I'm Confused ......Autism is Truly What???

My ears perked up last week when listening to a news item about changes in the definition and service of those diagnosed with Autism. For some while I have found the growing number of those given the autistic label disturbing. The disturbing question in my mind was, "How could this many children born within a given number of years be afflicted with autism?" What is really going on in how we "grow babies" that so many could be autistic? It made absolutely no sense to me. As a seasoned educator having seen any number of children with developmental delays and having worked with and among many levels of special education, all of these diagnoses of autism seemed suspect. For some years I worked in an area that served students with the Asperger's diagnosis. I am very familiar with these characteristics. I can understand readily that area being removed from the autistic label. Children with Asperger Syndrome show little to no linguistic or cognitive impairment. Quite to the contrary....they do show some fixation or fascination within some subject areas that they find particularly interesting. Sometimes they are physically clumsy thus achieving high levels of success in sports may be difficult. And I have worked with some students with Asperger symptoms who were less than patient with their peers who were slower to achieve. Their nonverbal cues and lack of empathy with fellow students sometimes caused them trouble. But all in all......these children generally improve as they grow up, age and learn to cope with their own limitations which can be considered minimal compared to developmental impairments and delays found in others. I can see where some would consider them "quirky" or unusual... but people are so different that if we allow for individual differences we make no issue of these developmentally.

With all of this being said I continue to believe that the Autism label is being muddied. It causes me to wonder ....which delays, developmental differences, behavior disorders, and voids are considered autistic??????? For years we have had levels of Special Education (students who were leveled according to their cognitive impairments), and some for behavior disorders. How are these two areas being confused or meshed together? Does it appear that it is easier for parents to accept the autism label rather than the labels given to cognitively impaired children? or behaviorally / emotionally impaired children?
Somehow, I have believed that truly Autistic children were wired a little differently neurologically and processed a little differently..... in a manner quite unlike Special Education children. But....I am now believing...that I am totally confused.

Time For CLASS

Do you recognize "Class", or better do you have "Class?" Back in 1989 Ann Landers re-published her own definition from the "Ann Landers Encyclopedia." I thought it was truly "classy" and referred to it often after that publication. Take a look and see what you think of it today.

WHAT IS CLASS?

Class never runs scared. It is sure-footed and confident in the knowledge that you can meet life head on and handle whatever comes along.
Jacob had it. Esau didn't. Symbolically, we can look to Jacob's wrestling match with the angel. Those who have class have wrestled with their own personal angel and won a victory that marks them thereafter.
Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes.
Class is considerate of others. It knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of small sacrifices.
Class bespeaks an aristocracy that has nothing to do with ancestors or money. The most affluent blueblood can be totally without class while the descendant of a Welsh miner may ooze class from every pore.
Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down. Class is already up and need not strive to look better by making others look worse.
Class can "walk with kings and keep its virtue and talk with crowds and keep the common touch." Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class because he/she is comfortable with himself / herself.
If you have class you don't need much of anything else. If you don't have it, no matter what else you have, it doesn't make much difference.

ANN LANDERS

Genteel Sweetness

How far do good manners and kind words go in today's world? I doubt that many if any of us truly know. I love this message from last week's Tabernacle Choir broadcast. They either reinforce what we have already been taught, give us a gentle reminder, or teach us a much needed lesson.--------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ "The Greater Courtesies" Nineteenth-century American writer Christian Bovee once said, “The small courtesies sweeten life; the greater, ennoble it.” Sometimes, with the pressures and stresses of life, we might forget that in many cases, the small things are the big things. The lessons of good manners we learned as children—to say “please” and “thank you” and “excuse me”—may seem outdated in today’s demanding adult world. But politeness is never out of style, kindness is never old-fashioned, and we never outgrow courtesy. And it goes much deeper than polite words. As one commentator noted: “Making people feel important is part of courtesy, so it’s important to remember that whether or not people remember what we say or do, they do remember how we made them feel. . . . Always be kinder than necessary because you can never be too kind.” Helping people feel respected and loved takes more effort and, at times, more self-discipline than just remembering to say please and thank you. But it’s the mark of a great soul. This type of courtesy focuses more on how we make people feel than just what we say to them. It springs more from sincere love for others than from a mere sense of social obligation. It measures not the size of the courteous act but the size of the heart behind it. A smile, a returned phone call, a thank-you note, a word of congratulation on a special occasion, verbal and nonverbal responses to those who need our attention—even these seemingly small things, if inspired by genuine love, can turn out to be the greater courtesies, the big things that both sweeten and ennoble the life of the giver and the receiver.

