Xmas is a coming - but so is Hanukah

[Guest guest]

Now here is a problem I have not had before. This year Elie suddenly

realizes that there is a Santa as something more than a song one sings. He

keeps telling me that Santa brings presents. His class is going tomorrow to

" visit Santa " . My inclination is to keep him home. This is not our holiday

.. Normally, I would protest anyone going - what part of school and in whose

IEP is THAT???? But this teacher is so geat with Elie, that I really don't

want to rain on her parade over Santa - but I also do not want Elie to be

part of the Snata myth.

Well, Santa is not in our house. We celebrate Hanukah - and that has

NOTHING to do with presents. We donot have a Hanukah bush, sing songs that

sound like Xmas songs but call them Hanukah melodies - none of that. With

our now grown children, we did give little token gifts on each night of the

holiday - things like candy money to play Hannukah games, their own Hanuka

menorah, a book of movie tickets - something small as that is not the reason

for this season!!!

Elie has never recognized any of this except that he always has had his own

candles which he is permitted to blow out - as that has been his thrill.

Now that all the siblings are grown and only return home en masse at

Thanksgiving, we have taken to giving each other little gifts when we are

together - just because we are together. Usually this is something handmade

or a specialty food only available where each one lives or the best - a new

batch of pix of each of them in their lives.

So now, any ideas on how to handle this?

Sara - Choose to make lemonade, not complain about the lemons.

>

>Reply-To:

>To: < >

>Subject: Re: not getting a dx..cause ??

>Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 07:27:13 -0600

>

>I sometimes wonder if the " Trauma " of their illnesses and all involved with

>it doesn't have an impact on their diagnosis of " autism spectrum " . My son

>Andy seemed to be developing normally for a child with Down syndrome until

>he had his heart surgery which went terribly around 15 months.He went

>through a terrible ordeal with it..needing to be " revived " several times

>during and after surgery, getting a staph aurous infection and being cut

>open without any anesthesia 7 days after his surgery. And healing from the

>inside out as he was never stitched up again. His behavior completely

>changed after surgery. From his perspective it must have seemed like child

>abuse...and I was helping. I regret how I handled it all ..now 23 years

>ago. I wanted to be with him at all times and now I wonder what he through

>about that. Like why are you letting them do this to me mommy? He was and

>is still a very loving fellow, but with all of the markers of autism.

>Little speech.(much of it echolalia) Takes our hand,and brings us to what

>he wants. Lines up his " toys " (things) Very upset if a change in routine. Of

>course others would say that autism may just be starting to show at around

>14 months...but I always associate it with his surgery.

>Brigid

> not getting a dx

> > >

> > >

> > > So why is it so many " professionals " do not want to recognize or

> admit

> > > there may be more than just DS? It seems to me that that attitude is

> > > not very professional! At our IEP, they just keep saying how

> Angie is

> > > just very low functioning and not testable and it seems lots of

> > > parents hear this. Isn't autism more than just social " delays " ? I

> > > thought autism included behaviors like spinning, flicking, dropping

> > > etc. And most parents with a DS child report this these autistic

> type

> > > of behaviors, so why are these DS kids not getting a dual dx? I am

> > > confused I guess. I know it is more than just a label, but, in some

> > > cases, you need that label, if you know what I mean. We're going to

> > > see a neuro in a couple weeks. What kind of data can I bring to

> him on

> > > the dual dx? I hear he specializes in DS, so, perhands he'd be aware

> > > of the dual dx?

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >