It's a bird, it's a plane.. it's Auntie Boom!

We're very proud of our Auntie Boom. She is one week into her new job as a flight attendant. Jake is the proudest of all!

He says that this picture is her airplane that flew away because they forgot about her. It's Auntie Boom yelling "wait, don't leave without me!!!"

And isn't her uniform so purrty? haha

Message from Ottawa Rally co-organizer Sam Yassine

Sam, along with Andrew Kavchuck, have put their heart and souls into representing all Canadian families who are living with autism by organizing rallies at Parliament Hill. Please read his message following last Monday's event in Ottawa:



Dear Families

Yesterday when I saw Josh Bortolotti twelve years old, Charles
Gibbons and Mathew Gibbons under seven years and other kids too at
the rally under the rain wet and shivering from the cold, trying so
hard to represent every single one of you. I had a mixed feeling
about what is going on.

If our kids can comprehend the importance of our rallies and stand in
the rain fighting for their rights and the rights of every single kid
in the country, then we parents should understand the value of the
realty that every single one of us matters and counts.

We are at a turning point. As you know we have the attention of the
media and the notice of the government. Now is the time to encourage
the members of the government who support us to keep their fight and
to pressure the members of the government who are opposing us to give
our kids their lawful rights.

I know that all parents' hearts are in the right place when it comes
to rallies and other events. But, at this point this is not enough,
we need your presence too, we need your heart and your presence with
us.

We are asking the government for a national autism strategy, we are
asking for Medicare for autism, we are asking for equal access to
education, we are asking for academic chair for autism in every city
and more.

All we are asking you to do is to join our rallies and events. There
will be a rally every month in a different city until the government
realizes and meets our children needs. Please join our rallies cross
Ontario, your presence means a lot, it reflect the size of the
injustice and the realty of our kids.

Forgive me for being blunt, but it's our kids we are talking about.
Thank you for your trust, support and understanding,

Cheers
Sam Yassine

N.B. Yesterday at the rally there were two parents of newly-diagnosed
kids. One of them said her son was diagnosed late last year and was
just assessed by PAPEO. Well, apparently there are over 120 kids on
the waiting list in Eastern Ontario and only 5 were taken off the
waiting list and given help last year. Thus, the parent was informed
that the waiting list is about 20 years long.

Upcoming Rally

We won't be able to make it to this one, but if anyone else can...

We need your help!!!

Autism Public Awareness RallySunday

May 28/06 at 11:00 am

HOLIDAY INN SELECT - OAKVILLE
Bronte Road & QEW

Special Guest - MPP, Cam Jackson

It is time for the government of Ontario to take repsonsibility to ensure the future of ALL children with autism! Our children can not wait indefinitely on a list that might never call their name!!! IT IS TIME FOR SOLUTIONS - NOT EXCUSES!!!!
(Petition Signing, Guest Speakers, Media Coverage and More)

As a community we need to come together and show support in order to make the necessary changes for our children!

CTV News- Parents of autistic children looking for national help

Parents of autistic children looking for national help
CTV News

Apr 24, 2006

LLOYD ROBERTSON: And finally for us tonight, a
heart-breaking dilemma faces the parents of Canada's 300,000
autistic children. How do they pay the staggering costs of intensive
therapy? Many plunge deeply into debt. Some move their families to
Alberta, where the cost is covered by the health system there.
Others turned up in Ottawa today looking for a national solution.
They found members of parliament, one in particular, who understood
their anguish. CTV's Rosemary Thompson has the story.


ROSEMARY THOMPSON (Reporter): Jayden Lake is unable to speak. But this 10 year old boy, who struggles with autism, is popular with his grade four classmates.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Jayden's mute, so he can't, like, talk. He's still my buddy.

THOMPSON: His father is a rookie Conservative MP from Alberta, who wants to make a difference.

MIKE LAKE (Conservative-Edmonton): He's two and a half when he was actually diagnosed, but we knew prior to his actual diagnosis. We actually knew he had autism.

THOMPSON: A heart-breaking diagnosis, but the Lakes say they're lucky because Alberta is the most generous province in Canada when it comes to covering the cost of intensive therapy. The price tag, $40 to $60,000 a year per child.

DEBI LAKE (Mother): At the very beginning we actually discussed taking out a line of credit and in the end did get a loan from a friend until the government funding actually came through.

THOMPSON: With therapy, half of all autistic children are able to go to regular schools. Parents of autistic children are flocking to Alberta.

MIKE LAKE: I would say, yeah, we've heard definitely stories of people moving to Alberta.

THOMPSON: Children in other provinces are stuck on waiting lists. In Ontario and Quebec, funding is cut off at the age of six. Lake says the whole country should follow Alberta's example. And as an MP, he's taking the fight to the House of Commons.

MIKE LAKE: I want those parents to know that I will do everything that I can do to promote action.

THOMPSON: In the pouring rain, parents rallied outside Parliament Hill. The NDP's Peter Stoffer says Medicare should pay for therapy. He's introduced a private member's bill to make it happen.

PETER STOFFER (NDP-Nova Scotia): Health care is a provincial responsibility for the delivery of that care, but the federal government, regardless of party, has a responsibility to help finance that care.

THOMPSON: And Stoffer's getting support from Liberals and Conservatives like Mike Lake.

MIKE LAKE: Peter Stoffer, I mean, obviously he's with the NDP, I'm with the Conservative party. The fact is that Peter and I would agree on the fact that something needs to happen.

THOMPSON: Working together to give children like Jayden a chance. Rosemary Thompson, CTV News, Ottawa.

ROBERTSON: And that's the kind of day it's been this Monday, April 24th. I'm Lloyd Robertson. For all of us here in the National Newsroom, goodnight. For some of you, local CTV News is coming right up.

Ottawa Rally Update

Here is an update about the Ottawa rally that we never made it to:


A message from Andrew Kavchak regarding yesterday's rally in Ottawa. Congrats to Sam and others in the Ottawa area for putting this successful rally together. Below Andrew's comments from the rally:

Hi Folks,

Well, today it rained a lot. Nonetheless, the autism press conference went off as planned at 11:30am in the Centre Block press room on Parliament Hill and this was followed by the rally on the steps leading to the Centre Block. Due to the lousy weather the crowd turnout was less than expected....however, the media came out and so did the politicians. I recognized TV cameras there from Global, AChannel, CTV, and Radio-Canada. Check out the news tonight!

