autism awareness

My Prayer For Mj

~ NickyB. ~ 3 Comments

I saw this post from a friend and it really hit me hard. This is exactly how I feel and exactly my prayer for MJ. I’m not asking for a lot. I just want to make sure that my son is always treated well and shown the same respect as everyone else. Along with that, is the fact that most special-needs parents are concerned about what will happen to their child when they are no longer around. My prayer is that my son is always taken care of and is as peaceful as he is in the picture shown, all the days of his life. I love you MJ.

#MyPrayer

#ForMJ

#AlwaysTreatedWell

#LiveALongHealthyLife #GodWillTakeCareOfHim

#MJDeservesIt

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Mj Is Making Breakfast 😊

~ NickyB. ~ 5 Comments

Since the pandemic started MJ has been making his own breakfast every morning. It’s usually just oatmeal, cream of wheat or grits (microwaveable kind) with a banana. He’s always the first one in the house to wake up and I love the fact that he is now independent enough to do this on his own without waiting on us🙌🏽.

#progressoverperfection #autisticteen #breakfasttime #maplebrownsugaroatmeal #becomingindependent #teachthem #practicemakesprogress #autismfamily #lookatGod #autisticchildrenbecomeautisticteens

Making his breakfast 😊

    He’s Eating Them!

    ~ NickyB. ~ 4 Comments

    HE LIKES THEM! Well at least he said “I think so” when I asked him if he did lol. Mj HATES trying anything new. I basically had to force him to try these but, as I always say he hates vegetables. The ONLY vegetable he will eat is sweet potato. We’ve tried hiding them in food, making smoothies, etc but he’s like the FBI when it comes to finding vegetables in food! He always notices a difference in texture or taste. We are so grateful that these chewables will allow Mj to incorporate veggies and more fruit into his diet. #theonlyveggieheeatsissweetpotato #thankGodhelikesthese #juiceplus #heneedsit #grateful #autisticteen #autismfamily #hisfacethough😂.

    Mj trying the fruit and vegetable chewables for the first time.

      I Cannot Believe He is 16!

      ~ NickyB. ~ 22 Comments

      SCREAMING Happy Birthday to my awesome son who turns 16 today!! We couldn’t do what we normally would but, we made the best of it. He started with: a big birthday breakfast, then his friends from school sang him “Happy Birthday” during their online class today, we had his birthday lunch delivered, then had birthday cake. In between all of that he still completed schoolwork and participated in his online language therapy.

      I want to thank all of the friends and family that sent birthday videos, sent text messages, called, and gave gifts. We truly appreciate you and it warms our heart to know how many people love our MJ❤️. Today was a great day.

      #mysonis16today #ben10themedparty #heishappy #chilisforlunch #hisfavorite #carvelicecreamcake #happybirthdayMj #weloveyousomuch #autisticteen #autism #autismmom #autismfamily #momblogger #quarantineparty #familybirthdayparty

      He loves it!

      ~ NickyB. ~ Leave a comment

      Marcus has been participating in yoga and music classes since last week. These classes are not from the school board, but from an organization that I have him signed up for. I am so grateful that he’s able to do these classes online and for free. He is really enjoying them😊. God is so good.

      #onlinemusicclass #onlineyogaclass #goMj #greatjobson# #autism #autisticteen #onlinelearning #autismfamily #socialdistancinglife #autismmom #momblogger

      Calling Dr. Youtube

      ~ NickyB. ~ Leave a comment

      Mj receives 90 minutes of speech/ language therapy every week at school. It’s a combination of one-on-one and group sessions. We have been blessed to have wonderful therapists in the past and I truly hate that he’s going to miss it for these coming weeks. I am going to Dr. YouTube, Dr. Google, Dr. Jesus, and a few therapists that I know, to ask for resources that I can use for Mj until this time is over.

