Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: Those Smiles

I can't get this picture out of my head, so I am sharing it again here today:

James with his friend Ronnie -- team leader of Hope for Buddies and Friends,
co-chair for the North Bay Walk Now for Autism Speaks.
She's been part of our lives for over 5 years. We were so excited to see her before the walk.

For more images from the heart and to share some of yours,
visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.






               and ... Wordless Wednesday

Walking With Our Buddies And Friends

Some pictures need no words:

James and his buddy Ronnie

Some photos from today's walk. We picked up some more information from the Resources booths, saw friends, and enjoyed being out on a nice Spring morning.

Word is really getting out about Autism, but we still need your help!

Getting ready to walk ...

Rounding the corner on Lap 2.

Visiting the Cypress School booth, looking at PECS and drinking cool water from my special water bottle.

We are proud to be walking with our Buddies and Friends. We still need answers.

Walking and Raising

Yes, this is late going up but yes, we will be walking in the 2013 Walk Now for Autism Speaks event this coming Saturday in Windsor, on the Town Green.

Yes, the numbers have risen again over the year: CDC now pegs the number of diagnosed children (ages 6-17) as 1:50 children and 1:31 boys. Last year they were reporting 1:88 and 1:54, respectively (for 8 year-olds). A diagnosis is made for some form of Autism every 11 minutes, instead of every 15 minutes.

Yes, we are making progress in understanding more about Autism -- its causes and resources for those affected by it.

Yes, there is more that needs to be done.

Yes, you can help:

Yes, you can come walk too! This will be our 4th year walking and every one has been a blast.
 * 2012
 * 2011
 * 2010

Autism Resources at the Walk

One of the great things about the Walk Now for Autism Speaks events is that they have vendors and organizations at tables to create a Resource Fair. These are services that are available now in our area, and I always find out something or someone new.

This year I found some older friends, like the CATS Program, United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay,  and Anova.  James still loves a hug and high five from Toys-R-Us' Geoffrey the Giraffe.

Photo from the official Walk Now for Autism Speaks blog

 I also found out there's a summer session for a local horse therapy ranch, Equi-Ed.

UCSF is involved with some new Research programs that investigate possible treatments to help those on the autism spectrum and find out more about this disorder.

It was great to see representatives from a gymnastic group (Rohnert Park Gymnastics) and a national martial arts organization (ATA), as well as hear them talk about the activities and benefits they have to offer to kids on the spectrum.

I hope that there are more groups there for next year's event. New resources really help us out!

2012 Autism Speaks Walk: Thank You!

For the third year in a row, we were proud to show up and walk to raise money and awareness for Autism Speaks. Turn out was great and the weather was the best we'd had all week. We came to the Town Green at 10 (free parking, music, and a great resources/vendors -- already off to a good start) and stayed until 12:30, taking snack breaks at the picnic tables and checking in to the library for a sensory break (I also picked up information for growing vegetables from the Master Gardeners' talk).

We were exhausted by the afternoon, but so glad we went. This is such an important event for us and we're happy to be doing our part to find out more about autism and help those with it to live as healthy and actively as possible.

It also felt good to have this walk in our community, and see both the walk and the Town Green mesh so well. I do believe in the importance of having community support to help our kids -- all our kids- be as successful as possible. It also felt good to see all these families on the spectrum in turn supporting my home town by eating at the restaurants we love, staying in the local hotels, falling in love with the book store, and watching their kids on the playground. When there was an announcement that the local indie cafe was donating 10% of all sales from the day to the walkathon there was a big cheer, and I saw at least one group immediately head over to help boost business and fundraising.

View from playground hill, looking at the Green and Resource Fair

Playground

Walk route, as it passes the jumpy house

First lap!

Autism Speaks provides information and tools to parents and others who work with children on the Autism Spectrum. Autism Speaks provides a Voice to many who do not have one of their own. This organization keeps abreast of updates in research and politics, helping parents become better advocates for their children. Autism Speaks funds research to investigate causes of autism.

We walk because:

Last year, that sign read "every 20 minutes"

• No one knows what causes autism.
• The numbers of children affected keep growing; current CDC numbers are 1 in 88 children; 1 in 54 boys. Some areas have even higher rates of autism.
• People still don't know about autism. I personally have been asked about autism (and resources regarding autism) over the past 2 months by people who include staff at our local schools, my son's pediatrician in our HMO, and family members.
• Our son has Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We want the best for him and hope that some day he will be able to live an independent life of his own choosing.

