Conferences

We had Nate's conference today and his teacher says he is doing good. He needs a little help with spelling and writing but he's getting his work done and trying hard. His teacher has him sitting in a group with two other boys who have similar personalities, so they are working well together. This teacher seems to have a lot of patience with Nate. He is willing to make the few changes to make it easier for Nate to get through the day without too much trouble. Most people figure out on their own that as long as he is kept busy and knows what to expect he does really well. If he has a job of some sort and feels like he is helping he is much happier. Shaun knows this and has made him the official cone kid at skate practice. He is in charge of setting up all the drill cones and making sure they are put away after practice. The other kids have to ask him first if they can help, so now Nate is called Nat-han the cone man. The only problem though is that sometimes he will be in the middle of a drill and he will notice one get kicked out of place, he so wants to fix it but can't. It's good for him to learn he can wait and that it's okay that things don't always have to be in a perfect line. The second the drill is over though he makes a bee-line right to the misplaced cone and fixes it, it's funny to watch him having his OCD moment, some things never change!

Thanksgiving, A Trip To Seattle etc

Nate had a fun but long holiday weekend. He got to eat and play at Grandma Cindy's. Then he got to see his "girlfriend" K, a girl he knows through skating. They are the same age and they have fun running around chasing each other through the house. The marathon wasn't as fun for Nate, he ended up taking off and getting lost in the crowd. He panicked but had been told that if we got seperated to follow the crowd to the end where they have a booth. He did exactly that and we met up with him there. It was beyond scary for mom and dad but he's smart and actually did what he was supposed to when it mattered. He still tried to take off several more times throughout the day so we have to constantly tell him to stay with us and physically hold his hand or he gets excited and just goes.

He loved the dinosaurs and the space center at the Science Center, it was definitly a hit. He really liked finding out how much he would weigh on each planet. There were so many things he wanted to do but just not enough time. He got to see the majority of the center so he was happy either way.

We got home and went to practice. He and Ericka both crashed today. Nate was goofing off and ran into the wall. I know it hurt but we all got a good laugh at his expense. Sometimes he does things that just leave us scratching our heads, he got up and was fine. He came home and like Ericka fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

We have his conference this week so we will find out how he is doing. They are going to do some hearing tests, he has been getting frustrated lately because he is constantly asking people to repeat what they say. We have to practically scream his name. He has failed two other hearing tests before but they always said it was borderline and not something to worry about. I guess they think it's easier to tell us he needs medication rather than finding out other possibilities as to why he may not listen, wish us luck!

FIRST SOCCER GAME

The pic on the left is of him kicking the ball back into play from the sideline. Then his team and his two coaches. They play their games at the Fairchild AFB Youth Center.
Nathan had his first indoor soccer game this last Saturday. They don't keep score but there were some good goals made by both teams. Nate made one goal and he was really happy. All the kids were bunched up on one side of the field and Nate kicked it through some legs, it rolled across to his team's goal. The look on his face was priceless. There are only 5 kids on his team and only three play at one time. This team has three 7 year olds and two 8 yr olds. You can see in the team picture the size difference. Nate has shot up a lot the last couple of months. He is all legs and his clumsiness has increased but he was out there trying his best. He tripped several times while running, poor kid. They did some exercises before the game and he was the only boy who hadn't learned how to skip yet. It didn't seem to bother him and the other kids didn't seem to notice so that's good. He had fun and did well so it was a great game for him. He says he is going to play outdoor soccer this spring, as well as skate. He hates being bored so maybe having these two things to focus on will keep him out of trouble.

NATE AT PATTISON'S HALLOWEEN PARTY

Nate getting "wrapped" by Ericka for mummy wrap game

OPTIMUS "NATE" PRIME

We were actually able to find a transformer costume. He loves the movie so it wasn't a surprise this is what he would dress up as. He wanted to be Bumblebee (the corvette for those of you who haven't seen the movie) but he couldn't find that one. He had fun at the party, lots of sugar which made for a crazy kid.

