When I Realized…

We became accustomed to using American Sign Language(ASL) in our home. I don’t think twice about signing to Tristan out in public. I would often get a better response from Tristan when using ASL instead of verbal communication. In addition, I used ASL in my job at the local school in the special education classes. Children in the general education classes were familiar with ASL. I knew the rest of the population doesn’t communicate in ASL, and one day I was reminded of this.

Finally…The Mystery Word Solved!

On all our visits with Tristan since May, he has been trying to tell us something. It kind of sounds like “uncle.” In fact, the first weekend in May, we took him to a hotel for a shorter overnight visit. He would repeat this word over and over. We were not sure what the exact word was, so we did our best to distract him. It didn’t work out great, but what else could we do? Finally, I texted one of my brothers and asked if he would do a zoom call because Tristan keeps saying, “uncle.”

Tristan Shares His Thoughts

I love hearing my 16-year-old son, Tristan, talk about anything.   Since he has autism, his expressive language has varied over the years.  He has fluctuated between one word and two-word phrases.   He has sprinkled in a few sentences over the years.  Currently, he is non-verbal most of the time.

A Lesson From a Forever Toddler

Our son  Tristan is 16 years old but developmentally a toddler in most areas.  Some days I wonder why God gifted me with a forever toddler! Other days, I am grateful.  I am thankful because toddlers are fairly easy to entertain.  I know toddlers need many activities to occupy their day.  However, they do not necessarily require a lot of money.

Part 2- The Most Embarrassing School Note

This is Part 2…

Last week I shared when my son, Tristan, pulled the fire alarm at school.

I was so embarrassed!  Let me continue the rest of the story…

After I crawled out from under the rock and got my thoughts together I desperately wanted to know if this was going to happen again.  I knew I had to know more about Tristan’s reaction.  I waited to hear from the school.  A few weeks went by… and I heard NOTHING regarding Tristan pulling the fire alarm.

Chit-Chat

It was about time I had a little chit-chat with Tristan.  I realized our views on an issue was opposite.  It went like this.  Okay, I will be honest, I did all the talking!

Straight From Tristan’s Heart

Yesterday we had a challenging day.  He was just not content the entire day, and I know he can not help this.  Lately, he has been more verbal on and off throughout the day.

 

He has been repeating the same thoughts.  One of his thoughts is about wanting McDonald’s.  At the end of the day; I tucked him in bed.  I said, “Tristan what can we thank Jesus for?”  I ask questions throughout the day.  Most of the time I don’t get a response.  This time, he did respond. This was his prayer, “Dear Jesus thank you for McDonald’s.”

Now we did not have McDonald’s!  I guess I know what he is thinking about; even his prayers are about McDonald’s.

Enjoy another healthy dose of laughter from our home!

Celebrating a First-Camping

I know this was a few months ago, but I think it is important to share our “first” moments with everyone.  Everyone might not realize how much these moments mean to us.  We can see how Tristan’s development progresses over time.  Enjoy another “first” from our home.

Name This Award

The last few days we have been bombarded by the same questions from Tristan. Here is the list.

Celebrating a First- Friendship

I think it is important for me to share some of the “firsts” that we celebrate with Tristan.  We never know when one will occur. Life with autism is full of surprises. Enjoy a “first” from our home!

One Friday night in May, Brian and I were making dinner.  Then we heard a knock on the door, tap tap tap.  We both looked at the front door, and through the window, we could see a child standing there.