To all of you who helped us raise money for this walk, thank you so very much! We reached our personal fundraising goal because of you. At the walk, we were told that every dollar raised here turns into $10 worth of research, through matching grants and Autism Speaks. This means so much to us -- doing something positive to find answers and solutions for those we love.

Two and Blue

Two more days until we Walk Now For Autism Speaks! Thankfully, we're supposed to get a break in all the rain this weekend.

And now a little blue, in honour of Autism Awareness Month. A reminder that boys are more often affected by Autism. A reflection of my mood after too many grey rainy days. A little blue sky of hope for better days ahead.

Found on our dishwasher's front panel

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: Slower

After the various storms of life these past few weeks, this last one was slower. Thank goodness!

We've got lots of blue:

We're getting ready for the 2012 Walk Now for Autism Speaks event in just over two weeks!

Because it's the best feeling in the world to see our kids grow, do more, and smile. We want to raise them to be as independent and free to pursue happiness as possible.

For more images from the heart and to share some of yours,
visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.






               and ... Wordless Wednesday

Hope for Buddies and Friends

So tomorrow James and I will be walking in our second Walk Now for Autism Speaks event. This year it is so much closer to home -- yay! While we enjoyed walking at Infineon (with our pals the sheep and Shetland ponies) ... the driving will be so much less!

While we are walking to raise funds and have our own page, we are part of a local team called "Hope for Buddies and Friends." It is well named.

Hope is something that I as a parent cling to: hope for better studies and research; hope for help; hope for a good life for James.

Hope is how I feel when James has his breakthroughs, like becoming more self-sufficient, talking to his friends at school, writing numbers, or reading me a sentence.

Hope is where I need to refocus, when I get down about the metaphorical autism mountains yet to climb, discouraging news about budget and school cuts, or I go one too many nights without enough sleep due to my early rising son.

Hope is knowing there are answers out there. Hope comes from good friends. Love and faith keep us hoping for our other buddies and friends, whatever their struggles may be.

So if you're near the Windsor Town Green tomorrow, April 9th, come on out to see all the friends and buddies, walking for hope and a better future. There will be raffle baskets and information about autism-related services and studies. And if hope is something you want to get behind, please consider making a donation to James and his team.

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: CATS Walk, First Ever!

This past weekend, James, his sister, and I participated in the first-ever CATS (Community Autism Trek, Sonoma) walk. We walked to raise awareness not only of autism, but also that the wonderful CATS Program exists to help so many in our community. And raise a little money to support the students and the program too.

The CATS Program a great source of information and learning for students, parents, and professional who work with children and families of special needs people. It's also a great resource to socially connect with other families, which is tough for us.

How did the walk go? Just look!

 

 

And yes, we've been in the program and it has been a great resource!

For more great images or to join in the fun, Visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.


and ... Wordless Wednesday

SOOC Saturday: Coach

James is here with one of his first therapists. Like some of the people we've worked with, she's become a friend, and has watched James progress from being nonverbal and smiling at nothing in the distance to talking and interacting with his peers and others.

Look at this picture, for instance. He tried to get her pink phone, but she's got his number and held it just out of reach. Look what he's grabbed instead ... James smiles when he sees her. I hope he remembers some of the fun they had together, rolling balls and playing with gears and monster truck parts.

She's taught us a lot about working with James and hanging in there as a parent. She is one dedicated woman who gets out the word for programs and helps fundraise for the groups that really get out there and help the kids. I can personally attest that she is a lot of fun to be with on a team, fundraiser, or coffee break!

Thanks for being there, Ronnie -- and all that you do!

The Slurping Life knows that a little vino (& a lot of love) can keep la vida from getting too loco. Visit Melody and check out SOOC Saturday/Sunday entries past & present. No cropping or fixing -- it's life, straight out of the camera.



  

More pictures from the walkathon ... James practically hopped and skipped his way up that first big hill. Then he got exhausted, caught his second wind, and began leaping and running some more ...

More of the pony girls and their pony. So sweet! And I could practically hear the cooing from 200 yards away (their admiring crowd):

We had our own cheering squad, about every tenth of a mile along. They were well-needed and threw their hearts into it!

James got a lot of support and motivation from his big sister, as always. She can always get him to learn and try new things, as well as become motivated to play and talk. She also keeps an eye on him and helps him stay a little more in control.