We had two large "MEDICARE FOR AUTISM NOW!" banners displayed on the steps. A number of politicians came out to speak to the assembled including Peter Stoffer, Senator Munson (who stated that he would make a speech in the Senate this week or next calling for a Senate Inquiry into Autism), Colin Carrie (Parliamentary Secretary for Industry), Mark Warawa, Andy Scott, Susan Kadis, Peter Julian, Mr. Hubbard (New Brunswick), Gord Brown, Larry Bagnell, etc... The speakers were very interesting. Each expressed support for the cause. However, for the first time we had a sitting Parliamentary Secretary from the governing party come out and speak to us. He indicated that we are being heard. Also, the first time that I heard the expression "National Autism Strategy" was when I read an article in a national newspaper in 2004 that stated that Minister Andy Scott had suggested it to the Minister of Finance. I highlighted this and thanked Mr. Scott for coming to the rally and urged him to pick up that torch again.

Besides these politicians we also had a group of speakers including Josh Bortolotti, Laurel Gibbons and her son Robbie, Charles Matthews (Disabled and Proud organization), Denis Corriveau (Autisme Gatineau), Dr. Normand Giroux (psychologist at UQAM), etc... For the first time we had bilingual speakers and the French speech from Dr. Giroux won quite a round of applause from the Francophones in attendance. At the end, the new Conservative MP Mike Lake from Edmonton who has a son with autism came out and wanted to meet a few members of the community. He told me that he had just made his maiden speech in the House of Commons and he mentioned autism in it!

Special thanks to Sam Yassine for taking the lead on the organization of the rally and to Laurel Gibbons for her part in organizing the press conference. You know, April is supposed to be Autism Awareness Month. This past month so much has been done...we protested in front of the Premier's office (April 1), I recommenced my lunchtime protest (April 3), Bills C-211 and C-212 were tabled (April 6), we held a press conference and rally (April 24) and there may be a decision to launch an inquiry into Autism in the Senate before the month is over. Wow.

Cheers!Andrew Kavchak(Ottawa)

NDP MP tables private bill on autism care

I just wrote an email to MP Mike Lake to thank him and show our support for everything that he is doing... If you want to do the same, his address is Lake.M@parl.gc.ca.

CTV.ca News Staff Updated: Mon. Apr. 24 2006 11:51 PM ET

Alberta is the only province in Canada that pays for autism treatment and therapy, but NDP MP Peter Stoffer has tabled a private members bill that would ensure every province does the same.
"No matter where you live in this country, you should have equal access to the healthcare system when it comes to autism," he told CTV News.
"Health care is a provincial responsibility for delivery, but the federal government has the responsibility to finance that care."
Activists held a small rally on Parliament hill Monday to call attention to the issue.
Autism treatment is expensive and can cost parents from $40,000 to $60,000 each year. Some provinces only offer treatment to the age of six.
Stoffer admitted that not every province might be able to afford covering the bill.
"Other provinces may not have the fiscal capacity that Alberta has," he said.
One fellow MP who knows all about Alberta's autism treatment program is Conservative Mike Lake, who represents the federal riding of Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont.
"I would liked to comment on Peter Stoffer. He's with the NDP, I'm with the Conservatives. The fact is that Peter and I agree that something needs to be done," he said.
One of his own children - his 10-year-old son Jaden - is autistic.
"Life, it's been different," Lake said. "It had its challenges early on."
According to the Autism Society of Canada, autistic people can find difficulty in social interactions, communicating with others, and learning in a normal educational setting.
However, symptoms of the disorder can vary
wildly from person to person. Some patients display repetitive behaviour and can even suffer from self-inflicted injuries.
Debi Lake, wife of the Edmonton MP, said Alberta's program helped a great deal in communicating with her son.
"Once there was a way to get in there and him to understand some language, it changed his life," she said. "It changed our lives."
Mike Lake said he is "blessed" to live in Alberta where the treatment is available and said he was "prepared to do anything that it took to make sure that he had the help that he needed."
But despite his praise of the Alberta system, he stopped short of endorsing Stoffer's bill.
"Really it's the provinces that have to make those decisions and drive them," he said. "It's their jurisdiction."
However, Lake said he hopes one day the federal government will ease the financial burden for parents of all children with disabilities.
With a report from CTV's Rosemary Thompson

Eagle Cam

Jake and I have become a little addicted to a website that was forwarded to us by a colleague of Jonathan's. It is a live feed by a camera that was placed in an eagle's nest. Little did I know that it actually has a back-story linked to autism. Please read the following excerpt from an email distributed by Nancy Morrison, who is a leader in Ontario's Autism Awareness community and you must check out the links!:

I am providing you with a few links below, one to an eaglecam to view a couple of eagles caring and nurturing their eggs. They are expected to hatch soon. The other websites are about the man who installed the eaglecam, he was an autistic man living in BC. I recall sharing an article about him about four years ago - when he was doing one of his swims around Manhattan Island. His bio on the websites is fascinating.... Unfortunately, Benn had a climbing accident late last year and is no longer with us. But his webcam is still here for us to view.

For the eagle webcam: http://www.infotecbsi.com/wildlife/

or for successive still shots: http://www.fws.gov/nctc/cam/

To read about Benn Kramer http://www.philia.ca/cms_en/page1215.cfm

and http://www.eagleman.ca/

Sponsor Us! NAAR/Autism Speaks Foundation Inc.

Our family recently accepted the challenge of walking in the 2nd Annual Walk for Autism Research and with the help of some friends, we have formed the Willowjak Team. The Walk is the signature fundraising event of Autism Speaks (who recently merged with the National Alliance for Autism Research) and is the nation's largest Walk program dedicated to autism research. Since its inception in May 2000 in the U.S., approximately 171,000 people have participated in 65 events have raised over $18.3 million for autism research. Canada held its first walk in Toronto last year and raised over $320,000. Canadian Research initiatives have received close to $3.4 million in grants as a result of the efforts of walkers across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

We are asking you to help by supporting our fund raising efforts with a donation. Your tax-deductible gift will make a difference. Together we can make a difference by advancing and accelerating autism research. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause - you can make your donation online by simply emailing us at info@willowjak.com and we will provide you with directions on how to sponsor us online. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible contribution to the address listed below. More information on Autism Speaks, its programs and autism in general can be found at their website: www.autismspeaks.org

Any amount, great or small, helps. We greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on our progress.

All proceeds benefit the NAAR/Autism Speaks Foundation, Inc. * 99 Wall St. Research Park * Princeton, New Jersey 08540 * (609) 430-9160; 888-777-NAAR * (609) 430-9163 (fax) * donations@autismspeaks.org * http://www.autismspeaks.org/ * http://www.autismwalk.org/

NAAR/Autism Speaks Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization, contributions to which are tax-deductible as permitted by law. NAAR/Autism Speaks Foundation, Inc.’s, annual report and Form 990 are available upon request. Tax ID 04-3246763

Build-A-Bear Autism Awareness Month

Build-A-Bear Autism Awareness Month Throughout April

Autism Awarenesss Month kicked off in April with an Autism Speaks party at the New York City flagship store of Build-A-Bear Workshop, where the siblings of children with autism gathered to design special bears for their brothers and sisters. Throughout the month, Build-A-Bear will sell its special edition Nikki III bear in its more than 200 stores across the U.S. and Canada, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Autism Speaks. The special purple bear will wear an Autism Speaks ribbon (the ribbon will be placed on the bears after they are purchased). Additionally, the sale of purple satin hearts ($1) will also benefit Autism Speaks during this period. Last year, Build-A-Bear's partnership with the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) resulted in a $40,000 donation. Stores will offer customers printed information about autism, and Bearemy, the Build-A-Bear Workshop mascot, will attend several Walk for Autism Research events. For more information about the Build-A-Bear campaign, visit the company's web site at www.buildabear.com.

