Day 2 of his Jollibee Workshop

A lot of exciting things happened on Day 2. Again, he was greeted by the friendly guard by the entrance. 

And like a regular, he headed straight past the counter and into the kitchen where he was met by Ate Jannah and some very warm Jollibee staff. Evident was their impressed reaction to this lively little boy handsomely dressed in Jollibee uniform which I altered from a big medium-sized polo to a small DIY shirt. 

He was instructed to front as a counter boy, guided to punch orders, accept payments, open the cash drawer,  hand in change to customers, squirt the sodas in cups, twirl the ice cream in cups, pack fries in paper pockets. 

Kuya Pao, assisting Miggy with the soda orders.

What he enjoyed the most was helping in the preparation for a kid's birthday party which was to happen that afternoon. Miggy arranged the party give-aways on the table, carefully lined them (which is what children with autism do best) and was taught how to make the hats and set them on each paper mat on the table.

Amazing was his self-control. Oh, how he loved those give-aways and yet he didn't even attempt to open or get one for himself.
If he was younger, he would have insisted to have at least one. And God knows we couldn't go home without it or bedtime would later be too difficult. A sleepless night for sure. 

Then at the end of the session was, of course, the treat: burger and fries (and no soda or tea or juice. I brought him strawberry milk.)

“Ma’am, are fries and burgers the only ones he eats in Jollibee,” one of the assistant  managers asked me.

“No, he just thought that this is a routine. He was given fries and burger on the first day so he thought that all throughout the workshop, he could only have those, ” I replied all too knowingly of my son.

“Ma’am, he said he doesn’t like softdrinks,” the lady said.

“Yes, he doesn’t drink tea and soda. Just water or milk. Juice but very seldom. At nearly 11 years old, he hasn’t eaten chips and candies. Oh, there was one time he licked a lollipop and that was 2 years ago on a Halloween. He doesn’t have cravings for those food simply because I didn’t allow him to eat those ever since, “ I informed the seemingly disbelieving staff. It's the first time they probably even heard of a boy who doesn’t eat candies. 

Sweets, as we all already know, can cause hyperactivity especially in children with behavioural disorders.

His first day of the Jollibee Workshop

Today, on his first day of the workshop (exclusively for him and probably the first time they did this for a special child), he was oriented by Ate Jahara and Kuya Bryan (the store manager). Then, he was toured around the kitchen with strict hands-on-your-back instruction, taught some  kitchen rules, and made to pack those fries in a cute paper pocket and weigh. And finally, a taste of that steaming fries. 

Family Drawing

"Oh, sorry, sorry! I forgot Lola."
And he added his Grandma to his already finished drawing of a family (a homework in Values).

From this to this to this

His handwriting at 3:

At 7:

Today, at 10 yrs/10 months: A consistent Best in Writing awardee

First Grade 4 Homework: The World Map

He cheats

He loves the Logo Quiz.

But here's the catch. Look, he cheats!

Mahjong

Self-taught mahjong. I was surprised to see that he could play mahjong when no one in the house knows how to play it.

Unboxing the Pipo Max9

If you're not brand-conscious and you want a quality tablet at an affordable price, then this is the one for you.

The Pipo M9 tablet is powered by the latest rockchip RK 3188 quad core, 1.8Ghz and runs on Android 4.1 Jellybean. It boasts its big 10.1 in. ten-point capacitive touchscreen display with a decent 1280 x 800 high definition image resolution. It has 2gb RAM and 16gb storage, dual camera (front 2mp and back 5mp).

The Pipo M9 gives you fast and seamless performance for video streaming, web browsing, social networking, and game plays. It gives you clear, bright and vivid pictures of treasured candid moments.

Free Android apps await you. Why buy when there are thousands of free apps to choose from?

There are autism series apps too. Hundreds of them. And they are FREE!

Pipo M9 is half the price of the two leading tablet brands. With the unstoppable and inevitable soaring prices of every commodity in our country, why go for the expensive one when you can get the same quality for a much much lesser price? Convinced? You'd better be.