Advertising

Why do I let advertisements on tv bug the heck out of me??? I am not sure, but they do!! I have complained about that in a previous blog. And about the same ads. The one that just slays me is the Amor Vie or whatever ad. This is the one where the dames are all telling about what this hormone therapy has done for their lives and their relationships with their dudes / husbands. Like we are all gonna run out and try to get some of this magic potion, gulp it down immediately and start yelling through the house, Come on honey, I am on Amor Vie now!" Who the heck cares????? They have added some new chicks to tell the story and it seems they have bought a WHOLE bunch of air time of late. Bugs me out!! But, Hey, I need to get a Life, don't I !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Traveling and Colors....

We gypsies made our weekly sojourn to the southern coast and back over the last few days. Each week to break the monotony I try to enjoy some part of the scenery by observing particular details that interest me or amuse me in some way. Last week, as you may have read, it was the cows and "cow farming." While I noticed them today, I particularly observed the colors that folks paint their houses in the southernmost county of my sojourns. For some time I have taken notice of this and wondered why people choose to paint their homes some ridiculous color and whether the color has some significance. Now, you are probably aware that some subdivisions in our town control the colors that you can paint on your homes. So....I wondered and wondered....were these colors an act of rebellion or just a preference.

Several homes that I see along the way are colors in the purple family. True purple, lavender-like purple, violet-like purple ..... you get the picture. It would seem that I might be traveling through grape country but nay, not so. That would be up in Duplin County. However, one of the homes really lets you know why theirs is in the purple family. They have an East Carolina flag in their yard. I got that one!! I guess the purple ones were the first to catch my eye. Folks, I couldn't believe it initially!! Then more and more purple shades started popping up. There was one I saw today-looked like new paint...was some shade of turquoise-like aqua. Truly bright ---- eye-catching!! Then as I drove along I saw one that was a mauve tone with black shutters. Ummm-hmmmm. I am sure some of you reading this think I am making this up but...I am really "truthing."
Of course, most of these homes are old 40's and 50's homes just located along the highway and not a part of a development.

As I drove on up the state I again noticed that farmers and landowners are clearing land and burning the refuse. With the rains the cover crops are really plush and green. Cattle seemed to be enjoying having that to nibble on. It started to rain as we neared our home county and the traffic was heavy so I concentrated on getting us home safely. So much for our travels of this week. The weather was dreary and rainy when we got home so we have snuggled up at home grateful for a home that isn't purple!

Cow Farming

Did you know we have "cow farming" in North Carolina? I had never given it a lot of thought until I was driving up I-40 returning to Raleigh on Saturday. I know that I see fields with cattle west of Raleigh as I go across the state. But I had never given it much thought for the eastern part of the state -- perhaps I had never noticed.

As we / I drove along on Saturday it was a beautiful cold day with lots of sunshine. The fields along the interstate were easy to view as the trees had thrown their "clothes" on the ground about two months ago and were bare. Many of the fields had cover crops and were lush and green. Some fields were interesting in that they had cotton crops last year that had been undercut and cotton still remained on the ground. One field was full of black angus cattle. I saw several fields full of cattle -- don't know what kind of moo-cows they were. I could not help but wonder if some farmers were converting former tobacco fields to cattle farms. I see less and less tobacco in the summer.

I travel 40 most every week. Most often I don't have time to enjoy the scenery because the traffic is especially heavy or I am traveling when it is dark. I was kinda happy to see cattle in the fields. Our climate is quite warm in the summer. I hope they have plenty of shelter from the heat and water for those moo-cows.

Spoiled Canine Children

I must admit I am really quite guilty ...... of spoiling my children.....my canine girls. Among the many lessons I learned when Sassy Schnauzer became mine was how to soothe an upset doggie stomach. As instructed by her vet I would cook a pot of white rice for her, add some canned chicken (packed in water, of course) and feed it for several days. Usually this did the trick....problem was trying to get her to eat her regular food after rice. She LOVED the rice feedings!!

As time went on I became aware of a group who fed raw. Then I learned you could actually cook food for your dog which was different from the demeaned feeding from the table. For a while I just couldn't take this in. Feeding raw, cooking for your dog! How could this be???

Having Sassy taught me much. She was the sweetest girl ever but she had numerous health issues. She kept my pocketbook empty and me learning new things about being a canine parent.

Eventually I came to realize it was quite OK to buy very lean ground beef, heat it until it changed colors in a frying pan, spoon it onto paper towels to dry it out and absorb the water and oil, and feed it to my canine children. What could be more appetizing to a canine child. My how they love it .....just a touch of schnauzer heaven. Having learned these great gems I practice spoiling my children when they are "ailing" and sometimes when they aren't and just need a treat.
Thus it has been for the last few days. I know in the next few days as I try to change them back to regular food I can expect the stalking off and refusing to eat for about 24-48 hours.

What's a Mom to do???

Colors.....and Me!