What I'm reading... Daniel Isn't Talking

I'm reading a fiction right now called Daniel Isn't Talking. Marti Leimbach is also the author of Dying Young, the book that was made into the movie that starred Julia Roberts. I'm only 50 pages into it, but I can already see that it's on the mark. Here is the excerpt taken from Amazon.ca:
From Publishers WeeklyLeimbach (Dying Young) notes on the back of the galley that she has modeled her title character on her own autistic son; the result is moving, frequently funny and never mawkish. The novel is narrated by Melanie Marsh, an American woman living in England who seems to have it all: Stephen, a rich if somewhat starchy husband; Emily, a vivacious daughter; and an adorable son named Daniel. But after a normal infancy, Daniel is beginning to behave strangely—throwing tantrums, walking on his toes, still seeking his mother's breast and refusing to talk. As Melanie unravels, Stephen remains in denial, until the dreaded diagnosis of autism is delivered. The marriage falls apart, but Melanie does not. She embarks on a frustrating, heroic mission to get the best treatment for her son, eventually entrusting his care to Andy O'Connor, a behaviorist with a dubious reputation. But his unorthodox methods get results, and soon, a bit too predictably, a romance blossoms between Andy and Melanie. While the novel lacks the literary ambition of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Leimbach does succeed in making us care about Daniel and his progress. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
I would really recommend it to anyone that is interested in understanding the difficulties that families go through. I wouldn't dare suggest that this book is the authority on how families cope or experience the reality of having a child with autism, but I can say that I really related to all of the emotions that the main character, Melanie, struggled with on the lead up and the after-math of receiving a diagnosis for her son.

Backpack Backpack

Thank you Robyn for this adorable picture of Owen. The girls at therapy put his backpack on him today and they say he was spinning and giggling the entire time and wouldn't take it off. Yaay! Maybe this means Mom needs less hands when lugging all their stuff around.

Rock Rubbing

Close your eyes. Now imagine two rocks rubbing together really hard. Try to imagine the sound that would make. That is the sound that we have been living with for the past three days. Owen's a teeth-grinder. It can drive a person insane! I try to massage his jaw muscles, I try to give him chewy tubes to chew on and then I try by just saying "for the love of God, please stop!". Nothing works. It drives me mad.
Apart from that, the twins have transitioned really well back into the routine of going to nursery school and therapy. It is such a relief to see them so happy in their routine and it only makes it more apparent that they suffer when there are breaks from it. This summer is going to be a challenge when we try to minimize the 'down-time' with the move and the switch from the therapy here and the new therapy in Alberta. Either way, nursery school finishes with the regular school year in June, so they will definitely miss that social aspect of their program, not to mention our teachers Susan, Holly, Joy and Diane. They will be sorely missed.
The therapists are currently working on getting the boys off of the bottle. Easier said than done. Neither of the boys will drink anything other than milk and water. No juice. Owen is the more stubborn of the two and when I say stubborn, I mean that he would rather starve for months than be forced to drink from a sippy cup. Lucky for us we have the girls from EXL to work on that and once (if) they can get the bottle away, we will be doing the same at home. This means lots of crying and tantruming (on Owen's part) at therapy. We'll see how they do.
Jake's 5th birthday is coming up next month and we're starting to plan. With this being his last birthday in Ontario, I'm thinking that we'll let him invite everyone he wants and try to have it at the farm (if they'll let us). He really wants all the boys in his class to be there, plus a couple more, so I think we can manage that. Rain or shine it will be an outdoor day of playing in the muck and sloshing through the stream to go bug-catching. We're going to do a private family dinner at Chuck E. Cheese as well on the day of his actual birthday, so that should be fun. Spoiled rotten.
Yesterday Jake and I spent his day off from school working on a giant poster that is covered with pictures of everyone that he loves. So, as he says "for the times that he misses them and needs to see their faces". It's pretty nice, actually. I hope it stays intact to last through our move out west.
I got an update from Dana that Emily got the chicken pox!! We hope she's feeling better soon and even though we miss her visits, we don't want them! :) Bronwyn also called us last night to say that she's on her way to Chicago today for her school trip. We wish her luck at the concert competition and we'll hear from her when she's back on Tuesday. Last but not least, Jake was really excited to reach his hand into the mailbox to find a postcard from his Granny! He's so pleased that he got personalized mail sent just to him. Keep 'em coming!

Rally Photos

I mentioned that I'm headed to another rally for Autism in Ottawa this coming Monday. This will be my 3rd trip out there to lobby the federal government to included ABA treatments in the Canada Health Act. I have also made it to two rallies at Queen's Park. I think it's really important to continue putting ourselves out there, regardless of whether or not the boys are taken care of, to help the families that come after us so that they don't have to deal with the heartache and hardships that we have had to.

I just wanted to include some photos that I've amassed:














These three pics are from the last rally at Queen's Park on April 1st. Click on the title of this post and it will lead you to Bruce McIntosh's website with full rally news coverage video clips. Cheeks, Aunt Shell, Grandma, Nonna and Auntie Boom are in the photo on the left (Poppa, Bronwyn, Dad, Peter and the kids are not shown, but we were all there!) Take note of MPP Shelley Martel. This woman knows our issue inside and out and I have a lot of respect for her commitment and compassion for the cause of Ontario's children with autism.

Michelle and Bronwyn joined me for a road trip to Ottawa on November 17th. Speakers that day included MP's Colin Carrie, Stephen Fletcher, Stockwell Day, Peter Goldring, Scott Reid, Peter Julian and Gord Brown. If you look closely at the geeks freezing their butts off, holding the banner on the steps.. you might recognize us..














All of these pictures come from the following websites:
http://ca.geocities.com/bruce_mcintosh2003/rallies.html and
http://www.canadaautism.com/

Press Release Pre-Budget Autism Ottawa Rally

I'm going on Monday....


Press Release
April 20, 2006 - For immediate release



Pre-Budget Autism Rally on Parliament Hill



Ottawa - At 12:00 p.m. on Monday, April 24, 2006, the families and friends of children with autism will rally on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, to demonstrate regarding the lack of Federal funding for the treatment of autism and to ask the new Conservative government to develop a National Autism Strategy.