SOME FUN STUFF

If you click on the music play icon twice you can hear some of Nate's favorite songs. If a song comes up you can't stand just hover over and click the right side of the music box and you can go to the next track. We thought we would add some of his skate pictures and baby pics too.
He has decided to give skating another try. He is tired of getting beat at session and realized the only way to keep getting better is to go to practice. He has a few friends who skate on the team now too. He isn't in the same group as Ericka so that helps keep them from bickering. He seems to be having fun and it's great to see him actually enjoy being around the other boys. They are session skaters too so they all know each other and they all get along.
His soccer practices have also started and he seems to like it so far. Soccer only lasts 6 wks. His games start on November 3rd and will be every Saturday until December 16th. It's indoor soccer so it's only 6 kids on a team and only 3 play on the field at a time. They don't keep score so there aren't any winners or losers, it's just mainly to give the kids a chance to learn the game and have fun. He loves to be busy so between school, skating and soccer he won't be bored, atleast for a few weeks anyways.

School Pictures Are Finally Here

Here is Nathan's 3rd Grade school picture. As usual he has battle wounds. I can't count how many professional pictures I have that show some type of scrape, cut or bruise. He had surface burn on his face from skating. He took a really bad fall during fast skate and the floor took some skin. I guess it's good that the picture was taken almost a week later. Anyways, we are just happy he smiled nice, the last three school years he made silly faces.

(we also just added Nate's Regional Picture if you scroll down you will see it)

September Update

Nathan has been doing okay. School has been a struggle but sadly that really isn't a surprise. He says his teacher is nice most of the time. He is getting frustrated, all the other kids are moving to new stations and he has to stay at the same one. We have found that as long as the math has no words involved (story problems) he still does really well. You can give him a number problem and he will get it right but the same question in word form and he has troubles. His writing needs a lot of work but he is trying. He says he has no friends at school and just follows Ericka around. I am going to schedule an appointment with the district special ed director. He needs to have another eval to see if he qualifies for resource room. The work is getting harder now that he is in 3rd and it has become clear he is falling behind. He tries so hard so we do what we can to help boost his confidence.
His soccer starts next month. They didn't have enough kids to have more than two teams, so he will compete against the same team the whole 6 wks. I think that since he doesn't like change it will be a big plus for him, he will know who to expect. He just wants to kick the ball around anyways.
He skated today at the beginners speed class. Shaun invited him to skate on the team when he is ready to skate again. He has known Nate since he was a baby and he knows the struggles Nate has had and is willing to help him get better at Nate's pace.
The few friends he has at the rink are all either in the class or have made the team, so they have been trying to talk him into coming back. We told him he has time to think about it and whatever he chooses is fine. He had a lot of fun and Shaun even allowed him to "help" a little by setting up the cones. He still likes to skate but it's just a lot of work and he isn't as competitive. He says he does really like relays though so we will see if that works out, if Shaun will let him skate those instead of his division he might be more willing to give it another try.
He is really excited for Halloween. He is going to be Optimus Prime from the Transformers. We just bought the DVD and it's his favorite. He and Troy had seen it at the theatre but now he can watch it at home. He saw the costume at the store and it was a must have.
He has been spending a lot of time building his legos and bionicles. He has been really bummed lately because it's been so cold outside. He just loves being outside, poor boy. Over all though, as long as he is home and with us he is a very happy kid.

AUGUST UPDATE/1ST DAY OF 3rd GRADE

Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated in forever. I'm bad at this.
Anyways, Nate is doing fine. He had a fun summer and wasn't happy about having to go back to school. He got to spend the last weekend with a good friend he has known since he was a baby. Our friends from Tacoma came to visit and Nate had a good time playing with his buddy. They played video games and made a "rock fort" out on the sidewalk. They spent a lot of time playing with Transformers. He is only one of two kids Nate will even tolerate so it's nice to see him actually playing.
We went and signed him up for indoor soccer today. They have a league on base that starts in November. It only lasts a few weeks but he seems to be excited. He decided he doesn't want to skate this season. I think it's probably for the best. He would be moving up to a harder divison this year (juvenile) and he really has no chance. I hate to say that but it's just the way it is. He just doesn't have the strength to keep up with the other boys. The motivation has to be there and he just doesn't have it. He could change his mind but I doubt it. Ericka has chosen to switch to a new team and even though Shaun is really nice, I don't think he would be as patient with Nate like Joe was so he is probably making a good choice.

Today was his first day of 3rd grade. He has another male teacher and is happy about that. He didn't get to meet him today though, Mr Curtis got food poisoning and had to stay home. He didn't say his first day was terrible but he wasn't happy knowing he has to keep going back. He is not like his sister at all, she loves school and he loathes it. We told him that he might really like 3rd grade if he gives it time.
We have to go in to update his 504 here in the next couple of weeks. We found out that 29 percent of the kids at Sunset are special needs so if he ends up having trouble he'll get more help. Maybe if they actually follow his 504 he'll start to enjoy school. We can only hope it turns out that way.