Hahaha! Just explaining. Anyway this is my blog and I can post whatever I want.
What I am only trying to say here is I'd rather spend that extra money for his therapies and tutorials.
Point cleared.

Even before owning his very own tablet, Miggy had searched and watched several of Zack Scott's Angry Birds Star Wars and Angry Birds Space game tutorials on Youtube. Hmmm.... a cheater.
So that's why he plays those games so well. Really, this 10-yr-old autistic boy cheats! He knows how to CHEAT! Big word! Very untypical of autistics. I don't really know if I'll be happy or sad, proud or ashamed.

Unboxing the new Acer Touch, Windows 8

Microsoft's latest operating system, the Windows 8, is sleek. It's cool. It's fun. It's fast. Great for touch.

With the traditional Start menu gone, you may feel lost. However, all it takes is only a few clicks or swipes and you'll get the feel and hang of it. You'll soon figure out the whats, wheres and hows of this new interface. 

You'll see the latest news, weather updates, live info, games and everything you'll ever want and need in the tiles display. Installing apps is a breeze too. And if you don't like the way your display looks, just tap and drag and position your tiles anywhere you want them. 

Some say it's not user-friendly. 

Miggy will surely disagree. He loves the Windows 8.

Positive reinforcement, social acknowledgment

"Guess what's inside the hat," he reads.

"A- bird, B- rabbit, C- butterfly, D- cat, E- hen, F- dog, and G- rooster."

"Wow! Good job, Miggy! Good reading! Good answering!" I praised him.

Positive reinforcement is a behavior modification technique by parents, caregivers, teachers and therapists to change a child’s behavior by reinforcing the desired behaviors. Achievement of a desired behavior is rewarded with a “reinforcer. “ Reinforcers could be in the form of material things, enjoyable activities or simply, a social acknowledgment.

Material things – example: toys, food, art materials, books. Gifts!  Actually, anything wrapped. Kids love excitement and are very easy to please. They love tearing wrappers and opening presents.

Enjoyable activities – example: a stroll at the park, going to the mall, a visit to the zoo, watching a movie, more playtime, extended ipad time, google-searching, and online gaming. There are a lot more. It essentially depends on what the child finds pleasurable.

Social acknowledgment – could be in the form of praises, such as “Good job!” , “Very good!”, “Great!”, “You did it!”, “Wow!”, You’re a good boy!”, “Congratulations!” Hugs are equally effective too, as well as,  handshakes and claps. Of course, these all come with an exaggerated gesture and a cheerful facial response by the reinforcement giver. 

I've been doing this for more than 8 years. A lot of times, he would anticipate it and praise himself exactly the way I would have said it - same intonation, same facial wonder, mimicking my over-reaction. 

OA. Over acting! Well, that's me! Boy, am I so glad to be inherently OA and animated! It pays to be OA, especially if your child is autistic. 
Big actions never fail to get his attention. 
Truly effective. Guaranteed ... or your "trust" back!  

Coloring, still his fave

Even at 10 yrs old, Miggy still loves coloring. This urge comes out of the blue, especially when he's bored with the shows on Cartoon Network.

And as always, this is well-gratified by me.

- An exaggerated, "Wow! Nice coloring, Miggy! You're very good!" coupled with a very tight hug.

I am rewarded too with his wide and proud smile (a smirk maybe), silently implying a "Yeah, I'm really good!"

Grade 3 report card

Mainstreamed in the grade 3 class of Ridgeview Academy of Baguio, this is Miggy's report card, making him eligible for admission to grade 4 in the next school year. Notice how well he progresses in the academics. Definitely not bad for a "special." 

 

Recognition for his talent

Since 2010, when Miggy was only 7 yrs old, he had been joining photography workshops and exhibits. Year after year, his skills are getting better, as you could see in my earlier posts of his shots taken at "special" angles eyed by his selective unique mind.

For making the school proud and for bringing honor to the school, Ridgeview Academy of Baguio awarded Miggy this Certificate of Recognition for his talent.