Autism is a serious neurological disorder affecting children and their development. The prevalence rates in recent years have been increasing and has been recently reported to be 1 in every 166 children being diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To many people this high rate constitutes an epidemic and a national health crisis that requires all levels of government to work together under federal leadership to develop a National Autism Strategy that would include the federal government making transfer payments to the provinces and autism treatment being incorporated within Canada’s Medicare system. For two decades the medical and scientific community has known that the application of Intensive Behaviour Intervention (IBI) therapy based on the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) has been the most effective treatment which can lead to as many as 48% of children developing so much that they lose their diagnosis. The remainder make significant progress towards a better quality of life. Yet, no province offers treatment under Medicare. While some offer incomplete programs under the "social services" departments, other provinces offer nothing. In a country as wealthy as Canada with consecutive years of federal budget surpluses, there is no reason that any child with autism should sit on a waiting list for access to their core healthcare need and then be cut-off because they had a birthday.



"The time has come for the federal government to take an active leadership role in recognizing the autism crisis across Canada and take the steps to develop a comprehensive approach that would ensure that disabled children have a real chance in this country to achieve their potential" said rally organizer Sam Yassine.



Canada needs a National Autism Strategy that would recognize the crisis and respond with an appropriate government plan of action. Parents of autistic children and their friends are calling on the new Federal Conservative government to extend two of their five priorities, healthcare waiting lists and child care, to healthcare for children with autism. An Ipsos-Reid public opinion poll in December 2004 indicated that 84% of Canadians believed that Medicare should cover autism treatment. A national autism treatment petition supported at www.CanadaAutism.com was tabled in the last session of Parliament 80 times. On April 6, 2006, Peter Stoffer, MP, tabled Bill C-211, which would amend the Canada Health Act to include autism treatment in Medicare. Just prior to the rally Peter Stoffer, MP, and other Parliamentarians will hold a press conference at 11:30am on April 24 to call on the government to end healthcare discrimination against persons with autism and incorporate autism treatment in Medicare. The press conference will take place at the Charles Lynch Press studio, Room 130-S, Centre Block, Parliament.



For more information, contact:

Sam Yassine, rally co-organiser, Ottawa; 613-841-3886 residence

syassin606@rogers.com

our autistic basketball hero

I know we've all seen this dozens of times, but it's hard not to smile everytime you watch it.

Autistic basketball manager scores 6 three pointers and 1 two point shot in the last 4 minutes of the game.

Long Easter

Where to start? It's been a long weekend.
Saturday - Diane came over to help out with Owen and Will. By the end of the day, I think she could finally see what we were talking about and acknowledged that the tantrums have definitely increased. I think it's the first time that Diane has admitted that it could be stressful. She didn't have any success with feeding the boys either.. they just won't eat anything!!! Will is definitely losing weight and it's getting me so frustrated. I'm hoping that it's just another phase. First thing that morning, Diane and Dad took the kids downtown for a mini Easter Egg Hunt and to get their pic with the Easter Bunny. Uncle Ian and Aunt Jenny were the photographers at the event. I don't think they had much success with getting the picture, but they did their best. Saturday morning I went to meet with a wonderful woman named Mary Ann, along with our adopted extended family.. Dana and Emily. Before I continue with the reason for our meeting, I have to announce that Emily is a little wonderwoman. Ever since she learned about the boys' challenges with their diagnosis, she has been extraordinarily thoughtful towards them. We were really all strangers before they were diagnosed, but Emily, along with Dana-one of our family's fairy godmothers, have made a commitment to our boys and have come to the house regularly just to help out and get to know the boys. Not only has Emily been a major help in most of our fundraisers , but she is also solely responsible for raising over $300 for the boys!!! Emily and her sister Lindsay started their own project called Beadie Buddies and they've made earrings, bracelets, keychains, etc. all on their own and have sold them everywhere just to raise money for the kids. Emily is only 11 years old!!! I don't think she realizes how amazing it really is, this thing she is doing. Now back to the reason for my meeting with Mary Ann. She has created a program of books called Grandma Henkel and its intent is to help the boys learn to speak. It's an incredible work that she has put together and we are anxious to get started with the boys. It's especially fun because it is something that Jake will be able to participate in as well. I will keep the blog updated on whether or not we have success with it. Mary Ann's passion for education and her compassion for the boys' challenges made my meeting with her one that I won't forget.
There are so many people who have randomly made an impact on the lives of all of my kids and there really isn't a way that we can properly thank them, nor is there a way for us to express how much their kindness has played a role in creating a better future for our family. I keep thinking that the one way we can say thank you is to persevere and with our move to Calgary, we will overcome all of the challenges that we have had up to here and create a new and wonderful life for ourselves. Our boys' happiness will be the proof that everyone's contributions (of kindness, well wishes, donations, support, etc.) was worth it.
While I was at my meeting, Jake was with Dad at a party for his soccer team. Coach Christie put it together and the kids (with parents) played some bowling (with the gutter guards). The gutter guards are Dad's excuse for why Jake nearly beat him. haha! I love it when we find sports that Dad's not good at! Jake and I finished the day off by decorating eggs. It was a lot of fun and Jake actually got through a whole activity without complaining about anything! ;)
Sunday - The Easter Bunny was at our house! Jake was up bright and early, ready to hunt for eggs and we must give him kudos for having the patience to wait until Will got up. The wait wasn't worth it, because Will had no interest whatsoever in looking for eggs. I have to admit that I felt pretty disappointed. I didn't expect Owen to care or notice that there was a holiday happening, but I kind of thought that Will might get into picking up the sparkly foil wrapped eggs. We know he enjoys eating what's inside, but he really didn't give a hoot about the searching part. Owen's reaction to the day was 0% different than how he treats every other day. Everyone keeps telling me that next year will be the year that the twins will have a better understanding about holidays and the excitement that surrounds them.. I'm really hoping. Because it's really hard to involve them, especially when Jake is the only person that is excited. Dad woke up with his turn at dealing with the stomach flu, so he was pretty much out of commission for most of the day. We weren't able to get to church because of it. I spent the day in the kitchen and we had Grandma Wendy and Grandad Brian over for a non-traditional Easter dinner. No ham for us! But we did enjoy some butterfly pork chops and homemade coleslaw. Jake also helped me bake some carrot cupcakes. The dinner was really nice and for me, the knowledge that this will be our last holiday in Ontario did not go unnoticed. I felt a little sad that we weren't able to get everyone together. But there was good news to come on Monday...
Monday - Auntie Boom passed her second-last exam in training for her new job with the airline! She's a week away from flying her first flight. We're excited for her (and for us). Nonna and Pop caught us as we were pulling out of our driveway today, on our way out to find something fun to do. They just got back from their weekend in Ottawa and it sounds like they had a good time. They brought over some Easter treats for the boys (Mom and Dad will try to keep away from them). After much indecision, we decided to go to the Cobourg Beach to fly a kite and take a walk on their boardwalk. It was a gorgeous day and the perfect time of year when the beach isn't crowded and there was lots of room to fly the kite. Both of the twins have such a hard time at the beach, because they don't understand why they just can't walk out into the water. Owen managed to get himself soaked and then had another little fit when I wouldn't let him eat the sand (he loves the texture of grinding it in his teeth-yuck!). Jake was successful at keeping the kite up in the air for at least a half hour and Will just had fun burying himself in the sand. It was a really fun afternoon and we finished it off with a trip where Mom got to visit her Nanna & Pop's old house up near Hastings. The kids were all snoring by then. Those naps explain why it's nearly nine o'clock and no one is asleep yet!! I hope everyone else enjoyed their Easter weekend.

