“The Child with Autism at Home”
“The Child with Autism at Home” by Kathy Labosh consists in 350 useful tips that populate the 14 chapters in a friendly format, followed by resources. The book can be a true help even for experienced parents, as it covers new areas of concern and use the various tips for describing how to handle the situations that can occur with an autistic child in his attempt of discovering certain areas of the house.
Being the mother of two boys on the Autistic Spectrum, each representing a different side of the spectrum, has made possible for Kathy to write this book and approach a parent-to-parent communication. The tonality of the book brings closer the reader and it is easy to be understood by anyone, as it doesn’t contain scientific terms or complicated study cases.
We can say that “The Child with Autism at Home” is more than a book with tips; it can be used as a guide for anyone who interacts with autistic children, not just parents, such as the babysitter or the grandparents.
I have found some of the chapters, such as “The Master Bedroom” or “The Attic” captivating, but they form with the rest of the chapters a complete guide for parents on how to improve their lives while having an autistic child. There are several areas of the house covered, like the play room (which refers to various interactive play activities), the music room (tips for presenting the children different musical instruments) or the kitchen (where the author gives tips on the food and table manners for autistic children).
ü “The Child with Autism at Home” compiles in 61 pages the main activities that autistic children could do in the house and tips that will improve the communication levels and consequently improve the quality of both parents and children’s’ life.
v Excerpts from the book The Attic Your Mental Attitude A happy home begins with you. All children are sensitive to their parent’s moods, but children with autism are especially so. If they are scared or fearful, they can act out for days or weeks after an event. Some children will even avoid things associated with a traumatic time for life. In order to stay calm, you need to take care of yourself and deal with negative emotions in ways that are positive and build up the family unit. l1 Make sure you get adequate sleep. A tired person has less control over their emotions and makes poor decisions. If you are not getting enough sleep because your child has sleeping difficulties, please refer to suggestions in the Bedroom chapter. l2 Decide what is truly necessary for you to do. Do not give up sleep to complete non-essential tasks. lConsider taking a daily vitamin. Our bodies and brains need certain nutrients to work properly. The better supplied they are, the better they do their job. l4 Eat raw apples to stay awake during the day. They work like a stimulant. Don’t ask me why; just try it. 5 Eat some protein with breakfast—an egg or some milk. I have found that eating only a sugary snack can set me off on a roller coaster of high and low emotions and energy levels during the day. l6 Get a treadmill. Stress releases hormones into your body that cause the Fight or Flight Syndrome. If you don’t want to fight and you can’t leave the house because of the kids, a treadmill gives your body a way of releasing the stress in a healthy manner. This also has the side benefit of making you stronger and better able to deal with the kids. l7 Learn relaxing, stretching exercises like yoga or tai chi. These release the muscle knots in your body where you store tension. This also adds to your physical well being. l8 Take deep breaths. They cause actual physical changes in your body to relax it. 9 Limit your expectations of what can get done in a day. The more hurried we are, the more likely we are to lash out. 10 lWrite to-do lists when the children are asleep. Your mind is more free to wander if you aren’t listening for suspicious noises or dealing with the current crisis. 11 lBreak chores down into tiny tasks. For example: gather the clothes, sort the clothes, put the detergent in the washer, and put the clothes in the washer. Our frustration builds when we are constantly interrupted. If you plan for interruptions you won’t be as stressed. 12 lAdd to the list during the day, whenever you see anything that needs to be done. It fools your mind into thinking you’ve actually done something about it, so it will stop nagging you about it. 13 Limit how much of the news you watch if it is upsetting to you. You do not need the added stress. 14 Read the newspaper. You can pick the news you read and the time when you will read it. Interruptions will not impede your ability to follow the story. 15 Get a TiVo or record your favorite shows as you watch them. You can then go back and catch up on what you missed when you are interrupted. 16 Write letters to God. Pour out all the anger, frustration, and negative emotions that you have toward Him and others. Ask for help; ask for forgiveness. Then tear the letter up. 17 Join autism chat rooms where you can talk to others in similar situations 18. Call old friends on the phone to stay connected to your emotional support system. Some of these friendships will taper off, but others will deepen. 19 lTake an interest in your friend’s lives. Do not just use them as a place to unload your stress. 20 lBe careful who you call when you are really upset; not everyone understands your situation. Make sure it is someone sympathetic and supportive. 21 lStep outside your house if you need a break but cannot leave. You can still hear everything that is going on in the house. 22 lTake your keys when you go outside. Children playing with the knob can accidentally lock it. 23 lView your children as gifts from God. They teach patience, kindness, and selflessness.