To Miggy, here's my message:

Anak, you are great! You may not notice those admiring looks, you may not hear the praises, the claps and "congratulations" or you may have only preferred not to... but let me tell you one thing - YOU ARE SPECIAL and that alone makes me proud, really proud.

Skyways

Another creative play patterned from what he remembered of skyways and roads in Manila.

To be a chef

Two years ago, when asked what he wanted to be when he's all grown up, he would promptly say "a chef." Still today, his dream never changed. 

Hmmmm.... who knows. Let's see. 

Big dream or little dream. It doesn't matter. For now I'm just super glad that he has something to look forward to. 

I now see a bright future ahead. 

Flower Painting

Designing the school yearbook, I asked each class adviser to submit the students' artworks. I wanted to include something that will personalize everyone's page. 

While I was in the car outside the therapy center waiting for Miggy, I scanned those little hands' masterpieces. 

Being a regular figure in the school, I know every student, they know me too. And forgive me if I over-assume but I know, I feel actually that they are very fond of me. I could tell by their sweet smiles and giggles, their tight hugs as they fondly call me "mommy", "tita" or "teacher". 

I smiled as I recognized a little of each child's character in the way their crafts were done.

Then, there was this particular art that really caught my breath. WOW, I gasped. Noticing no name scribbled, I turned it over and was really, really surprised to see Miggy's signature.  

Ah! This autistic boy is indeed full of surprises!     

Not bragging. I'm just a proud momma! 

Tessellation

Miggy: Mommy I want to watch Gnomeo and Juliet video.
Mommy: Not until you finish your tessellation project in Math.

"Turn the radio off."

Dear readers, I wrote this on May 31, 2010. I reposted it today.
Why?.... please read on....

Remember when I once mentioned in 2010 that my singing was intolerable for Miggy's auditory senses? And that I had stopped singing (which I really love) and even humming since he was 2 yrs old? And that I could wait until when he's ready? And that if forever he still wouldn't let me, that it would still be okay? Well, today, I just sang a few lines of "Better Days" while sweeping the bedroom floor and he didn't scream, "Stop singing, Mommy!" Do you even realize how big a milestone this is? And just thinking about it and writing this post made me really, really cry. Do you know how it feels to be a mother of a special child? That the smallest victories feel this magical?

"Turn the radio off."
Miggy says this every time he hears the sound of the radio. He doesn't like the sound in closed spaces, like in the car or in a closed room.

He is hypersensitive to sound. He hears sounds that for us, are almost inaudible. Some individuals with autism could not filter sound just like we do. We can listen to sounds that we choose, eliminating those we do not want to hear. Autistics are different. Some of them hear all incoming sounds with same decibels. This is the reason they sometimes cover their ears. Imagine all sounds, near or far, such as the chirp of a bird, ting sound of the microwave, television, roar of a motorcycle, a pencil falling on the floor, as all coming in with the same intensity. It is too overwhelming for them.

There is one sound that is very intolerable for Miggy: my singing. He would always say, "Stop singing, Mommy." My speaking voice is fine with him. He obeys my every command and he earnestly listens and absorbs my academic tutorials.

Miggy loves to sing. He learned it from videos and from his teachers. Anyone can sing, except me.

(Ha ha! Please don't get me wrong. I had always been a "blue bird" back at school. Although I didn't have the magical voice of a soloist, proudly, I sang in tune and in perfect harmony with our singing group, and proudly again, we joined the school songfest yearly back then. Ha Ha again, sadly, we never won.)

I don't sing or hum anymore. I guess I'll just have to wait until Miggy tells me "Sing this song for me, Mommy." Gladly, I would. When? It could be tomorrow or next month or a few years from now... or could it be never? Who knows when? Patiently, I'll wait.... even if it takes forever. I'll be ready when you are, Miggy.

Setting up the roadset

He received this present from Ate Krisma and Kuya Law Fajardo.
He built this roadset on his own. Another sample of his creative play.

Mahri Lego

Here's one of Miggy's LEGO creations. He got this Christmas present from a cousin. He followed the step-by-step procedure and created this Mahri. This is another sample of his creative play.