Egg-Hunting

Got up early this drizzly morning and made our way over to the local nursery, where every year they do a pretty decent job of having an Easter egg hunt for the kids. We met up with Mel, Jon, Spencer and Emersyn. Even Will got into it this year and he soon figured out that the shiny wrappers hidden amongst the plants and flowers had chocolate inside them. As always, there was one embarrassing moment.. Will spotted a whole bunch of eggs. But they were in someone else's Easter basket! The dad was pretty cool about the fact that Will stole some. Owen was out of sorts there though, so we didn't stay long. The crowd there seems to get bigger and bigger and every year it just seems to be harder and harder to find those eggs. It could just be that our kids are getting older and we're more desperate to find the chocolates to keep the little ones from tantruming. :) We ran into quite a few people we know from around town and many of them had already heard about our move to Calgary. The consistent comment that I hear from everyone.. especially people that have kids themselves.. is that they are all happy for us that we have found an option, when it seemed like we had none, staying in Ontario. It sure is a sad commentary about the province that I love and thought I would live in forever.
Afterwards we went to McDonald's and the kids actually did okay. They played in the playland and Owen even surprised us by eating a little bit. It was nice catching up with Mel and her kids are growing up to be so sweet and well-behaved. At one point Spencer said to me that Jake was bad because he told him to "shut his mouth". I nearly over-reacted and pounced on Jake "please tell me you did NOT say that to Spencer" and Jake says "but Mom.. he's chewing with his mouth open". It really was hard not to laugh.
The weather continued to be crappy but we caught a window of sunshine and went for a long walk along a new trail that was just paved last year, that led us to a playground (we never knew it was there). Will puddle-jumped the whole way back and Jake ran off some energy, so it was a good plan.
Not sure what's in the air this past week, but the tantrums seem to be getting worse from Will AND Owen. It seems like everything is the trigger. The two of them have been crying, smashing their hands into everything, hitting each other and the rest of us and just generally driving us all crazy. When the tantrums go into the second, third and fourth hour, it's hard to remember that it's not always this bad. But then they smile at you and reach out for a hug.. it's hard to be upset with them.
It's going to be a busy Easter weekend. Hopefully we'll have a chance to pop back in with some updates. Have a Good Friday!

EXL Angels

These pics are courtesy of Robyn, the boys' therapist. Here are our EXL Angels that work so hard with Owen and Will everyday. (Robyn on right, Danielle on left and Jaimie on right) . We love you!

Tummy Upset

It happened. We picked the twins up from therapy on Wednesday and Will had just thrown up. Owen followed this morning. It's terrible when you know that they feel so desperately miserable and they have no way of communicating it to you. They don't understand what the bucket is for either, so it makes for lots of messy clean-up. Poor Owen especially. He's got nothing to him weight-wise and being anemic, you know that his immune system is terrible. When he gets something like the stomach flu, he just has no fight in him; he's listless and just whimpers. It breaks my heart. But already by nighttime they are feeling better. So far Jake is safe, so I really hope it stays away, especially with so much going on this weekend. The twins will have to stay home from nursery school tomorrow (Health Guidelines), but they will be going to therapy in the afternoon if they are doing okay. Then there is nothing until Tuesday.


Today I noticed some pretty great things in Will. He was really using the sound/word "Mom" appropriately all day long. If I left the room, he would wander looking for me while saying it. Woohoo! Then I heard him making the "go, go, go" sound. This is particularly impressive, not just because it's a brand new sound, but because he is repeating it after me on cue. He is really mimicking a lot lately at appropriate times. I can really envision him being a chatterbox once he gets going. Tonight Jonathan and I snuck away for dinner with Ian and Jenny and Diane was here watching them. She told us that when she checked on Will after he had been put to bed, she found him completely naked just sitting in the middle of his bed. Little bugger. This better not be a new phase, because the ones in the past have always been messy ones.

I haven't heard a peep out of anyone for the last little while, so we hope that the flu has passed us by. Hope everyone else out there is feeling healthy! Good night.

Goalie Loves to Play Hockey

These stories inspire us...


Times & Transcript Linda Hersey - Sports People
As published on page B1 on April 12, 2006

Goalie loves to play hockey

Linda Hersey
SPORTS PEOPLE



"He only began speaking and saying an actual word at maybe between five and six (years old)," says Sandra Gaudet about her autistic son Tyler.

In an absolutely remarkable story, Tyler Gaudet showed his interest in hockey by watching it on TV. He began to mimic the goalies' moves, pretending to catch the puck and so on.

"When he finally started speaking," says Sandra Gaudet, "one of the first things was me-him. Me-him. He pointed "me" right at the goalie on TV, and said there. He wanted to be there, so that's how we figured out he wanted to be a goalie. From there he spent the next couple of years asking for goalie gear as presents, and instead of (non-goalie equipment) presents he wanted money so he could buy his gear."

Tyler's hockey adventure began when his family tried to teach him to stand on skates. The first year didn't go so well, but the second year was a bit better. During the process though he gained in confidence, getting more words and some sentences which aided those trying to help him. The next step was an organized team.

Now with four good seasons behind him, three as a full-time goalie, Tyler is feeling pretty good about things. This year his house league team, the Moncton Purple Panthers, made it to the semifinals, won, and then lost by only one goal in the finals.

Hockey continues to be a great motivator for this amazing youngster who because of his size (5-foot-4), often gets mistaken for being much older. In school he's doing "OK" with a personalized education plan and a full-time teacher's aid. His classroom now has a sound system as well, which has been a huge benefit because he "has a lot of hearing loss, on one side especially." In addition to speech problems, he's had to endure no less than nine ear operations.

Tyler takes his hockey seriously, and knows the game rules by heart. If he is to have an outburst, it's because he knows a wrong call has been made.

During summers he attends goalie schools, prior to which, helped by his grandfather Eugene Gaudet, he does his training to get in shape. Tyler's father, Lyndon, a former goalie, is his goalie coach, and the two even shared the same gear for a year.