“The Child with Autism Goes to Florida”
We all know the frustration feeling many parents with autistic children have to deal each day, as they feel that they are helpless in front of such a disorder. Kathy Labosh is the mother of 2 autistic boys, Nick and Sam, which has decided to share her experience to other parents who face the same problems as she did before finding some great yet simple solutions.
In “The Child with Autism Goes to Florida” she offers the parents extremely useful tips based on her own experiences that occurred when visiting Florida and the theme parks.
ü This s a down-to-earth guide that will serve as a real guiding light for parents who want to enjoy quality time with their children in the theme parks in Florida.
ü Even if this might seem as impossible task, Kathy Labosh shows us the contrary, by including in this book all they need to know about how children will react to park distractions.
“The Child with Autism Goes to Florida” is a great theme guide that will help parents to ensure their autistic children a pleasant experience while having fun in Florida’s theme parks. The book is very positive and it is impressive as it comes from true life experiences, patience and perseverance.
The 98 pages are filled with tips and reviews of the best places to take autistic children to, such as the Universal Studios, the Disney-MGM Studious or The Sea World. If you have been around autistic children you will easily recognize their reactions and their problems in understanding and integrating in this colorful and agitated environment.
The book really has an optimistic attitude, and this is very important when it comes to such as serious disorder. Kathy Labosh delivers in “The Child with Autism Goes to Florida” is a simple and effective guide on how to deal with autistic children in theme parks and turn a stressful experience into a positive and educational adventure.
v Excerpts from the book Park Tipstransportation and parking Do not skip this section. These may seem like minor issues, but they can make or break your trip. [1] Plan to have at least two means of transportation back and forth to the parks. This will allow the family to split up if the child with autism needs a break. This way, the family can also view different attractions without the child and caregiver pacing outside while other family members visit their favorite rides. [1] Stay at a resort that has transportation to the different parks. The caretaker and the child with autism should use a car if possible, and the rest of the family can use the shuttles. [1] Ride the shuttle during off hours. There can be standing room only during the opening and closing rushes. xv Intro The Child with Autism Goes to Florida [1] Rent a second car if you drove down and are staying at a hotel with inadequate or no shuttle service. [1] Buy your Disney tickets from aaa, then you are entitled to a aaa Diamond parking pass. The aaa spaces are within easy walking distance of the main gate. [1] Ask the parking attendant where the Diamond parking is. There are different colored lines to follow at each park. [1] Mark down where you are parked, especially if you are in the regular parking. Also mark down the make, model, and license plate of your rental car. You are in for a long walk if all you recall is a silver midsize car. [1] Place something distinctive in the front or back window of your car. It will help you locate your car quickly. [1] Push the automatic horn button found on many key chains. Be aware that at closing time, many people are doing the same thing. Honking cars may surround you. [1] Look carefully at your parking lot character. Daisy and Donald Duck may both be ducks, but they are at opposite ends of the parking lot. Intro xvi[1] Introduction: Theme Park Tips [1] Board the tram toward the back. The loudspeaker is not as loud back there. [1] Sit with your child to the inside with your arm around him. Have him look at the row numbers or cartoon characters as you go. [1] Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure share a parking garage. There are no Diamond passes, but you can pay extra for preferred parking that is closer. I have not found it to be a difficult walk from any part of the garage. tickets and searches These tips should cut down on the time the \child with autism has to wait in line. [1] Buy the tickets ahead of time . They are available at aaa and also at the resorts. [1] Get tickets that include the park-hopping feature. This will give you the freedom to visit other parks if your child finishes a park early. [1] Add Disney Quest and the water park features onto the pass. Individually, they can be very expensive, and it is money wasted if they only stay briefly before wanting to go home. [1] Buy an annual pass if you intend to go every year. Take your second vacation before the fifty-two weeks are up. This will save you money.