CRAZY CHILD

Nathan is very happy to be out of school. He is a whirlwind of activity. He started off the summer being grounded, for not doing his chores and talking back. I don't know if he is going to survive the summer if he keeps this up. We really need to find something for him to do but the stinker doesn't want to do anything but sit and play video games. I wonder who he could have gotten that from ;). He has been antagonizing poor Ericka every chance he gets. We are constantly hearing "I'm bored" but when we come up with ideas he's not having any of it. He was playing outside for awhile but that no longer seems to be his thing either. We have more kids in the neighborhood now and he doesn't want to deal with them so he stays inside. He gets easily annoyed by the other kids so unless he knows he'll be left alone he won't go out. He has been spending a lot of time building with his legos or listening to music. He will sometimes read along side Ericka or ask her to read to him. He loves to read about dinosaurs or anything that is science. He isn't one for fiction but if it has a dragon on the cover he might give it a try. He spends a lot of time just jumping, running and spinning around.
We got his report card on the last day of school and he got all high marks for his school work. He got minuses for all behaviors though, no surprise! He's so smart but WOW this kid is wild!!

Dr Appt and Other Stuff

Nate is chomping at the bit for school to be out. He only has about a week and a half. He is so ready for summer and long days of playing in the water. He's just happy when it's warm because it means no socks. His idea of being comfortable is running around in swimtrunks and bare feet.
Tomorrow is Jelly Bean Field Day at school. They get jelly beans when they win the games, yummy. Nate has a big sweet tooth so maybe that will motivate him to listen. I just hope he can keep up enough to get atleast some candy. He hasn't been complaining as much about school. It probably has something to do with everything calming down. He hasn't had any homework, that has made us both happier. It's a fight getting him to finish it so it's nice not having to deal with that for a while. I hope next year they help him more with his writing. If he could type instead of using a pencil things would be so much easier. I think next year he'll probably qualify for more. He'll be going to a different school with better programs. We will be reviewing his 504 plan and making changes. I just hope that next school year treats him better than this one did.
We took him to meet his new doctor yesterday. This doctor specializes in ADHD and ASD's. The first thing he sees when he comes into the room is Nate hiding under the chair. We had to tell him a couple of times to come out and say hi. The doctor had to go do something real quick and came back to Nate spinning the stool. He wouldn't make eye contact and then when the doctor asked him questions he got all goofy and made silly faces. Let's just say the doctor doesn't question his diagnosis. He was a little confused as to why Nate isn't getting more help at school. He says that even though he might not qualify for academic help he definitly should get some for behavior and social skills. He asked what school he goes to and if he will be going there next year. We told him that Nate will be going to Sunset up by our house instead of Betz. He says that Sunset is one of the best schools around here for autism programs. I just hope that they do a better job working with him. Next school year will be the first time he'll be taking the WASL's. I remember Ericka's 3rd grade year. They focus on writing a lot more and that's his worst subject. I won't be surprised if they end up having to change his 504 to an IEP instead.
We will worry about that in a few months, right now we are just going to enjoy summer.

NATE AT REGIONALS

Nate didn't make it to Nationals but he skated really good. He tried but the other boys were just too fast. He was a little sad but there is next season if he decides to skate again. He had fun watching Ericka kick some butt. He is happy for her and kept cheering her on.
His favorite part of the trip was getting to go on all the fun rides after the meet. They hold Regionals in Portland Oregon at Oaks Amusement Park and skate rink. Every year after the first day they have a big picnic and the skaters all get to hang around and have some fun at the park. Nate wanted to go on everything and I spent a lot of time chasing him down. He was really excited and worked up so he was a challenge to say the least. He gets really hyper and goofy and pays no attention to whats going on. I can't count how many times he ran into people because he was busy looking at all the flashing lights etc.
Kids from all different teams were hanging out together and having a good time. There were a couple of other boys in his division who found him and asked him to go on a ride with them. He actually went and they were laughing when they came out. He is starting to make more friends at the meets and they stick together. It doesn't matter to them that he isn't the best skater. They never make fun of him. The faster boys try and tell him things to help him get better. They all pick up on the fact he's a bit different but they are patient with him. The thing we like most about this sport is that the same people go season to season over several years. Some of these kids have been skating together since they were tiny tots and stay in it for years. They grow up together. There are some families where they are 2nd or even 3rd generation skaters. It's kind of like a big family. We have been part of it now for over 2 yrs and it's the one group that has been the most accepting of him. There are several kids in this Region who are really talented skaters who at school are outcasts. Like Nate they may not always be the best by any means but they get out there and try. Even though Nate never places in his division he does place in relays and it has helped his confidence. At several meets they let kids from different teams group up and relay together. Nate has been lucky and has been put on some good relays. He's smart and knows when to go out and he does his part well. He knows the other kids are counting on him to do it right so he tries hard to pay attention. They see that and respect him. It's good because then when he's goofy off the floor they are more forgiving. It also helps that he follows around his sister who makes friends easily. She is his navigator and explains him to the others.
He is SO ready for school to be out. I am too just so I get a break from the homework fight. I wish that he could just tell the teacher the answer. He hates to write and it is a battle I am tired of fighting. Next year he'll be in third and they really start focusing on penmenship. He is going to struggle with that for many years to come, hopefully they figure it out and help him.
He is happy that the weather is finally getting warm. He goes out and plays any chance he gets. I think we are all looking forward to summer and having some fun.