There are a variety of sports that Tyler enjoys, hockey however is number one, and his family are behind him one hundred percent.

"We're teaching him life skills now. We bought an ice cream shop a couple of years ago in the case of him not being able to work in the mainstream. That way if he makes it as a full-time professional goalie, great, and if he doesn't, well he's got something to fall back on as well. In the meantime last year he started his own little water and pop business there. He made a bit of money, and naturally it went back into goalie gear."

Linda Hersey is a freelance writer from Lower Coverdale. Her column appears Tuesday to Saturday.

Jake's New Bike

Puddles, Bikes and Farm Boys

Let's keep our fingers crossed that tomorrow's update isn't all about feeding the boys Gravol, because Mum just got through a doozy of a weekend.. it was reminiscent of the Norwalk Virus. Yuck. Hopefully the boys miss this one.

The weekend started off fun. We had a lot of rain on Friday and Will came home from 'school' (therapy) with a different pair of pants than I sent him in with (what else is new). We know that when there's rain, there's puddles and Will's in 'em! He LOVES jumping in them. Not just stepping in them, but a great two-foot splash that soaks everything and everyone around. No matter how much we dread the clean-up afterwards, you can't help but love watching how happy he is in the moment.

Saturday morning Nonna and Poppa picked Jake up for his last soccer game. He was awarded a medal and a certificate and Jake was so proud. I don't think he could give a hoot about soccer.. but the medal was pretty cool. Diane came over to be with Owen and Will while we all visited Canadian Tire to buy Jake his new bike! We couldn't find him a shiny green one with a basket, but he got a spiffy red one with a bag on the front as a compromise. Topped off with a matching helmet and a bell. We spent about an hour practicing and the biggest challenge is convincing Jake that it's going to take practice now that he doesn't have training wheels. After the usual "everything is going wrong! this bike isn't working!" Jake at least finally got the lesson that you have to put down your foot when you're about to fall. We'll keep at it.

Owen and Will enjoyed some time at the park and a ride in the wagon. I met them down the street as they were coming back from the playground. It's the little things that make me so proud-- Owen and Will were both so happy to see me that they hopped out of the wagon and walked with me the rest of the way home. What is so exciting about this is that there was a time when you couldn't tie their hands to ours, they squirmed and fought us off, or they would run away at their first opportunity. Now we can actually take a walk together and it's wonderfully normal. Except for the part where Will spotted a dirty mud puddle and not only did he jump in it, but he bent down and tried to drink out of it as well.....

The weekend was really about Jake. He was lucky enough to go for a sleepover at the Farm and it was tied in nicely for Uncle Ian's birthday! Ian's niece and nephews were there as well and they had a blast riding the llama, looking for bugs in the creek and just getting dirty. Jake came home Sunday night having made new friends, stinkin' of manure and sporting a bit of a sunburn as proof that he's a real farmer.

Sunday night Dad let Mom sleep away the flu and he took Owen and Will to the farm to meet up with Jake and join the family for Uncle Ian's birthday dinner. Dinners like these are surely going to be one of the things our family will miss most when we move away. :(

Bill C-211 Act to amend Canada Health Act (ASD)

Here is the Hansard for the Reading of Bill C-211. Parliament has just begun sitting this week, and already we have a Bill read regarding Autism - an Act to amend the Canada Health Act. Special thanks to Laurel Gibbons and Andrew Kavchak of Ottawa (and some others) for their hard work at at achieving this:


39th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION
EDITED HANSARD • NUMBER 004
CONTENTS
Thursday, April 6, 2006
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS
Canada Health Act
Mr. Peter Stoffer (SackvilleEastern Shore, NDP) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-211, An Act to amend the Canada Health Act (Autism Spectrum Disorder).
He said: Mr. Speaker, there are 346,000 children in this country that have autism spectrum disorder. Unfortunately, the federal government does not play a role in their lives at all. We are asking the federal government to assist the provinces and territories with financial funding through the health care system to provide the treatment that these families can then give to their children.
It is unacceptable that 346,000 children and their families are left out of the Canada Health Act all together. This bill would include those beautiful children so that they would have a chance at a quality of life that we all take for granted.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Canadian Autism Day Act
Mr. Peter Stoffer (SackvilleEastern Shore, NDP) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-212, An Act respecting a Canadian Autism Day.
He said: Mr. Speaker, quite simply, on April 23 of this year and every other year we would like to have that day recognized as national autism day, so that people such as Laurel Gibbons of Ottawa and Roxanne Black of British Columbia and their children could be recognized on what these children and their families go through on a day to day basis.
By having a national day in honour of this, we could then possibly turn our attention to further research and further assistance, so we can find a cure for this neurological disorder. By highlighting this day, we also highlight the abilities that these beautiful children have and what they can provide to our country as well.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

--------------------

The text of Bill C-211 is available in English and French from the Parliament of Canada website (http://www.parl.gc.ca/). Go to "Bill", and then "House of Commons" and "Private Members' Bills". Then scroll down to Bill C-211.

First Session, Thirty-ninth Parliament,
55 Elizabeth II, 2006
HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA

BILL C-211

An Act to amend the Canada Health Act (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

first reading, April 6, 2006

Mr. Stoffer

SUMMARY

The purpose of this enactment is to ensure that the cost of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) for autistic persons is covered by the health care insurance plan of every province.


BILL C-211

An Act to amend the Canada Health Act (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

Section 2 of the Canada Health Act is renumbered as subsection 2(1) and is amended by adding the following:
(2) For the purposes of this Act, services that are medically necessary or required under this Act include Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) for persons suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Hanging Coats

Okay.. I know I screwed up. I won't be filming videos sideways anymore. But maybe you'll be able to get the gist of how the boys are doing through this.

Hanging coats sounds like a simple task, but for the boys this is something that has taken a while to learn. This is how they started their day at therapy today.

Granny.. this is for you

Granny- if you are reading this.. Jake drew this picture for you today and wanted you to see it. "Hi Granny- I think you'll like New Zealand. I think that you love your Mum and Dad. I think that you're having lots of fun there and I love you. I have a joke for you too: Knock, Knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana-who? Orange you glad I didn't say banana again? This picture is you walking Paddy and pushing me in my car -- Love Jake"

Squished Wagon

Here's our boys. We went for a beautiful walk at the creek on the weekend. The boys loved being pulled in the wagon. It's a good thing that Owen likes to be squished!

Please Sleep

I'm going to try to remember to do this every time.. but when I am writing as a journal entry, I will write it in this colour. When it is a linked article or announcement from the autism community, I will keep it in white text.

So it's just after 8pm and the twins are still awake. It's not exactly late, but it is 2 hours later than their normal bedtime. This time change has really messed us up. This morning they were both up at 4:30 and we think they've been awake ever since. Late bedtimes + lack of sleep = tantrums, tantrums, tantrums. Not fun. The boys had a really good day at school (nursery & therapy) today. There isn't a heck of lot to say about it. I received a new update from the therapists and I will post it after this one.