      #speechandlanguagetherapyathome #DrYoutube #DrGoogle #DrJesus #Ihavetodoit #Iknowican #mjdeservesit #autism #autismmom #autismfamily #momblogger #socialdistancing2020 #schoolsclosed #meansnotherapy

      Well That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen🥺

      ~ NickyB. ~ 17 Comments

      I went into the IEP meeting ready to “lay down the law!”  I had all of my notes, questions, email print-outs, and work samples with me.  The first thing we discussed was a recent issue that happened in the cafeteria with a student taking some of Mj’s lunch.  We already had an issue with this a year ago and I was told that there would be “more supervision.”  They seem to think that just because Mj can open his own milk carton and feed himself that he doesn’t need as much supervision as some of the other students.  Anyway, I digress…We began going through the IEP and I insisted that they add a goal for his social communication.  The goal that they had was something about him raising his hand in class?!  That was definitely not a strong goal so I had them add one regarding Mj initiating conversation with his peers. We then discussed some issues that we had regarding HW that was being sent home that was way above his comprehension level.  All it serves to do is frustrate MJ, which then frustrates me, which then frustrates my husband…and so on and so on. The ESE specialist and his teacher, agreed that it would not happen again. Due to MJ’s age, they began to talk about his transition out of high school.  They started talking about a possible vocational/job training program and that’s when it happened.  I felt the tears coming on and said, “Oh my God, I think I’m gonna cry.”  By the time I said it, the tears were already flowing.  I was not prepared to hear about any of the programs and to think about what Mj’s life would look like after high school.  I thought I had another year before they would begin discussing these things.  I tried to wipe my tears, get myself together and continue looking at my notes but it didn’t help.  The entire meeting from that moment on was me listening as they talked about the various programs that may be a good fit for MJ.  I listened intently and took as many notes as I could about each and every program.  Then they mentioned the need for my husband and me to get a lawyer to begin looking up guardianship.  She followed that with a statement about how expensive it was to get that done.  It was all just too much.  I managed to ask additional questions and read through the IEP but all I could think about was… What is going to happen to MJ after high school? What are we going to do?  Will he transition well? Will he get into any of these programs? Will transportation be safe?  What job is right for MJ? The questions in my mind have not stopped since this meeting.

      We. Have. A. Lot. Of. Work. To. Do.

      #Thisisoverwhelming

      #Ididntexpecttocry

      #Jesusyouhavetotakethewheel

       

      This Meeting May Be Combative.

      ~ NickyB. ~ 13 Comments

      MJ’s IEP meeting is coming up in a few weeks. Now that he’s 15, the IEP meetings are different and he can now be included during the actual meeting. Nothing much has changed in terms of his current teacher.

      She still does not communicate.

      She still sends home homework that she neither looks at or grades.

      She still sends homework that is completely inappropriate for his comprehension level and oftentimes has no clear instructions😡.

      She is one of three teachers at his high school that teach the special needs kids that are in a self-contained classroom. I tried getting him switched to another room at the beginning of the school year and was told, “we tried, but that room is the best placement for him because he is considered higher functioning etc.” Still, Mj is happy and enjoys going to school. He has many friends in that classroom and most of them travel with him to the same aftercare. I really don’t want to take him away from his friends and familiarity of his school and environment.  I am both dreading and looking forward to this meeting. All of these issues must be readdressed and resolved.

      MJ deserves better than what he is currently receiving academically. 

      I will post an update after his meeting.

      Thanks for reading.

      Our First Family Christmas Pic!

      ~ NickyB. ~ 10 Comments

      We have NEVER been able to take a family Christmas picture with all 4 of us in the picture! I was determined to take one this year. Mj is always frustrated, complains, and acts out whenever we try to do it. We tried several times and took no less than 60 pictures. The result was the few that you see below.

      Our family picture is my Christmas gift to myself. Something that many people take for granted, and has almost been impossible to do, has finally happened! I’m thankful to God for allowing Mj to cooperate just enough to get a picture 🙌🏽. I wish all of you Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas. #merrychristmas #happyholidays #autismfamily #hedidntwanttobuthetookapic #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #lovemyfamily #mygift #memoriesinthemaking❤️.

      Family Selfies 💙

      This Never Gets Old

      ~ NickyB. ~ 7 Comments

      Mj is currently attending another session of YMCA Swim Buddies! It’s something that we both look forward to during the year. As I watched him swim with his “buddy” yesterday, I couldn’t help but think of the years when he was totally afraid of the water and would do nothing but scream at the very top of his lungs while he was in the pool. I think of the months that we paid for private lessons with someone who was supposed to be trained and certified to teach special needs children, but who obviously wasn’t! The private lessons actually made everything worse!

      Now, Mj swims like a fish and it’s his favorite thing to do 😊. Seeing him in the water never gets old. I just literally stare at him and smile. To all of the other special needs parents out there…Don’t. Give. Up!

      #Godisgood

      #Dontgiveup

      #livetrying

      #myboymyjoy

      #heswims