Birthday Boy

My baby turned 8 yesterday. I can't believe it! He is growing so fast. We took him out to dinner and then came home and watched Barnyard. He got to open a couple of presents but the rest will wait till Saturday when we go to grandma's. We got him a remote control helicopter that he's very happy about. He's wanted it for awhile so he was pretty excited when he unwrapped it. He spent the afternoon terrorizing the poor dogs with it.
School is going okay I think. He says that he has been getting in trouble and missing recess. He says that he isn't getting his writing done on time so he gets sent to study hall. I feel sorry for the person in charge there, Nate+boredom = chaos. His papers come home with high marks except his writing so we are working on that still. I think that is going to be an issue for a long time. He absolutly hates to write and can't stand holding the pencil. He loves math but when he has to actually write the answers rather than say them he gets frustrated. It's a battle every day to get him to do his homework. He fights and cries and whines and it turns into a tantrum but he eventually gets it done. He keeps asking how many more days he has until school is done. Lucky for him there is only about a month left. We've got some fun stuff planned for the summer so he'll be a happier boy we hope.

OUCH

We had a little drama the other day. We had to pick up Nate from school because he got hurt. He was playing on the monkey bars and fell. We were told that on his way down he hit his head on the lower bars. He knocked himself out from the sounds of it. You can never get a clear story from the recess people. He didn't remember what happened and just laid there. He didn't throw up and his pupils were normal so they didn't think it was an emergency. We brought him home and let him rest and he was fine. I think it scared him more than anything. He didn't have any big goose egg or bruise. He returned to his normal self after a couple of hours of rest and some pain meds.
Other than that he's been doing good. He has been practicing with Ericka to get ready for the meet next weekend. He will be doing his division (primary boys elite/standard) a Juvenile 4 mix relay with Ericka, and a primary 2 boy relay. He's gotten so much faster the last month and he knows it.
Ericka got quad skates so of course he wanted some too. Since his birthday is in a couple of weeks we went ahead and let him choose a pair. He seems to like them a lot and wants Troy to teach him all the tricks. He has already learned a couple. He is pretty good in them after only wearing them for a couple of hours. We were a bit surprised he would want to try them. They are a lot different than what he is used to. I think the idea of him being the only one in the family without them overpowered the whole change thing that usually bothers him.
Anyways, school is going well, and he's been busy doing all the typical things little boys do.

PRIVACY

ATTENTION!!!!

We set the blogs to private so you can only view by invitation. If you followed the link as a guest you will only get to view for two weeks. If you want to be able to view after that you will have to create a google account. It is simple if you follow one of the links from the invite I sent you. If you already have a google account then just use that to see the blog. We didn't want just anyone to see the kids' blogs. Hope this doesn't cause confusion etc but if it does just email me and I'll help you out so you can continue to read the posts.

