Re: damn damn damn damn damn damn damn. sigh.

[Guest guest]

>> This morning I came down to find...three entire units of the

alphabet on the coffee table, colour-coordinated, in order, and in

perfectly straight lines, caps with caps and lower case with lower

case.

>

> AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

>

> Can anyone think of a way to do this assignment without those

blasted cut-out letters???? >>

Jacquie,

I'm just wondering (and I'm not going to defend stims, I understand

your point)...why do you consider this a stim?

Yes, it's entirely, incredibly autistic...but it seems to me that it

is more evidence of need for order (love those rules!) than a sensory

stim...and I can't see why that would be a problem, unless it is

something he is doing nonstop and gets unhappy about someone

disrupting? If he just organized them and left them alone...I

wouldn't really worry about it.

JMO,

Raena

Raena

[Guest guest]

>

> His wonderful teacher, Miss b, has some great ideas for learning to

spell and make words. She sent home 6 coloured sheets of letters to

cut out, and each week the kids are to make words out of one word she

sends home by moving the letters around out of the original to make

new words. This week's root word is Thanksgiving.

If this is the explantion of the project, then no I do not see a way

around him using the letters. I would , however, make the letters

only available when in need for this project and supervise him to

discourage the stimming. Good Luck ...

Amy mom to

Noah 6 Lucas 8 ASD's

[Guest guest]

the short answer is " no " . i can't think of a way to do that particular

assignment but i can think of a way to adapt eric's spelling program. if

letters are a visual stim for eric - which they are for rowan - why not move to

an oral rather than visual alphabet/spelling program.

rowan has learned spelling and phonics with a program called " jolly phonics " it

can be taught with out any visual letter tools. obviously both eric and rowan

are quite proficient at letter identification they just need to know how those

letters sound and eventually how to spell. it is taught using oral and motor

imitation. example - " buh, buh, buh says B " you say whilst swinging an

invisible baseball bat. rowan has been using this program for about 6 months

and he is becoming a phonics whiz - he can now sound out many words on his own!

the beneficial side effects for rowan is it aids in annunciation and encourages

eye contact and motor imitation. i am not sure where you can get this program

but i will find out for you if you'd like.

michelle

p.s. i'd be the last one to criticize stim policing - i take great delight in

kicking over little lines of toys ;o)

damn damn damn damn damn damn damn. sigh.

For those of you not yet acquainted with me, or not well, anyway, one defining

thing about me as an autism parent is that I am passionately anti-stim. Let me

qualify that: I am passionately against stimming as a time-filler. In times of

stress or overwhelming circumstances, I allow to stim all he wants. But

just because he can? No way. I am the Queen of Sabotage. I Am The Stim Nazi.

I don't advocate my position for anyone else's kid; some kids react very badly

to sabotage or to removal of what they stim with. My kid happens to be one who

flourishes WITHOUT the comfort level stims provide.

's biggest stim is the alphabet. Since age 3, we've allowed no loose

alphabet peices in the house. No alphabet puzzles, no scrabble games, no

alphabet magnets, nothing. his love for letters is so strong that he's learned

to read anyway.

His wonderful teacher, Miss b, has some great ideas for learning to spell and

make words. She sent home 6 coloured sheets of letters to cut out, and each

week the kids are to make words out of one word she sends home by moving the

letters around out of the original to make new words. This week's root word is

Thanksgiving.

last night, was so excited by these letters we cut out he spilled pop on

them. Marc and I put them on cookie racks on the coffee table to dry.

This morning I came down to find...three entire units of the alphabet on the

coffee table, colour-coordinated, in order, and in perfectly straight lines,

caps with caps and lower case with lower case.

AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can anyone think of a way to do this assignment without those blasted cut-out

letters????

Jacquie

BTW - please no one tell me the advantages of stimming. I know them all, I've

heard them all, and our home philosophy stands. It works for us.

[Guest guest]

why not move to an oral rather than visual alphabet/spelling

program.

>

My quick answer to this is children with autism learn best visually.

Why make things that are already difficult for them any more so?

I say police his time and redirect him to the apporopriate use of the

visuals. Good Luck !!!

Amy mom to

Noah 6 Lucas 8 ASD's

[Guest guest]

> It just brings to mind the times he was young and would spend hours

> with an alphabet puzzle, picking up each peice and holding it close

> to his eyes making buzzing noises and then adding it carefully to

> the line before picking up the next peice, scrutinizing it and

> buzzing at it...

>

> Now THAT's a stim, right? >>

Oh yeah...that's a stim. :-)

> It's hard for me to separate those lines this morning from that

memory. :-( >>

Well, maybe look at it this way...now, instead of staring through

each piece and buzzing, he is placing them in careful, correct

alphabetical order, sorting by color and case, and is then able to

let it be and go on with his life...*that* is called progress.

But still way autistic. ;-) Folks like Temple Grandin and Donna

talk about how they still need these kinds of activities to

feel " okay " ...when the stim becomes an adaptive behavior instead of

an escape, then it can be a positive...trick is making sure that it

stays that way. In a way, it's like NT people who *have* to

straighten out crooked pictures on the wall...if they can make a

simple adjustment or two and move on once they feel less stressed, so

what? You worry when they can't stop messing with it...

Raena

[Guest guest]

> I'm just wondering (and I'm not going to defend stims, I understand

> your point)...why do you consider this a stim?