“The Child with Autism Learns Faith”
“The Child with Autism Learns Faith” approaches a delicate subject for parents with children on Autistic Spectrum: learning faith. Kathy Labosh, the author of the book provides the reader with a series of useful lesson plans and a great Sunday School Guide broken in 20 chapters. It is a book that will answer all the questions parents usually have in what concerns the aspect of faith and how to teach their autistic children about.
What makes this book different is the fact that it was written by the mother of two autistic boys, and the warm personality of Kathy comes through the book and goes directly to the hearts of parents who find themselves in the same situation. Some of the lesson plans that parents can use in the process are “Creation: God Made Everything”, “Joseph in Egypt: God’s Plan is a Challenge” and “Passover & the Red Sea: God Saves His People”. As you will see, parents will need simple materials and a lot of patience in order to teach faith, by following few simple steps that the author recommends.
ü “The Child with Autism Learns Faith” is written in an easy, comprehensive tonality, which makes it accessible in spite of the difficulty of the subject.
ü The book is based on true life experiences and successful results the author had on her autistic children.
Kathy Labosh is delivering the best solutions without minimizing the obvious difficulties parents will face when trying to apply the advices in their real life. The book can be a true friend for those struggling with Autistic Spectrum as it will gives the confidence that parents can succeed in teaching their children about faith.
v Excerpts from the book The Importance of Outreach Many people are familiar with the parable of the ninety-nine sheep. The Good Shepherd has one hundred sheep and when he loses one, he leaves the other ninety-nine to go find the one that was lost. Well, I am going to tell you a parable of the stressed shepherd. There once was a shepherd who had one hundred sheep. When one of them was missing, he knew it was the one with the black spot on his tail. He just wasn’t like the other sheep. Sheep naturally follow other sheep; the stressed shepherd figured this one must be deaf and he must be a loner. He didn’t seem to want to be near the other sheep. So the next time the sheep with the black spot was missing, the stressed shepherd searched for a while and then returned to the flock. The shepherd had ninety-nine other sheep to tend. This one required more work than the other ninety-nine put together. It was not right to neglect them for this lamb who did not want to be a part of the flock anyway. This decision saddened the shepherd, but at the same time he felt a bit relieved. Sometime later, a drought came upon the land. The shepherd’s usual sources of water dried up. The sheep were struggling and so was he. The shepherd cried out to God for help and a fat sheep appeared on a hilltop. The shepherd followed the sheep into a box canyon where water was springing from a rock and vegetation was flourishing around the spring. As the shepherd thanked God for saving him and his flock, he noticed that the fat sheep had a black spot on his tail. He wept when he realized that if he had taken the time to rescue that sheep, he would have found the spring before the drought had begun. He and his flock would have had a secret source of strength to see them through the drought. The moral of the story is that we need every person to be complete. Those who bring the most challenges can draw the best out of us. When people see what someone with disabilities is up against, their own burden seems lighter. They resolve to try a little harder. Sick children draw more love, compassion, and patience out of us than a hundred sermons. They are God’s powerful agents of change in the world today. The families of children with developmental disabilities need the faith community around them, but there are many challenges. They are unable to bring their entire families to regular church functions because of their child’s anxiety or behavior issues. They can feel judged by others who think autism is a discipline problem. Many marriages are tested by the strain. These families need to hear that God loves them, and that His people are here to support them. Unfortunately, their isolation makes them nearly invisible to those around them and they often suffer alone. If your heart is ready to reach out to these families, this book will tell you how to accomplish that. You and your faith community will find blessings and strength that will carry you through the hardest times. Be encouraged by this scripture: “The learned will shine as brightly as the vault of heaven, and those who have instructed many in virtue as bright as stars for all eternity” (Daniel 12:3; Jerusalem Bible). “The Child with Autism Goes to Town”
Parents who have children with autism were always in search of an accessible and viable solution for solving the everyday challenges an autistic child usually poses. There are many books on the market that approach this subject, and parents try them and often become disappointed as they realize the books are heavy to understand and sometimes don’t even apply to the specific needs of their child. Many parents get confused by the abundance of tips and theories about how to raise an autistic child and help him have an independent life.
