The First Day of Fall ..

In honor of the summer that just went by, I have put together a highlight reel of Miles and some of his pleasures ..

The Fun of Dirt

Miles has been tearing along quite nicely lately. He's hopping on his new bike and riding quite well. The braking is still a bit of an issue, but he's getting the overall hang of balance and the like. He keeps getting solid comments back from school on his in-room learning and overall beahavior and grasp of therapy. The bottom line is that he loves school and continues to thrive in that envirnoment. Lately, I've noticed that his attention span is really peaking out. He's much more apt to read several books at the end of the night, put together a big set of blocks or simply play his own world out in a field of mud. Business as usual while the world rotates around in his eager eye balls ..

Miles Has a Bike with Training Wheels

To say that Miles is ecstatic beyond my grasp to pen proper emotions would be an understatement. Our little boy has picked up another good habit and he's tearing forward in flying fashion. Enjoy the video montage ..

The Loss of Papa Joe

Miles lost his grandfather and I lost my hero. My father passed on August 31st and we are in the process of paying proper respects. Thought I would post a pic of Miles with his Grandpa Joe. Take care out there ..

A New Elevated Miles Thrill

Ridin' the Short Bus

Today was the first morning of school for both Miles and Zen. Last night, we met with both of their teachers and Miles was unexpectedly shy when going back into his home room. He clutched at me hard and flashed his newest lower lip he has been working on lately. He finally snapped out of his kid shell and was again ecstatic to get back on the bus this morning. On another note, Carrie and I put the finishing touches on an illustrated essay that will be in a book called My Baby Rides The Short Bus. The final contractual agreement has been signed and sealed. This anthology of essays from parents with children that have special needs or are in the autism spectrum will be out nationwide in Winter of 2009. For an unedited version of this essay, click here to read - Enjoy ..

Making Up Language

Over the weekend, Miles was desperately trying to tell us that he wanted something before going down for a nap. It was a click-click sound he makes for ice with a woosh of air between his front teeth. Then, he was snapping his thumb/forefinger in a rapid succession. Carrie and I were both perplexed. Even after we let him up to parooze the house, he couldn't find it. So, the nap happened and he hopped up looking for his unsignable object. It ended up being a strip of stickers and it made complete sense after he got them. Several months before this, he was making his own sign for a digital camera he likes to hold and snap shots with. Again, we couldn't figure out what he was asking for. This time around, I spent some minutes going around the house with him asking questions until it dawned on me that it might be the camera. It was a wave of complete relief to see him face beam with a communication conquest. Lately, we have been pushing more and more for him to use his verbal language. He has been blossoming. Lately, he's been saying 'hi' and 'bye' spontaneously to strangers in public, along with saying the word 'blue' for various things from gum to slides. In closing, Miles got a published profile in a newsletter for the Children's Education Alliance. Click here to view (on page 3) ..