>

> Yes, it's entirely, incredibly autistic...but it seems to me that it

> is more evidence of need for order (love those rules!) than a sensory

> stim...

Yeah, you have a point there. In this case, that's how it seems.

It just brings to mind the times he was young and would spend hours with an

alphabet puzzle, picking up each peice and holding it close to his eyes

making buzzing noises and then adding it carefully to the line before

picking up the next peice, scrutinizing it and buzzing at it...

Now THAT's a stim, right?

It's hard for me to separate those lines this morning from that memory. :-(

Jacquie

[Guest guest]

>My quick answer to this is children with autism learn best visually.

>Why make things that are already difficult for them any more so?

point taken - but ....it has worked well for rowan because he was so distracted

by the visual and hyperfocused on the shapes of the letters it was impossible to

get any information through to him in that manner.

michelle

Re: damn damn damn damn damn damn damn. sigh.

why not move to an oral rather than visual alphabet/spelling

program.

>

My quick answer to this is children with autism learn best visually.

Why make things that are already difficult for them any more so?

I say police his time and redirect him to the apporopriate use of the

visuals. Good Luck !!!

Amy mom to

Noah 6 Lucas 8 ASD's

[Guest guest]

Jacquie:

The only way I can think of is only allowing the letters of the root

word hes assigned??? maybe done on the computer? or have him

handwrite combinations instead of having all those wonderful letters.

Solutions are usually difficult to come by and simple in

application. I always complicate it.

Good luck

Jeanette

>

> For those of you not yet acquainted with me, or not well, anyway,

one defining thing about me as an autism parent is that I am

passionately anti-stim. Let me qualify that: I am passionately

against stimming as a time-filler. In times of stress or

overwhelming circumstances, I allow to stim all he wants. But

just because he can? No way. I am the Queen of Sabotage. I Am The

Stim Nazi.

>

> I don't advocate my position for anyone else's kid; some kids react

very badly to sabotage or to removal of what they stim with. My kid

happens to be one who flourishes WITHOUT the comfort level stims

provide.

>

> 's biggest stim is the alphabet. Since age 3, we've allowed no

loose alphabet peices in the house. No alphabet puzzles, no scrabble

games, no alphabet magnets, nothing. his love for letters is so

strong that he's learned to read anyway.

>

> His wonderful teacher, Miss b, has some great ideas for learning to

spell and make words. She sent home 6 coloured sheets of letters to

cut out, and each week the kids are to make words out of one word she

sends home by moving the letters around out of the original to make

new words. This week's root word is Thanksgiving.

>

> last night, was so excited by these letters we cut out he

spilled pop on them. Marc and I put them on cookie racks on the

coffee table to dry.

>

> This morning I came down to find...three entire units of the

alphabet on the coffee table, colour-coordinated, in order, and in

perfectly straight lines, caps with caps and lower case with lower

case.

>

> AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

>

> Can anyone think of a way to do this assignment without those

blasted cut-out letters????

>

> Jacquie

>

> BTW - please no one tell me the advantages of stimming. I know

them all, I've heard them all, and our home philosophy stands. It

works for us.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> p.s. i'd be the last one to criticize stim policing - i take great delight in

kicking over little lines of toys ;o) <

you canadians are ruthless!

" Something important to remember...we'll always be who we are. " - Mr.

[Guest guest]

Hey Jacquie....

I did the EXACT same project in elementary school...with one exception. We wrote

the root word at the top of the page, and wrote all the words we could make out

of " Thanksgiving " in a list below the root word. Maybe could do that?

" It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous

that you realize just how much you love them. "

- Agatha Christie

, frazzled mom to:

, PDD-NOS, ADHD, Mixed Expressive/Receptive Language Disorder, 4

, NT, Terrible Twos, but adorable none-the-less, 2

damn damn damn damn damn damn damn. sigh.

For those of you not yet acquainted with me, or not well, anyway, one defining

thing about me as an autism parent is that I am passionately anti-stim. Let me

qualify that: I am passionately against stimming as a time-filler. In times of

stress or overwhelming circumstances, I allow to stim all he wants. But

just because he can? No way. I am the Queen of Sabotage. I Am The Stim Nazi.

I don't advocate my position for anyone else's kid; some kids react very badly

to sabotage or to removal of what they stim with. My kid happens to be one who

flourishes WITHOUT the comfort level stims provide.

's biggest stim is the alphabet. Since age 3, we've allowed no loose

alphabet peices in the house. No alphabet puzzles, no scrabble games, no

alphabet magnets, nothing. his love for letters is so strong that he's learned

to read anyway.

His wonderful teacher, Miss b, has some great ideas for learning to spell and

make words. She sent home 6 coloured sheets of letters to cut out, and each

week the kids are to make words out of one word she sends home by moving the

letters around out of the original to make new words. This week's root word is

Thanksgiving.

last night, was so excited by these letters we cut out he spilled pop on

them. Marc and I put them on cookie racks on the coffee table to dry.

This morning I came down to find...three entire units of the alphabet on the

coffee table, colour-coordinated, in order, and in perfectly straight lines,

caps with caps and lower case with lower case.

AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can anyone think of a way to do this assignment without those blasted cut-out

letters????

Jacquie

BTW - please no one tell me the advantages of stimming. I know them all, I've

heard them all, and our home philosophy stands. It works for us.