“The Child with Autism in Town”, by Kathy Labosh, tackles some very important aspects of the daily activities of autistic children. The author focuses in the 64 pages on the community outings. The book has a friendly and practical pocket – format and provides the parents and not only 250 tips that they can use when going with autistic children in the community. The book can be considered a clear and comprehensive insight on the autistic children’s world, as the author is the mother of 2 boys with autism, and the book is based on her personal experience.
“The Child with Autism Goes to Town” is a great resource for useful tips on how to introduce children with autism into the venture of the community. The tips are based on building confidence and they finally turn to be a real help for helping autistic children to complete simple tasks. The topics are various and detailed, referring to simple and efficient methods that will make any autistic child to respond and communicate in his own way with the surrounding community. Some of the 16 chapters are: The Mall, The Playground, The Movie Theater or the Hospital.
ü “The Child with Autism Goes to Town” is a must-read for all parents who struggle every day with the difficulties of having a child with Autism Spectrum.
v Excerpts from the book The Playground The playground is the easiest social outing. The main obstacles are interaction with other children and the physical skills necessary to master the equipment. The playground is a good first step toward social interaction. The child with autism will observe typical play and feel little or no pressure to join. [1] Go to the playground when it is not crowded. Your child will have a chance to explore the area with few social interactions and less sensory stimuli. After your child is comfortable at the playground, go at busier times. [1] Use the little children’s swings to hold your child securely while he learns to hold on and gets used to the swinging sensation. When it is evident that he enjoys the swinging motion, move to the regular swings. [1] Swing gently on the regular swings until your child consistently holds on. [1] Teach the pumping motion when your child is still. Hold his legs out in front and say, “Front.” Push his legs back and say, “Back.” [1] Demonstrate the pumping motion while saying, “Front” and “Back.” [1] Push your child on the swings saying, “Front” and “Back.” The pumping motion takes a long time to learn, but persist, and make it fun. [1] Stop the teaching exercise and swing as usual if your child gets stressed. The focus should be on his having fun outside the home. [1] Go down a wide, straight slide with your child. Hold him between your legs and say, “That was fun!” Do this several times. [1] Go down the slide first and then encourage your child to come to you. [1] Start with a small slide. A child with autism goes down a ladder facing outward, which can be dangerous. [1] Teach your child how to back down a ladder. Have a helper go up the ladder first and stop at the top. Your child will go up next. You stay behind your child. To start back down, pick up your child’s foot and put it on the lower bar. The helper should then back down also, forcing your child to descend. Praise your child with each step he retreats. Reward your child when he has reached the bottom. [1] Do not go up the ladder if your child is descending facing outward. He may jump into your arms or hug you. This could tip you over backward. Stay at the bottom of the ladder with your feet firmly on the ground ready to catch your child should he fall. [1] Remember what your child is wearing before you enter a fun fort. It is easy to lose a child in the wooden structures. [1] Stay in visual contact with your child. Even if the playground has only one entrance, park benches are often placed against the walls. A child could easily exit without you knowing. [1] Bring snacks and drinks for your child. Other children’s food is often in plain sight and can be a great temptation.
