Spelling Review

Prepping up for Pines Montessori's three-day first periodical test this week.

Subject: ENGLISH
Spelling practice: 5 mistakes out of 60 items. Not bad!

Pines Montessori, Nutrition Month Program

School ID

Nine years ago, that was May 13, 2005, when Miggy was only 2years/9months and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by one of the top developmental pediatricians in the Philippines, I wasn't sure if he could at least learn ABC. 

For years I have doubted the comforting but unrealistic assurances of his doctor that:

1. Miggy can study in a regular school.

2. Miggy can find a job.

3. Miggy can have his own family.

Goal 1 is gradually materializing though. Goals 2 and 3 are still too distant and uncertain. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping and praying for a dream-come-true. Hanging on and believing in the old cliche that at the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold.

Fruit Platter Design

In celebration of the Nutrition Month, the grade 5 class designed individual fruit platters which were graded by the class adviser, Teacher Reggie, according to organization, creativity and presentation. Ten points for each criteria. Three students, one of them was Miggy, got the highest score of 27 points.

The next collage shows how I (Miggy's Mom) taught him the how-tos of fruit platter design. First, I showed him images of fruit  platters on the web. Then I made dummy fruit slices in half-circle colored papers that would serve as practice fruits. Next, I made him identify those slices, showing him the real fruits for actual demo later in  the class. Lastly, on his own, he layered the fake slices onto his oval platter. And voila! Another masterpiece! Miggy's and mine too!

Not a day wasted

How was Eid'l Fitr spent? For Miggy, no time wasted. 

He colored, loomed a bracelet and practiced his new spelling words.

Playhouse, Then and Now

This is Miggy's playhouse, a hand-me-down from his sister Clarisse, now 19 years old.
Notice his obsession for stickers, sprawled on the walls, ceilings and floors of every room.
See how meticulously he stacked those tiny legos to form pieces of furniture.

Left pic: Miggy at age 8, Playhouse at 11
Right pic: Miggy at 12, Playhouse at 15

Studious

At the height of Glenda typhoon, even on a brownout night, Miggy was still doing his homework in Music. Studious!

Speech Therapy

Speech therapy today.

Hangman - He guessed all correct letters effortlessly today. Hmmm... very unusual. Guess what! Teacher found out that Miggy could see the letters illuminated at the back by the fluorescent light overhead.

Story Stunts Game Board - He made a silly story  from the text boards he earned from the game.

Berenstein Bears "Slumber Party" - He answered teacher's questions about the story.

Excellent job today!
His reward? "Mommy, you buy a Rio 2 DVD on Friday."

Just a few of our Mom Sessions

Dear readers,

I titled this post as "JUST A FEW" which wasn't meant to brag but to inspire. Majority of these activities were only from my 2014 sessions with Miggy, my 11-year-old autistic son. As early as when Miggy was 2yrs/9 months old and diagnosed with the disorder in 2005, I already started my "tutorials," "therapies" and "modifications" with him. Why are those words marked in quotations? Because I am not a SpEd teacher nor a therapist. I am simply a mom. Hey, not just an ordinary mom but a special mom! A hundred percent hands-on mom!

My point here is that it doesn't take any medical or teaching expertise to do all these. All it takes is patience, will power, energy, and tons and tons of the overused and sometimes misused "UNCONDITIONAL LOVE."

Mom sessions may not always be formal academic activities. It could simply be in any form - tangible or not, educational or basic life skills; in any time of the day - night or day, dusk or dawn; in any place, but  MUST be born out of love, fun, acceptance and willingness to make your child a better, coping and able individual. Mom sessions could be short or long depending on your availability, but MUST always be quality time.

Some examples of Mom Sessions/Family Sessions which you do a lot but you're probably unaware that these are actually therapeutic/educational/improvement sessions for your child:

-Bedtime prayers with your child -"Lord, thank you for the....... Bless ......."

-Instructional bathing "ceremonies"

-Setting the table 
         Let him do it! It's okay if he breaks a china. Before he breaks the whole set, he probably would have already mastered proper table setting.

-Teaching table manners

-Teaching and prompting social cues

-Singing and dancing together

-Going to the church

-Shopping 
         Let him make the shopping list and be firm in buying only the ones on the list.

-Playing with him, teaching him taking turns and waiting

-Watching TV with him 
          All throughout talking and asking him questions and prompting answers.

-Assisting him with homework

-Bringing him early to school to attend the flag ceremony and morning prayers

-Eating out

-Watching him play the iPad and asking him questions about the game. 
          Caution when there's wifi. Always supervise and guide his downloads.

-Getting him ready for changes in his routine by discussing with him days before the modification. 

Hmmm.... what else? It is actually endless. Any day, anywhere, anything is an opportunity for learning. It just doesn't stop. It's a cycle that loops and presents itself all the time. Every single time. 

So to all the special mothers out there, I wish you good luck!