We were supposed to have a Circle Support meeting, but had to cancel it because not enough people could make it. Instead, Krystyn came over and watched the kids for a couple of hours and Jonathan and I grabbed dins at the pub. It was nice.

Jake is home with me tomorrow so I might take him out to buy a new bicycle. He had no interest in them at all last summer, he only wanted to play in the baby push-car thingy. His Nonna and Pop finally got him up on a proper two-wheeler with training wheels at the end of the summer, but he's already out-grown the little bike. I noticed that his classmates are riding without the training wheels, so we've got to catch Jake up! We went out a couple of weeks ago for a walk along the creek and Jake rode the whole way and loved it. It was pretty pitiful to see his big ole' knees knocking the handlebars though. It would be sweet if we could get Owen and Will to understand the concept of keeping their feet on the pedals of their little push bikes. We'll have to keep working on it.

The kids are still eating terribly and it is stressing me right out. Right now Will's only food interest is Cheddar Sun Chips. He could (would) eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have got to come up with a plan soon. I've got a couple of books on the subject of non-eaters and ASD, but just haven't had time to read it. I'm going to try. Add that to the ever-growing to-do list.

I'm going to go dig up the update sheet from the therapists to post next. G'night all!
:)

Max Brand Live

This is Max. He is a great guy who came out to one of the fundraiser's that we had for the boys. He sang with the band 'Garden of Eden' http://www.gardenofedenrocks.com/ that performed at our dance.

Max Brand and The Royal Crowns at the last Living Elvis Karaoke at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto Canada...

Autism in the Ontario Legislature on April 3, 2006

The following Questions were raised by Shelley Martel, MPP and NDP Critic for Health and Children’s Issues, in the Ontario Legislature on April 3, 2006
AUTISM TREATMENT
Ms. Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): I have a question for the Minister of Children and Youth Services. On Saturday, I joined families and friends of autistic children to mark the one-year anniversary of Justice Kiteley's decision. In that decision, she found that your government had violated the charter rights of autistic children on the bases of disability and age, that your Minister of Education had violated the Education Act by failing to have appropriate services in place for autistic children and that it had also failed to direct school boards to provide IBI in schools.
One year later, there are hundreds of autistic children who languish on waiting lists, waiting for treatment. There are hundreds more who can't get IBI in the classroom because your government refuses to direct school boards to provide this. In light of the $3-billion windfall that your government had this past fiscal year, how is it that even one autistic child is on a waiting list, desperate for treatment?
Hon. Mary Anne V. Chambers (Minister of Children and Youth Services): I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to address this issue. There is no question that there are wait lists for autism therapy, for IBI. I should tell you, however, that we have made significant progress. In April 2004, there were about 530 kids receiving IBI; by December 2005, there were over 700 kids receiving IBI therapy. Is there more to be done? There certainly is more to be done.
We have also stepped up the pace in terms of assessments. We are assessing kids much more quickly than we used to. Again, is there more to be done? Yes, there is more to be done. I'm very pleased that since we have been elected to govern, we have more than doubled spending on autism-related services.
I look forward to the supplementary.
Ms. Martel: Here's the reality: At the end of March 2005, there were 399 autistic children who qualified for treatment and who were on a waiting list. There were over 200 more who were still waiting for assessment to determine if they were qualified. Between those waiting for an assessment and those waiting for treatment, more children were not receiving treatment than were. In the face of that, this minister diverted $2 million to children's protection services instead of putting that money into IBI treatment. Now we have a scenario, a year later, of hundreds more children on a waiting list who qualify for treatment and can't get it, hundreds who are waiting for an assessment and hundreds more who were cut off by your government from IBI when they turned six, despite your election promise, and are still waiting to get their treatment reinstated.
Minister, your government had a $3-billion windfall. How is it that any autistic child in this province is waiting for treatment either in or out of school?
Hon. Mrs. Chambers: The member, as unfortunately often is the case, is somewhat less than accurate in her accusations. It really doesn't matter how much she pretends to be sincere about this, her sincerity pales when we compare it to what we have been doing as a government. We have more than doubled spending. In the past year, we have spent approximately $95 million on autism-related services. We are positioned to spend even more than that this year.
The reason why the wait lists are longer now is because no child is being denied services because of their age. The message that she is giving is misleading and very, very unfortunate, because --
The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): I need you to withdraw that.
Hon. Mrs. Chambers: I withdraw, Mr. Speaker. But you know --
The Speaker: Thank you.
Ms. Martel: Why don't you tell the truth, Minister?
The Speaker: The member for Nickel Belt needs to withdraw that comment.
Ms. Martel: I withdraw the comment.
Mr. Norman W. Sterling (Lanark-Carleton): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: As you know, I am the chairman of the public accounts committee, and I can say that the member from Nickel Belt has more knowledge on this than any MPP in this Legislature.
The Speaker: New question.

Our family was here!!!

Families press for more autism funding
Apr. 1, 2006. 10:00 PM
ANDREW DAVIDSON
CANADIAN PRESS
Parents and children assembled Saturday on the front lawn of the Ontario legislature to express frustration over lack of funding and long wait times for treatment of autistic students.
The Liberal government, despite having promised to lift ``unfair" and "discriminatory" age limits on costly childhood autism therapy, is appealing an Ontario Superior Court ruling last April.
The court ruled in favour of parents who won the right to have provincial funding for a specialized autism therapy extended beyond the previous cutoff age of six years.
The ruling found the cutoff to be discriminatory on the basis of age and a clear violation of the Charter of Rights.
The cost of the intensive one-on-one process, known as applied behavioural analysis (ABA) or intensive behavioural intervention (IBI) by the government, ranges from $30,000 to $80,000 per year for each child, depending on the number of hours of therapy per week.
The parents say waiting lists have continued to grow and families are risking bankruptcy to pay for the therapy on their own, while other families face the uncertainty of the court ruling being reversed, said Bruce McIntosh, who helped organize the rally.
"These parents are living under a cloud, an axe that could land on them," said McIntosh, whose six-year-old autistic son Clifford was on a waiting list for provincial funding for more than 2 1/2 years.
"Children don't stop learning at six. ABA doesn't stop working at six. It's just ridiculous, and that's what the ruling a year ago said."
He said he paid almost $20,000 a year for Clifford to recieve the therapy for 10 to 12 hours a week and had almost given up hope until the province told him last May his son's name was at the top of the list for funding.
Clifford now receives ABA for 20 hours a week with the province paying $33,800 a year for the bulk of treatment, McIntosh said.
"He's doing really well," he said. "It's nothing like the nightmare of trying to do it all on your own."
The lifetime care costs for a person with autism who does not receive treatment are estimated to range from $8 to $13 million, the parents' group said.
It's estimated that about 8,000 kids under the age of 18 have been diagnosed with autism in the province.
James Ip, spokesman for the ministry of Children and Youth Services, said the government hired 110 new IBI therapists last year and reduced waiting times for assessments for the treatment by 70 per cent.
But Ip did not have numbers on how many children in Ontario were still on waiting lists for the therapy itself.
"I recognize that obviously, we have some catching up to do in terms of children who are over age six," he said Saturday.
A decision on the province's appeal could come any day, but parents say they could see the case going all the way to the Supreme Court, despite Premier Dalton McGuinty's written pledge to stop cutting off children from treatment.
During the 2003 election, McGuinty wrote in a letter to the parent of an autistic child that the arbitrary cutoff age was ``unfair and discriminatory" and that a Liberal government would extend treatment to those beyond the age of six.
"We fully expect this government will take it as far as they can," McIntosh said.

