication check out the Institute on Communication and Inclusion at Syracuse University.
Day 47
Some people with autism have a bad reaction to gluten and casein, which mostly includes wheat and dairy products. In some cases these proteins can disrupt one's system when they are not digested properly. Some believe that this is a myth, but it seems to help Kelton's daily routine. The gluten and casein free diet helps Kelt listen, focus, stay in one spot for a longer period of time, and not be as obsessive; a small slip-up can cause a noticeable change.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)