Pines Teachers Orientation on Autism Management

Invited in Pines Montessori Teachers Orientation were officers of the Autism Society of the Philippines ASP Baguio Chapter and yours truly to share our life stories of the complexities, challenges, heartaches, rejections, surprises, and fun (the best part!) with living with autism. How the disability impacts the family, relationships, schooling of the special child, society's acceptance and rejection, and the day to day activities and experiences highlighted the discussion.

Rarely do we find education institutions that are REALLY sensitive to the needs of Special Children. The knowledge we, parents of the disabled children, impart is beyond books, theories and literature. After all, we are the actual observers, learners and sufferers of the disorder. We deal with it 24/7. We breathe it, we live it, we smell it, we enjoy it ... piece by piece.

Miggy is a mainstreamed fifth grader at Pines Montessori School under Teacher Reggie's class. 

New school, Same old challenges

The whole family (Daddy, Mommy, and Ate Clarisse) was there to provide full support to Miggy on his first day of classes in a new school, the Pines Montessori School. It went really well today. He joined the other students in the flag ceremony, prayers, and morning exercises after which they all marched quietly to their respective classrooms.

11 boys and 2 girls make up the fifth grade class. The school has a friendly, homey atmosphere. There are kids from different races but Pinoys take the majority of the student population.

Parents' Orientation is scheduled on June 12, Thursday, 9 am. And a Teachers' Meeting in the afternoon where I, being a mom of a 12-yr-old special child, am invited to share my knowledge on autism and my experiences in managing a special child. Autism Society of the Philippines Baguio Chapter is invited too.

Looming Bracelets

After watching the video tutorial once on how to make a single chain bracelet using the Rainbow Loom Bands, Miggy was able to loom his very own bracelet unassisted.

 The next collage shows SPECIAL MIGGY specially looming a special bracelet for Special Mommy.


Looming gives a therapeutic effect on children with autism. Fidgety movements, stimming behaviors and idle time are channeled  to a more productive activity. Watching the video tutorials and learning the looming process increase the child's attention span and concentration. Fine motor skills are addressed through correct grips and strengthened grasps. Social skills are developed as the child works and interacts with other kids while looming. Following directions and patterns, inventing individual designs, and mastery of the skill are enhanced as well.

Get your Rainbow Loom Bands at www.YarnSourceManila.com

Rainbow Loom

Thanks to Yarn Source Manila  www.yarnsourcemanila.com

for this therapeutic Rainbow Loom. 

Order your set at Yarn Source Manila

www.yarnsourcemanila.com

Cereals

When he was three, his developmental pediatrician experimented on the effect of sweets on his behavior. The doctor requested me to temporarily stop giving him cereals for breakfast and observe if his hyperactive behavior would decrease with the absence of sweets in his diet. 

My 2-week observation concluded that his hyperactivity did not diminish at all from the change in his diet. So we reverted  back to his old well-loved enjoyable breakfast - CEREALS!

Up to this day, Miggy now turning twelve in August, the cereals still ranks number one in his list of favorite food. The unbeatable cereals!

Actually, it's an addiction. 

Self Introduction

With just 2 weeks prior to the opening of classes for school year 2014-2015, I have to get him ready with a self introduction for grade 5 in his new school.

Flow Free

His most recent favorite. The Flow Free. 

Look how well he does it. Perfect!

Banoffee Ice Cream Pie

A brother-sister teamwork.

This was actually a Banoffee fail. The toffee was a bit runny and should have been cooked a little longer. 

It was so generous that it did not set. To remedy this, we put it in the freezer. Voila! It came out to be the best tasting Banoffee pie ever! Cake and ice cream packed in one! Such a short life, though. It survived only for 2 days.

Jeep

"Mommy, I will make my K-Zone project."

It took him around 30 mins to assemble his jeep. Following the steps enumerated on the page, he was able to do this independently. 

For any typical child, this is way too ordinary, outdated, probably shrugged off and wouldn't even receive praises; but for any parent of a special child, this is a major milestone. Too grand and deserving of  claps, congratulations, hugs, and even an ice cream cup and a slice of his favorite cake.

Excited for Grade 5

Where else would any Pinoy go to shop for school supplies? At the National Book Store!

"Natural book store" is what Miggy calls it.

Word Searches

This album is actually a mom-session. These word searches are all free printable materials from the web. I always have them in a folder, ready for our study time. Variations in activities make our sessions more attractive, more fun and less boring than the traditional style. And of course, at the end of every session is a treat or a reward. Treats and rewards could be as simple as a movie (dvd), more game time, a sweet, bubble time, a star, a magazine, a cd, a burger, a bike ride, a little toy free from a kiddie meal, or simply a promise to buy him something he really, really likes for a later date. And sometimes for a later, later, later date that we know he will never ever forget because he will remind us every single day, such as: "Ate Clarisse will buy a green iPhone for Miggy in 2017."