Do you like colors? Which color(s)are your favorite(s)? I like color but I am a little weird about it....I am a little weird period (if I can be honest). This means I have "odd" ideas about some things.
You see I am really old, I mean really very old, thus I have strange thoughts.
Like about color(s).

I really don't like car colors. I am certain my reasoning is nothing like yours about car colors. The only car colors I find acceptable are black, white, red, and perhaps green. I am not sure about green.....don't think I would ever want a green car.
Since cars are known to be the instrument causing death for so many folks that could be the influencing factor for my weak brain.
All of the car colors (with the exception of Black, white, red, and maybe green) are the colors used for coffins. I know white is sometimes used for coffins but less often than the other colors. I can't stand that thought. Look at all of the metallic colors on cars......colors of coffins..that's what they are. How morbid is that???
I can't stand to think about it! Guess I better go for now. I need to spend some time thinking about another acceptable car color.

Choosing the resolution word!

Bloggers are supposed to choose a word for the year that works with our resolutions for the year. My word is: Purge

For this year I will attempt purge my life of that which pulls me down or holds me back. That includes all of this "junk" I have which needs to be thrown away or dispersed to another owner who knows what to do with it. I have tons of legal papers that need to be shredded and no longer take up space. I have tons of clothing that I no longer need or wear. These items could probably help somebody somewhere. It is up to me to find out who and where and purge.

I will attempt to keep up with my efforts and this meaningful word.

Teaching Success / Teaching Outcomes

So.....the N & O ( or Daniel's Bugle as Ken used to call it) carried an article recently about modern teaching techniques plus the need to pay teachers more. {How New Teaching Merits Higher Pay}. Two letters to the editor followed that I found to be interesting. The writers of the letters admitted that they were older educators in their comments --- but older or not they were pretty much on target.
Initially I had not read the original article; reading those letters sent me back to find the article and read.
Of course, I was more than interested in what this/these new teaching technique(s) could be. As I recall, first there was a discussion of how teachers (today) were recording their lectures so that students could listen at their convenience or re-listen to the lecture to get or clarify information imparted by the teacher. As the article progressed it discussed how teachers were becoming more of facilitators for students' groups and student assignments or work.
Now as I recall the facilitator role came about with what was sometimes referred to as the discovery method as opposed to lecture.

Hhmmmm. thinks me. So what is new about this. It has been going on for years. Acceptance and validation for this type of teaching varies. Certainly lecture doesn't warrant any A+'s from any one I know. But some find fault with the facilitator role saying it lacks enough teacher input. I am forced to do a reality check at this point because I look at teaching through an elementary teacher's glasses all too often. Teaching Reading, for example, is altogether different from teaching one of the sciences.
Good points made by the writers include pointing out that using more technology would work well for students affluent enough to have high speed Internet access at home or those being able to afford tutors if required. Mention was made in the original article of raising class size with new teaching methods. With the size of classes increased it was mentioned that some might need tutor type help.
Face to face interaction time with the teacher, interaction electronically with the teacher, teacher motivation and counsel were all mentioned as student needs.
A comment was made about our best schools serving our most affluent communities were as good as any anywhere. Think for a moment with me ---- why would schools serving our most affluent communities not seem like our best schools if we are using test data to determine best schools.

Then the crowning comment which I cannot validate at the moment states:
Studies show that the two most important predictors of a student's success in school are 1) mother's educational level and 2) family income. Further noting.."Until we come to grips with that, everything else we do is simply tinkering about the edges and will have little real impact."

What think ye folks?? Is it really true? Are these predictors the two most important of student success.

I'm So Excited.....

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it! Cold weather has arrived. I get to have frozen fingers and toes. My flip-flops will look great with my sockies with toes on. No more getting hot and wearing out my deodorant just after I put it on. Greggie Boy on WRAL is excited, too. Temperatures are dropping and noses are red and dripping! Such fun... we may be down to 15 degrees by morning.
Haven't had so much fun since last February or whenever we had temps like this before.
There will probably be frost on my windshield and I will get to scrape and scratch it until I can get my car to melt it. I will get to wear my gloves and wipe my nose with the back of my hand 'cuz I can't get to my Kleenex with my gloves on.

If you go outside you can blow your breath and see it in the air. That is soooo fun.
I hurried out today, unscrewed the hoses from the house connections so they wouldn't freeze. I also put these little "foam ditties" over the outside faucets. Oh, and then I covered the connections to the irrigation system with a big bale of pine straw and a plastic container so they would be safe. Can't you tell I am so excited I am about to lose control....and I think I like it? !!!!!!

Don't you just love the cold, cold fingers and toes, wearing your gloves, sockies with your flip-flops, your nose dripping in the cold, scraping ice, and paying more for your heating bill? Aren't you just pumped?

I am really quite excited.