MUSIC

We had to put a new music link on Nate's blog because of the other one not working.
Just click on the play icon twice and it will start playing. If you hover over the right hand side it will allow you to skip a track or two forward. The songs are some of Nate's favorites.
Nathan is keeping busy playing and driving us looney. He's been having problems lately with any loud noise and will get really irritable. He's always been sensitive to sound but it seems to be worse right now for whatever reason. We were at session the other night and he was out skating and seemed to be enjoying himself. He comes and sits down and just starts crying so I asked him what was wrong. He has these big tears coming down and says "the music is too loud and it's hurting my ears". He's been going to session for 6 years and hasn't complained for a long time. He's also becoming even more picky when it comes to food. I can't for the life of me understand how he weighs more than Ericka. She eats everything and then some and she is 5 pounds lighter.
He has been building tons of spaceships with his legos the last few days. Maybe we have a future engineer. We took him to the IMAX the other day. They were showing the Mars Rover being built, and you could just see the wheels turning in that head. We watch the show Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader and he gets most of all the math and science questions right. It's funny because he'll get annoyed with the people if they can't answer the questions. Our little Einstein :)

SICK

Nate hasn't been feeling well the last couple of days. He hates being sick and lets everyone know it. He's better today but still a bit grumpy. He wasn't happy to find out that he couldn't play outside, so that made him even more irritable. He loves playing in the dirt but now that our grass is in there isn't any to make a mess with. It will be nice once it gets warmer so he can go outside more and play. He gets cabin fever worse than any of us so he's itching to run out the door.
I asked him if he wanted me to sign him up for soccer or baseball but he has no interest in either. I think the whole team thing scares him. He likes to skate because the plays are always the same. You just go as fast as you can for so many laps and your done. You don't have to be overally social and that is the way he likes it. He has learned through school/PE that if you mess up your team gets mad so he avoids most sports. He tries so hard to keep up with the other kids but he just can't do it so he gets discouraged and gives up. He was even starting to get frustrated with skating but once he won his first trophy that all changed. His goal now is to catch up with Ericka. He's got a lot of work to do but I won't underestimate him. He might just do it.

CONFERENCES

We are happy to say that despite Nate having some low marks for behavior he is in the top 3 of his class academically.
He scores way above grade level for math and is reading at a 3/4th grade level (he is in 2nd). Last year he was behind. He has really good teachers here who seem to know how to motivate him. He is easily distracted and his handwriting is not where it should be but they are helping him. The two teachers he has run a tight ship and he seems to be thriving. He has one teacher (female) who comes in the mornings for reading, writing and spelling. Then another teacher (male) comes in after lunch and does Math, Science and Social Studies. It's just too bad he won't have that set up next school year:(
His teachers were also very supportive of his skating. I asked them if him missing school once a month for meets is causing problems. They both said that it hasn't and that they are happy he is in something he enjoys so much. I guess he has been writing stories about the meets and all the fun stuff they get to do. The conference went well and hopefully he continues to keep his grades up.

BUT HE LOOKS SO NORMAL...

Well in many ways Nate IS like any other "normal" 7 year old boy.
He likes to run around, play in the dirt and annoy his older sister. He likes to play ball and play video games. He plays a mean game of chess and his favorite part of the school day is recess. He loves animals and says he wants to be a veternarian when he grows up. He likes playing with cars (even if his idea of playing is lining them all up and leaving them in the hallway for us to trip over). His favorite subjects in school are math and science. He will read anything and everything to do with planets, nature and he really likes dragons. He will spend hours building things with his Knex and legos.He just has a few things that makes him "quirky" or as some people say "eccentric".
Nathan has many sensory problems and he has a hard time controlling his behavior, especially in certain environments. He doesn't make friends very easily and he gets confused when it comes to social cues and rules. A lot of people say "well everyone has quirks". That is true but unlike the rest of us he gets stuck and can't filter things out as easily. We might have things that annoy us or temporarily set us back but we can find ways on our own to overcome and function. Aspergers makes it impossible to do this without help. That is why it is currently called a "developmental disability".
I don't look at him and see a "disabled" little boy though. I see a very smart kid who's brain works in a way that society hasn't caught up with yet.

ASPERGERS 101

I have wanted to create a blog concerning Aspergers Syndrome for awhile. It is something that is obviously personal since Nate has it. I will start off by educating those of you who may not be familiar as to what AS is.
Asperger Syndrome or (Asperger's Disorder) is a neurobiological disorder named for a Viennese physician, Hans Asperger, who in 1944 published a paper which described a pattern of behaviors in several young boys who had normal intelligence and language development, but who also exhibited autistic-like behaviors and marked deficiencies in social and communication skills. In spite of the publication of his paper in the 1940's, it wasn't until 1994 that Asperger Syndrome was added to the DSM IV and only in the past few years has AS been recognized by professionals and parents.Individuals with AS can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most certainly not the result of "improper parenting".By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development seems, on the surface, normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics and prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like "little professors." However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context.
There is much more to the story but you get the point.