Safety and Preparedness for Children with ASD

Webcast Recording of Dennis Debbaudt's live presentation on March 29, 2006 entitled "Safety and Preparedness for Children with ASD" is available for viewing at your leisure, but only until June 30, 2006. ASO received great reviews from participants. Don't miss this opportunity. It's free.

English: http://events.streamlogics.com/autism/mar29-06/en/index.asp
Français: http://events.streamlogics.com/autism/mar29-06/fr/index.asp

If you have difficulty getting to the site through the above links, go directly to ASO's website and click on the links from there www.autismsociety.on.ca

Please pass this message along to any interested groups or individuals. We've received excellent feedback on the live webcast. It can be viewed at any time between now and June 30, 2006.

High Five and Nosebleeds

I've promised a few people that when we make the big move to Calgary, I'll have a solid habit of posting blurbs about the boys' day and accomplishments on this blog every night, so that everyone back home can take a peek and stay up to date on the lives of the Willowjak boys. Something tells me that I might not be so reliable at keeping my promise, so I thought I would start it now and try to form the habit. Don't they say that you've got to do something for 21 days before you can make or break a habit? We'll see if it holds true..

Took Jake this morning to get his nose checked out with an ENT doc. This is the second time I've had him in because of his nosebleeds. I think that when it starts affecting his school and his ability to play and run around with the other kids, it's a problem. I've had to pick him up from school and there have been times that it's bled for hours, only to start up again afterwards. Royal pain in the butt for Jake. Sooo... Dr. Klassen was kind enough to take my concerns seriously and he cauterized (sp?) it right there in the office. We have instructions to take him back to do the other nostril in the next little while. Jake was all smiles and had no problem with it. Let's hope it works. He and I baked some chocolate chip cookies this morning (Jake snuck so many bits of batter and tried to hide it from me.. if he could see the obvious chocolate stains on his mouth he'd realize he's not as sneaky as he thinks he is). Bumpy is over right now for a visit and I can hear him suffering through Jake's concert - drums and the recorder. Music to the ears.

When I dropped Will and Owen off at nursery school this morning, I got some great feedback from the Nursery School ladies. They had a little 'field trip' to the local library yesterday and the boys did amazing at sitting for story time with all the other kids. I am so pleased. There was a time when I would never even try to bring them to something like that because they would be so disruptive and couldn't care less about the activity. It gives me great hope.

Will got his hair buzzed last night by Daddy. He looks adorable, despite having a few strays that are still over an inch longer than the rest and standing straight up. lol. That boy doesn't like to sit still for a haircut so I think the errant few that escaped the clippers the first time, will just have to wait for a few months until the next trip to Daddy's Hair Den.

Owen is still pretty snotty from the cold. He really seems to suffer the worst of the three boys. I wish I could teach him to use a kleenex. Gross. He got up with the sun this morning so I think he's recovered from the time change. Will and Jake both slept in again though. Neither one of them were able to fall asleep last night, so I'm not sure how many more days it will take before they settle back into the routine.

I have to record the date of April 2nd. Owen leaned forward and gave me my first kiss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To think back to a year ago.. I never thought I would see the day. Will is keeping us all smiling with his new found talent of giving everyone high-fives. He gets right into the game of it and it's so wonderful to watch how excited he gets. All of these little accomplishments are so heart-warming. I think I'm going to post the updates that the boys' therapists provide us with that show the targets and tasks that are being worked on. Maybe later tonight. It's really helpful and it great for maintaining consistency between the therapy, nursery school and home.

That's it for now. I have to pick the boys up from therapy in the next 15 minutes or so. Will check in again soon!

Autism Awareness

Previous Blog Posts on Autism Awareness

Autism Awareness
Holland
Our Warning Signs
Jobs in Field of Autism
My Top Autism Reads
Awareness vs. Accommodation & Support = Action
Parents - We are Enough
Sleep & the Lack of It
Gluten-Casein-Free Diet Explanation

Calgary, Alberta, Canada:
Hope for Healing Children
Autism Calgary Association
Behaviour Therapy and Learning Centre (BTLC)
Society for Treatment of Autism
Autism Partnership
Autism Awareness Centre Inc.
Between Friends Club
Friend to Friend Programs
Children's Link
FSCD (Family Support for Children with Disabilities) Program

Ontario, Canada:
Ontario Autism Coalition
Geneva Centre for Autism
Kerry's Place Autism Services
Autism Ontario
Autism Ontario Yahoo Group
Listing of Autism ABA Providers serving Ontario

Great Information:
Autism Canada Foundation
DAN! Practitioner's List-Outside US
DAN! Practitioner's List-Within US
Parent Books
Autism One
Autism Central
TACA - Talk About Curing Autism
Generation Rescue
Autism Speaks

Newsletters:
Schafer Autism Report
Dr. Mercola
Generation Rescue Newsletter
Autism Research Institute Newsletter

Magazine Subscriptions:
The Autism File
Exceptional Family
Living Without
The Autism Perspective

Our Story

Sometimes I read this blog and go back to the early days when I started writing it. Its original purpose was to chronicle our family's life and to keep our extended friends and family in the loop with our trials, tribulations, successes and hopes. At the time, I never could have foreseen that three years later, my boys would be six and eight. Jake would finally be happy and well adjusted and the twins would be entering their first year of school (full day), with a bag of tricks and skills. I never could have imagined that not only would this blog help keep our ties to those we loved and missed back in Ontario, but it would also be read by strangers. Some strangers who have become friends, who have found some inspiration in our story, or who have found information that may have helped them with their own children.

I am grateful for what this blog has done for me and for others and I am recommitted to building on it. I hope you all enjoy taking a glimpse at this little slice of our busy life and I equally enjoy hearing from all of you. Please feel free to go back into our history, read a little or a lot and leave us some comments to know what brought you and what you like or don't.

Here is a trip down memory lane. Here is Our Story.

The Day Life Changed

Queen's Park Press Conference Speech