Autism Therapy: balance

            The holiday sing went very well!  I have to admit that I didn’t have such high hopes as Thomas is not much of a performer, but he did stand onstage in the appropriate spot.  While he didn’t do all of the hand movements that went along with the songs, he did at least mouth the words (he wasn’t singing so loudly that I could hear just him, of course) and I got the whole thing on video.  Hayley sat in the audience picking her nose the whole time.  I can only assume that she thoroughly enjoyed herself.  They sang one song about sledding, one song about Hanukkah and one song about Santa.  The first grade classes sang two songs about Kwanzaa, so they covered all the bases, while shying away from the whole “baby Jesus” concept.  The only Christmas songs they did were about reindeer or Santa.  I was really disappointed that there were no songs about Boxing Day.  Perhaps I’ll pass around a petition for next year.

            I’ve got so much going on this week that I just know I’m going to forget to do something important.  I’m sending in cupcakes for Thomas’ birthday tomorrow and also the supplies I had to get for the little gingerbread houses they’re going to make on Friday and finally the book for the Book Exchange.  I think that covers Thomas.  I’ve decided to skip Thomas’ Christmas party and go to Hayley’s party at school on Friday instead, since I get to spend one day every week in Thomas’ classroom anyway.  And on Thursday, I wrote down “School sing – 9 a.m.” on the calendar.  I don’t know whose school this is for or who will be singing.  I’d better ask.  I think – think – that it is a school thing for Thomas, but we just went to that Holiday Sing last week!  I’m losing it.  Plus, Thomas’ birthday party is this weekend and I haven’t ordered the cake yet or bought any of the supplies.  Thomas wanted a Little Einsteins party but I haven’t been able to find Little Einsteins party ware anywhere.  It’ll all come together, but right now I feel like I’m completely unprepared.  At least we have all of our Christmas shopping done.  Oh, except for my aunt in California.  I have to do that in the next two days to avoid high shipping charges.  So I guess it’s not all done.

            The kids have been doing marginally well with the whole independence thing.  The problem that we’re running into is that I still don’t leave enough time before school for the kids to put on their mittens, hats, coats, boots and scarves.  This process, if I wasn’t constantly trying to hurry it along, could easily take an hour.  I get so impatient when I see Thomas playing around with his shoes instead of putting them on, or when Hayley screams, “I WANNA DO IT!” and snatches a garment out of my hands, only to take F-O-R-E-V-E-R to put it on the appropriate body part.  She is very particular about her socks, which I have little room to complain about since I am the same way.  The seam across the toes has to be just so.  The heel has to be in the appropriate spot, and hell hath no fury like Hayley when there’s a loose thread on the inside of her sock, tickling her instep.  I get so frustrated and impatient with the two of them that I think I’m going to have an attack of some kind.  Thank goodness that nothing more important than possible tardiness hangs in the balance while they gear up in the morning. 

            The upshot is that some days they do it themselves and other days I am forced to do it for them.  Teaching independence is still my major commitment, however, and the thing that we’re working on regularly.

            Thomas did about an hour’s worth of homework tonight and this is probably the longest I’ve gotten him to do homework in one sitting EVER!  I usually can’t get him to sit down for more than fifteen minutes at a time, but he really did a good job staying focused on his work this evening.  We had a lot to do.  The teacher didn’t give us that much homework in one night to be handed in the next day or anything; this was stuff that should have been done over the weekend but as usual, it was a busy one and we had lots of other stuff to do.  Late homework at this age, like tardiness, is more the parent’s fault than anyone else’s.  I wonder if I’ll have to serve detention.  It would actually be a nice little break for me.